Choke

Average customer rating:

Interesting characters and good story

A side splitter for those with strong stomachs.

SO Overrated

What would Jesus NOT do?

Not For Everyone

Choke
Chuck Palahniuk
Manufacturer: Anchor
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0385720920
Release Date: 2002-06-11

Amazon.com

Victor Mancini is a ruthless con artist. Victor Mancini is a med-school dropout who's taken a job playing an Irish indentured servant in a colonial-era theme park in order to help care for his Alzheimer's-afflicted mother. Victor Mancini is a sex addict. Victor Mancini is a direct descendant of Jesus Christ. All of these statements about the protagonist of Choke are more or less true. Welcome, once again, to the world of Chuck Palahniuk.

"Art never comes from happiness." So says Mancini's mother only a few pages into the novel. Given her own dicey and melodramatic style of parenting, you would think that her son's life would be chock-full of nothing but art. Alas, that's not the case. In the fine tradition of Oedipus, Stephen Dedalus, and Anthony Soprano, Victor hasn't quite reconciled his issues with his mother. Instead, he's trawling sexual-addiction recovery meetings for dates and purposely choking in restaurants for a few moments of attention. Longing for a hug, in other words, he's settling for the Heimlich.

Thematically, this is pretty familiar Palahniuk territory. It would be a pity to disclose the surprises of the plot, but suffice it to say that what we have here is a little bit of Tom Robbins's Another Roadside Attraction, a little bit of Don DeLillo's The Day Room, and, well, a little bit of Fight Club. Just as with Fight Club and the other two novels under Palahniuk's belt, we get a smattering of gloriously unflinching sound bites, including this skeptical bit on prayer chains: "A spiritual pyramid scheme. As if you can gang up on God. Bully him around."

Whether this is the novel that will break Palahniuk into the mainstream is hard to say. For a fourth book, in fact, the ratio of iffy, "dude"-intensive dialogue to interesting and insightful passages is a little higher than we might wish. In the end, though, the author's nerve and daring pull the whole thing off--just barely. And what's next for Victor Mancini's creator? Leave the last word to him, declaring as he does in the final pages: "Maybe it's our job to invent something better.... What it's going to be, I don't know." --Bob Michaels

Book Description

Victor Mancini, a medical-school dropout, is an antihero for our deranged times. Needing to pay elder care for his mother, Victor has devised an ingenious scam: he pretends to choke on pieces of food while dining in upscale restaurants. He then allows himself to be “saved” by fellow patrons who, feeling responsible for Victor’s life, go on to send checks to support him. When he’s not pulling this stunt, Victor cruises sexual addiction recovery workshops for action, visits his addled mom, and spends his days working at a colonial theme park. His creator, Chuck Palahniuk, is the visionary we need and the satirist we deserve.

Download Description

From the author of the international sensation Fight Club, here is a powerful (and hilarious) novel about love and strife between mothers and sons, the addictive power of sex, the terrors of aging, the ugly truth about historical theme parks, and much else.

Fight Club, Chuck Palahniuk's controversial and blazingly original debut novel, introduced a fresh and even renegade talent to American fiction, one who has retooled the classic black humor of Terry Southern and Kurt Vonnegut for the lunacy of the millennial age. In his new novel, Choke, he gives readers a vision of life and love and sex and mortality that is both chillingly brilliant and teeth-rattlingly funny.

Victor Mancini, a dropout from medical school, has devised a complicated scam to pay for his mother's elder care: Pretend to be choking on a piece of food in a restaurant and the person who "saves you" will feel responsible for the rest of his life. Multiply that a couple of hundred times and you generate a healthy flow of checks, week in, week out.

Between fake choking gigs, Victor works at Colonial Dunsboro with a motley group of losers and stoners trapped in 1734, cruises sex addiction groups for action ("You put twenty sexaholics around a table night after night and don't be surprised."), and visits his mother, whose anarchic streak made his childhood a mad whirl and whose Alzheimer's disease now hides what may be the startling truth about his (possibly divine?) parentage. An antihero for our deranging times, Victor's whole existence is a struggle to wrest an identity from overwhelming forces. His creator, Chuck Palahniuk, is the visionary we need and the satirist we deserve.

