American Books

Stalking Irish Madness:Searching for the Roots of My Family's Schizophrenia is an incredible book. This year I've read 115 books to date and this is the best one. I read it in one sitting because I couldn't put it down. Patrick Tracey is an excellent writer and storyteller. What makes this book incredible instead of just good is that it is well written, it takes you on a journey, it is very interesting, it teaches you about the links between mental illness and the Irish, and it touches your heart and soul.

This book is for everyone. You do not have to be Irish, or have schizophrenia or any other mental illness to benefit from this book.

This book is a very important book because it has the potential to help millions of families. Every family has some secret in their family tree, whether it is schizophrenia, or alcoholism, or drug abuse. Every family has issues that are hidden and not discussed. I say this is an important book because I hope people will use this book as a catalyst to help them start talking to their family members about these issues and get them out in the open. If you have alcoholism or schizophrenia, or depression that runs in your family, evey member should know about it so they can make decisions that could affect their well being and the well being of future generations.

What we do now, the decisions we make today, affect our children and grandchildren.

If Mr. Tracey can tell the whole world about how his family has been affected by schizophrenia we all can confront our relatives and find out the hidden issues that are lurking in our family trees.

After I finished reading this book I was very grateful to Mr. Tracey for having had the courage to share his story. He made me feel better about my own family. We all have issues that we are ashamed of in our family and that we tend to hide for one reason or another. This hiding and shame accomplishes nothing. It doesn't make the issues go away; they just fester under the surface. The truth does set you free.

I am American. I was born and raised here, and I am Irish and Lebanese and I have issues on both sides of my family tree. My Lebanese grandmother didn't bother to tell the family that she had Mediterranean Anemia. It was just lucky that none of us had children with others who also had Mediterranean Anemia because then the children would have had to have constant blood transfusions. Her keeping quiet didn't make it go away it just put her grandchildren and great grandchildren in unnecessary danger.

On my Irish side of the family, my great grandmother was put into a mental institution after her young husband died of a heart attack, leaving her with 4 children to raise on her own, the youngest was a newborn. My grandfather was told his mother had died. He never knew the truth about his mother. She lived a long life. He could have gone to visit her. We only found out the truth a few years ago, and we still don't know what the diagnosis was. So, my Irish relatives decided to tell my grandfather he no longer had a mother rather than tell him the truth.

This is what I am talking about. And this is why this book is so important. Read this book and give copies of it to your relatives. Use it to start the conversation about the difficult issues in your family tree. Our relatives who know the family stories and secrets won't live forever. Use Mr. Tracey as an example and start talking.

They say we all have a book inside of us, but i doubt many could match this for its original subject matter. Mr Tracey lays it bare for us all, as they say, "warts un all". I doubt many of us would like to even delve this deep into our past and then reveal it in print to the world.

I think this book should also be read as an insight into Pat Tracey himself and the complex issues that he has had to deal with in writing this book and into the serious issues which are literally ignored by society in Schizophrenia.

It was an excellent read and i loved travelling with Pat on his journey and the way he brought it to life, i hope he brings us something else(he touched on alcoholism and drugs in his life) as he can certainly tell a story like only the Irish can, candid, with humour and emotion.

With heartfelt courage Patrick Tracey chronicles his family's present and past history with the mental condition, schizophrenia. The disease descends from his mother's side of the family with roots originating back to Ireland's County Roscommon. As a child Tracey hears tales of his institutionalized grandmother leaving the house in morning and returning home at night with her teeth completely pulled out, enacting what voices in her head told her. He goes on to describe in detail how during his college years he witnesses two of his older four sisters descend into madness, each during their early twenties. Thirty years later Tracey sets forth in a camping van back to Ireland to hopefully meet relatives and find some answers. Recently becoming aware that Ireland had the world's highest rate of mental illness up until the 1960's, Tracey discovers plenty of local lore on his travels, including tales of fairies living in ancient caverns that capture people's minds and well water in a valley of Gleanna-A-Galt holding healing powers. He attends The Hearing Voices Network conference and meets people that have learned to control the voices they hear and are able to function drug free with the disease. Tracey separates fact from fiction for the reader and comes up with an interesting accumulation of information about schizophrenia's past and future. This book is part travelogue, part psychological and genealogical history, and part one man's own, and often difficult, self-discovery. It places a humanistic understanding on mental illness, which statistics show one in every four people worldwide suffer from some type, one in one hundred from schizophrenia, the most severe form. It gives some hope, however small, to the future of schizophrenics and their families. Tracey's amazing ability to tell a story with humor, passion and insights into this disease, makes this book one all should take time to read.

I didn't so much read as devour Stalking Irish Madness: Searching for The Roots of my Family's Schizophrenia, in which writer Patrick Tracey travels to Ireland to unravel the origins of his Irish-American family's multi-generational struggle with schizophrenia. Two of Tracey's sisters, his uncle, his grandmother, and a grandmother several generations back have been victims of the brain disorder.
Tracey had the discipline to hold back the drama and fireworks that many writers would have been tempted to include in a book about schizophrenia. His love for his sisters is so palpable and sweet that it makes what happens to them stand out starkly and heartbreakingly in a way that histrionics could not.
The structure--part memoir, part history, part Travels with Charley, part detective nonfiction--and Tracey's insight, honesty, and sense of humor make the book a page-turner. He writes easily about the dry stuff, which all too often writers can make stultifying: history, medicine, mythology. Tracey's journey through Ireland past and present is a worthy read unto itself.
Stalking Irish Madness: Searching for The Roots of my Family's Schizophrenia will share space on my bookshelf with others that have changed my way of looking at the human brain and helped me understand a little about what it's like to live with mental illness or mental differences: An Unquiet Mind by Kay Redfield Jameson, about bipolar disorder; and Temple Grandin's Thinking in Pictures, about autism, among them.
The book is a beautiful gift to Tracey's sisters; to families whose pasts, presents, and futures have been and will be marked by schizophrenia; to all of us who have struggled or have loved anyone who has; and to all who are seeking understanding about ourselves and about love.

