Book Description
In the Blink of an Eye is celebrated film editor Walter Murch's vivid, multifaceted, thought -- provoking essay on film editing. Starting with what might be the most basic editing question -- Why do cuts work? -- Murch treats the reader to a wonderful ride through the aesthetics and practical concerns of cutting film. Along the way, he offers his unique insights on such subjects as continuity and discontinuity in editing, dreaming, and reality; criteria for a good cut; the blink of the eye as an emotional cue; digital editing; and much more. In this second edition, Murch reconsiders and completely revises his popular first edition's lengthy meditation on digital editing (which accounts for a third of the book's pages) in light of the technological changes that have taken place in the six years since its publication.
Customer Reviews:
Seasoned professional's wisdom of his craft: film editing.......2007-08-04
This book was a required reading for my national university on-line class in digital video editing. The book is a short read that can be accomplished in two sittings. I read the second part of the book on digital editing first, as I have been editing for the past 10 years and have made the leap from analog to digital, myself. Murch relates the changes from a professional's point of view. He compares analog versus digital editing He outlines how the workflow of the editor and, indeed, the whole industry, as filmmaking is such a collaborative art, is changing due to the inevitable transition to a totally digital medium. I read the first part of the book next. Smartly, this saved the best for last as his most profound advice for editing is contained in the middle of the text, at the end of part one. Here he explains a moment in editing when he understood the essence of his editing choices on a particular movie, thus revealing the title of the book. This is a gem of a read for anyone interested in the working mind of a seasoned editor. I recommend it to film fans, students, and anyone interested in getting into the industry professionally.
A Must Read.......2007-03-13
Whether you have a passing fancy with movie editing, or just want to understand the anatomy of one of our greatest media achievements, you will like this book.
It is brief, clear and drops you into the world of film in a blink of an eye.
It's a book about Story Telling and narrative design.......2007-02-23
Sometimes a book's own hype kills people's appreciation of it.
With Murch's classic, the problem is that it is considered a classic text about editing, simply because it is a biographical account of an editor at work.
It is not about the techniques or tools or modern equipment necessary to edit a film. If you seek a functional book to learn the fundamental skills of visual film editing, this is not something you should purchase.
It's very much more a story telling book. Most specifically if you are a writer, or, if you consider your film directing as 'writing with pictures,' this book will elevate your ability and understanding of 'writing with film.'
The old adage that 'film is a visual medium' is wrong.
Maybe that's why a get a little uppity about catchall phrases. Like "Film is a visual medium." It's not. Not really. It has music. It has dialogue. And, it exists over time.
One painting, is a visual medium.
Film, is 24-paintings per second with noise, weight, drama, visual, action, cognitive momentum, magic, and trust and hope. Film, as the casual and professional observer speaks of it, is more likely a cognitive medium. Film more closely approximates our external reality more than any other media, and it is Murch's perspective -- as the ultimate unifier of the other filmed elements -- that reminds us of that. He casually reveals what he knows about his art and how to design a dramatic narrative based on upon cognitive principles.
If you stumbled across this book just because you just dig making and writing films that much, than this book will excite you for the price of a Starbucks lunch. And it's better for your body than crumbcakes and coffee.
In the Blink of an Eye.......2007-02-16
It's a quick read, and somewhat entertaining. Not something I would recommend as a schoolbook for an editing class, but if you are interested in the editing process, it's a good read.
a editing classic.......2007-02-13
Every editor needs to read this, it will change the way you think about editing.
Average customer rating:
- exciting, well-written suspense
- My Favorite Corsi Staub Book to Date
- Always a Twist
- Took too long to get to a good ending
- WOW....Just WOW
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In The Blink Of An Eye
Wendy Corsi Staub
Manufacturer: Pinnacle
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 Staub, Wendy Corsi
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Customer Reviews:
exciting, well-written suspense.......2006-10-16
I have read several books by Wendy Corsi Stuab, and I have enjoyed them all. "Fade to Black" is no exception. The story is exciting and mysterious. The characters are well developed and appealing, and the heroine is a nice, normal, sensible woman (in spite of being a spiritual medium). One of the things I really enjoy about Staub's writing is that you really get a good idea of the setting of the story. This book is set in the real New York town of Lily Dale, a historic town that has been a center for spiritualists since Victorian times, and from the descriptions of the people, the houses, the businesses and restaurants, I feel like I have been there. Another thing I find refreshing about this author is that her books, while centered around female protaganists, are not romance stories. I emphatically agree with the reviewer "Book Maven": romantic cliches really annoy me too, and I waste a lot of time and money buying books, only to find that what looks like a thriller is really a Harlequin in disguise. I look forward to reading all of Wendy Corsi Staub's books. "In the Blink of an Eye" is a great book to curl up with on the couch on a cold evening.
