Book Description
Darkness falls…despair abounds…evil reigns…
Eragon and his dragon, Saphira, have just saved the rebel state from destruction by the mighty forces of King Galbatorix, cruel ruler of the Empire. Now Eragon must travel to Ellesmera, land of the elves, for further training in the skills of the Dragon Rider: magic and swordsmanship. Soon he is on the journey of a lifetime, his eyes open to awe-inspring new places and people, his days filled with fresh adventure. But chaos and betrayal plague him at every turn, and nothing is what it seems. Before long, Eragon doesn’t know whom he can trust.
Meanwhile, his cousin Roran must fight a new battle–one that might put Eragon in even graver danger.
Will the king’s dark hand strangle all resistance? Eragon may not escape with even his life. . . .
Praise for Eragon:
“Unusual, powerful . . . fresh and fluid. An impressive start to a writing career that’s sure to flourish.” –Booklist, Starred
“Christopher Paolini make[s] literary magic with his precocious debut.” –People
“The new ‘It’ book of children’s lit.” –U.S. News & World Report
“An auspicious beginning to both career and series.” –Publishers Weekly
A #1 New York Times Bestseller
A #1 Publishers Weekly Bestseller
A USA Today Bestseller
A Wall Street Journal Bestseller
A Book Sense Book of the Year
A #1 Book Sense Selection
From the Hardcover edition.
Download Description
Darkness falls…despair abounds…evil reigns…
Eragon and his dragon, Saphira, have just saved the rebel state from destruction by the mighty forces of King Galbatorix, cruel ruler of the Empire. Now Eragon must travel to Ellesmera, land of the elves, for further training in the skills of the Dragon Rider: magic and swordsmanship. Soon he is on the journey of a lifetime, his eyes open to awe-inspring new places and people, his days filled with fresh adventure. But chaos and betrayal plague him at every turn, and nothing is what it seems. Before long, Eragon doesn’t know whom he can trust.
Meanwhile, his cousin Roran must fight a new battle–one that might put Eragon in even graver danger.
Will the king’s dark hand strangle all resistance? Eragon may not escape with even his life. . . .
Praise for Eragon:
“Unusual, powerful . . . fresh and fluid. An impressive start to a writing career that’s sure to flourish.” –Booklist, Starred
“Christopher Paolini make[s] literary magic with his precocious debut.” –People
“The new ‘It’ book of children’s lit.” –U.S. News & World Report
“An auspicious beginning to both career and series.” –Publishers Weekly
A #1 New York Times Bestseller
A #1 Publishers Weekly Bestseller
A USA Today Bestseller
A Wall Street Journal Bestseller
A Book Sense Book of the Year
A #1 Book Sense Selection
From the Hardcover edition.
Customer Reviews:
Dull, Derivative, Didactic.......2007-09-27
In Eldest, Paolini carries over all his mistakes with Eragon. The stealing from LOTR and Star Wars is more blatant than before. The needless details and purple prose are still there. The dialogue and characters are dryer than ever.
In addition to these flaws, Paolini has added in another literary no-no. Preachiness. Though we saw hints of his amateur philosophy in Eragon, it's ten times worse in Eldest. He uses Oromis as a soapbox to inject random sermons on atheism and vegetarianism into his story. I have no problem with sermons in fiction if they are relevant to themes well-woven into the plot. Yet atheism, religion, and vegetarianism seem irrelevant to Eragon's fight with Galbatorix. So why are they there?
The worst part is that Eldest's religious debates are frightfully immature. Neither side is well articulated. Oromis is a superficial question-dodger (which embarrasses me as an atheist). The religious characters are stereotypical screaming, spitting, straw men (that last alliterative bit surpasses all Paolini's poetic ability by the way). I can only pray (pun intended) that Paolini will give up this sad adolescent attempt at depth.
Awesome Continuation of an Incredible Book.......2007-09-17
I had been waiting for years when this came out. After reading Eragon, the first of the Inheritance Trilogy, I was just left hanging with the abrupt ending. Well this one picks up just about as abruptly, and doesn't really let go or calm down throughout.
I had read some reviews which complained about the training which Eragon and Saphira go through - how it takes up so much time and how its so boring and all that. I'll admit I'm a bit of a nerd, but I thought Paolini did an excellent job keeping things moving through the training phase. He actually left me wanting more. He also utilizes that period in the book to explore a little more the history of the world he's created. You can see a very strong Tolkien emphasis there (not to mention with many of the names he's chosen for characters and places!).