"Palahniuk is one of the freshest, most intriguing voices to appear in a long time. He rearranges Vonnegut's sly humor, DeLillo's mordant social analysis, and Pynchon's antic surrealism (or is it R. Crumb's?) into a gleaming puzzle palace all his own."
    NEWSDAY

"Palahniuk displays a Swiftian gift for satire, as well as a knack for crafting mesmerizing sentences that loom with stark, prickly prose and repetitive rhythms."
    SAN FRANCISCO EXAMINER

"Even I can't write this well."
    THOM JONES

"Palahniuk's language is urgent and tense, touched with psychopathic brilliance, his images dead-on accurate....[He] is an author who makes full use of the alchemical powers of fiction to synthesize a universe that mirrors our own fiction as a way of illuminating the world without obliterating its complexity."
    L.A. WEEKLY

"Maybe our generation has found its Don DeLillo."
    BRET EASTON ELLIS

Customer Reviews:

Interesting characters and good story.......2007-10-09

This story is entertaining and fun to read. I enjoy the writer's style a lot and think that for the most part it is pretty clever. I really love when I read a story that makes me sympathize with an ordinarily unsympathetic character and this book does that very effectively. I would recommend this to fans of Palahniuk and anyone who is looking for something a little different.

A side splitter for those with strong stomachs........2007-10-04

This is perhaps Palahniuk's funniest book. It may read like porn but is in fact a pitch perfect tour de force that only Palahniuk could write.

SO Overrated.......2007-09-19

I heard so many good things about this book, so many people raved about it, how it "changed their outlook on life", I felt compelled to read it. I want my time back. This book is garbage. I'm not saying this because it offended me, because it did not in the least (one of my favorite books is "Filth" by Irvine Welsh for comparison). What did offend me was that this book was utter nonsense. If reading about the exploits of a sex-addict makes you want to change the world, go read Gene Simmons biography for christ sake.

The message of this book (which I will not give away here even though I should to save you the time and effort) has been done so many times before, it seems as though Palahniuk just used it as a means to convey his idea of obscenity on the reader. Glorified depravity is fine if it has a legitimate point. Here it does not. It's obscene for the sake of being obscene. It has nothing to do with the story, other than to make the main character seem worse than he is...can he be redeemed in the end???

Don't bother finding out.

What would Jesus NOT do?.......2007-09-14

This novel was nothing short of amazing. For serious, it was a delicious and witty meal that satisfies your intellectual appetite and makes you want to gag at the same time. Loved every bite of it.
See also: Fight Club
See also: Survivor

Not For Everyone.......2007-09-12

I picked this up for amusing reading during my vacation this summer and I tore through it in only a couple of days. It's easy reading, funny, but also deeply satirical.

However, if you don't like modernist literature, and you didn't enjoy Palahniuk's other books, you might get turned off by the style.

I personally felt the ending was a bit weak, but the overall story was so strong it makes up for it. The scenarios are so unique and the relationships he creates are at once so real and so superficial, I just like this kind of writing.

The New Destroyer: Guardian Angel (New Destroyer)

Average customer rating:

This is the OLD Destroyer!!!!
Remo, we missed you!
Nothing new here.
DESTROYER IS A FUN SUMMER READ!
Guardian Angel (new destroyer series)

The New Destroyer: Guardian Angel (New Destroyer)
Warren Murphy , and James Mullaney
Manufacturer: Tor Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0765357593

Book Description

THE DESTROYER NEVER DIES . . . .

VIVA LA REVOLUCION!

When a dozen border patrol volunteers are murdered in New Mexico, apparent victims of Mexican nationals, Dr. Harold W. Smith of the super-secret agency CURE worries the first salvo in a new border dispute has been fired. His worst fears are realized with the appearance of the charismatic Santa Ana, a uniformed, would-be despot with a silver tongue and a thirst for bloody revolution.

General Santa Anna has redrawn the border between the U.S. and Mexico to fit his own twisted version of reality, and thousands of illegal aliens are drawn to his message of liberation. The Southwest is on fire, and as the revolution explodes the entire nation is at risk. It seems the brazen general has planned for every eventuality. Except one...