My Favorite Corsi Staub Book to Date.......2006-08-28
"In the Blink of an Eye" gives you a double whammy. The book's heroine, Julia, is anything but a helpless, dimwitted female who goes for solo walks with a killer about, or some other such nonsense that you find in some books. Julia is a strong willed, intelligent, capable single woman. "Eye" also delves into the supernatural, which makes for some fascinating reading from Ms. Corsi-Staub. Maybe the ending seems a bit too pat, but the journey itself is so enjoyable, with twists and turns, that you really won't care.
Do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of this great little read.
Always a Twist.......2006-08-25
This is another fast-paced mystery from Corsi-Staub. As in her other books, there are numerous characters, some necessary to the plot line, others there to throw the reader off track with no real use to the story. Her short sections of text keep the reader's interest and the action moving. When the reader thinks they have guessed the murderer's identity, a fact will be thrown into the mix to cause the reader rethink their conclusion. The story is a fun read, and only receives a 4 ranking for "facts" that any average reader, from the Midwest at least, would know are false, for example, she has Iowa located on Lake Erie.
Took too long to get to a good ending.......2006-07-07
Too much unnecessary detail in these 420+ pages. This book could have carried the plot, characters, setting, and denouement in 250 pages or less.
I did enjoy the ending, but it was mighty cumbersome getting there.
She has obviously done her research into the Lily Dale community, but I wonder how the spiritualists of Lily Dale feel about one of the mediums in this story being a fraud?
WOW....Just WOW.......2006-01-23
I've read all of her books and except for "Dearly Beloved" I've found them all to be amazing. The first book I read was "Lullaby and Goodnight" and the only reason I bought it was because the cover looked interesting:)))))) I got hooked on her books right away. And I can't wait for the new one to come out in April I believe. Read her books, you won't be disappointed.
Book Description
Outraged by the downward spiral of intellect and culture, Michael LeGault offers the flip side of Malcolm Gladwell's bestselling phenomenon,
Blink, which theorized that our best decision-making is done on impulse, without factual knowledge or critical analysis. If bestselling books are advising us to not think, LeGault argues, it comes as no surprise that sharp, incisive reasoning has become a lost art in the daily life of people everywhere.
Somewhere along the line, the Age of Reason morphed into the Age of Emotion; this systemic erosion is costing time, money, jobs, and lives in the twenty-first century, leading to less fulfilment and growing dysfunction. LeGault provides a bold, controversial, and objective analysis of the causes and solutions for some of the biggest problems facing Western culture in the 21st century. From the over- load of reality TV shows and gossip magazines that have rendered curiosity of the mind and spirit obsolete to permissive parenting and low standards that have caused an academic crisis among our children, LeGault looks at all aspects of modern lives and points to how and where it all went wrong.
Customer Reviews:
Missed the Point.......2007-09-28
I don't think that LeGault even read Blink. More likely, he looked at the cover, scanned a few pages, and decided to write a cultural book as a "counterarguement" to a much better book that was really about human and organizational psychology (and in the process score a few extra book sales by piggy-backing on a much better and more popular book). Save your money. If you really want to read about decision making, I recommend Sources of Power by Gary Klein, and for business people, Certain to Win by Chet Richards.
Could use a bit more thinking...........2007-09-26
One would expect a book call "Think" to exhibit more thought. I expected to see examples of carefully thought out analyses, but found none, really. There are knee-jerk rants, unsupported opinions, and really nothing that challenges anyone to change the way that they think.
The first chapter hints that we are about to discover a better way to think--but mostly we discover is that the world is not reaching the conclusions that LeGault thinks that it should, and we are not presented with any evidence why the world is wrong. The world may very well be wrong, but in most cases LeGault attacks the same old straw men, presenting only a parody of the ideas he opposes. He presents no data to back the ideas that he supports. He intends to champion objectivity, but does not exhibit it himself. He particulary misrepresents the book "Blink," which is more about how to avoid the pitfalls of unconcious bias than how to avoid thinking.
