A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier

Book Description

My new friends have begun to suspect I haven’t told them the full story of my life.
“Why did you leave Sierra Leone?”
“Because there is a war.”
“You mean, you saw people running around with guns and shooting each other?”
“Yes, all the time.”
“Cool.”
I smile a little.
“You should tell us about it sometime.”
“Yes, sometime.”

This is how wars are fought now: by children, hopped-up on drugs and wielding AK-47s. Children have become soldiers of choice. In the more than fifty conflicts going on worldwide, it is estimated that there are some 300,000 child soldiers. Ishmael Beah used to be one of them.

What is war like through the eyes of a child soldier? How does one become a killer? How does one stop? Child soldiers have been profiled by journalists, and novelists have struggled to imagine their lives. But until now, there has not been a first-person account from someone who came through this hell and survived.

In A Long Way Gone, Beah, now twenty-five years old, tells a riveting story: how at the age of twelve, he fled attacking rebels and wandered a land rendered unrecognizable by violence. By thirteen, he’d been picked up by the government army, and Beah, at heart a gentle boy, found that he was capable of truly terrible acts.

This is a rare and mesmerizing account, told with real literary force and heartbreaking honesty.

Customer Reviews:

Enlightening........2007-10-03

I think this is a wonderful book, so moving and beautifully written that you wonder how a person can manage to lead a "normal" life after experiencing what he has been through. The author tells the story matter-of-factly without whining or complaining about the hand he's been dealt. Because of this, it makes the story even more impressive.

Not just a good read, a book that enlightens is a must-read.

Fantastic book. Recommend for all ages!.......2007-10-02

This book is truly amazing. It is almost unbelievable to read about the lives of people like Ishmael, but it's true, and it's happening today. Yes, in some parts it is certainly hard to read, but it's worth it. It is better to be shocked and scarred by this book than ignorant to it. Ishmael is a wonderfully optimistic person, and I think we can all learn a lot from his courage. In his own words, Ishmael is not an expert on the history of Sierra Lione, but by putting a face and name to this story, you will still learn a lot from him! I recommend this book to anyone and everyone!

Easy to read, hard to digest.......2007-10-02

I read this book on my flight to D.C. a couple of months ago. It was probably the fastest I have ever read a book. It was very easy to understand and painted an incredibly vivid picture in my mind. The content is important and the way Beah wrote his story makes it accessible to all.

Painful but Poignant.......2007-09-27

This book is not for the fainthearted who wants a feel good story; this is tough book to read, however, it is an important book to read as well. So often us here in the west are isolated from the fact that there are tough places to live on this planet, places where people are forced to do unspeakable acts and are exposed to unimaginable acts of violence.
This book takes on the voyage of a young man named Ishmael, who lived in the war torn country of Sierra Leone. His life is completely turned upside down by the civil war in that country. Ishmaels story is first a story of losing his family, than of losing his innocence as he is forced to fight for the Countries Army that's fighting the "rebels". After that the story focuses on his rehabilitation in a place called Freetown and eventually his new life in the United States (although I would like to know more about how he is today).
The most amazing part of this story as an American who simply didn't understand the truth, is that this Ishmael was 12 years old and was killing people, not because he was an animal, but because he was drugged and forced to become one merely to survive. This is a concept that as westerners we look on and go oh that's too bad, but do we really take the time to understand that this happens all the time in the same world we live in? Do we take the time to understand that there is big world out there and for the most part it isn't that safe little havens we take for granted? I challenge anyone who reads this book to be able to look at the world the same again.

A must read.......2007-09-26

This book is very graphic in its detail of events. It will put you right there on the front line and in the eyes of danger. I felt as though I was there experiencing all that he had. Then again I could never imagine experiencing all that he did. Its a touching story that will bring back to reality on the issues that have been going on for ages.

Schmucks!: Our Favorite Fakes, Frauds, Lowlifes, Liars, the Armed and Dangerous, and Good Guys Gone Bad

Average customer rating:

Cheap Awful Jokes and simply stupid
Useful in only one regard
okay read
The incessant whine of the privileged has never been so shrill
Milding Amusing At Best

Schmucks!: Our Favorite Fakes, Frauds, Lowlifes, Liars, the Armed and Dangerous, and Good Guys Gone Bad
Jackie Mason , and Raoul Felder
Manufacturer: Collins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

Satire, General | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0061126128
Release Date: 2007-03-27

Book Description

The book spares no one. Politicians, sports stars, celebrities, corporations, publishers, crossing guards––all fair game. If you are a scumbag or just somebody who they find annoying there is a fair chance you will be on the list.

Politics has long been a passion for Jackie Mason and he is well known for his tough and outspoken position on many issues. He is not one to sidestep an issue no matter how sticky. Together with his friend and collaborator, the well–known divorce attorney Raoul Lionel Felder, he has hosted a weekly PBS talk television series "Crossing The Line" and a BBC radio show "The Mason–Felder Report", and currently he has a weekly talk show on the Comcast Network.

Customer Reviews:

Cheap Awful Jokes and simply stupid.......2007-10-07

I guess I thought it would give me a laugh or two based on some of highlighted phases, "Jews for Jesus" etc. However, it was yet another comedian trying to join the Lewis Black, Daily Show or Bill Maher bandwagon of political humor. Too bad this comedian is not as funny nor has diverse content.
After the first few pages the book simply turns into a complaining/vent session of everything which the authors deeply disagrees with - let me summarize:
Any Jew who is against Israel
Any political organization against Israel politics
Any person who remotely supports the Holocaust
Any non-Conservative
and silly jokes to those in media which require teasing (ie. Al Sharpton, Michael Moore, Jesse Jackson, Britney, etc.)

There are many other comedian with similar content and jokes but they are really funny whereas this book just takes a small segment of its victim and highlights it as their basis for existence.

Save yourself money and time. If you want something funny watch a truly funny comedian. Allow Jackie to perform on Broadway and advise him to keep the stand-up act going but stay away from the typewriter.

Useful in only one regard.......2007-09-26

Perhaps I'm just getting too old... I can vaguely remember back in the early days of television when some of what Jackie Mason said was actually funny.

But the only way this book could been any worse would have been if Alan Derschowitz had done the editing and Ann Coulter's face had been on the cover. (Although, to be fair, Neither Mr. Mason nor Mr. Felder is very much less unappealing to behold than Ms. Coulter)

Still, this book did add something to my store of knowledge. Based upon the definitions given in the introduction, I can now state with some authority that:

1. Anyone who either buys a book written by a faded borscht belt comedian and a celebrity divorce lawyer for more than 39 cents on a remainders table OR takes seriously anything contained in said book - is a schmuck.

2. Anyone who actually writes such a book as this one AND puts his own name on it - is a putz.

okay read.......2007-08-24

It is an okay read, but I won't recommand buying it. Borrow it from the library or something.

The incessant whine of the privileged has never been so shrill.......2007-07-12

Imagine if you will that you are at a dinner. Your host is a rather amusing Republican; and he may have been a liberal in his youth, but that only makes his current political stance all that more forceful. He begins with a few light jokes, some witty repartee and then drags you into a longwinded and ultimately self-righteous sermon about everything that is wrong with America. Now imagine that he's Jewish or at least knows enough Yiddish to fake it. That's the essence of this book.

