American Books

woderfull,Rabbi Chefitz is a wonderfull story teller and this novel is profaund ,really enjoy it!

Certain books call to me. Most books I won't buy until I've read and analyzed all the reviews on Amazon, but this book I picked up in a bookstore, read til the store closed, and then at every opportunity until I finished it. The narrative is real enough to be believable, but strongly tinged with the mystical, and works at many different levels. The telling of stories to teach and heal is an art and science, and Mitch Chefitz has mastered both ends of the spectrum with this extraordinary work.

The fictional rabbi at the center of this novel is a thoroughly modern mystic who is all too aware that some lessons can be dangerous if the teacher doesn't meet the student where he/she stands. Goldberg's "Bee Season" suggested that mystical strains of Judaism could propel American fiction; Chefitz's "Seventh Telling" proves that American fiction can teach mystical Judaism. "The Seventh Telling" is the more ambitious and more successful of the two novels. It is the best book I've read this year and the only book for which I've ever been moved to offer a testimonial.

This is a powerful,beautifully written novel that has the ability to speak to the reader in many different ways. The first time I read it was for pleasure and I could not put it down. I literally finished the last page and went back to the first page to read it again. Each reading has given me a different level of understanding and I am sure that when I read it again I will learn on still another level. What a rarity for Kabballah to be made so accessible and what a surprise to have it in the form of a very readable novel. You will be swept up in the lives of the characters and captivated by the stories. I am looking forward to the sequel that is due out next year!

I don't know why this book called my name as I chanced upon it at a bookstore. But, it did. I picked it up, began reading, read at every opportunity, ordered the sequel before I was finished, moved right on to the sequel, and am now re-reading the first book. I even e-mailed Mitchell Chefitz (he answered my e-mail, by the way). I hardly recognize myself.

This book is transformative. It took this hard-headed realist into the nature of mysticism, slowly, evenly and intelligently. (I think the ancient kabbalists were on to quantum mechanics well before the 20th century physicists were.) It can be read on so many levels that there is something in it for everybody.

It changed my view of death. Read it.

One of the most valuable lessons I learned from reading Sheeraz - the Muslim American Dream is that we can't stay in our comfort zones. A lot of us work hard and sometime down the road we make a success of our business. But success is a relative term. We might reach a point that we're making three- or four- or five-figure incomes and in the eyes of everyone else around us we have done well in whatever business we've taken on. So we get it in our minds that we can kick back and relax.

The problem with that is that we lose the ability to take risks. We took certain risks in the beginning, but once we've reached a certain income level, we feel entitled to either skate the rest of the way or rest on our laurels. All that does is make us lazy. And by becoming happy, fat and content in that comfort zone, we are really betraying ourselves.

Risks are what keep us sharp, and Hasan aptly demonstrates this in his book. He took a huge risk when he landed a contract for a television show when he had not one ounce of experience to back up his claims. So, in having to prove himself, he never lost sight of what was required of him. But once he got the television show off the ground, he didn't stop there. He could have made himself a perfectly good living for the rest of his life interviewing celebrities, but instead he took the concept to the next level and started [...]. God only knows what other ideas he has in mind for the future, but it is obvious he is not shying away from taking whatever risk comes along. He just keeps evolving, and maybe the rest of us should do the same.

Sheeraz Hasan has published an autobiography that tells you the secret of success that all the business schools and all the biographies written by the heads of corporations don't really tell you: that luck plays just as much an important role in everything we strive to do in our careers.

Luck has been defined by some people as "preparedness meets opportunity," and that may be true to some extent, but Sheeraz puts a completely different spin on it. His luck was not being in the right place at the right time, but rather he put himself into the position where he made the place he was in at the moment the absolutely right opportunity. I know that sounds a bit mystifying, but what he is trying to tell us is that every place and every opportunity is the right one. You just have to be there. And you can't be there unless you put yourself out there. So what Sheeraz means by luck is really serendipity. Just as much as you're looking for success, it is looking for you.