There are many examples of great thinkers presented, but in a rather shallow way. LeGault does not really pinpoint what it is that separates great thought from mediocre; we gain no insight into the thought process of his exemplars. This is not the book to read if you want to find out how the great thinkers do it.
Critical Thinking Not Found In This Book.......2007-08-16
What irony that a book about critical thinking was written without the use of any critical thinking by the author. In contrast, I see a lot more critical thinking in the reviews written by the irate readers of this book than from the author, editor, and publisher combined.
The premise of this book is worthwhile, but it needed a real critical thinker and writer to execute.
dichotomy in cardboard.......2007-08-15
i looked forward to this book, but someone else should have written it. the author, the longer the book is read, disproves his own theory. he begins to write emotionally, taking potshots at everything from michael moore to global warming theories to the use of ritalin to psychologists in california, without the slightest evidence of critcal thinking. he states the obvious, and groups an entire people, such as the greeks, romans, americans, etc. as critical thinkers or not. actually the book, to me at least, would discourage logic. if this guy is what critical thinking produces, you can have it. it is a jumbled mess. a smart guy with a thesaurus, does not produce clear thinking. trying to separate logic from emotion is a fool's errand. it ignores humanity, which is what really separates us from the beasts. i guess i am trying to say is that this book, contains little logic. in fact, the whole premise is illogical.
Not the book it claims to be.......2007-07-16
Marketed as a rationalists response to Gladwell's "Blink", LeGault spends precious little time explaining the books thesis and inordinate time presenting his personal political viewpoints. For example, the author claims that the vast majority of scientists disagree with the threat of global warming, and he accuses those that believe in the problem of falling prey to poor thinking again, and again, and again. The author also feels that radical feminism is a serious threat to American culture (I still haven't met one of these mysterious radical feminists). In general, the author seems to think that simply being a contrarian makes one rational. If you think like he does, then you are being logical. LeGault's real thesis appears to be an attempt to conflate rationalism with conservativism. Still, if you can wade through the author's obvious biases, there are a few thoughtful passages that offer a valuable counter-point to "Blink".
Book Description
An accomplished young scientist solves one of the greatest mysteries of evolution: What caused the dramatic explosion of life half a billion years ago?
About 550 million years ago, there was literally an explosion of life forms, as all the major animal groups suddenly and dramatically appeared. Although several books have been written about this surprising event, known as the Cambrian explosion, none has explained why it occurred. Indeed, none was able to. Here, for the first time, Oxford zoologist Andrew Parker reveals his theory of this great flourishing of life. Parker's controversial but increasingly accepted"Light Switch Theory" holds that it was the development of vision in primitive animals that caused the explosion. Drawing on evidence not just from biology, but also from geology, physics, chemistry, history, and art, In the Blink of an Eye is the fascinating account of a young scientist's intellectual journey, and a celebration of the scientific method.
Customer Reviews:
Enjoyable & informative, but with multiple flaws.......2007-10-01
Other reviewers have mentioned Andrew Parker's proclivity in 'In the Blink of an Eye' to digress, to present his thesis as more revolutionary & unique than it actually is, & to fall into a 'gee whiz' style from time to time, & I will merely second those critiques, while agreeing with previous reviewers that Parker's book is nevertheless an entertaining & surprisingly broadly informative read.
But my primary criticism of Parker's book is his failure to construct a solid logical argument for his thesis, which is that the evolution of vision was THE cause of the Cambrian Explosion ('CE'). Parker tends to zigzag through his chapters, & upon reaching the end, claim that he has formulated a logically-sequenced argument, which he rarely has.
Few paleontologists, I think, would disagree with the idea that the development of vision (as distinct from mere light sensitivity) gave an enormous acceleration to Early Cambrian evolutionary rates, but Parker wants more than mere primum inter pares for vision, he wants it to have sole credit for the Explosion. To quote one reviewer: "What happened in the explosion is that animals acquired armor, hard body parts, and a huge variety of different shapes. Parker explains that the shapes and armor came along because eyes came along."
Yes, that's precisely Parker's explanation, but his argument leaves a skeptical reader not entirely convinced. At one point, Parker states (paraphrasing) that one must separate the CE itself (i.e., the evolution of fossilizable hard parts made of calcite) from the Cause of the CE. Stating it doesn't necessarily make it so. Sometimes an events IS the same thing as its cause.