American journalist Patrick Tracey sets out to trace the origins of his family's multigenerational struggle with schizophrenia. The disease runs on his mother's Irish side, claiming a third great-grandmother, a grandmother, an uncle, and two of his four sisters. Stalking Irish Madness interweaves his personal quest with history, science, and lore, as he hunts for answers in Ireland.

Tracey has a fascinating story to tell and does so with engaging prose. He sheds light on this debilitating familial disease. For those aspects, he earns a five-star rating. The publisher is to be commended for including an index, something that is often not a consideration in a commercially published family history memoir. A drop-line chart, showing the descent from the author's third great-grandmother, Mary Egan, to the author would have been a welcomed visual addition.

But where the book falls short, surprisingly, is in the genealogical research, which is why this book receives only a three-star rating. Other than to cite family lore, Tracey never provides the generational links or names from his grandmother to his third great-grandmother. "From what little my grandfather said, and the small bits my mother added, it all started with the Egans.... I have a name Mary Egan" (p. 70). From this same family lore he has a place, Kiltoom Parish in Co. Roscommon, and for Tracey that's apparently enough for him to begin his eighteen-week search in Ireland. There's no indication that the author did research in American sources to confirm the generations between his grandmother and third great-grandmother to ensure the information handed down was accurate and sufficient to make the trip worthwhile.

On page 236, the author references a passenger list of the ship Anglo-Saxon, showing a John Egan and "Mrs. Egan" arriving in Boston in 1847. Since he does not detail what, if any, additional searches he did in American records, it leaves the genealogical reader wondering how he concluded that this John and "Mrs. Egan" are his ancestors. Other than ages, there's no further identifying information, and curiously, the "country to which they severally belong" is England, not Ireland, as other passengers on that list were recorded.

Tracey spends much of his time searching Egans in Ireland, rather than his third great-grandmother's birth family for genetic links to schizophrenia. His research in Irish parish records evidently dead ends when he can't find any children born and baptized to a Mary and John Egan before they emigrated, so he's unable to determine her maiden name.

The author claims he is "not enamored of genealogy" (p. 126), which is understandable when a person not well versed in genealogical methods and sources quickly feels the agony of defeat from not knowing how to conduct sound research. When he finds a Mary Gallagher Egan in the parish baptism records (he gives no husband's name), and she is the mother of Brigid, baptized in 1835, he states, "Since my Mary would've been twelve or thirteen [based on the age of "Mrs. Egan" in the passenger list], it's more likely Brigid was a sister, or a cousin." He offers no foundation for this speculation, and apparently does not comprehend that Brigid is an Egan. Unless Mary's maiden name is also Egan, these two aren't likely to be sisters. Then the author adds, "There was no Brigid listed on the passenger records of the ship that carried John and Mary to America. Whoever she was, I suspect she may have perished in the journey out of Ireland" (p. 125-26). Again, there's no foundation for the speculation. Genealogists, of course, realize that if a Brigid did board the same ship with John and "Mrs. Egan," she would have been recorded on the passenger manifest, and if she did perish on the journey, more than likely, her death would have been noted on the list, too.

Granted, most readers probably aren't as interested in the details of Tracey's search as genealogists would be. But the lack of genealogical facts makes us wonder whether he's even tracing the right ancestors, in either Ireland or America. For a book that focuses on family history and genetic links, it's astonishing and disappointing that the author, a journalist, apparently did not attempt even the basics of U.S. genealogical research. He falls into the typical novice trap of eagerly hurdling the ocean without methodically documenting each generation and securing enough identifying information to link immigrant ancestors to their place of origin.

There's no denying that the most compelling aspect of the book is the stories of his afflicted two sisters. Just watching them become stricken with schizophrenia on these pages is heart wrenching enough; one can only imagine the anguish the author and his family must have felt to witness it in person. It's not at all surprising that Tracey felt a need to search for the roots of the family's madness. It's unfortunate that he didn't consult a skilled genealogist who would have established his correct lineage and might have been able to help him achieve greater success.
--Sharon DeBartolo Carmack, Certified Genealogist

Any person who signs will probably agree that facial expression is a very intregal part of deaf communication...the photographs in this book absolutely excel in that area. Very informative texts preface the images sections and accompanying information on each page (handshape, position, movement, visualizations...) is very well done and is appropriately relevant. Even though I still can hear almost normally with hearing aids, I am attempting to learn ASL as an alternate means of communication, and although I do have other reference material I can use, this book is always the one I choose. If you want more 'bang for your buck' this is the one to go with!

This is a great Book! We used this book in a sign language class I took. It is easy to read and understand. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn to talk to the deaf or hard of hearing.

This book covers numerous "word groupings" in 17 chapters. Some of these groupings include, "Days of the Week & Time"; "School & Education"; "Descriptions,Thoughts& Emotions"; "The body& Health"; "Mealtime& Food"; "Home&Clothing"; "Numbers,Math Terms,Quantity &Money"; "Pronouns,People&Relationships"; "Actions"; as well as many more.
I especially like this book for the photographic illustrations. So far this is the only ASL book I have found with photographic illustrations.

With each word there are specific instructions for the proper hand shape, position, and movement to go with each sign as well as a visual reminder for memory. At the bottom of each page there is a photographic guide as a visual reminder of all the proper hand shapes that are used in all the signs for that particular page.