As he tells it, Sheeraz had all these chance encounters where some of the most powerful people in Hollywood were so impressed by him that they began introducing him to other powerful people in the industry. That's luck, no matter which way you cut it. But it's also the way he presented himself and the passion of what he believed in at that moment that took him to the next level in almost every circumstance, even if some of the meetings he had didn't pan out, which he freely admits. The point is, and what I think he's really trying to tell us, is that we're the ones who make our own luck.

When I read Sheeraz - the Muslim American Dream, I was particularly intrigued by a story he told in one of the early chapters. He had just taken over the small cafe after his father had died and didn't have a clue about how to make a go of it. So for inspiration, he turns to the Koran, reads a passage from it, and begins asking God to send him customers. Lo and behold, a busload of tourists turns up late at night and all of a sudden he's scrambling in the kitchen to fill all their orders. And he messes the whole thing up in the end simply because he lacks the kitchen skills he needs.

This is a classic example of the axiom that you should take care of what you wish for, because it might be granted in the end. But there's a deeper truth in this episode that Sheeraz is trying to make clear here in writing candidly about what it taught him: success is wholly dependent on our being prepared to meet the task at hand. It's not enough to want to be a success in this day and age. Everyone dreams about being a success, and because of the media, a lot of young people these days want their success right now. What Sheeraz makes clear in his book is that you can't be successful at whatever you're attempting to do unless you first have the skills and experience necessary in order to be able to attain it. He makes his mistakes, and some of them are whoppers, but he is astute enough to learn from them so that when the next opportunity comes along, he already knows what has to be done and what should be avoided. That's worth the price of the book.

What a blessing it was to read Sheeraz Hasan's book. I am a Libyan. I pray five times a day. I read the Koran. I have performed Haj. Imagine my surprise when I read in his book that Hasan performed Haj as a young man barely out of his teens!

That goes against the teachings of my generation and all the generations that have gone before us. He was right in saying that Haj is performed when we are nearing the ends of our lives. I read over and over the chapter about his performing Haj, and after thinking it over long and carefully, I think he has given a deep and genuine inspiration to our young people. He didn't simply write about an episode in his life. He took us on the journey with him. He didn't simply write about the sights and sounds of everything going on around him, he wrote about what was going on inside him at the same time.

As one who has been there, I know from personal experience that his descriptions of Mecca and Medina and all the rituals involved were totally accurate, and those who haven't performed Haj, the young and old alike, will benefit from his writing those passages about the deeper significance of this Pillar of Islam we must all observe as members of the faithful.

To tell the young people that they should perform Haj themselves was to me astounding at first. But I agree with him now. The young people should perform Haj in order that they may gain a greater spiritual and religious grounding in their lives and develop a deeper connection to God. If anything, Hasan has done a great and wonderful service for the future generations of young Muslims.

Sheeraz Hasan is a feminist. Seriously.

In reading his book, I thought it was wonderful in the way that he credits his wife Zarina with being such an influence on his life and his career. The way he writes about it, he fell in love with her because there was so much more to her outside of her beauty.

From the very beginning of their relationship, he writes how they talked all the time and more importantly that he listened to everything that she had to say. We all know that most relationships in the beginning are about going off and doing things together all the time because of little more than the physical attraction.

Hasan admits right from the start that Zarina opens his eyes to the far greater things going on in the world, both spiritually and politically. And he listens! When she gives him advice on what he should do in decorating the new restaurant, he listens! When she tells him that his television show idea should have a spiritual message, he listens!

Whenever he's about to make an important decision, he asks for her input, and he listens! They have what every couple should have--a true partnership. They are simply not a married couple, where the husband has his career and the wife has hers, and they meet up at the end of the day to discuss how their day went over dinner.