Parker spends considerable time making the case that trilobites were the first creatures to develop vision. By Parker's own, slightly buried, report, this first lens that made vision possible was a calcite lens. I.e., it was either literally or virtually a modified bit of calcite body armor. If a bit of modified armor came first & made vision possible, how can one claim that "...armor came along because eyes came along."?
I don't want to argue that the evolution of vision wasn't crucial, merely that it's more reasonable to view it as 'primum inter pares', 'first among equals'. There's just too many evolutions of 'firsts' happening in the CE: first calcite secretion by multiple phyla, first eyes with considerable degrees of vision in multiple phyla, and several new body plans. It's probably more realistic to view these all as giving important positive feedback to each other, instead of crediting one as being the sole source of all the changes.
On this account, I think Parker's book would have been improved by a consideration of how & why so many different phyla evolved both calcite body coverings & vision so nearly simultaneously. The problem, to the best of my knowledge, is that we're still pretty much stumped by this one. Perhaps it's a useful place in earth history to postulate the incorporation, by several phyla, of bacterial DNA coded for calcite secretion, a la Lynn Margulis.
It makes no sense to somehow imply that the evolution of vision by trilobites somehow produces the evolution of vision in trilobite prey species. Evolution doesn't work that way, though that's the impression Parker just sorta leaves hanging out there.
Parker, like Dawkins before him, cites Nilson & Pelger's theoretical calculations of the rapidity--in geological time terms--with which "eyespots" can evolve into camera-type eyes. Perhaps a fruitful field for Parker to consider than would have been why then did vision not evolve prior to the CE? 99+% of all animal lenses through geologic history have been made of organic materials rather than calcite. Why then did lenses not evolve in multicellular life prior to the evolution of calcite secretion & hence the first calcite lens?
But again, the final line here is that Parker's book is an enjoyable & worthwhile read, even if it ultimately fails to marshall a complete & compelling argument in support of its thesis.
Great ideas but too many digressions.......2007-07-31
In the blink of an eye splits the Cambrian Explosion into two pieces, the development of multicellular life (the "precambrian surge", which is mostly just dropped) and the evolution of "hard parts" as a result of the development of vision (which is the bulk of the book). The story does not flow well because of the frequent digressions, but there is a lot of support for his main conclusion. He mentions that the end of "snowball earth" comes a littel too soon before the Cambrian Explosion. At the same time he makes the point that 38 phyla were developed during this time and none since. I think evolving 38 phyla would take some time. I also think the snowball earth did not just go away quietly, it may have been several million years before the precambrian animals were able to dispurse across the seas to the point that they were detectible and primed for the explosion. The book is very up-to-date and worth reading, but ber prepared to listne ot too much autobiography and "and then I did..."
Fascinating content, terrible writing.......2006-04-23
The content of this book is simply fascinating. Not only does it present a plausible solution to the Cambrian enigma, it also provides a huge amount of information on the role of color and eyesight in nature. The only drawback is that the writing style is extremely clumsy and sometimes the logic is very difficult to follow. The author should have teamed up with a professional writer.
The eyes have it.......2006-03-09
What triggered the Cambrian Explosion?
Starting around 543 million years ago, there was a 10-million year period (give or take 5 million years) in which the number of phyla on this planet went from three to thirty-eight. After that, no new phyla appeared. Something dramatic happened during that time period, but why? There was also a major evolution of external body parts in all phyla at that time, but what caused all this?
There are some explanations that have been taken seriously for the Cambrian explosion, and Parker reviews a number of them. The first is that the Cambrian was just a great time for rapid evolution. But there is evidence from embryos of nonskeletised animals that indicates that the Cambrian was probably not a particularly hospitable time after all. The second group of explanations that Parker deals with attempt to cover not only the Cambrian explosion itself, but the Precambrian changes in internal body plans. But Parker wants to know what caused the explosion itself, and feels strongly that the Precambrian changes are not an integral part of this. The third explanation is that the physical environment changed significantly at the start of the Cambrian. That means changes in, say, oxygen, carbon dioxide, or phosphorus levels. But these levels changed at plenty of times, and the start of the Cambrian doesn't appear to be all that special. A fourth explanation is that shallow-water continental shelf areas increased at the start of the Cambrian. A fifth is that there was a "Snowball Earth" that ended just prior to the Cambrian. A sixth is that collagen was acquired by animals during the Cambrian. A seventh deals with the generation of new niches: perhaps the increased availability of free-swimming plants could create a new niche. An eighth deals not with niches, but with all feeding modes. And yes, one or more of these explanations may be pretty close. But they don't satisfy Parker, and he has an explanation that makes plenty of sense, namely that around 543 million years ago, there was a sudden development of sight among animals. That means eyes, and brains to interpret the light that reaches those eyes. By the way, one of the early species to acquire eyes may have been the box jellyfish, which has no brain! But the trilobites are the creatures that Parker dwells on: they originated at the start of the Cambrian, and they appear to have had eyes (and brains) at that time.