Mostly MIA for the past four years, Remo Williams, CURE's one man enforcement arm, has returned to the U.S. just in time to prevent Armageddon. With his Korean mentor Chiun, the Master of Sinanju, at his side, America just might live to see mañana.

But it turns out Santa Anna is not the only threat to The Destroyer. Remo not only must save the United States from civil war, he must square off against the only woman who ever killed him...

Customer Reviews:

This is the OLD Destroyer!!!!.......2007-08-09

Wooo! He's back - they're ALL back. Remo, Chiun and Smith have returned to the world they were born in - and it's a GREAT world indeed! The characterizations are right, the dialogue is right, the relationships are right. This is the way it's supposed to be.

(I've got ALL the books, read each of them more than once (well... okay, there were a few that I could barely get through once!) and I KNOW when something's right - and when something jumps the track.)

I hope that the series has taken out the "revolving door" of authors for the next several years - or at least find authors that have bothered to read the old books before thinking that their "skills" and "worldly understanding" will get them through!

Great job - keep 'em coming!

Remo, we missed you!.......2007-07-31

Ahhh, it sure feels good to find The Destroyer is back to it's roots. Remo is taking care of business as only he can. Chiun continues to be the most dangerous Korean who has ever lived but still has the childlike qualities that have always made us love him. Smitty is still the proud American bound and determined to save the US from itself and will continue to work at it until his dying day.

In this book you will also find useless self-serving politicians (yes, Virginia, they do exist). You will find out what really happened at the battles of the Alamo and San Jacinto. You will also get the return of one of Remo's most dangerous enemies. You get all of this wrapped up in a very funny, very exciting adventure the likes of which we haven't seen in a Destroyer book in several years.

Do yourself a favor, buy this book. If you are an old fan of the series you will enjoy the return of Warren Murphy and Jim Mullaney to the books. If you have never read a Destroyer before, then this is a great place to start your obsession.

Nothing new here........2007-07-29

I was a reader of The Destroyer from the first novel until the early 80's. I didn't know the series had continued on. Apparently, it was a good thing I didn't keep up with the series.
Well, from my point of veiw, there's nothing new about this 'New' Destroyer. Remo is the Master of Sinanju by title only. Chuin is still there, even though this book makes reference that the two of them met during the Kennedy administration and it is now 2007. I figure this would put Remo somewhere near 70 years old, and Chuin well into his 120's.
Chuin has devolved into a spoiled child. Where he used to insult Remo, he now only plays with toys. He actually _likes_ other assassins, rather than consider them pretenders to the art of killing.
Smith seems about ready to retire though. He's old and arthritic. He works fewer hours, and has delegated some of his responsibility to an assistant.

I was disappointed in the book. One of the things I liked reading the series for was the growth of Remo. Now that there are two Masters of Sinanju, the book is nothing more than graphic descriptions of how the Whop-Fu took effect. There is one scene where Remo casually rips the door off a Panic Room. He's already able to dodge bullets, and in several instances, he took the full brunt of a missile, or TNT and walked out without a scratch. So, essentially, the two heroes are all powerful and invincible.

I was hoping that Chuin was gone, or retiring, and that Remo had taken on a student to replace him. That would have breathed new life into the series for sure.

Don't get a copy.

DESTROYER IS A FUN SUMMER READ!.......2007-07-16

My first exposure to The Destroyer was in the 1980's with the movie Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins. While not a good movie I was very entertained by the characters of Remo and Chuin and their camaraderie. That said I read several Destroyer novels throughout my teens and then life moved on.

On a whim at a bookstore this summer I saw New Destroyer: Guardian Angel and decided to give it a read. I'm glad I did. The characters are firmly intact and creator Warren Murphy and new scribe James Mullaney do a fantastic job of reinvigorating the series.

For anyone new to the series, it's easy to jump on. Remo and his mentor Chuin are master assassins in the art of Sinanju. They work for CURE a secret branch of the government that deals with impending perils to our country. In this novel the dangers come from a militant group that want to create new borders and countries between the US and Mexico. Remo and Chuin are called on to defend the Alamo, stop a ruthless female killer, prevent illegal aliens from causing lots of trouble, and so much more.