And I think this book turns the tale more into a multi-character tale, with the return of Roran and the adventure he undertakes which eventually links him back to Eragon.
Overall, very well done. I pretty much inhaled the book - it definitely moved and kept the story rolling on. I had a really hard time putting it down every night. It's also neat to see Paolini's maturation as an author. And I just can't wait for the third book!
Amazing book!!!!.......2007-09-10
I was bored one day at my libary and so i picked Eragon, that was most likly one of the best desisions of my life. It started my on this world of adventure Eldest, the sequel takes off right where Eragon left off and while being much thicker in length is also much better in story and plot. The Author does a great job in creating a world that just bursts in creativity, while also involving some of the clasic elements of surprise, suspence, romance, and the thrill before a battle. Eldest also brings you deep into the culture of Alligasia, I personaly did an all nighter while reading this book, i just could not put it down. My only disappointnent was that it had such a cliff hanger at the end!!! You should not read this book before reading Eragon, but please do read this eventually because this is currently the best book ever written!
A Derivitave Cluster (Insert Expletive).......2007-09-05
Although some have commented on this previously I will try and put my own spin on this...(warning plot spoilers, what little plot there was are below)
1. Because Obi-Wan Kenobi/Brom's died before completing Luke/Eragon's training, he travels to Dagobah/Elven Lands, to complete his training with Master Yoda/Deebag Lord of Elves.
2. Hero trains for awhile in secluded location by last jedi master/dragonrider left.
3. Luke/Eragon gets a vison of his friends in trouble and travels to Cloud City/Battlefield where he meets a dark figure who he battles and loses his lightsabre/dragonsword in the process. The critical all shocking moment is when Darth Vader/Red Dragon Knight reveals that Luke/Eragon I am your father/brother. Of course if you could be blind as a bat reading the book in braile and seen that Murtag was the red dragon rider about a million miles away...so it wasn't much of a revelation.
4. This book is bad, not in the mildly gosh that's several hours of my life I'll never get back but in a jaw dropping, utterly shocked, the world is now dumber for having read this book way. I read a review that mentioned that the editor of this book did a dismal job. He was certainly accurate in that assessment. Abysmally written, unoriginal to a point of plot plagarism, and editing to shock the conscience.
5. I know that Amazon requires you be over the age of 13 to post a review but I have to sincerely believe that no one over the age of 12 could honestly get mild entertainment out of such a sloppy mess as Eldest. It makes me worry to see so many positive reviews of such utter tripe.
6. I have a Bachelor's Degree in English Literature which I earned departmental Honor's in as well as Juris Doctor degree. Not that it makes my point anymore valid or the book any worse. But I would recommend avoiding this book like a leper with a bad case of herpes.
Nice derivation for uses of magic and when it comes from.......2007-08-29
Very good effort, and with a few parts that I found myself reading 5 or six times at different dates. If your have read it or happen to be Christopher Paolini, all I have to say is "Good Lord" middle section "Eldest", that section was my favorite. I also noticed the werecat clue you dropped in Eragon which as not reared it's head as of 2 books. A very good read, even if you are tired of old style fantasy books. The charactors make all the diffence.
Looking forward to Book 3.
Amazon.com
In his debut novel, The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini accomplishes what very few contemporary novelists are able to do. He manages to provide an educational and eye-opening account of a country's political turmoil--in this case, Afghanistan--while also developing characters whose heartbreaking struggles and emotional triumphs resonate with readers long after the last page has been turned over. And he does this on his first try.
The Kite Runner follows the story of Amir, the privileged son of a wealthy businessman in Kabul, and Hassan, the son of Amir's father's servant. As children in the relatively stable Afghanistan of the early 1970s, the boys are inseparable. They spend idyllic days running kites and telling stories of mystical places and powerful warriors until an unspeakable event changes the nature of their relationship forever, and eventually cements their bond in ways neither boy could have ever predicted. Even after Amir and his father flee to America, Amir remains haunted by his cowardly actions and disloyalty. In part, it is these demons and the sometimes impossible quest for forgiveness that bring him back to his war-torn native land after it comes under Taliban rule. ("...I wondered if that was how forgiveness budded, not with the fanfare of epiphany, but with pain gathering its things, packing up, and slipping away unannounced in the middle of the night.")
Some of the plot's turns and twists may be somewhat implausible, but Hosseini has created characters that seem so real that one almost forgets that The Kite Runner is a novel and not a memoir. At a time when Afghanistan has been thrust into the forefront of America's collective consciousness ("people sipping lattes at Starbucks were talking about the battle for Kunduz"), Hosseini offers an honest, sometimes tragic, sometimes funny, but always heartfelt view of a fascinating land. Perhaps the only true flaw in this extraordinary novel is that it ends all too soon. --Gisele Toueg
Book Description
The timely and critically acclaimed debut novel that's becoming a word-of-mouth phenomenon...