I would highly recommend this book for any with the desire to learn Sign Language.

This book was a required text for a Sign Language I course. The pictures are very clear, it gives good description of hand shape, location and movement. I really like that it gives a hint of how to visualize each sign, it makes it much easier to remember.

The book "Talking With Your Hands, Listening With Your Eyes" is a great book for people wanting to start learning sign language. The photographs of the signs are very clear. I especially like the additional material throughout the book about Deaf Culture and history. I recommend this book and enjoyed reading it even though I have been a student of sign language for 5 years.

Torpedo Junction is a very educational and interesting book about German submarines destroying numerous ships and their cargos and many deaths. It is historically accurate and enlightening. Once you start this book, it is difficult to put down.

I recommended it to anyone interested in history, WWII and what happened on the East Coast of the U.S., particularly from New Jersey to North Carolina.

The U-boat war off America's coast "Operation Drumbeat" was merely one of Germany's U-boat operations. This book is an interesting read. I, like others, wasn't aware of the magnitude of U-boat operations off America's coast. It's a great account. It's limited to that operation. There's hardly anything beyond Operation Drumbeat...but that was the book's intent. It's a good account.

Ultimately how good I like a book is if I'm committed to finish it. Torpedo Junction by Homer Hickman is a book I had to finish, but I was so interested in what it revealed I hardly wanted it to end. Many factors were at work here. First, Mr. Hickman's writing is so clear and linear that it belies the painstaking research such an easy to read factual narrative requires. Thank you Mr. Hickman for doing the work so I could both be reviled and astonished!

This little known yet very tragic part of World War II played out right at our doorstep. Because of Japan's audacity to hit us with one massive surprise salvo the even more insideous U-Boat war on the U.S. coastline played out largely unknown to the general public. For months that seemed to drag on and on the Germans sank boat after boat after boat. Maybe for our protection or maybe because we couldn't quite get a handle on how to stop the German U-Boat threat the mounting damage was kept quiet. It was a tremendous tragedy which caused great loss of life as well as massive destruction of resources. With Torpedo Junction we can finally see how close to home death truly came. Also, we get to know the true courage of those who protected our home shores so we could both support the war effort as well as keep that all important semblance of a "normal life" at home. To know the facts surrounding the North Atlantic U-Boat war helps to rectify those long years of not talking about it.

I recommend this book as both educational and entertaining. As with Rocket Boys I was pulled inside a time and place as if I was there. Storytelling really doesn't get better than this.

As the U. S. Coast Guard Cutter Dione's lead soundman during period of Hickman's book I can attest that he did a wonderful job telling our story about some real hazardous duty. Homer's collaboration with our Radioman 1st, Swede Larson really paints the futility and danger of our sub chasing before and after convoys. I'm so glad Homer wrote about us. Now maybe we won't be forgotten.

Reads like a Clancy thriller. I recommend this book along with Michael Gannon's "Operation Drumbeat" so one can understand the havoc wreaked by German U boats along the Eastern seaboard against totally unprepared and in many cases complacent ships in the early days of World War II.

This story starts out with a star crossed love between Hunt - the school bad boy saving Sophie Alton, the shy out of place girl from a threatening situation. They go off for a midnight drive and things heat up. But Hunt has joined the Army and is due to leave the next day.
The story then picks up some years later. Sophie is now an investigative journalist who is headed to the local prison to see the brother of a missing girl Sophie has written a series of stories about. Sophie is very concerned about Megan, the young girl who had spent time in prison herself for doing drugs. Marc Hunter takes Sophie hostage in his attempt at escape. She's terrified as she doesn't recognize him as that young man she had fallen for so many years ago.
The story is riveting as Marc and Sophie race against time to try and find Marc's sister. There is a shadow of doomed love throughout the story as Marc knows they have no future. He will either be fleeing the country, end up back in jail or dead as both the good guys and the bad guys are after him.
What I also appreciated is the secondary characters from her previous books in this series played an active role in the story. They weren't just `along for the ride'.
This one is steamy - and I mean very steamy as Marc and Sophie try to pack a lifetime's worth of love into just a few days. There is this car scene.......
Pamela Clare is a wonderful writer and this is a wonderful, thrilling, very emotional read.

I liked all three I-Team books but this is my definite favourite - more intense somehow.

Cannot wait for Kat's story to be published!!

This is the first book I've read from this author. An awesome story with a rollercoaster of emotions that just grabs you and never let go. I couldn't put it down till I was done. And then too I didn't want it to end.

Journalist Sophie Alton investigates the disappearance of a young woman and is led to the woman's brother, Hunter, a convicted killer who is running from the law.
After all Hunter, is Hunt, is the boy she fell in love with at the age of 16. Only to meet him 12 years later when he takes her as hostage and escapes prison, where he lived a nightmarish life. Now he desperately needed to find his missing sister before she is killed. Together, they follow a dangerous path toward the truth-and unforgettable passion.
Loved the twist at the end, never expected that.

Loved Marc Hunter, he is all that a man should be, and Sophie was the perfect complement to him. She is exactly what Hunt needed, even if he mistakenly thought she was too good for him.
The story is emotionally moving, very powerful and the love scenes is scorching.

After reading this book, I immediately ordered 'Extreme Exposure' and 'Hard Evidence' and now have the last one 'Naked Edge' on auto-buy.
Pamela Clare is a superb writer.
Well done!

What a great read! I was truly hooked! Everything had to wait until I read the entire book. It held my attention throughout the book and I let nothing interupt me. The book was exciting and believable. There was not one dull area , it was constantly moving with a combination of romance and action. Honestly if Ms Clares books continue to be this good I don't want to miss a one of them.