As with Goldberg's 39 People Screwing Up America, this is one of those books from the Republican Shriek Factory. Forget about Bush committing us to a fruitless war and practically legitimizing torture. Forget about the blank check that Bush got from a Republican Congress to keep this war going. Hell forget about Ann Coulter, Bill O'Reilly, FEMA or Ken Lay from Enron. No, in this world, the worst human being is Al Gore (who is lying - so sayeth the ancient Jewish comedians without humor) and Al Sharpton. Oh and of course we can't have a book like this without slamming on Barbara Streisand.

Even Goldberg threw in a few personalities that we could all agree on - like Barbara Walters dumbing down the news.

But this book is just a combination of smug and defensive from beginning to end. And even better, it's new but it reads like an old NY Post article. These guys still think that Bill Clinton's sex scandal is more odious than Bush's war. Only no one died in that sex scandal and at this point I thought no one cared. ANd Bill Maher? Yep, he said that the 9/11 terrorists weren't cowardly. The factg that bravery and cowardice have really nothing to do with their actions is second nature. Nope, you have to call your enemies cowardly. The words "evil" or "vicious" are only accurate; so why bother with them?

This is a book that was old before its time. Had it been published in the early part of the decade when Bush could do no wrong and his willing cheerleaders sang his praises, it might have been a hit; especially among those who think that throwing in a Yiddish word or two is the height of comedy (ie. goyim). Now it's just sad.

Milding Amusing At Best.......2007-06-09

Lighthearted approach to some heavyweight topics. It's a very quick read about dozens of people, places, organizations, countries, governments that don't measure up to he way Mason and Felder's look at the world and the way it oughta' be. Mason does comedy standup about world events, so maybe he's qualified in his contributions to the written slam fest. -But who's this Raoul Felder? -A "celebrity divorce lawyer," reads the book jacket. One might ask: "What's his world-view expertise?"

In any event, the book's stacked with truly cutting opinions and soft-touch humor about personalities from Barbra Streisand, Barry Bonds, Bill Clinton, Ray Nagin, and even Pablo Picasso...to entities like the NCAA, Afghanistan, the French, and the New York Times. Plus criticisms about automatic toilets and sinks? True, this topic has not been overlooked. The casual funniness balances the biting lampooning in ways that only Mason can effect...without venom or hate. You can sort of tell which parts were Mason's and which were Felders.

Regularly, they parlay a compelling "Jewish" flavor to the work by including references to Jewish events or people or words. The authors often pepper in terms like feh, meshpucha, yenta, et. al. I don't exactly know the meaning of these words; but somehow, they worked for this reader. Ah, but, then, too, the title of the book is "Schmucks!" What should we expect? Is it light Jewish humor packaged for Gentiles. [The copyright for this book is by Krapatakin? Might there be some kind of hidden humor here only the writers would know about... (!?)]

Mason and Felder confront the notion that "...just because a person is absolutely first-class in one field does not mean [he/] she should be respected in another," the point of a couple of pages on Susan Sarandon. Maybe this says it all, as "Schmucks!" is all over the board, definitely overly-political [however lite] in its scope, and is only marginally amusing. It's Not at all "material that will leave you crying with laughter," as the dust cover promises; but it is interesting, with a lot of "yeah, I agree with that" reader reaction.

Average customer rating:

My baby loves the book
Beautiful Book
Boring to children
wild and wonderful
Worthwhile addition to the home or school library

Gone Wild (Caldecott Honor Book)
David McLimans
Manufacturer: Walker Books for Young Readers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0802795633
Release Date: 2006-09-05

Book Description

Feast your eyes on these amazing creatures before they disappear. This stampede of wild animals, from Chinese Alligator to Grevy’s Zebra, are so rare, they're all endangered. David McLiman’s bold and playful illustrations transform each letter into a work of art, graphically rendered with animal characteristics. Scales, horns, even insect wings transform the alphabet into animated life.

Once you take this eye-opening safari, you'll never look at letters or animals with the same way again. A striking work of art and a zoological adventure, Gone Wild is sure to be loved by children and adults alike.

Customer Reviews:

My baby loves the book.......2007-10-10

My 16 months old really enjoyed the book. She likes the graphics - which is done in black and white. We adults enjoyed the actual reading portion. The information is very educational. I can see my baby reading this book with a different perspective when she is older.

Beautiful Book.......2007-09-29

A truly beautiful and creative book that reminds us of those great typography designers such as Aldus Manutius, Nicolas Jenson or Claude Garamond. My child loved discovering wild (and sadly endangered) animals through the pages of Gone Wild.

Boring to children.......2007-09-11

This book was totally uninteresting to my grandchildren. It's a book that adults think will catch the interest of little ones and does not.

wild and wonderful.......2007-05-22

this is a wonderfuly illustrated book that manages to incorporate the many species of endangered animals names with the letters of the alphabet.While I bought it for my grandson(2) he is too young to appreciate it, so I have put it away for him to enjoy in the years ahead. I recommend it for the art work and for all the information that is on each page.

Worthwhile addition to the home or school library.......2007-04-13

Ostensibly about the alphabet, this book teaches so much more. Through clever illustrations, McLimans introduces children (and adults!) to a variety of endangered animals. Each page contains a stylized black-and-white illustration of the animal in the form of a letter along with a separate stylized red illustration of the animal. For instance, the head of the bald-headed Ukari is integrated into the shape of the letter U, while the entire animal is portrayed in red next to the letter design. Each page also contains facts about the animal (such as its natural habitat and potential threats).

Students, teachers, and parents interested in exotic or unusual animals or becoming more aware of environmental issues will find this book worthwhile. This book is appropriate for families or classrooms of mixed ages since younger children can practice their letters while older children can learn about these unusual and endangered animals.

Gone: An Alex Delaware Novel (Alex Delaware Novels)

Average customer rating:

Lacks plot
Reviews by Nan Kilar-This one is so-so
Gone and best forgotten!(1.5 stars)
I don't know.
Gone

Gone: An Alex Delaware Novel (Alex Delaware Novels)
Jonathan Kellerman
Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0345452623
Release Date: 2007-03-27

Book Description

No one conducts a more chilling, suspenseful, thoroughly engrossing tour through the winding corridors of criminal behavior and the secret chambers of psychopathology than Jonathan Kellerman, the bestselling “master of the psychological thriller” (People). Now the incomparable team of psychologist Alex Delaware and homicide cop Milo Sturgis embark on their most dangerous excursion yet, into the dark places where risk runs high and blood runs cold.

It’s a story tailor-made for the nightly news: Dylan Meserve and Michaela Brand, young lovers and fellow acting students, vanish on the way home from a rehearsal. Three days later, the two of them are found in the remote mountains of Malibu -battered and terrified after a harrowing ordeal at the hands of a sadistic abductor.

The details of the nightmarish event are shocking and brutal: The couple was carjacked at gunpoint by a masked assailant and subjected to a horrific regimen of confinement, starvation and assault.

But before long, doubts arise about the couple’s story, and as forensic details unfold, the abduction is exposed as a hoax. Charged as criminals themselves, the aspiring actors claim emotional problems, and the court orders psychological evaluation for both.