The book covers plenty about what eyes are, what different sorts of eyes there are, how eyes evolved, and what eyes are used for. As an example, rabbits have eyes on each side of their heads. A reason is that they spend plenty of energy to avoid getting eaten. That means they want as close to 360-degree vision as they can get, since they intend to run away at top speed towards safety if they see a predator (and keep running for their lives if the predator chases them). That is a cost-effective idea! On the other hand, foxes spend more of their energy chasing potential food. They don't need 360-degree vision for this, so they have eyes in front, where they can be used to provide depth perception. That lets them judge the distances to possible prey and saves them from costly futile chases.
It doesn't take much imagination to, um, see that the introduction of vision could lead to a huge evolutionary explosion, as species developed armor, camouflage, and more defenses against suddenly non-blind predators. So this is indeed an interesting hypothesis.
A critical issue is just how long it would take for working eyes to evolve from simple patches of light-sensitive cells (sandwiched between a transparent protective layer and a layer of dark pigment). But as the author explains, a paper by Dan-Eric Nilsson and Susanne Pelger shows that a few hundred thousand years should be ample time to accomplish all this. Vision could indeed have arisen in an evolutionary blink of an eye. And that may well have led to the Cambrian explosion.
At the end of the book, Parker considers possible triggers for the evolution of eyes, such as increases in the available light reaching the Earth's surface. I think these areas are worth pursuing as well.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and I recommend it.
A great read but where is the bibliography?.......2006-02-07
Parker presents a very plausible theory that seems to explain the great increase of species in the Cambrian explosion. In fact, it is so well-presented (much like Darwin included overwhelming arguments and examples in Origin of Species) that you are tempted to repeat Huxley and say that it is so obvious, why didn't I think of that?
Like other reviewers, I cannot comprehend the absence of a bibliography. With one, I would have rated the book 5 stars.
Book Description
People share the Earth with creatures large and small. You may not always see them, but they are watching you. Through the densest forests, behind the reeds, across the fields and savannahs, animals keep us in their sights, always ready to dart away from danger. If you have the patience to observe your surroundings, you may catch a glimpse of the different living things sharing your world. Dieter Wiesmüller celebrates the liveliness of nature through his stunning illustrations and lyrical text, which show young readers that animals in the wild are just as curious as they are. Children will love to explore their once-familiar surroundings and figure out what they're seeing-and what's observing them.
Customer Reviews:
In the Blink of an Eye - Teacher review.......2003-05-16
Stunning illustrations of animals eyes will draw the readers attention immediately. On the opposite page is the view that eye might be observing. A description of the animal and its habits appare at the bottom of the pages. The type of animal depicted is held secret until the very end.
My students used the illustrations and key words in the description to reason out what type of animal it could be. They really enjoyed it! Then we created our own book, but using other parts of the animals, and writing our own descriptions.
Customer Reviews:
"Great characters, but very weak storyline.".......2005-08-08
I just finished this book, and let me tell you I was very disappointed!The story is about Mac, a foresenic scientist who in a lab explosion, loses his sight, and Julie a registered nurse who comes to take care of Mac as a favor to both his and her mothers. Mac had rescued Julie from an attack on her when she was fifteen years old, leaving Julie to believe she owes him this favor. Together they must find a sabetour who is set on eliminating both Mac and Julie before they discover too much.
But, like I said before, the storyline is very weak, leaving you feeling like you wasted your time. I like how the characters interact with each other, but as far as the story as a whole: Don't waste your time!
Myshelf.com Book Reviewer.......2002-04-21
In the blink of an eye a whole world changes . . . nothing will ever be the same again.
When Forensic Expert Mac Taylor decides to work late he is unprepared at the illegal activities that he finds taking place at the police crime lab. There he discovers his lab assistant is destroying crucial crime evidence. He is determined to put an end to this means of sabotage, but he is not quick enough to prevent a lighter being lit in the highly flammable area. The explosion plunges him quickly into a world of complete darkness.