Hasan and Zarina are a team. They have common goals and common interests that dovetail into a common bond that holds them and keeps them together. So I am saying that Hasan is a feminist because he is a man who is not afraid to admit that he truly understands what having a strong woman means in his life and how it has made him a better man for it.

have a problem with using words like "brilliant", "masterful" and "intelligent." But willing apply all words to this brilliant book, masterfully research and intelligently told.

The author gives a very full and complete treatise on Brown versus the Board of Education, but of greater interest, he writes of all the history that lead up to the ruling.

An exceptional book chronicling an extremely important issue in our country's history.

Long a mainstay of every 1L's pre-law school summer reading list, SIMPLE JUSTICE is more than a retelling of the tortured history of the landmark cases now known collectively as Brown v. Board of Ed. It is more than a retelling of the agonizing struggles of both gifted and ordinary people---black and white and every other---to reverse the four centuries of racial disparagement that make up the ugliest of all underpinnings of the American Experiment. What SIMPLE JUSTICE is, is an exhaustive sociological history of race relations in the United States to the 1950s.

It is a book every American should read. The endemic quality of racism in the American psyche is so overwhelming that it is easy to lose the human element. SIMPLE JUSTICE restores that element with sensitive, intelligent writing, exhaustive and documented research, and a tone which is pitch perfect, strident when need be, reasoned and thoughtful throughout. Ultimately optimistic, SIMPLE JUSTICE will renew your belief in the American system even while tempering it.

In it's retelling of nightmarish incident after nightmarish incident (the explosive and hideous lynchings are often easier to understand than the equally hideous and more subtle segregation and caricaturing that endured for, it seems, ever), SIMPLE JUSTICE shows us an America riven by its view of itself as a noble nation being eaten by the canker in its soul.

Although many Americans now consider race discrimination passe, it is not so hard to see the continuation of a pattern of violence toward blacks and the denigration of the black experience, even today. And yet, there is more, for not only are Black Americans denigrated, but White Americans as well, both suffering because this nation is only a fraction of what it might othewise be.

SIMPLE JUSTICE is a crucial Civics lesson. Read it to learn. Read it to know. Read it. Read it again.

This is certainly the best book ever written -- the best book that ever will be written -- about race, law and American society. It is a remarkably insightful history and one of the most stunning existing examples of narrative journalism. It is a masterpiece.

I'm a fan of nonfiction works and this easily moved to my top 5 favorite books. When I was growing up there were no courses on the contributions blacks made to America. There was no black history month. And I was cheated. I'm a 50+ white woman who lived through desegregation and had no clue that it was a struggle. I honestly don't remember a time when my elementary classes were all white but they must have been. I do remember clearly when my elementary class stopped being all white. That was when Richard Harris became my Batman buddy. On the aftenoons following the show we would go to the neighborhood soda shop and have a coke and discuss all the action of the previous evening's show and check for new Batman bubble gum cards with the intensity that only 5th graders can bring to such an important endeavor. It felt normal to chat Batman with Richard; and I'm so sorry for all the children that had such a dumb practice as segregation rob them of those moments.

This book read like a thiriller for me. Couldn't put it down. Underlined and highlighted parts. Read other sections out loud to my husband and to some friends at work. This is American history. Everyone should have the opportunity to learn about the value of education, the value of varied experiences and the perseverance to acquire the rights that should never have been denied to the black people. It's made me hungry to know more and I'll be keeping my eye out for other works by Kluger. Excellent author.

I just finished this book, A Simple Justice, and it is fantastic. It's the story of Brown vs. The Board of Education of Topeka, which is the landmark Supreme Court case that desegregated compulsory public schools in America. But it's so much more than that. After reading this book, I felt almost ashamed of my previous ignorance to the struggles and condition of black america at the hands of almost everyone else in the country. It is comprehensive in its scope and perspicacious in its analysis, sparing no feelings on either (or rather, any) side. I believe myself to be, for the most part, a judicious man when it comes to philosophical or sociological observations, but Kluger was able to open my eyes to angles I had previously missed on issues I thought I had resolved long ago. So if you're not too scared of big books, this one's worth the time.