Download Description
"Taking us from Afghanistan in the final days of the monarchy to the present, The Kite Runner is the unforgettable, beautifully told story of the friendship between two boys growing up in Kabul. Raised in the same household and sharing the same wet nurse, Amir and Hassan nonetheless grow up in different worlds: Amir is the son of a prominent and wealthy man, while Hassan , the son of Amir's father's servant, is a Hazara, member of a shunned ethnic minority. Their intertwined lives, and their fates, reflect the eventual tragedy of the world around them. When the Soviets invade and Amir and his father flee the country for a new life in California, Amir thinks that he has escaped his past. And yet he cannot leave the memory of Hassan behind him. The Kite Runner is a novel about friendship, betrayal, and the price of loyalty. It is about the bonds between fathers and sons, and the power of their lies. Written against a history that has not been told in fiction before, The Kite Runner describes the rich culture and beauty of a land in the process of being destroyed. But with the devastation, Khaled Hosseini also gives us hope: through the novel's faith in the power of reading and storytelling, and in the possibilities he shows for redemption."
Customer Reviews:
Review of The Kite Runner.......2007-10-10
The plot line of this novel is AMAZING however the author chooses at times to bludgeon us with language at the moments when he should pull back and let the horror of what he's describing speak for itself. Especially at the conclusion whichis the coincidence of all coincidences - I almost ended the book early as the writing fell apart and was so melodramatic. Howver the descriptions of daily life are vivid and sensitive and I recommend the book for this alone.
good book.......2007-10-09
i had to read this book back when i was in high school and i was really surprised to find this book to be good. I personally really like this book and finished reading it in no time. I don't know what it is, but this is one book you will always get mixed reviews. It all depends on what kind of books you like,There were some parts of the story that were overrated or unnecessary.
Plot device after plot device after plot device.. .......2007-10-08
The Kite Runner isn't "brilliant" nor it is a "work of genius" Rather, quite simply, The Kite Runner is good story about a boy named Amir and his "friend" Hassan. Oh, and Amir's father, Baba, too. Oh, and Afghanistan.
After hearing rave reviews about this book for years, I decided to pick up a copy to read while between classes. What I found was nothing more than a story that perhaps would have been better if it were told around a campfire or when your Afghani uncle comes over for a visit. The writing style I could let slide - hey we're all not Hemingway. What I could not let slide, however, were the ridiculous plot devices that the author employed (and the 5-star reviewers call "brilliant") to "move" the story along..
Soon after I began reading, it became painfully obvious to me that the author is well aware, I mean WELL AWARE of the plot device known as "Chekhov's Shotgun" (which basically states that if there is a shotgun hanging on the wall in one scene, it had better be used in a later scene).. It is an amateur move and the more I read, the more and more frustrated I became by this and the other unbelievable predictable "twists" that kept popping up. Eventually, I had to put the book down and walk away for a while because I knew what was going to happen - we all knew what was going to happen.
All in all, plot twist, prediit is a good story. But I don't believe it to be worthy of the critical acclaim that it received when first released. Perhaps there is a feeling of guilt because it is about a country we are not occupying that led to so many jumping on board the "brilliant" bandwagon.. The narrator is an unlikable wimp and it was completely ridiculous to think for a second that he would suddenly "man up" and face Assef (or even go to Kabul for that matter). I say this only because we as readers "knew" him from birth and all throughout his life nothing gave any indication that he would have it in him to do what he did. Ugh. I feel as though I need something to cleanse my reading palate.
It Involves Afghanistan .......2007-10-08
I read many books and write many Amazon reviews, but there's not much I can add that the previous 2,042 other reviewers have not already said. I picked up `The Kite Runner' a year ago at a used book sale for the local library, but put it on my stack of TBR's (to-be-read). Frankly, the gushing acclaim and high-powered publicity put me off the book (e.g. the back jacket has plugs from Diane Sawyer and People magazine, not sources I rely on for book suggestions). A debut novel getting that much praise put me on guard.
News of the movie adaptation's imminent release finally got me to give it a go. I finished less than 24 hours later. Few books grab this reader by the collar and demand absorption. `The Kite Runner' did and I simply can't recommend it highly enough.