Only when you believe things cannot possibly get any worse, the world suddenly shifts and another obstacle arrives in your life to battle.
Nurse Julie Dalton recently resigned from her job and sought the comfort of her family to help heal the pain in her heart. Arriving home, she learns a neighborhood friend is in need of her help and services. Mac Taylor was blinded in a horrific explosion that cost one man his life. Circumstantial evidence suggests he is covering up a crime scene. She knows in her heart Mac could not be guilty of such betrayal, she is determined to help prove his innocence. By doing so, she puts her own life in jeopardy.
Julie Miller has impressed me with her superb writing talent. IN THE BLINK OF THE EYE is the first of her books I had read, but it surely will not be my last. This Romantic Suspense contained all the elements I have learned to demand from this type of novel. The pages seemed to effortlessly fly by as I helped gather the clues to prove the hero's innocence. This is just the type of book to convert any mystery reader into a romance fan.
Another Spectacular Taylor Book!.......2002-03-14
Julie Miller continues to impress me! Like always, her characters are vivid and as real as you and me and the story is packed with breathtaking suspense and heartrending emotion. A real treasure! Don't miss it!
A fair "airport waiting lounge" read but not memorable.......2002-03-09
I usually don't read Intrigues (although I make an exception for Gayle Wilson even though I prefer her historicals) but, travelling alone last week, and bored as hell, bought this one at LAX while waiting for a flight back to London. I see now, from looking at Amazon that this is the third in Miller's series about the Taylor family and they are, in this book at least, portrayed as a little bit too good to be true.
Mac Taylor ("the professor" according to the Taylor clan details) is a forensic cop who gets blinded in a lab explosion which kills one of his staff. He is released from the hospital, only 6 weeks after the accident, which I thought a bit strange as he goes to live on his own and not into some serious rehab to learn some basic daily living skills. Anyway, his interfering but loving mother gets old neighbour hiding a hurt, Julia Dalton, RN, to come and look after him aided and abetted by Julia's own mother.
Without going into too many plot details, Mac and Julia become caught up in a rather complicated conspiracy which has been fomented by an Internal Affairs cop gone bad. The "mystery" of the novel is OK - probably about averagely portrayed. The main focus of the story is on the relationship between Mac and Julia.
I felt there were some really pretty silly details here about sudden loss of sight and the impact it has on a man's life. Mac becomes able, almost immediately Julia arrives on the scene, to cope with his blindness and solve a complicated crime whilst on the run and in hiding. Sorry, I believe this stretched reality a bit too much. Julia, for an intelligent woman, aged 30, still sees herself as an ugly 15 year old because she has a poor body image.
Mac loves Julie and Julie has always loved Mac. So, ergo, they are destined for a deep and abiding love. Whilst that is OK and quite satisfying for the reader as well as our H/H, the peripheral details of Mac's blindness, the idea that he could solve a complicated crime with the unhesitating and unquestioning support of his family (mainly cops themselves) who, although unquestionably loyal, should have known better is a bit too much for me.
I have problems with Intrigues because they are "neither fish nor fowl". I think I will stick to Faye Kellerman or Elizabeth George when I want a detective story, and revert to my usual sorts of traditional contemporaries, historicals and regencies for romance.
A good enough book but nothing here that would make me want to read it again.
Average customer rating:
- A tribute to New Orleans and the spirit of her people
- insightful look at health in Katrina New Orleans
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Blink Of An Eye (Harlequin Next)
Rexanne Becnel
Manufacturer: Harlequin
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Book Description
To say that desperation clouded Jane Falgoust's judgment was a colossal understatement. With a hurricane bearing down on New Orleans, the failed nurse-turned-waitress viewed it as an opportunity--to escape her tattered life. But then she saw the dog paddling frantically in the surging flood waters. She couldn't let this dog drown. From that one rescue, her nursing instincts kicked in and she started saving people--including herself.
As the hurricane subsided, Jane tended the wounded in Dr. Ben Comeaux's makeshift street clinic. Sure, her life had turned upside down in the blink of an eye-- but that was bad only if you were in a good place to begin with. Now it was time to rebuild--her life, her city-- on a foundation of hope.
Customer Reviews:
A tribute to New Orleans and the spirit of her people.......2007-02-12
Ms. Becnel's love of New Orleans shows on every page of this bittersweet but satisfying story of redemption and the resilience of the human spirit.