Although all of her I- Team books have been great, this one is absolutely the best. Clare did a great job of bringing back characters from the first two books while hooking the reader completely into this new storyline. I couldn't put the book down!

I was trawling through a bookshop in Girona Airport(Spain) looking for a book to read on my flight back home (London, UK). Picked this book and thought I would just about manage to get through the first chapter before being lulled off to sleep. How wrong I was. I couldn't put it down.
I could relate to all three main characters and haven't laughed so much in years.
Thanks Patrick Sanchez, I'd never have thought that a man could relate to women's feelings the way you have done.
In my PC (politically correct) world , it was such a refreshing read.

In THE WAY IT IS by Patrick Sanchez, three seemingly different women have much more in common than they think. Issues with weight, love, careers, and self-worth put these women to the test.

Ruby is a woman with a successful career and a beautiful home in downtown Washington, DC. However, Ruby's weight issues plague her day in and day out. Between her mother's constant nagging for Ruby to shed some pounds, to the inner struggles with food, body image, and self-worth, she really has her work cut out for her. As if things couldn't get any worse, she has to take in two roommates to help with the mortgage after her nerdy husband leaves her for another woman.

Wanda is big, beautiful, and loving life. As a plus-sized model, she embraces her size and isn't too shy to let everyone know it. But there is an annoying obstacle in Wanda's way if she wants to make it to the top of the modeling industry.

Simone is a beautiful Latina anchorwoman for DC's local news channel. Coveted by many and very popular with the men, Simone thinks she has everything under control. However, Simone holds a dark secret that could ruin her career and, ultimately, her life.

Patrick Sanchez doesn't disappoint with THE WAY IT IS. He delves deeply into his characters, their quirks, and insecurities and writes from deep within his characters' minds, allowing the readers to walk beside them in their struggles and antics. The result is an outrageously touching and hysterical novel.

Reviewed by CandaceK
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

Can this guy get any better? Oh my! He is wonderful!! Patrick Sanchez is one of the best authors I have ever read! The Way It Is is a fabulous page turner of a novel! I enjoyed every minute of it and it was hard to put it down. It is the story of three gals, who by chance became roommates, and the life issues they are dealing with at the moment. The covers of his novels alone will draw you in and never let you go!! Read this one!

Patrick Sanchez has done it again with his second novel, The Way It Is. Each chapter is filled with comedic antics that will keep the reader laughing and looking forward to the next chapter. Mr. Sanchez introduces the reader to three women from three different paths in life.

Ruby Waters is lacking self-confidence, divorced, plus-sized and is saving for the day when she will be thin. She is waiting for the day when she will be thin so she can wear a little black dress that her mother (Doris) has saved from her younger days. She goes to work each day trying to get the courage to talk to the co-worker she has a crush on. Ruby has a three-bedroom house and is in need of a roommate. She puts an ad in the paper and has an interesting time interviewing the interested parties. She decides to have two roommates (Wanda and Simone). Ruby's roommates help her with her self-confidence and she is also able to give others some help in the process.

Wanda is a plus-sized model that knows what she wants and how to get it. She moves in with Ruby and helps Ruby to become a new person. Wanda has a co-worker that wants to take Wanda's place as a model. Wanda finds out a secret about her co-worker that just may change everything.

Simone is a sexy, famous news anchorwoman that is living in style. She moves in with Ruby while her place is being renovated. She likes her men young and does not want a commitment. While Simone looks good on the outside, she has issues of her own that have to be dealt with and soon.

I did not want the story to end and hope that the author will write a sequel. Each of the characters is interesting. Ruby is one of my favorite characters because her issues are real for some people today. I recommend this book and look forward to reading future novels by Patrick Sanchez.

Reviewed by Phyllis
For BBW Reviews

This book was funny and poignant. I liked Ruby's character. She reminds me of myself. I complain about my weight all the time like she does. My goal is be Simone's size. Read the book and find out for yourselves. This book gives all the ladies their own voice and I thought that was well done coming from a male author. He knows the women.

Im not a gourmet, and im about as far from Italian as you can get. I am however a huge fan of Italian cuisine and have sampled it coast to coast in many parts of the country (no im not talking about Olive Garden..im talking about Italian food..:))

Maybe its the satisfaction of creating ones own meal, or imagining what it would have been like to grow up in Brooklyn while the smell of mom's "sunday gravy" on the stove (Henry is a good storyteller). Who knows, but I can honestly say I have yet to have an italian meal...and ive had many...that surpass the recipes in this book. Equal with once or twice...but never better.

One's delicious is another's un-appealing, but for me, these recipes are my reference for great italian.

Highly recommended whether you know (or care) who Henry Hill is or not.

Henry writes a few pages about an event in his mafia life then, bam; he hits you with a delicious recipe that he made for the crew.
It's more than just a cookbook, the recipes have history in them.

It was as addvertised, well written and interesting, there are many good recipes in the book, well worth the money

This had some great old school recipes. However, if you are an Italian American you do not need this book. Had stuff my Great Grandmother and Grandmother have passed down.

I've made a few of the meals in here, and they were very good. Not all that different from the way I cook anyway, but a few differences made the meals better. No problem with the recipes.

My problem is with the marketing of gangster life. This isn't a merely an Italian cookbook-- this is promoted as a MAFIA cookbook ("cooking on the run"?). His life stories are told in euphamistic and humourous fashion, but the reality is very different. The end of the book is almost enraging-- Henry says he he sees pierced and tattoo'd kids eating dinner at McDonald's, and wonders where their parent are-- they ought to be having a nice family dinner at home.