Michaela is examined by Alex Delaware, who finds that her claims of depression and stress ring true enough. But they don’t explain her lies, and Alex is certain that there are hidden layers in this sordid psychodrama that even he hasn’t been able to penetrate.

Nevertheless, the case is closed–only to be violently reopened when Michaela is savagely murdered. When the police look for Dylan, they find that he’s gone. Is he the killer or a victim himself? Casting their dragnet into the murkiest corners of L.A., Delaware and Sturgis unearth more questions than answers–including a host of eerily identical killings. What really happened to the couple who cried wolf? And what bizarre and brutal epidemic is infecting the city with terror, madness, and sudden, twisted death?

From the Hardcover edition.

Download Description

PRAISE FOR JONATHAN KELLERMAN

RAGE

“[Kellerman is] a master of the grab-the-reader contest. . . . The chills start within the first two pages.”
–Saint Paul Pioneer Press

“[An] adrenaline-fueled read.”
–People

TWISTED

“An elaborate, tangled web . . . with unsuspected turns at every chapter break . . . This addictive tale . . . is as intricately detailed as it is tantalizingly page-turning.”
–Entertainment Weekly

“A perfect whodunit–a tale told with gusto . . . a thrilling, engrossing pace from the first page to the last.”
–Orlando Sentinel

THERAPY

“Labyrinthine twists, excellent pacing, and hard-boiled, swaggering dialogue.”
–The Washington Post

“Immensely enjoyable . . . There’s even a shocking surprise.”
–Associated Press

From the Hardcover edition.

Customer Reviews:

Lacks plot.......2007-08-31

As in other Kellerman novels, the plot is loose and unconvincing.
If all the pieces come together at the end, it is because of the same old "deus ex machina" Kellerman uses in other novels, not because of the natural, deductive progression one would expect from a police mystery work.
The author uses his signature resources: detailed physical descriptions of characters and their clothes, infinite Californian car drives, discussions about the case over meals, impersonal Los Angeles atmosphere. However, without real plot depth to sustain, these scenes seem repetitive and unjustified.
The action is slow and the outcome is predictable and anticlimactic.
The rendition by actor John Rubinstein is excellent, especially his versatility in switching between the characters' voice registers and timbres.

Reviews by Nan Kilar-This one is so-so.......2007-08-10

Two wannabe actors stage their abduction, get caught, and a few days later the young woman is dead. As homicide detective Milo Sturgis and Alex Delaware try to figure out whodunit, I had a pretty good idea who was responsible as the bodies kept turning up. And talk about a wacko family that's introduced! The story is not exciting; it just plods along and should have ended with the killer's death. But there is a happy note in Alex's life.

Hopefully the author will put some life into his next Alex Delaware story...if there is another one. They just aren't quite as exciting as they used to be.

Gone and best forgotten!(1.5 stars).......2007-06-25

I just couldn't warm up to 'Gone', or Kellerman's style. Maybe it was my relative lack of familiarity with the Alex Delaware series(I'd only read one of them previously, and I can't even remember which one!), or the feling that this was just another 'paint by numbers' police procedural, loaded with characters at the expense of plot. I think something about the overly superficial 'seamy underside' of Southern California put me off, as well.
I wouldn't recommend jumping in on this series in midstream. Kellerman assumes readers have a familiarity,if not a deep understanding, of the previous volumes, and newcomers might be lost. This book seemed like a mishmash, with Alex's romantic 'complications' filling space in the middle of a murder investigation that wasn't very compelling in the first place. The dynamics of Alex's and Milo's partnership could have been intersting, but it soon becomes a tired cliche. I really only finished this book because I don't like to leave anything unfinished.
I might try 'When the Bough Breaks' at some point, just to see how this series began, and if there was anything to recommend the series at the start. However, if Kellerman's later work is similar to this example, I'll most likely skip the rest of the series.

I don't know........2007-05-15

I hate to give a J K a low rate review. Since he is like like my best page turner writer,13 novels i think i read.

So i am not goin to elaborate, it's still a good book, but not like past ones.

for a newbiew Kellerman, do read it. IT's still boiling.

Gone.......2007-05-13

I am never disappointed in a Jonathan Kellerman book. I first read one about five or six years ago, then had to go back and buy all the others that he had written years ago. I am especially like when the author keeps a favorite character around like Alex Delaware and Milo Sturgess.

Average customer rating:

Can't understand the hype
Intriguing
Good, not great
Is it running away?
Betrayal

While I Was Gone (Oprah's Book Club)
Sue Miller
Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0345443284
Release Date: 2000-05-12

Amazon.com

Oprah Book Club® Selection, May 2000: In her still startling debut, The Good Mother, Sue Miller explored the premium we put on passion--and the terrible burden it places on a mother and child. Her fourth novel, While I Was Gone, is another study in familial crime and punishment. But this time, her wife and good mother is accessory to more than emotional malfeasance. Jo Becker has everything a woman could desire: a loving spouse, contented children, and a nice dog or two. When her New England veterinary practice takes on a new client, however, her past comes back to haunt her. Long ago, it seems, Jo had escaped her family and identity for a commune in Cambridge. Her Aquarian illusions came to an abrupt, bloody end when one of her housemates was brutally murdered.

Now this unhappy era returns in the person of Eli Mayhew, who had been the odd man out in Jo's boho household. His appearance is both tantalizing and upsetting: "Inside, I slowed down. I felt numbed. I had two last patients, and then I told Beattie to go home, that I'd close up.... I refiled the last charts, sprayed and wiped the examining table. I reviewed my list of routine surgeries for Wednesday. All the while I was thinking of Eli Mayhew, and of Dana and Larry and Duncan and me, and our lives in the house. Of the horrible way it had all ended." Sue Miller's fine novel is a penetrating--and sensuous--portrait of a woman besieged by her conscience. While I Was Gone also demonstrates that in the face of distance and betrayal, a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing indeed. --Winnie Wheaton

Book Description

"Riveting . . . The narrative pacing is masterly, building tension even in the most psychologically subtle passages. . . . While I Was Gone celebrate[s] what is impulsive in human nature." --CHRISTOPHER LEHMANN-HAUPT The New York Times

"MILLER WEAVES HER THEMES OF SECRECY, BETRAYAL AND FORGIVENESS INTO A NARRATIVE THAT SHINES." --Time "FASCINATING . . . A NEW NOVEL OF GREAT INTEGRITY AND POWER . . . Despite having a loving husband, three vivacious daughters, a beautiful home in rural Massachusetts, and satisfaction in her work, Jo Becker's mind is invaded by a persistent restlessness. Then, an old roommate reappears to bring back Jo's memories of her early 20s. . . . Her obsession with that period of her life and with the crime that concluded it eventually estrange Jo from everything she holds dear, causing her to tell lie after lie as she is pulled closer to this man from her past--and to a horrible secret." --Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel "MARVELOUS . . . POIGNANT . . . POWERFUL." --Seattle Times/Post Intelligencer

"A BEAUTIFUL AND FRIGHTENING BOOK . . . MANY READERS WILL FIND IT DIFFICULT TO FORGET. . . . It swoops gracefully between the past and the present, between a woman's complex feelings about her husband and her equally complex fantasies--and fears--about another man. . . . I can think of few contemporary novelists--John Updike and Frederick Buechner are two others--who write so well about the trials of faith." --The New York Times Book Review "QUIETLY GRIPPING . . . Jo shines steadily as the flawed and thoroughly modern heroine. As in her 1986 novel, The Good Mother, Miller shows how impulses can fracture the family." --USA Today

Customer Reviews:

Can't understand the hype.......2007-08-04

I absolutely hated this book. Jo is just a selfish pig. She runs away from her husband and family and doesn't even extend them the common courtesy you would give a stranger. Then all is forgotten and forgiven because she married a minister and became a vet?? Yeah, sure, until she reverts to type and is again ready to deceive her family. What a waste of time -- I only finished the book because I wanted to know where this sorry tale was heading.