The heroine is Jane, who has made many poor decisions in her life and now believes she has nothing left to live for. The only thing keeping her from suicide is that the suicide clause in her life insurance policy would prevent her brother from inheriting the proceeds. The approach of category 5 Katrina offers her the out she desires: death by hurricane. But at the last minute, her innate desire to help others kicks in, and she rescues a drowning dog. With that step she starts the process of rescuing herself. Helping her neighbors, the dog (who ends up in her temporary care), and the patients at a temporary free clinic rebuilds Jane's faith in life and herself, as does Ben, a doctor at the free clinic, who has secrets of his own.
Parallelling Jane's near-destruction and struggle to regain her mental and physical health is the similar story of New Orleans. The city survives Katrina's winds and rains, only to fall prey to a government-made disaster: The poorly constructed levees break, destroying most of the physical fabric of the city. Jane and the other citizens form strong bonds as they care for each other and start the rebirth of the city while lacking electricity, clean water, food, and government help.
No book can adequately convey the vast horror of New Orleans after Katrina. But Ms. Becnel does show how the crisis brought out the best in many people, strengthening the strong bonds between neighbors and the appreciation of diversity that make New Orleans such a wonderful place to live. It also shows people overcoming their grief to become stronger, better versions of themselves. Several characters discover the truth of the saying of the ancient Roman playwright Terence, "Where there's life, there's hope."
Readers will finish the book inspired and awed by the human spirit.
insightful look at health in Katrina New Orleans .......2007-02-10
Forty-seven years old with her life in shambles having been divorced and losing her nursing job due to substance abuse, Jane Falgoust considers suicide. Meanwhile as public officials plead with people to leave New Orleans before Hurricane Katrina is expected to intensely hit, Jane decides to stay and let the storm make it look like an accident killed her so her Down's syndrome brother obtains her insurance money.
However with the way her luck has run, Jane survives the storm. She soon rescues a dog struggling with the storm surge. Behind that Jane finds purpose helping the injured and the sick in Dr. Ben Comeaux's suddenly constructed street clinic. As she and Ben fall in love, they work together to help their city and its people heal.
Helping those hurt by Katrina brings a new zest for life for the prime protagonist whose thoughts of ending it ends when others need her. The story line is incredibly powerful when Jane and Ben provide medical care to those left behind; however, the obligatory romantic subplot feels intrusive taking away from the insightful look at medicine in New Orleans just after Katrina as this tale does. Readers will enjoy this deep look at the impact of the hurricane through the eyes of health providers.
Harriet Klausner
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Blink of an Eye
Tom Mitcheltree
Manufacturer: Intrigue Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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Death of a Carpenter
ASIN: 1890768537 |
Book Description
Grant Reynolds' first day on the job starts with a bang.
Actually, it starts with a series of pops. Two young people-one, the granddaughter of an American bil-lionaire, and the other, the son of a -Bolivian diplomat-are found shot to death in a Paris alley. Reynolds' job is to investigate crimes against Americans overseas and the deaths of the two victims in Paris plunges him into a complex crime. The deaths are the work of an international hit man, one Reynolds' knows from his past. A connection between the murders and the art world unfolds as Reynolds finds himself digging further and further into the crimes. Throw in car theft, counterfeiting, and drugs and Reynolds has a whole lot of work to do.
Tom Mitcheltree is the award-winning author of Katie's Will and Katie's Gold. He is a life-long educator and Oregonian, and has four children.
Customer Reviews:
Great Read.......2006-03-18
What a great read! With Paris as the setting and an exciting well-paced plot, you're in for a good time. This well-crafted mystery would make an excellent movie. Enjoy!