For summer time reading it's a blast. If you're familiar with the characters give it a read because you'll find in doubly enjoyable!

Guardian Angel (new destroyer series).......2007-07-13

The author has gone back to the original "Destroyer" series style and it was a pleasure to read this book, by Warren Murphy.

Average customer rating:

Another stupendous mystery by Woods
Hold onto your hat!
Pleasant Surprise
It Wonýt Choke You Up
Worthy of a second read

Choke
Stuart Woods
Manufacturer: HarperTorch
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0061094226

Book Description

Chuck Chandler has choked on more than one occasion--first as a pro tennis player at Wimbledon, then as a womanizing coach at posh tennis clubs around the country. Now at Key WestÍs Old Racquet Club, Chuck gets involved with the wrong married woman-the enticing Clare Carras, married to an enigmatic older man--and soon he is in way over his head. Enter Tommy Sculley, a retired New York homicide detective who has just joined the Key West force, and his young green partner, Daryl Haynes, who turns out to be smarter than he looks. Up to their necks in an investigation of a bizarre apparent homicide, the two detectives barely keep afloat in murky waters. Events take them from the Florida Keys to Los Angeles and back, as a plot emerges that involves not only the dangerous Clare, but a furious West Coast mob boss determined to get back what is his at any cost.

Customer Reviews:

Another stupendous mystery by Woods.......2006-07-28

I've listened to at least a dozen of Woods' novels on tape, all of the Stone Barrington novels and a good amount of the others. Everyone of them has kept me entertained from the first page to the last. This one was particularly interesting and had a great number of twists to it as most of Stuart Woods' novels do. He's become one of my favorite authors and every book is different. The ideas he comes up with are great...and the reader for his novels on tape is simply excellent.

Hold onto your hat!.......2005-12-02

A whirlwind ride into down and dirty living of the rich -- and not-so-rich! Stuart Woods is one of the best storytellers of our time. His characters seem like people you'd meet on the street, and we get to see into their dark, stormy pasts as Woods gets into the character's minds, especially Chuck's! We might not always agree with what Chuck does, but we sure can understand it with the author's insight into his mind.

An unstoppable tale that will keep you guessing until the dramatic conclusion. One of Woods' best novels yet!

Pleasant Surprise.......2005-04-18

This book is written like a summer blockbuster movie is written. Lots of fun but not tons of brains. Don't get me wrong though - I really liked this one!! I'm not real familiar with Mr. Woods but I'm sure that will change soon. The pacing kind of reminds me of a Robert Parker mystery where it moves along at such a pace that before you know it you're near the end and wondering which of his books you'll read next. I can reccomend this without a second thought. Sit back and enjoy!

It Wonýt Choke You Up.......2001-08-21

The book begins with Charles, a professional tennis player, choking during the final match at Wimbledon. What could be worse then that? He's about to find out when he meets Harry and Claire while teaching tennis for a small resort in Key West, FL. What are they hiding?

In typical Stuart Woods fashion, this book is gripping from the start. With boats blowing up and fast action, it was a good audio book. This is the first book in a month that kept me riveted to my car to a point I didn't want to get out when I arrived at work or at home.

Mr. Sanders (Narrator) did a fantastic job. He was able to use his voice to give characters different accents, and personalities. In addition, he is one of the few narrators I have heard in audio books who could actually do a fairly decent female voice. I truly believe this added to the book.

Fast paced with lots of twists and turns, this is a gripping novel. This is only the second book I have ever had by Mr. Woods. The other was Dead In The Water. Though being relatively new to Mr. Woods works, I found this book to be exciting, fast paced and hard to pull away from just as I did with Dead In The Water.

If you like mysteries or suspense drama, then this is a book for you. For other new comers to Mr. Woods works, don't hesitate to read or listen to this book.

Worthy of a second read.......2000-06-25

I read this book many years ago and thoroughly enjoyed it. On a plane ride back from Italy, I found myself with nothing to read so I again read the book which my husband had just finished. Once again, I loved the characters and became engrossed in the characters. Stuart Woods has a real talent for the creation of intriguing characters and I am always impressed with their evolution.