I will skimp on a summary of the book - to paraphrase Woody Allen after speed-reading War and Peace, it involves Afghanistan. While Hosseini does wonderfully create a sense of place (or rather two Afghanistans separated by 25 years and a millennial view), this tale involves much more. `The Kite Runner' is a powerful roller-coaster of human drama: love, joy, hate, cruelty, fear, betrayal, abandonment, commitment, loyalty, pride, shame, happiness, pain. Hosseini delivers several powerful gut punches (perhaps not all of them entirely fair or necessary) along the way.
Tom Wolfe has commented that many good young writers only ever write one really good book because that first effort is largely autobiographical and they can only tell that's story once. Reviews of Hosseini's second book A Thousand Splendid Suns suggest he is the real deal.
Read with Caution.......2007-10-07
I agree with the vast majority of reviewers that this is an excellent novel - unique, well-written, and haunting. There is no reason for me to reiterate the praises. I am writing this review simply to warn people with delicate sensibilities like mine to be forewarned before buying this book: the "terrible incident" everyone refers to is the brutal rape of a young boy by a pack of sociopathic, privileged teens. Perhaps because I am the mother of a young boy, I found the scene totally gut-wrenching and utterly horrible. I couldn't finish the book. So, my point is simple: don't read the book if you might be upset by a graphic description of the rape of a young, sweet boy.
Average customer rating:
- Barely stands out in the crowd.
- Eragon
- This kid can write!
- Great...dont judge the books by the movie
- Great!
|
Eragon / Eldest (Inheritance, Books 1 & 2)
Christopher Paolini
Manufacturer: Knopf Books for Young Readers
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ASIN: 0375836586
Release Date: 2005-08-23 |
Book Description
In the #1 New York Times bestselling novels Eragon and Eldest, fifteen year-old Eragon discovers his destiny as a Dragon Rider. With only an ancient sword and the advice of an old storyteller for guidance, Eragon and his dragon must navigate the dangerous terrain and dark enemies of an Empire ruled by a king whose evil knows no bounds. This beautiful boxed set includes books I and II in the Inheritance trilogy.
Customer Reviews:
Barely stands out in the crowd........2007-10-07
As I've said, these books are great, wonderful. When I was reading them first two years ago, I found myself dreaming about it at night and picking it up first thing in the morning. These are books that truly capture the imagination and brilliantly well written.
Unfortunately, it has a lot of competition. With so many other great fantasy books out there, it's really hard to stand out in the crowd. Consequently, they've slowly faded from my mind. True, when the third book finally does come out, odds are I will be at these books again with the same ferocity as I had with the Harry Potter books, but for now, they simply sit on the book shelf collecting dust.
On a happier note, I've read both of the Inheritance books at least three times each, and you simply can't help but get excited during some great moments, and the art work for the covers is simply fantastic.
Still, there are so many other stories out there just like this one...
Tell you what. Get these books, because Paolini is a truly talented writer and destined to go places, and you decide whether you like them or not. And who knows, maybe soon in the future, he will come out with an even more exciting, more original story.
Eragon.......2007-09-02
Ok, I'm not going to lie, this is probably the least original thing I've ever read. But if you look past that It is one great book."2 books, sorry I forgot I was righting about both. Well back on subject. The story will keep you intrested in till the end.
This kid can write!.......2007-09-01
A very well-written story. Paolini has a great vocabulary, and knows how to put the words together to create interesting and readable books that can be enjoyed by fantasy lovers of all ages. I anxiously await Book 3.
Great...dont judge the books by the movie.......2007-07-10
The movie was horrible...BUT...the books are MUCH better in comparison. the books are detailed and easy to read. Lots of action and interesting story (somewhat predictable). this is a great series and i am looking forward to the third book. the books are targeted for younger audiences but as said before very interesting and older readers should still enjoy the book.
Great!.......2007-06-08
Great Books. Happy to have found the set of hard backs at a resonable price
Average customer rating:
- Awesome book for group leaders
- Games for all kinds of reasons
- A must for social skills
- even more great techniques
- Too simple, too vague
|
104 Activities That Build: Self-Esteem, Teamwork, Communication, Anger Management, Self-Discovery, Coping Skills
Alanna Jones
Manufacturer: Rec Room Publishing
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Customer Reviews:
Awesome book for group leaders.......2007-10-03
This book is great, it has provided me with some awesome ideas that truly engage the kids I work with. It is truly amazing how some of these activities are meaningful to kids at 8 and at 17....I love this book and highly recomend it to anyone who wants to do positive activities with kids.