PUHLEEEEZE!!! Read his childrens' book-- "On the Run--A Mafia Childhood". Years of drinking and drug related abuse, not coming home for days at a time, turning his home into a drug and sex den, both before and after his bust-- and much worse stuff-- if you find yourself getting amused by his engagingly told tales of gangster glory or if you find his stories of his Broolyn childhood endearing, then you need to read his childrens' book for balance. See the link below.

Buy this book used. I wouldn't put a dime in Hill's pocket.


On the Run: A Mafia Childhood

There are a number of excellent reviews here with great detail and insights on this remarkable story. But I had the fortunate timing to pick up and begin reading this book as the 2008 presidential campaign was coming to a close with the resulting election of Barack Obama.

William Lloyd Garrison's vision and insistence upon not only the immediate abolition of slavery but the granting of full and equal rights and the integration and recognition of blacks as fully fledged American citizens seems astonishing for his time. At one point he even speculates that a time will come when a black man will be able to become President. We may all take that vision for granted now and it is easy to consider ourselves enlightened today; but what if we had been living in his time? How many of us would have been capable of such moral clarity in the midst of a society that was at best fundamentally indifferent and at worst implacably opposed to the emancipation of the slaves let alone full and equal rights for blacks? Garrison's motivating force came from his Protestant and fundamentalist Christianity, he put no faith in established religion or politics and he was willing to tear up the Constitution and dismember the Union to achieve a just and moral society and nation. He was considered a crackpot in his time but it seems clear now that he was that rare person ahead of his time and on the right side of history. Not only that but he had the personal willpower and relentless drive to instigate a tremendous positive change in the nation.

I am struck by how difficult it is for any of us to see the truth in the times we happen to be living in. Garrison laid bare the unfulfilled promise of the constitution and some ugly truths about American society in his day; he was vilified relentlessly, called a traitor and worse for his efforts. I will try to be less dismissive of gadfly's in the future. Someone mentioned Michael Moore in one of these reviews as a modern day Garrisonian figure, that's funny because the same thing occurred to me as I read this book. I generally detest Moore for his slovenly appearance and boorish attitude and it makes it too easy to dismiss his message entirely. Could he be a man on the right side of history (dumbed down for our modern media and times of course)? That's a scary thought but worth some consideration after reading this story.

Alternating between the silly chatter and `issues' noise of the presidential campaign on TV and then returning to the fundamental truths presented by Garrison was a startling experience for me. The book was actually more exciting and certainly more enlightening than the election campaign itself; even as this historic election is perhaps the ultimate vindication of Garrison's life work. America, always imperfect but always wonderfully dynamic. Perhaps the slogan `change' really does sum us up best.

Bad

A. The narrative pace is just awful. I don't know what it is about this book I almost didn't make it past the first 40 pages because the begining moves so slowly.
B. The idiotic "conspiracy theory" idea regarding the Texas Revolution. Someday right minded people everywhere will be able to laugh conspiracy nuts right off the street.
Good

The book has a great deal of information regarding the beginnings of an organized abolitionist movement in this country. Garrison was the focal point for this when the movement started to move beyond isolated groups of idealists and Quakers and started to be taken seriously as a genuine force for social change.

Overall-Once you get into the book it is amazing, but you have to be in the right mood to do so.

Now a book that shows two sides of slavery that all white people were not all for slavery .Like Dr.martin luther king was saying that slavery was not about black against white ,but justice againt injustice.Because if all men and women are not free then we are all in chains.Books like this one has giving us a balance look at one of america darkest sides. But men like Garrison showed us that their were men and women that were a light of hope that all men are created equal . And being a black man I must say thank you to all the blackmen and women and white men and women of the past for fighting a fight that many of us still fight for today .And that is for an opportunity to live as we were when God created us in the beginnig as, a human being thank you.

Let's just get the obvious criticisms out of they way. First, the author pretty much flat out states that The Civil War was fought only because of slavery--and in the preface! Yawn. Will I ever be able to find a Northerner who can write a book that examines both sides of the conflict? I mean southern writers do it all the time. The second problem is the assertion that the Texas Revolution was some kind of government conspiracy--from Pres. Jackson on down to Sam Houston--to perpetuate slavery and continue manifest destiny. While I'm sure some men fought for those reasons, this moronic conspiracy theory about secret government shenanigans has no basis whatsoever. In fact, I would recommend the wonderful biography, Sam Houston, by James Haley. It expertly destroys that awful line of thinking that has somehow survived all these years.

But, being from Texas, I tend to be sensitive to such things. For most people it won't matter.

I still highley recommend All On Fire, though. It is very well written and researched. But most of all, it is the only real biography on Garrison worth reading. And say what you want about the author's biases, he can't muddle the fact that Garrison was one of this country's great patriots, willing to stand up to anyone to free his fellow man. He dedicated his entire life to this noble cause--and except for a few references in some Civil War books--is largely forgotten. What a shame.

William Lloyd Garrison was a man ahead of his time. Not by years or even decades, but centuries. In the 1830s he was an outspoken proponent of not just the abolition of slavery (many advocated various ways to deal with the South's "peculiar institution"), but called for the immediate abolition of slavery with complete and full civil rights for African-Americans. He dreamed of a time when a black woman might succeed a black man as Secretary of State a decade before the Supreme Court ruled that blacks were something less than human in the infamous Dredd Scott decision. He was also an early advocate of women's rights, labor reform, temperance and civil disobedience, as well as an outspoken critic of organized religion (Garrison was what we might today call a fundamentalist "born again Christian" who recognized no formal church other than Christ's teachings).

Given Garrison's role as founding father of the abolitionist movement, his passion for the cause, longevity in leadership and terminal impact on the greatest political issue of the nineteenth century it is puzzling that he has left such an obscure historical legacy. As author Herbert Mayer notes, Martin Luther King Jr. cited Gandhi, Thoreau and the Gospel as his inspiration and motivation in the Civil Rights movement with no reference to the man whose peaceful agitation did more to eradicate bondage than any other -- and who in turn may very well have been Thoreau's inspiration in writing "Civil Disobedience."