The New Destroyer: Choke Hold (New Destroyer)

Average customer rating:

The New Destroyer: Choke Hold (New Destroyer)
Warren Murphy , and James Mullaney
Manufacturer: Tor Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0765357607
Release Date: 2007-10-30

Book Description

Pity poor tobacco tycoon Edgar Rawly. Thanks to lawsuits, government meddling and the inexplicable deaths of many of his best customers, his megabucks industry is gasping its last breath. That is, until the introduction of the Cheyenne Smooths, Rawly's latest product. Not quite tobacco, not quite legal, more addictive than crystal meth. Suddenly customers are once more beating a path to his door. That's when the bodies start piling up. Seems people are not only dying to taste the flavor of a Cheyenne Smooth, they're killing for it.

Enter Remo Williams, the Destroyer, and Chiun, the deadly Master of Sinanju. They've been sent to kick some butt, but wind up in danger of being snuffed out themselves.

Turns out Edgar Rawly is not the only shady character to recognize the value of the Cheyenne Smooths, and things really start to heat up when Remo bumps into a cult of ancient Chinese assassins, an Asian crime lord, and a worldwide addiction that just might send civilization up in smoke...and dump the Destroyer on the ash heap of history.

Average customer rating:

Couldn't get into it...
Choke Point
Choke Point!! Best of the series!!
MacLarty Does It Again
Author Jay MacLarty engages our minds and our gut in CHOKE POINT!

Choke Point (Simon Leonidovich Novels)
Jay MacLarty
Manufacturer: Pocket
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 141650348X

Book Description

WHEN HIGH-RISK COURIER SIMON LEONIDOVICH IS DRAWN INTO A GAME OF INTERNATIONAL INTRIGUE IN THE NEW GAMING CAPITAL OF THE WORLD, THE ODDS ARE STACKED AGAINST HIM LIKE NEVER BEFORE.

While overseeing the frenzied but suspiciously troubled construction of his new Macau mega resort, The Pacific Pearl, Big Jake Rynerson is secretly working with the president of the United States to frame a new international trade agreement -- the Pacific Rim Alliance -- between China, Taiwan, and America.

To help forge this partnership, Simon Leonidovich, the man who can deliver anything, anywhere, is called upon to return a priceless artifact -- the Crest of Ch'in -- to the People's Republic of China. But there are many shadow forces who view a Sino-American alliance as a threat to their interests. With the opening of the Pacific Pearl just weeks away, a violent attack leaves Big Jake fighting for his life . . . and the man who can save the Alliance struggling to save himself.

Customer Reviews:

Couldn't get into it..........2007-09-23

This book is very hard to get into. I read about half of the book and just had to quit. Too many characters that are poorly introduced. A plot that is never clear. Maybe it was because I hadn't read any of the previous novels, but I just couldn't follow this one.

Choke Point.......2007-09-16

A good book, but not great. Interesting storyline, but it wasn't really fleshed out enough to grab my interest all the way through. Was pretty predictable I thought.

Choke Point!! Best of the series!!.......2007-03-22

I loved this book..!! Rich characters (as always) sharp writing (as always)..suspense/adventure, etc.. a true page turner!! All Jay MacLarty's books in the series are wonderful but this one is simply the best!!

Very sad that this will be the last book featuring Simon Leonidovich.. After I emailed the author with my high praise, I got this...(pasted unedited)

Jerry, thanks for the feedback. I'm glad to hear you enjoyed the book -- one never tires of hearing that sort of thing. Unfortunately, Choke Point was the last of Simon, but I've got some big stories in the works; which hopefully you'll enjoy just as much.

MacLarty Does It Again.......2007-03-02

Simon Leonidovich is back, with all his wit and charm, to work with Big Jake Rynerson and Jake's daughter, Kyra. (Possible romance? Read it and see.) The international politics of the story are interesting and the plot is believable, with the many twists and surprises we've come to expect from MacLarty's Everyman hero. The villains are well drawn, the action scenes masterful. All in all, a great read!