Games for all kinds of reasons.......2007-09-25
This games in this book are great for introductory activities, building a positive and socially interactive classroom environment, binding a group "community", easing into collaborative or cooperative learning activities, and engaging ways to take a break from more serious classroom pursuits.
A must for social skills.......2007-08-23
This book is so fun ad has a great range of activities and skills. This would be a great tool to use with any group, I use it to help with social skills training and my class has really enjoyed it. I don't know if they realize that they are learning, but they are!
even more great techniques.......2007-01-16
Once again, a great technique book to have up a therapists' sleeve.
Too simple, too vague.......2007-01-10
I found that the activities in this book are too simple, and not flexible enough to adapt to the wide range of teens in my line of work.
Average customer rating:
- Adults and Kids!
- What utter drek.
- Eragon
- Eragon
- Eragon Inheritance Book 1
|
Eragon (Inheritance, Book 1)
Christopher Paolini
Manufacturer: Knopf Books for Young Readers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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Amazon.com
Here's a great big fantasy that you can pull over your head like a comfy old sweater and disappear into for a whole weekend. Christopher Paolini began Eragon when he was just 15, and the book shows the influence of Tolkien, of course, but also Terry Brooks, Anne McCaffrey, and perhaps even Wagner in its traditional quest structure and the generally agreed-upon nature of dwarves, elves, dragons, and heroic warfare with magic swords.
Eragon, a young farm boy, finds a marvelous blue stone in a mystical mountain place. Before he can trade it for food to get his family through the hard winter, it hatches a beautiful sapphire-blue dragon, a race thought to be extinct. Eragon bonds with the dragon, and when his family is killed by the marauding Ra'zac, he discovers that he is the last of the Dragon Riders, fated to play a decisive part in the coming war between the human but hidden Varden, dwarves, elves, the diabolical Shades and their neanderthal Urgalls, all pitted against and allied with each other and the evil King Galbatorix. Eragon and his dragon Saphira set out to find their role, growing in magic power and understanding of the complex political situation as they endure perilous travels and sudden battles, dire wounds, capture and escape.
In spite of the engrossing action, this is not a book for the casual fantasy reader. There are 65 names of people, horses, and dragons to be remembered and lots of pseudo-Celtic places, magic words, and phrases in the Ancient Language as well as the speech of the dwarfs and the Urgalls. But the maps and glossaries help, and by the end, readers will be utterly dedicated and eager for the next book, Eldest. (Ages 10 to 14) --Patty Campbell
Book Description
Now in paperback! Fifteen-year-old Eragon believes that he is merely a poor farm boy—until his destiny as a Dragon Rider is revealed. Gifted with only an ancient sword, a loyal dragon, and sage advice from an old storyteller, Eragon is soon swept into a dangerous tapestry of magic, glory, and power. Now his choices could save—or destroy—the Empire.
A New York Times Bestseller
A USA Today Bestseller
A Wall Street Journal Bestseller
A Book Sense Bestseller
Download Description
A New York Times Bestseller
A USA Today Bestseller
A Wall Street Journal Bestseller
A Book Sense Bestseller
One boy... one dragon... A world of adventure
When Eragon finds a polished blue stone in the forest, he thinks it is the lucky discovery of a poor farm boy; perhaps it will buy his family meat for the winter. But when the stone brings a dragon hatchling, Eragon realizes he has stumbled upon a legacy nearly as old as the Empire itself.
Overnight his simple life is shattered, and he is thrust into a perilous new world of destiny, magic, and power. With only an ancient sword and the advice of an old storyteller for guidance, Eragon and the fledgling dragon must navigate the dangerous terrain and dark enemies of an Empire ruled by a king whose evil knows no bounds. Can Eragon take up the mantle of the legendary Dragon Riders? The fate of the Empire may rest in his hands.
Visit
Alagaesia.com to find out more about Eragon and the Inheritance Trilogy.
"Unusual, powerful, fresh, and fluid.... An impressive start to a writing career that's sure to flourish."
BOOKLIST, STARRED REVIEW
"[A] solid, sweeping epic fantasy..."
KIRKUS REVIEWS
"An auspicious beginning to both career and series."
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
"An authentic work of great talent."
THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW
"Christopher Paolini make[s] literary magic with his precocious debut."
PEOPLE
Customer Reviews:
Adults and Kids!.......2007-10-06
This is a marvelous book that my son and I read for one of his school projects. By the time we finished with the book, virtually the whole family was wrapped up in it. We watch as a small town boy finds himself the chosen one of a wonderful but very dangerous item. When this item turns into a "pet," things get really exciting... and Hazardous. Read as Eragons life is torn apart, and his very life is linked with a dragon. This book (an the next) are books that will have you reading well into the night with anticipation. The characters come alive in this wonderfully creative book. Best of all, if you have young writers in your home, this is especially a must read because if you check out the age on this writer, you will find he was quite young when he wrote it... proving our point that kids can do great things!