So why the obscurity? Mayer's biography does little to address this paradox. In fact, his book makes Garrison's general absence from the mainstream of American history all the more tenebrous. The man that emerges from the pages of "All on Fire" is a moral giant, a crusader in the purest and best sense of the word, who risked -- indeed, welcomed -- verbal and physical abuse, a life of indigence and scorn, all in pursuit of a truly noble cause. Garrison grew up in New England and never traveled further south than Baltimore until after the Civil War, yet he dedicated his life to the abolition of slavery with an intensity and zeal that surpassed dissident southern whites (such as the Grimke sisters) and even some blacks that had escaped from bondage themselves. Because of his central role in establishing and leading the cause, "All on Fire" is, as the full title suggests, as much a history of the entire abolitionist movement as it is a biography of its leading agitator.

However, a close reading of "All on Fire" also reveals a hidden side of William Lloyd Garrison that Mayer, unfortunately, never fully explores: a man of extreme ambition, vanity, and conceit. Garrison fought tenaciously to keep himself at the front-and-center of the moral movement he came to regard as his own. One senses that the fame and notoriety he gained by his agitation came to mean quite a lot to him. In this sense, Garrison reminds one of a contemporary political gadfly increasingly enamored of his high-profile image: Michael Moore. Perhaps Garrison's attraction to celebrity never fully outweighed his commitment to the ultimate prize of freeing three million humans from bondage, but it certainly meant more than the pious Christian in him would have liked to admit -- and certainly more than biographer Mayer is willing to concede. Again and again throughout the narrative Garrison experiences a painful and personal falling out with some of his closest friends and coadjutors: Frederick Douglas, Wendell Phillips, the Tappan brothers, etc. And time after time Mayer attributes the rift to simple misunderstandings or the result of the stress and pressure of the times. That Garrison might have been something less than the Galahad on ante-bellum America is left unexplored.

Nevertheless, for anyone with a desire to know more about America and especially to learn about a man that was once one of the most controversial and well-known figures of his century, only to sink to near anonymity, this National Book Award finalist can be highly recommended.

As others have pointed out, this book is interesting as a history of popular cooking in the U.S. in the last hundred years or so. The illustrations are delightful and the text is informative.

But I must differ from the other reviewers and make a point for those of us who like authentic recipes. Many of the recipes here are introduced with the words "adapted from" or "version of" - which is a way of saying that the original recipe has been altered in unspecified ways and for unknown reasons. The result is that many of the bowdlerized recipes are only vaguely similar to the original, and invariably to their detriment.

I vastly prefer the recipes to be given in their original form so that, if we choose to, we can make them as we remember them. If I want to de-fat and de-sugar recipes where these elements are vital to the taste and texture, I can make that "adaptation" on my own. I think it's rather dishonest to portray the contents as "the recipes our mothers and grandmothers loved" when, in fact, they are frequently pale imitations with all the goodness removed. Be sure to preserve and treasure those clippings grandma left you; with a world full of "editors" carefully excising the politically incorrect ingredients, they're the only unadulterated record of how grandma really cooked.

Now that my mother needs others to cook for her, I look for ways that I can prepare a meal ahead that will bring back memories of the "Good Old Days". I still follow her dietary guidelines, but re-introducing recipes from her hey-day makes her smile, and gives her a welcome change of pace. One of her favorites from this cookbook has been Johnny Marzetti, but I use Baby Portabela mushrooms instead of white mushrooms, and my mother wants double the amount of mushrooms. For my mushroom-hating mother-in-law and cheddar-averse sister-in-law, I remove the mushrooms and saute red and green bell peppers instead and switch to colby cheese. For DH, I increase the extra lean ground beef and use pepper jack cheese. These variations are economical, not too spicy, but tasty. They bring a smile, and take some of the pressure off my mother's care-givers. This cookbook lets me recreate the "Good Old Days." As always, it is my prerogative to update to meet dietary needs.

I love to cook and eat. I have loads of cookbooks. This is the best book I have seen that captures what my parents and grandparents ate and taught me to eat. Beyond that, is chronicle of the food that became available and why and where they originated.
It should be considered a history od 20th century foods a s well as a cookbook. Loads of comfort recipes, as well as those that are now considered classics, never to be deleted. Worth purchasing if you are a baby boomer, you will love it.
DOC

This book is a treasury of true American cooking, with the recipes our mothers and grandmothers loved,and that make fond memories for us. Some are still favorites for family and entertaining (Pineapple Upside-Down Cake, Stroganoff Casserole), others beg to be rediscovered (Imagine! Coca-Cola Salad), all provide fascinating reading, with their accompanying histories, orginal ads and illustrations. "American Century" has rapidly become one of my favorite cookbooks, both for browsing and for adding to my collection of recipes that please and amaze.

I use this book as a reference guide for my high school American History and African American Studies classes. Everything in the world seems to be here including an old favorite from the 1960s, 'Puree Mongole.' This cookbook is easy to read and most recipes are simple to follow. The best part for me, as a Social Studies teacher, is the gem of the history lessons and time lines associated with all the food preparations. A real pleasure and a book that is priceless if you like the history of American cuisine.