Intriguing.......2007-07-17

Although feeling slightly odd and lonely since the last of her three daughters left home, Jo Becker has to admit she's got a great life. Her husband is loving and supportive, they have a wonderful old New England home, and she's a successful veterinarian with her own practice.

Before this settled, familiar life, however, Jo had another identity. For nearly a year, she was Licia Stead, a waitress living in a communal house in Cambridge. On the run from an unhappy marriage, Jo felt she'd finally found her true self in the rundown old house, filled with the gaiety and noise of her eclectic housemates.

One horrible evening, Jo comes home from work to find the bloody body of Dana, her housemate and friend, brutally murdered just minutes before. Anguished and horrified, she and the others are forced to undergo police interrogation and general disapproval from the community as a whole for their unstructured lifestyle. Ultimately, the killer is never found, and Dana's death marks the end of an era. The remaining housemates each find reasons to leave, and the group disbands.

Fast forward 25 years later, when Eli Mayhew brings his dog to Jo's veterinary practice. Seeing him forces Jo to remember Dana and the life they once had. She also begins to have feelings for Eli, though they're both married to other people.

Then Jo discovers that Eli may know more about the circumstances around Dana's death than he's ever let on...

In this book, Miller's fine writing is able to convey both the image of an average small-town New England existence, as well as the hints of something darker just beneath the surface.

Good, not great.......2007-06-25

This was a good book- not my favorite, but kept my interest. The characters never seemed real to me nor did the their actions.
Not a waste of my time, but a bit disappointing.

Is it running away?.......2007-06-19

Daniel, a pastor, is happy. His wife Jo, a veterinarian, is the narrator. The couple has three daughters, Sadie and the twins, Cass and Nora. Jo learns that Eli Mayhew, a fellow commune-dweller from long ago, is living in their town.

The story flashes back to the commune where Jo used a fictitious name. Eli had been the only serious one there, a scientist. Crime visited the commune, interrupting youthful activities, youthful development. Eli's return marks for Jo a time of surging memories of the tragedy at the commune. Daniel is surprised at Jo's reaction. He is consumed with his own pastoral duties centering on the death of one of his parishioners.

After a family Thanksgiving and a party given afterwards to ease familial tension, Jo realizes she has been collecting a bagful of petty grievances against Daniel. When Daniel and Jo go out to dinner with Jean and Eli Mayhew, Jo sees that Daniel doesn't care for Eli. Daniel talks about soul and Eli about neurons. Daniel explains to Eli that there has to be a desire for God to become a believer. Eli thinks that Daniel won't accept the implications of science in his thinking.

In the plot turns here there are a number of surprises for the reader. In the end the most important area covered by Sue Miller in this novel is the difficulty everyone has of accepting and being responsible for all of the deeds and misdeeds of former selves. Events in this novel verge on the garish, but it is possible that like circumstances haunt the background of everybody.

Miller writes easily and smoothly. It is no wonder that her novels are so popular.

Betrayal.......2007-06-09

In While I was Gone, Sue Miller takes us deeply inside a marriage. We always are surprised when people get divorced because marriages look different from the outside than the inside. Sometimes pretty on the outside, ugly inside. With this one between a vet and a minister we go inside the very fabric. We enter the bedroom. We enter the bed, the life of the mind, the life of the body, the life of the soul, the life of the parents, and when the fraying begins, we feel it acutely, a grind against our own gears. We feel the unravelling acutely. We are never the same. Kate Gale

Average customer rating:

Terrific
Entertaining but Cumbersome, perhaps Farcical Plot
Good Read!
My Two Cents
A Good Ride and A Great Ending

Gone for Good
Harlan Coben
Manufacturer: Dell
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0440236738
Release Date: 2003-03-04

Amazon.com

"The ugliest truth, in the end, was still better than the prettiest of lies." So says Will Klein, whose search for his missing and allegedly murderous brother, Ken, leaves him doubting the actions of everybody he's ever loved.

Eleven years ago, Ken fled his family's suburban New Jersey neighborhood after Will's ex-girlfriend, Julie Miller, was raped and strangled. The Kleins eventually convinced themselves that Ken perished on the lam. But as Will discovers, the facts are not so simple. On her deathbed, his mother tells him that Ken is still alive. Then Will's girlfriend and "soul mate" disappears too, only to have her fingerprints turn up at a New Mexico homicide scene. How are these tragedies connected? And what's their relationship to the recent appearance of a contract killer known as the Ghost? With help from an abused ex-hooker, a former white supremacist turned yoga guru, and Julie's younger sister, Will finds himself in a tightly twisted plot that turns on double identities and misplaced trust and that forces him to dig for the courage he was always sure he lacked.

Although the premise sounds much like that of Harlan Coben's last book, the acclaimed Tell No One, and the books' ingenuous protagonists are nearly interchangeable, Gone for Good quickly establishes its separate but equally suspenseful identity. This is a tale of manifold deceptions guaranteed to show its readers up as suckers, and to make them love every moment of the experience. --J. Kingston Pierce

Book Description

As a boy, Will Klein had a hero: his older brother, Ken. Then, on a warm suburban night in the Kleins’ affluent New Jersey neighborhood, a young woman—a girl Will had once loved—was found brutally murdered in her family’s basement. The prime suspect: Ken Klein. With the evidence against him overwhelming, Ken simply vanished. And when his shattered family never heard from Ken again, they were sure he was gone for good.

Now eleven years have passed. Will has found proof that Ken is alive. And this is just the first in a series of stunning revelations as Will is forced to confront startling truths about his brother, and even himself. As a violent mystery unwinds around him, Will knows he must press his search all the way to the end. Because the most powerful surprises are yet to come.

Customer Reviews:

Terrific.......2007-06-21

I like the Myron Bolitar series but as a writer, I know how the choices we make early on can come back to haunt us. The first few books were written in an almost comic style, with Big Cindi and Esperanza, and even Win deliberate stereotypes, put there to provide absurdist relief. In the last couple of books, the author has tried to depict these characters more realistically, but it's hard to make a caricature into a character.

Coben doesn't have this problem with Gone for Good. He's a better writer, a smarter writer than he used to be. Gone for Good crackles with menace and tension and the suspense barely lifts until the very last page. Maybe there's a bit too much melodrama, too many surprises, too many changes, but it all holds together. It all works.

Will Klein's brother has been framed for a murder he did not commit. Or was he? We don't really know, but we know do know that the bad guys are really bad, the good guys are not as good as they seem and our hapless hero gets crunched in the middle of the action.