What utter drek........2007-10-03
I was excited to read this book, what with all of the praise I had heard for the 17-year-old that had written. How disappointed was I. This is, without an ounce of doubt, the most poorly written book I have ever regrettably paid money for. Shoddy characters, a splotchy story, and an over all plot that seems to pull from other fantasy writers that are much, much better than he is. Honestly, I cannot believe how many mistakes he made while writing his story. I just wanted to take a red pen and scribble out whole pieces of useless details.
If you want to read an adolescent fantasy novel, go read The Golden Compass, or a Wrinkle in Time. Don't even bother touching trash like this.
Eragon.......2007-09-27
The lazy, hazy, crazy days of Summer, a great time to lounge in the shade, sip a cold lemonade, and lose yourself in a good book-Ahh, so many books, so little time. Yep, it reminds me of those carefree days of youth. And for the young reader, or the child in you, I very much recommend Eragon , a first novel, and first in a new fantasy trilogy by young author Christopher Paolini.
Eragon is a classic coming of age story, with fresh writing, and new perspective. Yes, there is magic and dragons, and a young hero coming to terms with responsibility and adulthood, and an evil, corrupt king to trust his growing powers. All classic elements of the fantasy genre, but the story and the characters drive the tale, giving solid footing to well-worn foundations.
Eragon is a solid first novel, and there's great promise in Christopher Paolini. He was only sixteen when he penned this novel. If you are a reader of fantasy, you'll see influence from masters of the genre-such as Tolkien, and Ann McCaffrey, and even elements of the Star Wars saga. But I like to think good story telling transcends the boundaries of genre, and this is a book with sound plot, good character development, and an epic tale to lose yourself. I found Eragon to be one of those rare books I never wanted to end, but luckily the next book in the trilogy, Eldest, has been released. So, you know what I'm reading next!
Author "Hobo Finds A Home" and editor of "Of A Predatory Heart"
Eragon.......2007-09-25
This book was ok. The story was pretty good. I really liked the characters, but I wish there was more information about their personalities and backgrounds.
Eragon Inheritance Book 1.......2007-09-22
My 12 y/o son loves this book. He cannot put it down and has read it several times. He cannot wait for the next installment to be published!
Average customer rating:
- Just my opinion, but--UGH!
- appreciate differences
- Filed it in my circular file
- doesn't live up to the hype
- Comical, Compelling, Farcical, Fierce
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Running with Scissors: A Memoir
Augusten Burroughs
Manufacturer: Picador
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ASIN: 031242227X |
Amazon.com
There is a passage early in Augusten Burroughs's harrowing and highly entertaining memoir, Running with Scissors, that speaks volumes about the author. While going to the garbage dump with his father, young Augusten spots a chipped, glass-top coffee table that he longs to bring home. "I knew I could hide the chip by fanning a display of magazines on the surface, like in a doctor's office," he writes, "And it certainly wouldn't be dirty after I polished it with Windex for three hours." There were certainly numerous chips in the childhood Burroughs describes: an alcoholic father, an unstable mother who gives him up for adoption to her therapist, and an adolescence spent as part of the therapist's eccentric extended family, gobbling prescription meds and fooling around with both an old electroshock machine and a pedophile who lives in a shed out back. But just as he dreamed of doing with that old table, Burroughs employs a vigorous program of decoration and fervent polishing to a life that many would have simply thrown in a landfill. Despite her abandonment, he never gives up on his increasingly unbalanced mother. And rather than despair about his lot, he glamorizes it: planning a "beauty empire" and performing an a capella version of "You Light Up My Life" at a local mental ward. Burroughs's perspective achieves a crucial balance for a memoir: emotional but not self-involved, observant but not clinical, funny but not deliberately comic. And it's ultimately a feel-good story: as he steers through a challenging childhood, there's always a sense that Burroughs's survivor mentality will guide him through and that the coffee table will be salvaged after all. --John Moe
Book Description
Running with Scissors is the true story of a boy whose mother (a poet with delusions of Anne Sexton) gave him away to be raised by her unorthodox psychiatrist who bore a striking resemblance to Santa Claus. So at the age of twelve, Burroughs found himself amidst Victorian squalor living with the doctor's bizarre family, and befriending a pedophile who resided in the backyard shed. The story of an outlaw childhood where rules were unheard of, and the Christmas tree stayed up all year round, where Valium was consumed like candy, and if things got dull an electroshock- therapy machine could provide entertainment. The funny, harrowing and bestselling account of an ordinary boy's survival under the most extraordinary circumstances.