Author Jay MacLarty engages our minds and our gut in CHOKE POINT!.......2007-02-17

With CHOKE POINT, author Jay MacLarty shows us, once again, as with the other three Simon books, that he writes a great story that engages both the mind and the gut; his plot and the resonatng international stakes about China, Taiwan, and America, give us a lot to think about -- and his great second half of the book - an adventure chase, appeals to the gut of any reader wanting an exciting run/jump/chase extended sequence with adventure, tension and surprises. His cleverness in plotting makes you almost wonder how one person can do this all by himself? But he does and it works -- you get both intelligence and visceral excitement in his clever plot and his terrific characters. I'd like to buy the next Jay MacLarty novel now, the one he hasn't even written yet, sight unseen - I'm a fan all the way.

Average customer rating:

Choke : A Novel
Chuck Palahniuk
Manufacturer: Anchor Books/Random House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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Invisible Monsters

ASIN: B000OLPJ38

Average customer rating:

Best Reference for chokes
Dimmak1969
A terrific introduction into the art of choking....
what he said..
Veterans Need Not Apply

Classical Chokes
Joseph Kelljchian
Manufacturer: Rock Pr Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Sports | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0967674816

Book Description

In this clear, easy to read guide, an unassuming, yet potentially lethal art form is made accessible to all. The author's vast knowledge of the subject and unusual ability to dissect and illustrate the mechanics of all chokes will keep the reader fascinated. The book contains forty-seven different self-defense techniques, and is illustrated with ninety-one photographs. From a simple hug to a sophisticated starvation of blood, Classical Chokes leaves no doubt that chokes are the supreme empty-hand self-defense system.

Customer Reviews:

Best Reference for chokes.......2007-04-20

I have looked at whatever choke books that I could find on the market. This is the very best one that I have found. I found it helpful in my karate training and would recommend this book to anyone. Even if you are not a martial artist, this book could be very helpful to you.

Dimmak1969.......2006-02-18

Please do not buy this book! I ordered this book in hopes that I would learn more of the mechanics and physiological aspects of different chokes, This book did not help me in either matter in enough detail. Yes, this book in intended for beginners, but it doesnt even cover the basics. The author nor his sons (the demonstrators)discuss or explain the all important DELIVERY, you know the act of transitioning to the point where you can apply the choke or submission. In almost all of the pictures the "technician" ( as they call themselves) are already applying the choke as if a poof of smoke appeared and they just appeared delivering the choke. For example, in chapter 2, they cover the "chinese stranglehold" know as the rear naked or unbreakable Japanese hold which is a very efficient and commonly used submission in the UFC and Pride. NEVER is it mentioned to run the thumb along the neck, or place the the opponents chin in the "V" of your own elbow making sure your forearm is UNDER his chin. It is mentioned to grab your own bicep, but nothing with regards to using a push/pull action, (pushing the back of the head with free hand and pulling with the other arm while bringing the elbows in to almost touch, (these are the mechanics of a choke). More of the same for the rest of the book, Slop, unrealistic situations( most are done standing facing each other.(what about when you are in the guard, or in the side mount, mounted or what about using your opponents clothing as a weapon (Knuckle choke, cross collar or even the head and arm ( Kimo vs. Tank abbott) Instead they use nunchackus, sai and chains ? Real useful. I could go on and on, Anyway it is a terrible book, hardly good enough if you know NOTHING about combative sports or self defense. I serves best as a fly swatter or fire starter.

A terrific introduction into the art of choking...........2005-07-06

Designed for those with no prior "experience" in this area, the book explains the basics and gives practical techniques, which can be used in real life situations. This work is a great manual for those beginning their exploration of this ancient martial art.

what he said.........2005-01-30

I could just as well copy the review blow, because it's exactly like I myself feel about it...here goes:

"You will have better luck learning about chokes/strangles if you buy a basic Judo or Jujitsu book. This is one of those books that seems to have been thrown together, without thinking about how to exactly explain what is trying to be said. This book has those small black and white photos, with one sentence about what is being shown. This book is not for people who have some practical experience with chokes. It is defiantly not for those who are novice and expect to learn a "Supreme Empty-Hand Self-Defense System". (end Qoute..)