Highly recommended.

Entertaining but Cumbersome, perhaps Farcical Plot.......2007-06-16

Coben knows how to write a suspenseful thriller. He proves that in Gone for Good. This book is a page turner, as are Coben's other books I have read; however Gone for Good consists of a plot that has too many complexities, coincidences and presumptions to swallow whole. Character attributes exist that readers just have to accept rather than question, and the characters are such that I can't imagine their actual existence and behavior as presented by Coben. This book has many twists and turns as any novel of this length. It keeps you guessing until the very end, so it is a worthwhile read, just not as satisfying as I would have hoped. It also maneuvers through some of the worst kind of characters and behavior our culture/society has to offer...not the kind of stuff that is uplifting, except for an awkward sort of suprise "good guy" behavior by a otherwise bad character later in the book.

Good Read!.......2007-06-12

400 pages flew by... Good read and enjoyed being pulled into Coben's latest!

My Two Cents.......2007-05-20

This is my first Coben read. Good solid writing, great images and simile, great characters too. Keeps you guessing. I'm glad to add Coben to my collection of authors, I'll read more of his books.

A Good Ride and A Great Ending.......2007-05-03

Lots of twists and turns with an ending you really don't see coming.

This is a rather convoluted tale...
Will's brother Ken has been on the run for over eleven years now, he is wanted for the murder of Julie Miller, Will's ex-girlfriend. Will's current true love, Sheila, suddenly disappears from his life with no explanation. Will is trying to unravel all of the deception and figure out whether or not his brother is really innocent like Will has believed all these years. While at the same time trying to figure out just who was the woman he thought he loved.

The story is complete with sorority sisters, a mob boss, an overzealous FBI agent, a quadriplegic pimp, a former skin-head and by my count at least two sociopaths.

I liked these characters, the dialog was believable, the details realistic. It was a quick and enjoyable read with lots of clever twists and turns and an ending that really surprised me.

Average customer rating:

O.K., we get it. You hate Bush. But, what about leadership???
Thank Goodness I Got This From The Library
Has some good points
Contender For Worst Book of 07'
Best Book In years

Where Have All the Leaders Gone?
Lee Iacocca
Manufacturer: Scribner
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Leadership | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 1416532471
Release Date: 2007-04-17

Book Description

Legendary auto executive Lee Iacocca has a question for every American: Where have all the leaders gone?

The most widely recognized business executive of all time asks the tough questions that America's leaders must address:

• What is each of us giving back to our country?

• Do we truly love democracy?

• Are we too fat and satisfied for our own good?

• Why is America addicted to oil?

• Do we really care about our children's futures?

• Who will save the middle class?

A self-made man who many Americans once wished would run for president, Iacocca saved the Chrysler Corporation from financial ruin, masterminded the creation of the minivan, and oversaw the renovation of Ellis Island. Since then he has created the Iacocca Institute for leadership at Lehigh University and the Iacocca Foundation, which funds research for a cure for diabetes. Lee Iacocca believes that leaders are made in times of crisis -- such as today. He has known more leaders than almost anyone else -- among them nine U.S. presidents, many heads of state, and the CEOs of the nation's top corporations -- and is uniquely suited to share his wisdom, knowledge, and wit about the leadership of America.

Author of the gigantic number one bestsellers Iacocca: An Autobiography and Talking Straight, Lee Iacocca famously doesn't mince words and offers his no-nonsense, straight-up assessments of the American politicians most likely to run for president in 2008, including Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, John McCain, Rudy Giuliani, Joe Biden, Bill Richardson, Mitt Romney, and John Edwards.

Confessing that he has "flunked retirement," Iacocca calls on citizens of all ages to vote, get involved, and choose our leaders carefully. Along the way, he shares stories about the prominent people he's met and known, including the time he smoked cigars with Fidel Castro, what Bob Hope told him about how to live a long life, what Lady Sarah Ferguson said to him as they danced, why Bill Clinton woke him up in Italy, what Robert McNamara taught him about success, how Frank Sinatra sang for him personally, and whom Pope John Paul II asked him to pray for. We learn what he discussed with Warren Buffett, DaimlerChrysler CEO Dieter Zetsche, Ronald Reagan, Senator John Kerry, Congressman John Murtha, Prince Charles and Camilla, former Saudi ambassador Prince Bandar, rapper Snoop Dogg, financier Kirk Kerkorian, Ted Turner, Bob Dole, and many more.

Knowing that the times are urgent, the iconic leader shares his lessons learned and issues a call to action to summon Americans back to their roots of hard work, common sense, integrity, generosity, and optimism.

Where have all the leaders gone?

Lee Iacocca has the answer.

Customer Reviews:

O.K., we get it. You hate Bush. But, what about leadership???.......2007-10-10

This book isn't about leadership - it's a collection of hateful rants aimed at the Bush presidency. Touting the "success" of the Chrysler K car (!?!?!) was laughable and delivering a mean-spirited attack about the president's actions on 9/11 was churlish and really low. I'm glad my president had the good sense NOT to look panicked to the world (kids at school) and to assess his safety before heading back to D.C. This book masquerades as a book about leadership, but it is really an octogenarian's platform for spewing his political dogma and venom.

Thank Goodness I Got This From The Library.......2007-10-02

I thought Iacocca might have some interesting observations on leadership based on his years at Ford and Chrysler. After all, this is the man whose inspired leadership saved the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. Instead, Iacocca has done a good job of impersonating a liberal version of Ann Coulter as he splashes his hatred (no other word describes it) of George Bush on page after page.

Iacocca lists his traits of a leader -- he calls them his Nine Cs of Leadership -- then pours out his bile on George Bush by describing the president's inadequacies in each. Here's an example under the "C" for CRISIS: "On September 11, 2001," Iacocca writes, "we needed a strong leader more than any other time in our history. Where was George Bush? He was reading a story about a pet goat to kids in Florida."

I would agree that President Bush has shortcomings in terms of his leadership skill, especially as a communicator. But I believe Iacocca takes far too many cheap shots in his latest book for it to have any credibility as a learning tool. I'd like to suggest that Iacocca add one more "C" to his list to make it an even ten: CIVILITY. A good leader (and writer) understands the dangers of overkill.

Has some good points.......2007-09-29

I thought this was a very thought provoking book. As always Lee toots his horn pretty loudly but I expected that. His plans for how to get the country back on track and make the USA the world leader again has some good points and some that would never work. I would recommend reading it if you think the present administration is doing a good job but are open minded. If you do not want to hear anything negative about the present admin then by all means do not read it.

Contender For Worst Book of 07' .......2007-09-19

First impressions of the cover are baffling. I knew nothing of Lee Iacocca before reading this which raised so many questions beforehand- What direction will he take with all of his experience and knowledge? What is the book's subject, corporate management? Life motivation? Occurring somewhere in it's arduous chapters you realize it's that guy from the Snoop Dog TV ads. He's also no stranger to leadership; managing one of the largest corporations in the world is no easy onus, so why shouldn't he provide some edifying, invaluable knowledge to us readers?