Customer Reviews:
Just my opinion, but--UGH!.......2007-10-10
I bought this book based on rave reviews on my public radio station and on the book itself by big-time names. I guess I should start using the same system I use for movies--if they rave, it will suck. If they totally trash it, it's probably pretty good. I really tried to give this a chance--I gave it 100 pages to say something, ANYTHING funny, substantial, or go anywhere with the narrative. The writing was not gifted, prosaic, insightful or anything I expected. It was just one really warped incident after another, with no rhyme or reason. Nothing led anywhere, made me think, laugh, cry or go "Hmmm...". If a book can't give you anything in 100 pages, it badly needs a better editor, or the writer should pick another topic. This was just annoying and sad. I'm currently reading a book about fish that's more entertaining and insightful. I don't know what he was thinking. And don't EVEN compare him to Sedaris--that man is pee-your-pants funny. This guy made me think that maybe I wouldn't want him petting my dog.
appreciate differences.......2007-10-05
A sad, funny, wildly entertaining story of growing up sane in spite of some awful insane surroundings.
This was a Book Club Pick; it met mixed reviews.
Warning: Do Not See Movie.
Those who saw movie overwhelmly stated it was in bad taste--a waste of time. Movie focused on a few selacious events of the book--not good. Movie watchers refused to read book.
I admit I did not want to read this after a few in my book club reviewed the movie. But, I gave it a shot by getting the AUDIO BOOK at local library.
The Audio was fantastic--read by the author, himself. Burroughs added the inflections and humor/sadness/shock where they belonged. Every time the story started to get too graphic and yes, uncomfortable for me--thankfully, Burroughs closed the chapter and started on with another snapshot of his life.
Yes, this was a non-fiction account of one boy growing up in the midst of an extremely disfunctional group of adults/families/wanderers/outcasts, and how they functioned in a liberal college area in a tumultous time (60s-70s). (names changed to protect those still alive. I think Burroughs had to pay the real "Dr. Finch's family" some $$$ for getting too close for comfort.)
I say LISTEN to the book--it may make more sense. I truly LIKED it. Well written--excellent.
Filed it in my circular file.......2007-09-30
This book was advertised as darkly humorous. I found it dark but not humorous. It was the only book I can remember throwing away because I just couldn't see any redeeming value in it. The author fills us in on whats happening but not really how this affects him emotionally. I must admit I kept wondering where the neighbors were through all the weird goings on at the "old victorian house on a nice street". Also, the scenes between Neil and the author were just a little to graphic. I'm not asking for sugar coating, I know these things happen, but just a little less detail would have been better. I was disappointed with this book and wish I had taken the time to read the reviews before I bought it. Don't waste your time or your money.
doesn't live up to the hype.......2007-09-23
I gave it a solid 50 pages before putting it down. AB just goes on and on about his outrageous teen years and probably embellished events without discernable humor. This is another one that makes me ask how did it ever end up on the best-seller's list. I suppose its popularity is due to its being compared to Sedaris but it is not near as good. Though I'm not a huge fan of Sedaris either at least there are occasional points of humor that are completely lacking with Burroughs who just plays up his disfunctional family and sickening events of his childhood..yada..yada..yawn. Sick/crazy/unique childhood doesn't alone doesn't make entertaining writing.
Comical, Compelling, Farcical, Fierce.......2007-09-18
This was one of the most intriguing books I've ever listened to, not only the writing and the content, but he narration by the author. There is something about Augusten Burroughs' ability to talk to you as if you've known each other forever that is rare even among actors who normally narrate the best books. No matter how absurd the situation the main character finds himself in, his take on it is always that combination of wry amusement and naive expectation common to intelligent children.
I love Burroughs because although he is never childish, he is always childlike. Can't wait for more of his audiobooks!!!
Book Description
Straight from the front line of urban America, the inspiring story of one fiercely determined teacher and her remarkable students.
As an idealistic twenty-three-year-old English teacher at Wilson High School in Long beach, California, Erin Gruwell confronted a room of “unteachable, at-risk” students. One day she intercepted a note with an ugly racial caricature, and angrily declared that this was precisely the sort of thing that led to the Holocaust—only to be met by uncomprehending looks. So she and her students, using the treasured books Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl and Zlata’s Diary: A Child’s Life in Sarajevo as their guides, undertook a life-changing, eye-opening, spirit-raising odyssey against intolerance and misunderstanding. They learned to see the parallels in these books to their own lives, recording their thoughts and feelings in diaries and dubbing themselves the “Freedom Writers” in homage to the civil rights activists “The Freedom Riders.”