This book so totally ROCKS. Just read it. This Rutledge guy is one heck of a writer and the whole story is just a mind blower.

Man I got to disagree with that Maggie persons review totally. This book not only puts down violence and destruction it offers a great solution for solving such problems in our big inner cities in America. Also it has nothing to do with the type of violence of 9-11. So whoever that Maggie was obviously didn't read the book at all. Its a great book with an important message for the world, LOVE one another! A really astounding story and deserved the nomination it got.

Brilliantly portrays a life and place most Americans can only imagine. Beginning to end...a riveting account of one of America's worst urban nightmares.

- Brett Peruzzi, Ebooks Reviews

The sad and prescient thing about this amazing book on modern gang culture in a major inner city is the fact that even though the writer's experiences in Compton and Watts and South Central took place over a decade ago, he predicted twice (on pgs. 358 and 380) that the situation on the streets would only worsen as time goes on. And it has. This story, written from an insider point of view (a WHITE guy--running with Black and Latino gangsters, no less!) is just stunning, shocking, brilliant. The way he writes really TAKES YOU THERE. It was clever how he got inside, beyond frightening what happened during his year there, and amazing how he got out alive to tell the story. If this book isn't made into a movie...then "Hollywood" is losing out on a ton of cash, and society is missing out on a sociological treatise that tells how to understand and solve a growing, worldwide, big city phenomenon which, as the author states, is only getting worse. Simply "wow". (one last thing: [...] got the author's name wrong!--it's M. Rutledge McCall).

Brilliantly portrays a life and place most Americans can only imagine. Beginning to end...a riveting account of one of America's worst urban nightmares.
- Brett Peruzzi, Ebooks Reviews

"Space Shuttle: The History of the National Space Transportation System. The First 100 Missions." Long title. Big book. Loads of detail. A treasure for shuttle geeks like me.
This book is packed with mission details and hundreds of rare photographs. One shows a close up of one of the struts that holds the shuttle onto it's 747 carrier. On it are stenciled the words: "PLACE ORBITER HERE. BLACK SIDE DOWN. LEFTY LOOSEY, RIGHTY TIGHTY." Where else are you going to find things like that? It's all here. Pictures, histories, charts, and diagrams. Like the missions chronicled inside, this reasonably-priced book will take some time to analyze and review again and again so you can catch all the details.

I bought this book as a keepsake, but have found it very informative. Shuttle workers and space enthusiasts alike will enjoy this book.

If you want to know more about the developmental history of the Shuttle program, Jenkins' book is for you. Within the books pages there can be found a wealth of information going back to the early 1940s and stopping in the year 2000 with the launch of the 100th shuttle mission. With the conclusion of the program in 2010, I am looking forward to the 4th edition (if one is on the horizon).

gave this book as a gift, there appears to be a lot of information with a lot of pictures.

This is the 3rd Edition, by Dennis Jenkins, which covers the first 100 missions.

This is one of the most, if not the most, comprehensive work on the background, concepts, and evolution that led to our Space Shuttle, for the non-technical reader. I purchased it because whenever I looked up winged spacecraft on the Encyclopedia Astronautica website (itself a marvel of space history; even National Geographic was referred to that site by NASA!), this book was cited as a reference. It has provided me with weeks of enjoyable reading since Christmas, and I'm still not finished with it! Highly illustrated. It will be one of the primary references in my space library for years to come. Hopefully Mr. Jenkins will produce a 4th edition after 2010, after the Shuttle retires, which will cover the Columbia disaster, and the final history of the Space Shuttle. My highest recommendation!

ALL THE STORIES IN THIS BOOK WAS SO GOOD.FROM KEISHA ERVIN TO DANIELLE SANTIAGO.ALL THESE STORIES WAS SO HOT I HAD 2 TAKE A COLD SHOWER!!!SO IF U READ IT B PREPARED IT'S HOT!!