Matthiessen's book deeply affected me, mostly because it is unsettling and so well "done" that I imagined myself doing and being all the beautiful and hideous things its characters do and are. The copy of the book I have has a one-line cover review that mentions something about the great compassion that comes across its pages. I agree with all the other reviews here on Amazon about what makes this book so great: evocative writing, a driving plot, compelling characters, an exotic yet beautifully and believably rendered setting, humor, horror, longing, lust, irony and juxtaposition of things as they are, and on and on. However, as I have thought often during the reading of the book I must say that I agree with the cover reviewer, and for me, what elevates this book to the highest level (which I believe it is on) is its compassion. Matthiessen shows his readers people being people, which as anyone can tell you, is often ugly. But, more importantly it is beautiful, and if you allow Matthiessen to show you how this can be, he will. I think this book is about perfect and reading it made me glad to be alive.

"The way to innocence, to the uncreated and to God leads on, not back, not back to the wolf or to the child, but even further into sin, ever deeper into human life." - Herman Hesse.

I almost forgot to mention the above quote, inscribed in the opening pages of this book, which I believe states what I intended to convey in my review.

Finally, I have not seen any discussion of Padre Xantes in any of these reviews and I was wondering if anyone would like to comment on him. To me, he was one of the most mysterious characters, especially in his final appearance where he eats a barely boiled egg. Thoughts?

I am an evangelical Christian and I have recommended this book to many fellow believers about to embark on a mission somewhere. As far as I'm concerned, it's essential reading for anyone taking the Gospel to people who have never heard it.

I also have lived and worked in the so-called "Third World" and seen the remnants of Christian mission work over the past several centuries -- the great, the good, the bad and the ugly.

Matthiessen tells a story here of mostly bad, of course, and some ugly. Narrow-minded, holier-than-thus, do-good Christians come in and almost destroy a native culture. That, in itself, is indeed a fascinating if predictable story line.

But the story does indeed include some of the good -- of self-discovery and loving sacrifice by one of the do-gooders, and of self-discovery and perhaps "deliverance" of another major character, a Native American Indian. All involved leave changed -- one way or another -- after the arrival of the do-gooders and their attempted intervention.

It is an outstanding story that will stand the test of time, worth telling for a very long time to come.

I highly recommend it to any thinking person anywhere.

This is a very good book, but not great. Matthiessen's writing is engrossing and it is difficult to put it down. However, the vileness of some of the subject matter is a bit hard to swallow. This is, no doubt, a realistic tale, written after Matthiessen had traveled throughout the continent. The movie does have an influence, as one keeps thinking of Ms. Hannah. The plight and evolution of the natives and their values is intriguing. The disaster that results from outsiders forcing culture and religion down the throats of the "savages" is thought provoking and relates to many situations one sees. The characters aren't all that likable, but certainly very real. Hazel is a sad case. The jaguar shaman-to-be is a character about which it would be nice to learn more. Matthiessen says that he rewrote the last journey many times. This is the toughest part of the book to follow; is it real or a dream? I actually did reread parts of the end. There's no escaping the depression that comes from dwelling on the conflict in the jungle. I still feel that, despite the author's beliefs, his nonfiction work is better. But this is an enjoyable novel, regardless.

An excellent adventure story that is both fast paced and well developed. I've read a number of books by Matthiessen. This is the best I've read yet by him. His fiction is far better than his non fiction in my opinion.

This case study of culture clash is the story of Protestant missionaries trying to bring the Word of God to jungle savages. They think themselves heroes of The Lord, but there are no heroes here save, perhaps, Louis Moon a reservation half-breed who lost his faith. Moon is now an aimless mercenary staggering through life, bouncing off one obstacle after another. When it becomes his job to massacre the indigenous people, he is revisited by drug-induced dreams of his youth and instead joins them as their rain god fallen from the sky (and a failing airplane).

Self-righteous missionary Martin Quarier, becomes less certain of his beliefs as the novel progresses, but seems incapable of moving beyond them. He sees the absurdity of the doctrinal feud between Catholics and Protestants, yet cannot think of priests as anything but the Enemy, in league with Satin. And Satin seems to be working on him, as well, churning up lust for the wife of another missionary.

The religious beliefs of the natives give a glimpse of how faith gets started. Their minor gods clearly provide more for them on a day-to-day basis than the major one Quarier tries to serve. He creates a "rice convert" or two, but is ultimately a miserable failure.
At Play in the Fields of the Lord is a classic tragedy of misunderstanding and miscommunication. If you haven't read it, it's worth that first read. If you have, it was probably long enough ago that it deserves a second look.

I started this book one night before bedtime and read well into the night. The next night I did the same. On the third day I found my mind often wandering to the story line wondering how it was going to end. My family wanted to go to a bookstore that evening (before bedtime) so while they browsed I picked up a store copy of the book and finished it right at closing time! I finally got a good nights sleep! If you haven't read "Illuminated" yet, start with it and "House of Wolves" will make better sense. Just make sure you are well rested before you begin!

I thought this was a great adventure book that reminded me of Indiana Jones. I really enjoyed the plot twists and the engaging characters. I love that I didn't know the ending until I had actually read it! I wish I had read the first book in this series but it did not affect my understanding of House of Wolves. I fully intend on reading this whole series by Matt Bronleewe.

Matt Bronleewe's second novel, House of Wolves, combines mystery, danger and intrigue in a fast-paced story with action on every page. Like other novels of this genre, the plot pulls from history and Bronleewe cleverly incorporates assorted facts, myths and legends into an entertaining story.

The cast of characters carries over from his first novel, Illuminated. August Adam is a rare-book dealer and one such book, The Gospels of Henry the Lion, is at the center of the action in House of Wolves. August is in possession of the rare book but he is not the only one who wants it. And others pursuing it stop at nothing in their attempt to get it.

August's father, son, and ex-wife get involved early in the story and even without having read the first novel of the series, it was easy to pick up on the relationships between these people. They are not without problems but their interpersonal issues do not detract from the story line. They find ways to work together and survive.