Veterans Need Not Apply.......2004-09-09

I bought this book to further my personal study of chokes and strangulation. While it was a good book, it was not what I expected. I was expecting more practical applications and techniques. It seemed to me that Kelljchian focused only on the types of chokes used in GoJu Karate, logically because that is the style he mastered. I was looking for a more advanced/comprehensive view of chokes and varied applications of techniques that I could incorporate into my training. I believe that my training in various martial arts as well as my expectations played a part in my disappointment with the book. Don't get me wrong, the book will remain in my martial arts library but this book was geared towards people with no knowledge of the art of strangulation. People looking for more advanced techniques will have to go elsewhere.

Average customer rating:

CHOKE
Okay Read
Something about this book...
funny fast read
Darnell Ford is one of the Best in the Game

Choke
Darnella Ford
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Griffin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0312348037
Release Date: 2006-06-13

Book Description

For Vanessa, the low income housing complex in the middle of the desert in El Mirage, Arizona represents all that is wrong with her life. Her neighbors get it on all night long, she sees an abusive husband kill his wife and then himself, and her own ex-husband keeps showing up and getting into her pants. The one bright spot in Vanessas life is her daughter, Kennedy, and her love for the piano. Kennedy is practicing to audition for an esteemed music academy that Vanessa can in no way affordespecially after losing her housekeeping job. But Vanessa isnt one to give up and shell do anything to help her daughter succeed, even if it means sacrificing her own chances for a better life.

Customer Reviews:

CHOKE.......2007-06-08

No money.
No salvation.
Just hope.
For Vanessa and her daughter, Kennedy, this is all they have to grasp to. Life isn't easy when you're dirt poor, but Vanessa soon learns that you must catch up with it before it leaves you in the dust. Living in an apartment complex in El Mirage, she is used to sharing her apartment with the roaches and rats and taking showers with the ants. But there is a glint of hope that shines so bright, it keeps the lights on mentally long after they go out physically. Kennedy's gift of playing piano. However, the road to sturdy living isn't always paved and Vanessa soon learns she will stoop to all kinds of lows to help her daughter make it through. Will the many trials and tribulations that they go through dim the light or will it shine even brighter at the end of the road?
I sincerely adore Darnella Ford's impeccable taste for making ordinary words extraordinary. This book will grab you and refuse to let you go, way after the last page.
BUY IT!

Okay Read.......2007-05-11

It took me two library trips to build up the interest to finally finish this book. It was a struggle to finish, but I completed it. The writing style of the author was something that I had to get used to. It is no mystery that she is a spoken word artist as well. The flow of her writing was a dead give-a-way. The story had an interesting story line but it wasn't enough to make me a fan just yet of Ms. Ford's writing.

Something about this book..........2006-12-10

... was VERY enjoyable. It was a very good read despite some of the subject matter. I was browsing the Black author section of my favorite book store and this cover just seemed to reach out and grab me. I'm glad it did because I really enjoyed this book!!

I've never read anything by this author but I certaintly will keep on.

funny fast read.......2006-11-07

i have enjoyed ford's books this book was funny and was a fast read.

Darnell Ford is one of the Best in the Game.......2006-08-14

For the second time, I've been blown away by Darnella Ford's unbelievable talent with a pen. I finished Choke five minutes ago and my jaw is still dragging the floor. Ms. Ford's style is so unique, so fluent, so very raw that I find myself truly in awe of her creativity and the utter dominance she holds over words.

Choke is the somewhat sad story of a woman (Vanessa) whose husband has abandoned her with their young daughter Kennedy to fend for them selves in an Arizona Ghetto. Vanessa soon learns the difficulty of and sacrifices required to care for her teen daughter alone, while trying to put food on the table, nurture Kennedy's gift for music and help to keep both of their dream's of a better life alive; all while struggling to maintain her own sanity.

On the surface it sounds like something we've seen before from Terry McMillan and a host of wanna be Terry McMillan's. Don't be fooled! Choke is absolutely fresh, well written and able to stand alone in the sea of so-called chick lit that line book store shelves. Terry McMillan is still the undisputed Queen of AA literature but I believe that if Ms. T ever decides to vacate the throne, Darnella Ford will be the rightful heir.

Even with Choke's heavy undertones, Ms. Ford's writing style keeps things light and in some strange way, humorous. I usually try to give the "downside" of books in order to keep my reviews honest and well rounded but for the life of me I couldn't find a single negative thing to say about Choke because as a reader I found this book...Perfect

Average customer rating:

What rubbish
Mr. Slater has most of his facts wrong
A Fantasy Scenario of Current Events

Choke Point: WW III
Ian Slater
Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0345453778
Release Date: 2004-03-30

Book Description

The fight against terrorism has reached the next level—
and now America will really go to war.