I really enjoyed this book. After reading this one, I went on to read Torn by Keshia Irvin. I am really looking forward to reading more novels from the other authors in this book.

This book is so mind catching.... Eyes were glued to the pages! I reccomend this book to anyone who has ever dated a D-Boy or just in the mood to be entertained by the street life.

THIS BOOK WAS VERY GOOD I ENJOY EVERY PAGE OF THIS BOOK KEISHA ERVIN IS A VERY GOOD WRITER ENJOY ALL HER BOOKS

This book let me down a little because it wasn't what I anticipated. It really wasn't about Love or the gangster girl with the gangster guy so if that's what your looking for this is not the book for you... CREAM which was a Triple Crown publication was much better and a lot sexier.

The 1st story is simply an excerpt from TORN by Keisha Ervin which I had just finished so I didn't even read it in Street Love....

The 2nd story by Danielle Santiago's was some what sexy but moved really fast and ended dumb and unrealistic.

Quentin Carter's story the FINK was all about snitching and some lying skank! Lol

T. Styles' story cold as ice in my opinion was the best.. it was very different not what u expect and is suspenseful. It was like a movie! I loved how he wrote it and how in the end ALL of the open ended questions were answered the story will leave U satisfied.

Sullivan's B-More Love was straight it was more so about family tragedy, love, over coming negativity, and opposites attracting. I know its fiction but this story was just a little too FAKE 4 me I mean really nobody would get away with certain things that Jamal was doing without being locked up! But it was an okay read.

I would suggest this book be borrowed not bought! Lol

Great read for people who love to travel (and eat) off the beaten path. Probably should add that it's often from a female point of view. Loved the recipes.

Linda Ellerbee is a little older than me but I can still relate to her view on the world. In her book, her experiences take us to far away places where she meets fascinating people. She tells of her time in Greece where while she lives as a local for a month, British tourists experience Santorini from the seat of a tour bus. I will never travel as a tourist again. Yet, she remembers to bring these experiences home - linking them with her past and present. Her "take the bull by the horns" approach to life and travel may not be for everyone, but it sure has inspired me to look at life a little differently - make things happen, don't wait for it to happen.

Linda writes just the way she speaks and when you read this you feel like she's talking directly to you. This is a book that you never want to end. It's a memoir about travel and food and friends and lovers and misadventures - and she has done it all.
Most of the time she travels alone - she prefers that so she's forced to talk to the people where she's visiting. Occasionally she goes with a family member or friend to revisit a place from their past. She's been to some places that you've never heard of but want to go to after she describes it. Linda says that `our travels are not always the voyages of discovery we say we seek, but rituals of reassurance.' What fun!
When Linda gets together with her girlfriends, she reminds us that to women girlfriends are not a luxury they are a healthy necessity. They sit around and talk-talk-talk and even though they are now women, they feel like a girls again. And her holidays will remind you of your own and others when she describes how despite tradition, love, hope, passing time and sweet memories the holidays will always be messy.
She tells us about becoming a grandmother and says she will be available, understanding, and weird - because as a mother she was mostly weird. She plans to take her grandchildren places and show them things and give them wings. We all wish we had a mother/grandmother like that. I especially related when she talked about giving her children cookie dough to eat. My girls still keep a roll of cookie dough in the refrigerator for emergency sugar fixes.
And the food - she makes it part of every story and it all sounds so good. She even provides you with recipes.
One delightful thing she tells us (and she tells us quite a lot) is that `sometimes in life, if you're lucky, you are where you most want to be at that moment'. And wouldn't we all like to do that at least once.

[...].

Ellerbee creates in words the literary equivalent of the best dinner, the best trip, and the best dessert you ever had. Whether heartwarming or heartbreaking, her adventures around the world making strangers into friends (and meeting herself in the process) are truly memorable. She makes you long to break out of the tedium of your own life and discover the world as she has. A delight.