The evil characters are drawn from a secret society, the Black Vehm, a vigilante society formed in the thirteenth century to protect themselves from marauders in the lawless territory between the Rhine and the Weser rivers in Westphalia, Germany. It became a merciless and violent society and was eventually outlawed. It supposedly came to an end when the Nazis fell in the Third Reich. Bronleewe brings them to life in modern day activity where their goal is to obtain ancient relics and rare artifacts and he reveals they are planning to take over the world by implementing a grand scheme.

Lukas, a member of this secret society, gives an interesting account of how he became a member. "Lukas had always wanted to belong to a secret society. For some reason, they didn't exactly advertise their whereabouts. But an online friend of his had had an idea: Have you tried joining the Belegarth Medieval Combat Society?" What follows is a fascinating description of Lukas's journey from joining a mock-combat society that entertained during sports intermissions to being tapped for a deadly society who directed all of its efforts to implementing their world take-over plan.

Bronleewe makes excellent use of contrast and the location swings from a record-breaking heat wave in New York City to the frigid underground of the Antarctic. Much like National Treasure, clues, maps and mishaps keep the reader swiftly moving from page to page. Readers who are looking for escapist entertainment will find it in this adventure.

The story takes place in just a few days and therefore the problem and puzzle solving happen a little too quickly for me. In the scene where they are figuring out the meaning of the map, August notes, "There are three flags with poles--which we are setting aside for right now--and thirteen flags without." "That's half the alphabet," Charlie said." The nine-year-old proceeds to unravel the secret of the map. The reader is advised to suspend his or her logic and simply accept this scenario on face value.

Overall, I appreciated that the violence was relatively tidy and the text was free from profanity. Younger readers who love adventure stories will be as intrigued by this story as adults who enjoy suspense fiction.


Paula Buermele is a reviewer for BookPleasures and the author of "The Dream Catcher Tour."

Be prepared to enter August Adams' world of non-stop action, heartfelt adventure filled with intrigue, suspense, humor and love. And, not necessarily in that order. Beware -- once you pick this book up and start reading, you will lose all track of time and forget anything you had scheduled that day. I have to admit that I was a little less than excited about reading this book when I looked at the cover. 'House of Wolves' - I really didn't want to read about wolves or blood! I'm very happy to report that there is lots of action, fighting, gun fights, bloodshed and bad guys acting really bad...but nothing is extremely graphic. I loved it!!

August Adams is one likeable guy who reminds me of an Indiana Jones-type character. Adams is a man totally into his work, who loves books and really enjoys the challenge of chasing down rare antiques. That's his specialty, rare antique books. He gets into the most unpredictable situations while researching the locations of these rare books, and then guarding them once they are found. I loved August's quick wit and sense of humor (like Indiana Jones). And just like in the National Treasure movies, relics have to be found in order to chase down the treasure. In August's case, the books are the treasure.

In 'House of Wolves', August Adams isn't looking for an adventure. But the action and adventure grab him as he is watching his son, Charlie, as his ex-wife goes out with her new fiancé to pick out rings. He couldn't believe she was doing that! He felt it was a little bit soon, but he couldn't think about that right now; he had Charlie to think about.

August Adam's father sends him the greatest birthday present (or so he thought it was at the time), in the mail. He thinks it's from his father, but there's no card with it. Who else would send him such a rare find? While August is admiring the great condition of the book, he starts to feel sick to his stomach when he realizes exactly what book this is. He knows his father, Cleveland, shouldn't have it and he can't imagine what his father did to get this book. Why did his Cleveland send it to him? This can't be good. August doesn't have to wait long to get answers to his questions. A "secret society" soon discovers that Mr. August Adams is in possession of the book they want, and they will stop at nothing to get it. August will have to thank his dad for sending such unbelievable trouble his way - after he stops some guy from killing him and Charlie!... and so the adventure begins in "House of Wolves.

Just when you think August is in the clear, something else happens. But, it may not necessarily happen to him. I was intrigued by the many interesting characters in this book, and so much was happening, but it all tied together. This book is definately a page-turner! I loved never knowing what to expect with each chapter I read. This book was so refreshing because it is not a formula style book.

There is a special bonus at the end of this book in the author notes. Here the author tells the reader which parts of the story are real and which parts he added to make the story work. Not only did Matt reveal which events are factual, but he also tells which relics are real. Wow! Since I'm not a history buff, I wasn't aware that some of the events depicted in the 'House of Wolves' were real. It was quite amazing. I have to say I love learning about history this way!

You will definitely want to check out 'Illuminated' (the first book in this series) where you will learn how August Adams became the book hunter. I know you'll enjoy all the adventures he got himself into before 'House of Wolves'. The third book called 'The Deadly Hours', is to be on bookshelves August 2009, mark your calendar - I know I have.

Nora St.Laurent -Book Club Servant Leader
www.psalm516.blogspot.com

I ground through the first pages of Illuminated and gave up. By accident I picked up Matt's next book and started reading. Good grief! I'll give him credit for creating exciting story lines and fascinating scenarios, but the minute by minute action sequences and dialog is still ridiculous and unbelievable. For instance, August knows he's being pursued by "Death's errand boy", but the next time we check inwith August, he's having a flashback to a very hot day at a Yankees game, then we segue into Charlies ability to remember details, then we're running from a killer, and August hoists Charlie up on his shoulders, the better to see into the crowd. Isn't he worried about the killer, maybe having a gun?

A little later April is trapped in a sinking car, fires a gun into a bullet-proof window, to no avail. Even though the glass doesn't break, she still pounds on it with her fists. Then ponders how people can know that drowning is a peaceful death.

Unbelievable, ridiculous and unreadable.