Hopes of acquiring stimulating, Donald Trump-styled professional wisdom dissipate upon plunging into the first chapter. The bottom line is Lee Iacocca is artlessly fuming about the government. Essentially, the book has nothing at all to do with today's business environment or corporate management. By reading the cover we're led to believe Lee has some rare fresh, balanced views on our nation`s leadership. Unfortunately, this is far from the truth. Eat your heart out Andy Rooney, there's competition now for the role of mope eternally bitching about every worldly unjustness today.

Iacocca, a former Kerry booster, earnestly aims to capitalize off low presidential and congressional approval ratings compounded with colossal media and pop culture demonization campaigns of Bush's presidency in a platitude of flagrantly throwing every dubious cliché that emulates a run-of-the-mill, freshmen term paper imbued with senior citizen angst and insincerity; a real shame for someone his age. Our esteemed author offers nothing new to a reader but the same old repetitive juvenile fallacies fabricated by Michael Moore films and leftwing blog rants- Bush lied about Iraq, Bush is dumb, Cheney is evil, Iraq was for oil, Saddam wasn't a threat, "powerful neocon conspirators" get rich off of Iraq via Halliburton and other companies, Americans are fat, to we will all soon disintegrate from "Global warming."

Nevertheless, Lee is quick to remind us he is no partisan. His eulogy of officials he exalts definitively tails public opinion polls, kindling a true character of a modern day conformist, revealing a preoccupation with acceptance among mainstream haut monde, not to mention mantra-hungry book critics. Needless to say, he's immured in a prison of inanity. Lee's special affection with calling avid soldier-condemner John Murtha a "true patriot" is utterly joshing. Lee, intentionally or not, manages to fill his jeremiad with flourishing self-contradictions, naïve propositions, rampant pessimism, and groundless "statistics", such as: "Since 1777 there's only been 45 flag burnings."

Among the myriad ludicrousness includes:
-It's solely the US's fault the Cuban people are suffering due to economic embargos and callous diplomatic relations
-Castro is a kindly man who is often misunderstood. The only reason he is despised in the US is because of right-winged-defectors in Fl who will always support Batista. (Which is not only preposterous but downright repugnant)
-Consistently groans the US has "invaded countries which don't pose a threat" before suggesting we should invade our ally Saudi Arabia.
-Declaims the US cold-heartedly hinders illegals from entering America while dedicating a chapter to deploring how the Middle Class is getting screwed today- carrying the heaviest tax burden and losing jobs.
-Spends a great deal of the book deprecating Bush's presidency, which he attributes to an inability to lead; quite ironic for someone who was fired for his own ineptitude in leading Ford, which is seldom mentioned.

The final chapter takes an incongruous turn, as if the whole of the book wasn't anomalous enough. Iacocca further rambles on on everything from retirement, golf, the Pope, Frank Sinatra, to the upcoming election. Finally concluding with a pitch to join his foundation.

In addition to lacking defined objectives and structure, Lee's second book is erratic in subject and more importantly, omits a central theme. Everyone holds passionate opinions in a democracy but if you expect us to pay to hear yours, regardless of persuasion, they should be unique, factual, and ruminative. Simplicity is plenteous in Iacocca's elementary writing style, full of short sentences of puerile thoughts on intricate matters like bioethics, the political economy, and public policy issues. A well-educated scholar's work that exhibits skillful prose and authentic intellect on these subjects would unquestionably be more rewarding than 200 pages of time-consuming, clamorous tirades. In Lee's more familiar business world, if you present a poor, rancid, futile product you lose money and credibility, why should your book be any different?

Best Book In years.......2007-09-09

Lee really lays it out the truth for everyone the hear.

Best book I think I've read,,,,, well listened to in 10 years. I wish this guy ran the country, we would get something done in Washington.

Good information, good advice and a couple of laughs along the way.

Coronary: A True Story of Medicine Gone Awry

Average customer rating:

Strikingly Similar, Unapologetically Honest
Required reading for anyone considering open-heart surgery
5 stars for the shock value, 4 stars for the writing
You won't believe this really happened!
Fantastic book...Scary Story

Coronary: A True Story of Medicine Gone Awry
Stephen Klaidman
Manufacturer: Scribner
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Cardiovascular | Diseases | Medicine | Subjects | Books

General | Medicine | Subjects | Books

History | Special Topics | Medicine | Subjects | Books

Medical Ethics | Physician & Patient | Medicine | Subjects | Books

General | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

Book Description

A chilling real-life medical thriller, Coronary chronicles the story of two highly respected heart doctors who violated the most sacred principle of their profession: First, do no harm.

In the summer of 2002, fifty-five-year-old John Corapi, a Catholic priest with a colorful background, visited Dr. Chae Hyun Moon, a celebrated cardiologist in Redding, California. Corapi had been suffering from exhaustion and shortness of breath, and although a physical examination and a conventional stress test revealed nothing abnormal, Moon insisted that the calcium level in Corapi's coronary arteries called for a highly invasive diagnostic test: an angiogram. A chain-smoking Korean immigrant known for his gruff bedside manner, Moon performed the procedure briskly and immediately handed down a devastating diagnosis: "I'm sorry; there is nothing I can do for you. You need a triple bypass tomorrow morning." He then abruptly left the room.

Several hours later, however, Moon inexplicably decided the surgery could wait until Corapi returned from a previously scheduled cross-country trip. Unnerved by the dire diagnosis and also by Moon's inconsistent statements, Corapi sought other opinions. To his amazement, a second, third, and fourth doctor found that his heart was perfectly healthy. In fact, for a man his age, Corapi's arteries were remarkably free of disease.

Sensing a cause more disturbing than human error, Corapi took his story to the FBI. As local agent Mike Skeen soon discovered, Corapi was one of a number of people who had suspicions about Moon and Moon's go-to cardiac surgeon, Dr. Fidel Realyvasquez, an equally respected member of the close-knit northern California community. Working at a hospital owned by Tenet Healthcare, Moon would make the diagnoses and Realyvasquez would perform the surgeries. Together, these leaders of the Redding medical establishment put hundreds of healthy people at risk, some of whom never recovered. Soon Skeen launched a major investigation, interviewing numerous doctors and patients, and forty federal agents raided the hospital where the doctors worked.

A timely and provocative dissection of America's medical-industrial complex, Coronary lays bare the financial structures that drive the American healthcare system, and which precipitated Moon's and Realyvasquez's actions. In a scheme that placed the demands of Wall Street above the lives of its patients, Tenet Healthcare rewarded doctors based on how much revenue they generated for the corporation.

A meticulous three-year FBI investigation and hundreds of civil suits culminated in no criminal charges but a series of settlements with Tenet Healthcare and the doctors that totaled more than $450 million and likely put an end to Moon's and Realyvasquez's medical careers. The case's every twist and turn is documented here.

A riveting, character-rich narrative and a masterpiece of long-form journalism, Coronary is as powerful as it is alarming. This is a hair-raising story of the hundreds of men and women who went under the knife, not in the name of medicine, but of profit and prestige. Brilliantly told, Stephen Klaidman's Coronary is a cautionary tale in the age of miracle medicine, and a shocking reminder to always get a second opinion.

Customer Reviews:

Strikingly Similar, Unapologetically Honest.......2007-09-18

My name is Chris Martin and I am the author of Having Nasal Surgery? Don't You Become An Empty Nose Victim!