Ellerbee writes just the way she speaks, and when you read Take Big Bites, you feel like she's talking directly to you. This is a book that you never want to end. It's a memoir about travel and food and friends and lovers and misadventures. She has done it all. Most of the time, she travels alone. She prefers that so she's forced to talk to the people where she's visiting. Occasionally, she goes with a family member or friend to revisit a place from their past. She's been to some places that you've never heard of but want to go to after she describes them.

"Our travels are not always the voyages of discovery we say we seek, but rituals of reassurance," she writes. What fun!

When Ellerbee gets together with her friends, she reminds us that, to women, girlfriends are not a luxury, they are a healthy necessity. They sit around and talk-talk-talk, and even though they are now women, they feel like girls again.

Her holidays will remind you of your own and others when she describes how despite tradition, love, hope, passing time and sweet memories, the holidays will always be messy.

She tells us about becoming a grandmother and says she will be available, understanding, and weird because as a mother she was mostly weird. She plans to take her grandchildren places and show them things and give them wings. We all wish we had a mother/grandmother like that. I especially related when she talked about giving her children cookie dough to eat. My girls still keep a roll of cookie dough in the refrigerator for emergency sugar fixes. And the food... She makes it part of every story, and it all sounds so good. She even provides recipes.

One delightful thing the author tells us (and she tells us quite a lot) is that, "Sometimes in life, if you're lucky, you are where you most want to be at that moment." And wouldn't we all like to do that at least once.

by Doris Anne Roop-Benner
for Story Circle Book Reviews
reviewing books by, for, and about women

Tales from the Dad Side: Misadventures in Fatherhood I bought this for my Son who recently became a new Father. Thought he would enjoy reading it.

Steve is a talented writer. This book was so much fun, I ordered his other book, Mr. and Mrs. Happy Handbook.

I want to add to the unanimous nauseating praise for this book. Steve Doocy has proven himself to be a courageous journalist, brilliant humorist, expert political commentator and literary genius. With the release of this highly entertaining and provocative book, Doocy can now also lay claim to being the funniest chronicler of the foibles and triumphs (mostly foibles, ha, ha, ha!) of fatherhood. Excuse me, I feel a little barf about to come. I'll be back to heap more praise on Doocy and this great book.

"Tales from the Dad Side" is disarmingly powerful.

Readers are warned that this is a "funny book," and it is all of that. Steve Doocy has a very engaging writing style that features an endless stream of humorous, laugh-out-loud metaphors and pop culture side shots on every page. You can almost hear the rim shots in the back of your head. Absolutely awesome.

And yet, if this book is so funny, why was so I misty-eyed as I turned the pages, in much the same way I reacted while watching "The Bucket List"? If you are a Dad it's as simple as this - this book hits your humerus on its way to your head and your heart.

What we have here is an author who is skillfully presenting his life in a humorous and poignant fashion. Along the way he invites his fellow Dads - and sons - to remember all the similar times and moments of their lives, and, with the wisdom gained from the passage of time, to re-enact and re-interpret, even retrospectively understand, their meanings and emotions.

It's great to read a book that celebrates the value and contributions of fathers, rather than bash or ridicule or minimize them, which seems to have been too popular a trend for too long.

Hurrah to Steve Doocy. Read his tales at your pleasure, but be ready for some serious introspection.

Steve Doocy has done it again with "Tales from the Dad Side" book. It is real life, funny, and full of great stories that match my own experiences. This book should be turned into a weekly sitcom. I wouldn't expect any less from Steve Doocy, whom I love to watch on Fox and Friends where he shares his life along with the news. Get this book and laugh, smile and share with your own family and friends!

Through My Eyes is one of the best books I have ever read to my children. As an African American, it is extremely important to me that my children know their history. The story about Ruby Bridges helps children (and adults) to understand that no matter what obstacles are placed before them in life, failure only happens when you give up and accept defeat. In other words, what someone else thinks of you is not necessarily how you should define yourself! I encourage everyone to read this book to their children.