A series of cataclysmic events is exploding around the world. Two divisions of Chinese ground troops move against a neighboring Muslim nation, while a provocation unleashes generations of pent-up violence between the mainland and Taiwan. With U.S. troops still on the ground in the Middle East and “Ganistan,” and an American president forced by rapidly unfolding events to make decisions on the fly, the most dangerous threat is the one no one sees.

For off the fog-shrouded coast of Washington State, a staggering attack will flood the Northwest with American refugees and force the bravest and the best of U.S. Special Forces under the toughest of the tough, General Douglas Freeman, into a pitched, desperate battle to find a shadow enemy—before he strikes the next terrifying blow against the United States.

Customer Reviews:

What rubbish.......2007-07-20

I had read this guy's other books years ago and found they were passable techno-military thrillers. This book, however, was simply junk. I must say this is the only book I have ever torn up 50 pages from the end because I was so infuriated by it. It sounds like a combination of Rush Limbaugh lies and propaganda from the RNC. And really, "Elgin AFB"? Spell it right, please.

Mr. Slater has most of his facts wrong.......2005-12-08

I usually love military thrillers. Especially ones about alternate wars. So far, even though the stories have been amazing, I have always felt much less than satisfied with Ian Slaters work. First, he has the Third World War occur between NATO and the Soviet Union over the Second Korean War. Next, Siberia breaks away from the old crumbling Union, and starts a new campaign of the war. Then the Pacific Northwest of the United States secedes from the union. Through all this, nothing in his books really bears any resemblence to the books before. Are American and Soviet cities still suffering from fallout, (remember, at least two were nuked in the original trilogy, Portland, I believe and Leningrad). What about all the previously sunken subs and carriers from the war, shouldn't there be a lot of those to worry about? North and South Korea were almost entirely devestated, as was Taiwan, in the original trilogy. Beijing was wiped out by a nuke as well. C'mon, Mr. Slater, don't you read your own books? Or do you just stamp your own name on what some other writers product? Next, he gets a massive amount of easy facts about the US military wrong. First, we do not name aircraft carriers after war heroes, only presidents. The McCain is an Arliegh Burke class destroyer. What the heck is a Nimitz "C"? No such ship, boyo! While I love the concept, I am really starting to hate Mr. Slater and his wilful massacre of the American military tradition, as well as the fact that he, obviously, DOESN'T CARE ABOUT ANY FORM OF CONTINUITY IN HIS BOOKS AT ALL!!!!!!!!!!! Yet he'll use the same characters, and reference actions in past books. Mr. Slater, time to retire.

A Fantasy Scenario of Current Events.......2004-07-22

If you like a book that is big on details of military weapons and short on plot and characters, this is for you. It has a slight resemblance to Tom Clancy, but Clancy has better plots and believable characters. Here, we have terrorists in submarines sinking ships, including a US Navy nuclear submarine and an aircraft carrier, in the narrow Straight of Juan de Fuca leading into Seattle, But the large number of well-armed terrorists that man the submarines are killed by five Special Forces soldiers led by a General. As a combat veteran, I had trouble with how five men could defeat such a big crowd of bad guys, but I guess our guys are supermen. The characters are flat, but there is plenty of action.

CHOKE HOLD: HARDY BOYS CASEFILES #51 (Hardy Boys Casefiles)

Average customer rating:

Good action description, above average storylines

CHOKE HOLD: HARDY BOYS CASEFILES #51 (Hardy Boys Casefiles)
Dixon
Manufacturer: Simon Pulse
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Mysteries | Teens | Subjects | Books

Hardy Boys | Series | Teens | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0671700480

Customer Reviews:

Good action description, above average storylines.......2000-02-12

The story is about the the famous detectives, Frank & Joe Hardy fight to protect wresterler, Sammy. In the process of narrowing down their suspect list of who may be sending threatening notes and attempting to hurt Sammy, the Hardys find themselves in difficult positions too.

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