A friend of mine who had read this book referred me to it, suggesting our experiences as empty nose syndrome (ENS) sufferers have striking similarities to what is written in Coronary - and he is correct: a medical system that too often does not seek to treat the root of the problem, and in some instances surgically "creates" problems sometimes, if not all too often, out of a profit motive. Like the patients in Coronary, ENS is a surgically-created problem.

An apt analogy for what happened in Coronary is a car mechanic who literally smashes the part inside of a car behind the scenes and then recommends replacing the "broken" part. Granted, the analogy might seem a bit to the extreme, it might only represent a minority of doctors, and there might very well be a well-intentioned doctor when a problem is created, but this does happen today. Coronary shows us that it does.

In 1997, I went in for a surgery where I was to have a partial turbinectomy (to reduce my turbinates by two-thirds) and septoplasty (to straighten my septum). Similar situation to the patients in Coronary, preventative measures such as allergy shots or saline irrigation were not recommended nor consequently tried prior to the surgery.

The outcome? I had only 10% of my middle turbinates remaining; 40% of my left inferior turbinate remaining; 10% of my right inferior turbinate remaining; I had a hole high on my septum; I had a hole in my maxillary sinus; and my ethmoid sinuses were partly removed. Clearly, far more was removed than stated by the procedures, "septoplasty" and "partial turbinectomy." My newfound symptoms included chronic shortness of breath (despite a wide open nose), nasal dryness, throat irritation, thick, sticky, viscous mucus (throwing up after meals), shallow unrestful sleep, and to some extent chronic sinusitis. It is not hard to see why high rates of depression and documented cases of suicide have occurred among ENS sufferers.

Coronary might seem like fantasy fiction, but it is fact, however unpleasant that might be. And stories told within happen more than you think, in many areas of medicine. I am living proof. Kudos to Mr. Klaidman for his extensive research and exposing of the truth.

A fantastic read!

Required reading for anyone considering open-heart surgery.......2007-07-25

This book shows just how easy it is for doctors to get rich doing high-tech surgery on completely healthy people. Doctors Moon and Realyvasquez for years did totally unnecessary surgeries on at least one-third of the patients they sent to the operating room. The really scary part is how difficult it was to catch them doing it. They escaped criminal charges, and they kept most of their ill-gotten cash.

Much of the proof of whether or not the procedures were unnecessary turned on such things as how much blockage of the arteries warrants surgery. I found these arguments rather amusing. Although Klaidman doesn't mention this, there is remarkably little evidence that cardiac bypass surgery or angioplasty prevents heart attacks at all. Some studies have found that the death rate for patients receiving such surgeries and those treated with drugs or other non-surgical methods is almost the same. Open-heart surgery is an extremely high-risk business that at best involves huge expense and a long recovery period. At worst, open-heart surgery can leave you dead on the table, severely disabled, and/or bankrupt. Cardiac surgery is a major contributor to soaring U.S. medical costs. Note that in many other countries cardiac bypass operations are rare--but people live longer and are healthier than in the U.S. They pay a lot less for their medical care, too. My personal opinion is that in 100 years people will look at cardiac bypass operations in the same way that people today look back on the 19th century practice of bleeding. For more on this, I would suggest reading Nortin Hadler's book "The Last Well Person."

5 stars for the shock value, 4 stars for the writing.......2007-07-12

This is a a very competently written book about an incident that has inherent shock value and is horrifying because it really happened. Patients had heart surgery that was NOT necessarily needed!

I urge you to read this and to also consider reading some of the books and DVDs below (and please have a look at Sicko, the movie, no matter what you think of Michael Moore). I think all of us should take a close look at our medical system and, as this book indicates, there is room for improvement. When profit and medicine mix, there will be incidents when greed takes over.

Sure would like to hear your comments on this book, from either a patient or doctor perspective. So tell me - what do YOU think of this book? Or what would you have liked to have seen included in the review. I pay attention to YOUR feedback.
Also recommended: How Doctors Think

Sicko

You won't believe this really happened!.......2007-07-08

My small city was rocked by this medical scandal and divides it to this day. Klaidman offers laser-like insight into the nature of the community and its citizens. While the vast majority of the information is dead-on because of his access to court records, I wish he had made it clearer if his impressions of the actions by doctors and administration at the other hospital in town were formed without access to the hospital documentation of their responses to the behavior of the physician in question because of privacy laws.

This is a page-turner, more like a Robin Cook novel than mere history. Congratulations, Stephen. We're in your debt!

Fantastic book...Scary Story.......2007-06-08

This book reads easily, is full of suspense and intrigue like a novel. It is so amazing that this could have gone on! Being an RN myself, I can't imagine the total lack of peer review that apparently was the norm at RMC. My mother is also an RN who worked there with Moon and says the author's account of him rings absolutely true to her. This book needs to be read by more of the public to help them understand the mess the healthcare industry is and how important it is to be knowledgeable healthcare consumers. A big thanks to Klaidman for laying out this convoluted story in such a readable way!

Problem Solving for Oil Painters: Recognizing What's Gone Wrong and How to Make It Right

Average customer rating:

good for basics or beginners
Great Foundational and Advanced Book
Physician, heal thyself
Finally, a book worth more than the price
"What are the attributes that can make this a better painting?"

Problem Solving for Oil Painters: Recognizing What's Gone Wrong and How to Make It Right
Gregg Kreutz
Manufacturer: Watson-Guptill
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Instructional & How-To | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Painting | Instructional & How-To | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0823040976

Customer Reviews:

good for basics or beginners.......2007-07-08

ok for beginners and those who paint in an impressionistic style. could focus a bit more on materials. some good basic tips.

Great Foundational and Advanced Book.......2007-06-15

I'm a professional in the business and make my living as an artist. This book is a wonderful reference and is always close by on the shelf. The work in it is excellent and the principles are straight forward as well as solving lots of the problems artists and painters encounter. Love it and recommneded it many times over.

Physician, heal thyself.......2007-05-30

Sorry, I didn't like the book. I don't know how to say this kindly, but Kreutz' paintings seem to need some improvement, especially the portraits. He may have very good advice to give and should be commended for giving it, but I am reminded of the saying, "I always pass on good advice, because it never does me any good."

Finally, a book worth more than the price.......2007-02-13

I LOVE this book and keep by my easel. His checklists keep me on track.

"What are the attributes that can make this a better painting?" .......2007-01-19

As any true artist can attest, real art does not just arrive from the soul of the artist. Rather it is more often than not the result of hard-won struggles with all sorts of problems. Art in its creation is not linear. It develops by answering questions like, "What makes form look dimensional?" "How does light flow?" "How can air be represented." If the content is too dominating and the technique too finished, the painting can look impersonal. It the artist is too dominating, to expressionistic, the painting can look self-indulgent.

Gregg Kreutz in his "Problem Solving for Oil Painters" has assembled many of the questions that have occurred to him during his years as a painter. He examines the characteristics of a superior painting and shows through examples what makes one picture better than another. Some of those qualities include richness, mystery, simplicity, and focus.

Kreutz appreciates individual expression and knows that each painter develops in his or her own way. He knows that painting is not a mechanical act. When it is, the end product will be unconvincing. Painting requires creativity, insight and empathy. He builds on these attributes which vary from individual to individual with the questions that painters frequently face. He answers these in a straightforward, agnostic manner that will be useful to all painters.