This book is fantastic and I bought it for my students. The problem is she uses the N word so much. I had to comb through the book and ink out the word. I do not want children using that word to each other, and yes my students ARE BLACK, and especially don't want my white student learning he can say the word too. Then again it seems very immature that 1 can use the N word and the other cannot. It's a word that nobody should be using. Bridges could've just said "the whites shouted angry slurs" kids, of all colors, will pick up on what those words are through inappropriate means. Otherwise, I would still recommend to buy this book at is a wonderful book and has plenty of history and information.

I really loved this book, it has a lot of pics and information about the time everything happened. This girl is such an example for everyone...

I chose this book from my summer reading list because I have a special interest in the Civil Rights Movement. I learned about Ruby Bridges during African American Month at school and got really interested in her story. I liked this book a lot because it taught me about integration and segration in a way that was easy to understand. The photographs brought the story to life, and I liked the way the story was told from Ruby's point of view. I would really recommend this book to kids my age (third grade) and older who are interested in this kind of book. My parents really liked the book too!

Sophie K.

This inspirational story, told by Ruby Bridges herself, can help children understand some of the struggles of African-Americans during the 1960's. Ruby's courageousness and determination is the message young readers are presented with. The real-life photos give readers a visual account of the hard times that Ruby and other African-Americans endured. Also included in this autobiography are quotes from many of the people that Ruby encountered in her life including her mother, her first grade teacher, Barbara Henry, and her childhood psychologist, Robert Cole. A quote from a 1963 speech by Martin Luther King is included which further supports the civil rights theme in this book. Excerpts from text such as The New York Times and Good Housekeeping gives readers even more factual information about the time period. The book includes photo credits as well as text credits with copyrights to ensure the reliability. This text can be used with children in grades five through eight studying the civil rights movement or school integration in the 1960's.

A most comprehensive source of information on this tragedy. Well written and well organized. Nicely stocked with period photographs.

A must have for any library on this subject.

This is the most outstanding book I have ever read. The pictures, the information, it could not have been written better. Anyone would love this book. Those who are in search of unique pictures would find this book invaluable, likewise those who are in search of information, facts, nowhere else seen loss of property claims would too find this book invaluable. Upon seeing this book in the book shop (I did not buy it here) I gave it absolutely no second thought and regardless of price bought it. I am a Titanic historian and I'm picky about the books I buy, and this book is just about the best book in my collection. Don't hesitate, buy it, you will not regret it.

I found this book in my local library and took it out to read. However as soon as I got it home and looked through it I was enthralled by the pictures. The text was fairly standard fare although some of the earlier chapters had interesting info concerning the planning and construction of Titanic. The pictures steal the show and they made up my mind to buy this book for myself as such pictures need to be looked at and digested over months and years rather than the few weeks one has with a library book. If you have any interest in Titanic - BUY IT.

John P. Eaton and Charles A. Haas already known for their very involved Titanic research and dives in Nautile (IFREMER's Titanic submersible} have done a beautiful Titanic book describing stateroom's the voyage building and sinking in a beautiful 352 pages have put together a book which in itself is as good as Titanic: An Illustrated History. Gives insurance claims Philadelphia first class passenger mrs. Cardeza filed for 18 suitcaces , 3 trunks and a medicine kit . A book which many experts (Myself included ) Love . Excellent for any Titanic Buff!

I must say this is the most comprehensive book on the Titanic I have yet seen. Every facet of the liner's history from its origins to the wreck exploration is covered. Each chapter includes pictures of everything connected to the ship. Anyone with any interest in Titanic at all should have a copy.

I did think the authors could have done better with their chapter on the sinking itself though. As it is they wrote little text and tell the story through picture captions! It is as if a book on the Kennedy assassination covered details of the flight to Dallas and then said little about the shooting itself. I also feel the authors were a bit too soft on Lord of the Californian.