Amazon.com
In the wake of the terrifying explosion of TWA Flight 800 on July 17, 1996, which killed 230 passengers and crew, speculation ran rampant as to the cause of the tragedy. Was it a bomb? A terrorist's missile? Did "friendly fire" from the U.S. government play a role? Rumors spread like brush fire while investigators laboriously fished the pieces of the huge 747 out of the waters off Long Island and began putting the plane back together, piece by piece, to find out the truth. Pat Milton takes us into the world of the FBI agents responsible for investigating Flight 800's horrific last flight. As the days and weeks dragged on for the investigators, public clamor turned up the heat for a suspect, or at least a final determination, one that wouldn't come for months. Milton's protagonist, FBI assistant director James Kallstrom, took the heat and shouldered the blame for a string of false leads, working the public as much as he worked the case--either way, it was a full-time job--and Milton captures the noble spirit of a dedicated man way past his breaking point and then extended further. In the Blink of an Eye works both as an exhaustive, exhausting memoir of a terrifying disaster and an elegant tribute to the dedication of the FBI and all the men and women who helped sort through the pieces to try to put some of Flight 800 back together again. --Tjames Madison
Book Description
Like the sinking of the Titanic, the crash of TWA Flight 800 just off Long Island, New York, in the early evening of July 17, 1996, captured the world's imagination. Associated Press reporter Pat Milton has covered the story from day one and was granted unprecedented access to the FBI investigation--the largest and most complex in the agency's history.
Initially suspecting that a crime had been committed, James Kallstrom, the head of the FBI's New York office, led the two-year investigation from the start. In the Blink of an Eye offers a rare look at the efforts of several government agencies--which often had different missions--to find the truth about the most mysterious and disturbing disaster in aviation history.
Commercial jets don't just fall out of the sky. So what happened? Was TWA's Flight 800 the first plane to be downed by enemy action within the United States? On the night of the crash, President Clinton told his national security advisors to ready a plan to retaliate if the destruction of Flight 800 proved to be a state-sponsored terrorist attack. If a bomb or missile had caused the disaster, Kallstrom was determined to find the perpetrators before they struck again. If it wasn't either of these, he was no less determined to preclude the sort of conspiracy theorizing that followed the Warren Commission report on the assassination of JFK.
As Kallstrom and his agents tried to piece together the sequence of events that preceded the explosion of Flight 800's center fuel tank, the victims' families also had to come to terms with the tragedy. Their anguish was as much on Kallstrom's mind as the details of the mystery itself. In this vivid account, Pat Milton takes us inside the homes and lives of the victims' families as well as inside the investigation, and as close to the real cause of the crash as we'll ever come.
From the Hardcover edition.
Customer Reviews:
Positive view of the FBI........2004-01-14
Although this book was a bit slow and dry it gives an understanding view of the FBI. All too often books put the FBI down. It had a lot of technical information. I am glad I read it.
Terrific book!.......2003-07-18
The beginning of this book was very graphic and gory so it was somewhat interesting to me. I couldn't put the book down. The book just kept getting better and better. But the thing is, when a tragedy like this happens, it really makes you feel for the families that suffered. Especially after the tragedy at the Farmer's Market in Santa Monica which hit pretty close to home, I wanted to help out (donate blood) just like the community did in In the Blink of an Eye. When the plane first went down, people went out on their boats, helping pick up the bodies. And in the end the families tried to get the Death on the High Seas Act passed. Now I'm starting to babble... But anyways, it was a great book, and I highly recommend it!
Shchool work.......2003-03-22
well i have to say that this book is some what boring from the start but gets freaking good to the middle of it. well the author of this book really know [how] to tell the story the way it should have been told. but what made the book more dificult was all those fanci words that were in there that were ment to explaine all the [stuff] that was going on in this book. but i really think thise book has some good points even do they raise some questions that really have no aswer to them. well this is my opinion on this book and i hope it helped you in understanding the book a little more.THANKS FOR READING.
Shchool work.......2003-03-22
well i have to say that this book is some what boring from the start but gets freaking good to the middle of it. well the author of this book really know ho to tell the story the way it should have been told. but what made the book more dificult was all those fanci words that were in there that were ment to explaine all the [stuff] that was going on in this book. but i really think thise book has some good points even do they raise some questions that really have no aswer to them. well this is my opinion on this book and i hope it helped you in understanding the book a little more.THANKS FOR READING.
A Stew of Genius.......2003-03-14
This book has a method in which to induce the reader to keep reading, especially if that reader happens to already be intrigued by planes.
In this vivid account Pat Milton takes the reader inside the lives and homes of the victims' family and as close as possible to the reason of the crash.
Like the sinking of the Titanic, the crash of TWA Flight 800 just off Long Island, New York, in the early evening of July 17, 1996, captured the world's imagination. Associated Press reporter Pat Milton has covered the story from day one and was granted unprecedented access to the FBI investigation--the largest and most complex in the agency's history.
Initially suspecting that a crime had been committed, James Kallstrom, the head of the FBI's New York office, led the two-year investigation from the start.
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