This is an excellent book that will serve the intermediate to advanced to professional painter well. Kruetz's paintings have been represented in many juried shows, winning many high honors. The book is chock full of his work and I, for one, am glad. His work is inspirational and, with this book, he has forced me to raise the bar for my work by asking one question when I paint, "What are the attributes that can make this a better painting?" I no longer have any excuses - he provides plenty of answers.

Average customer rating:

IF YOU HAVE A KID THATS "INTERESTED" IN DRUGS..
Unbelievably Good and Entertaining
For high contrast bio lovers- this won't dissapoint
More Entertaining Than The Music
.."Cover of the Rolling Stone..."

Long Time Gone
David Crosby
Manufacturer: Doubleday
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0385245300
Release Date: 1988-10-15

Book Description

The reissue of rock legend David Crosby's harrowing autobiography, with a new introduction by the author.

A candid chronicle of the rise, fall, and resurrection of an American generation-the children of rock 'n' roll who grew up fighting authority, protesting the Vietnam War, and drifting into the new drug culture- Long Time Gone is the personal story of a man who epitomized the highs and lows of his times.

David Crosby was a rock-and-roll star twice: first with the Byrds and a second time with Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. Dubbed"the American Beatles" by the rock press, CSN&Y were enormously successful, but throughout his career Crosby was nurturing addictions to cocaine and heroin that would nearly kill him and eventually landed him in a Texas prison. His miraculous recovery from the grip of hard drugs and finding true love with his wife Jan, as well as a creative renaissance, all conspire to make Long Time Gone an inspiring, if sobering, portrait of an era.

Customer Reviews:

IF YOU HAVE A KID THATS "INTERESTED" IN DRUGS.........2006-07-26

Here's a great textbook of what happens when you spend day and night looking to stay stoned and make great music at the same time... Although a bit dated in it's culture, this read is right up to date so far as what happens when it all goes downhill. Any rockstar from the 60's-70's know all about it. Unfortunatly David's been in and out of the Can a few more times since this book was put together, and what a damn shame it is. He still manage's to be the musical genious of his time. He'll go into that group of toxic greats like Keith Richards, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison and many others. Long Time Gone is a great book. You'll like it and end up keeping it instead of giving it to the local non profit book store when you're done reading it all. This is an excellent anti drug book that comes in from the back side. No preachy thou-art naughty-naughty stuff. Remember, he's still at it in the 21st century. On everyone's "dead pool" list. He hasn't found God or become a member of a cult. Its all David. Tells it like it is and was. Also a fun look at how David grew up through it all and became a supergroup man. When his obit comes out, it will be an unhappy day for me.

Unbelievably Good and Entertaining.......2006-03-30

Someone you can love and hate. The only down side is that I came away not liking David Crosby...a lot! This kinda cuddly, Santa Claus, teddy bear lookimg guy is anything but. He used and abused everyone who loved him. Full of himself, he's sure he will be forgiven for the horrible things he does because of how talented he is.

The book is full of amazing stories about the paople and times. I truly enjoyed reading this and recommend it to friends often.

For high contrast bio lovers- this won't dissapoint.......2005-04-07

Crosby is the ulimate rock and roll rebel; with more lives and second chances than any other human , ever. Is it his constitution, luck, or just plain talent that saw him through the rough patches ? David would probably say "talent" since through it all he remains his own biggest fan; but who is the reader to argue, since the book contains many, many testimonials from other cool cats that just make David Crosby appear oh- so likeable, and did I mention, brilliant?
( Although law enforcement would definetly disagree, for many years, David Crosby was an absolute menance to society- armed and dangerous)
As a CSN fan , I am a little predjudiced, as a regular reader of celebrity bios, I have to rate this pretty far up on the scale- lots of drama, loads of contrast, plenty of insight into a truly larger than life musician. You will enjoy this book, promise!

More Entertaining Than The Music.......2003-11-11

David Crosby had the good sense to enlist help in writing this book--lots of help--and the result is stunning. Instead of a typically self-absorbed druggy memoir, it becomes part oral history, part biography, part raree show--all in all a sweeping portrait of a man and an era. The list of celebrities and hangers-on who contribute their recollections is long, too long to give here. Among the most amusing is David Geffen, the producer, who was, in his own words, "a formidable figure always". Not formidable enough, however, to keep himself from being bullied by Crosby into taking an envelope of weed through airport security and being handcuffed and jailed.

Geffen had already begun to have doubts about his business relations with the singer after Crosby talked him into financing a movie in which "a tribe of nomads arrives at a campsite, spends a night and a day, and moves on, leaving the environment lovingly unblemished". The script was written by Crosby and an equally stoned partner. Geffen perceived at once that the film would be something less than a blockbuster, and pulled the plug on it even as Crosby was scouting locations.

But this sort of thing was quite mild compared to the hilarity of Crosby's hard drug phase, which followed his soft drug phase. Marijuana gave way to cocaine, and cocaine led to the breakdown of the barrier between his nostrils. As a precautionary measure, Crosby switched to freebase cocaine, which is smoked rather than snorted. This effort at health protection was in vain, however, as freebase turned out to be one of the most addictive substances on earth, demanding tribute from its hapless user virtually round the clock. So fierce was his desire to get the stuff into his lungs that he excused himself from a crisis intervention featuring such stars as Jackson Browne, Graham Nash, and Grace Slick, to go to the back room to be alone with his pipe.

And, with a propane torch for the odd procedure which turns ordinary cocaine into "freebase" Crosby slipped many times, leaving his body not "lovingly unblemished", but rather covered with burns and impetigo. By the eighties he was consuming thousands of dollars worth a day of the drug, and his life became a dizzing round of nightclubs, treatment centers, airplane rides (paying no attention to the illumination of the No Smoking sign), and binges with the ever-present torch and pipe in operation even while driving. "'I'm the best no-hands knee-steering driver in the world,' he would reassure startled passengers."

That may have been true, but in 1982 he passed out from coke overload while on his way to a demonstration at a nuclear power plant, and smashed into the center divider of the San Diego Freeway, and was busted by the Man. Here is laid bare the dilemma of the addict/activist: in order to save the people from radiation, he must at the same time endanger the people by driving while comatose. Law enforcement, after a couple more such incidents, decided he was a clear and present danger.

Yet he hung on for another 4 years, struggling to live as a functioning addict, even as his friends abandon him and the long arm of the law reaches ever closer. Obdurate to the point of psychosis, Crosby continues to cling to his guitar and torch and pipe until he has nowhere to turn but the nearest police station to make a clean breast of things. He finally kicks his addiction for good, not in the plush confines of Betty Ford, but in a solitary confinement box in a Texas prison, and emerges about a year later, with a greater knowledge of himself and of mattress fabrication procedures.

If there ever was a story about which the phrase "cautionary tale" is not a cliche, this is it. I'm surprised Geffen hasn't made it into a blockbuster.

.."Cover of the Rolling Stone...".......2000-01-24

Now that Crosby's "2nd Family" is featured on Rolling Stone--& CSNY are back----on music concert tour-->title will be re-issued soon,just as "DeJavu' is now digitally remastered CD.

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