With funds raised by a “Read-a-thon for Tolerance,” they arranged for Miep Gies, the courageous Dutch woman who sheltered the Frank family, to visit them in California, where she declared that Erin Gruwell’s students were “the real heroes.” Their efforts have paid off spectacularly, both in terms of recognition—appearances on “Prime Time Live” and “All Things Considered,” coverage in People magazine, a meeting with U.S. Secretary of Education Richard Riley—and educationally. All 150 Freedom Writers have graduated from high school and are now attending college.
With powerful entries from the students’ own diaries and a narrative text by Erin Gruwell, The Freedom Writers Diary is an uplifting, unforgettable example of how hard work, courage, and the spirit of determination changed the lives of a teacher and her students.
The authors’ proceeds from this book will be donated to The Tolerance Education Foundation, an organization set up to pay for the Freedom Writers’ college tuition. Erin Gruwell is now a visiting professor at California State University, Long Beach, where some of her students are Freedom Writers.
Customer Reviews:
Review of Freedom Writers Diary.......2007-10-10
The book is a great read. I would definitely recommend to teachers, especially those that teach or will teach a widely diversified class. Not just teachers should read it. You really get an idea how crazy being racist and prejudiced is and how many people can be hurt by it. Nothing was edited so you get the full feelings of what those teenagers lived through.
I wonder what it was actually like..........2007-09-12
There were lots of positives and negatives that stuck out to me when I read this book which really bothered me.
Let's start with the teacher. We get occasional reflections from Erin Gruwell throughout the book, and in the beginning, they provide a way for us to get to know the teacher and to experience some of the adversity and the troubles that she was experiencing with running her classroom in the unorthodox style she managed. As the book progresses, the majority of these insights begin to fade into a simple account of what she did, the awards they won, and the plans that she had. For instance, she briefly mentions that she had to struggle to teach these kids for their senior year, and then she breezes over how she got that done and launches into an explanation of the binding of their book and the two awards ceremonies that she's attending. This robs the teachers out there of a great potential resource for them to use and understand, and glosses over the reality of politics in education.
The other issue I had was with the journal entries of the students. While I'd love to believe what I'm seeing, I have a difficult time believing that these entries the children wrote were not blown a little out of proportion during the editing or completely contrived from the get-go. Before you jump all over me for having a lack of faith in these kids, look at what we're presented with: the first few journal entries, which these kids supposedly wrote on the first few days of class are every bit as long and as detailed as their later entries in their senior year...and this is supposedly when they were well below the rest of their grade and their expected reading level, and when they had no faith in their teacher whatsoever. What we are left with, then, is a look only at where they were during their junior and senior years, with no gauge of progress or results to compare.
Because of the way the book was put together (entries are numbered rather than being entered chronologically, and no students are named), there is a lack of continuity between chapters, and no characters. Thus, all we are left with are two styles of entries: 1) the entries about struggles and hardships, and 2) the hopeful entries. You are completely unable to identify the students and connect who wrote which entries unless the stories are about a single club or experience. I would much rather have seen the students be given fake names to keep their anonymity protected, because then we not only benefit from a more personal connection to the students, but we also get to see how they've grown from their struggles, and we could break up some of the monotony between struggle stories and hope stories.
Then you get the obligatory "Anne Frank [or insert speaker here] is my hero" entries that read almost exactly like essays that I used to write for the sole purpose of appeasing a teacher who clearly has a tremendous interest in the speaker or book. While the experiences these students had were much more impressive than a simple book or movie, the similarity is astonishing, and I can't help but believe that these kids felt a lot of pressure and wrote what they felt the teacher wanted to hear rather than what they actually felt.
The entries that we are presented with in this book are also extremely toned down versions of the original, which in some sense steals from the power that they can convey. As a couple of students pointed out, the editing process was a big part of putting this book together, and I'm not sure whether it was the authors themselves or the publisher, but the snippets that we are given in the diaries are about the editing process are much more honest and graphic accounts of what happened to the students than the full diaries that we are given in the pages of the book. Some were certainly removed to protect anonymity, and probably also because of their graphic nature, but I believe that readers could have benefited from a slightly more realistic tone. The PG13 edit that the majority of these accounts are given strips the events of their power.
On the whole, though, that doesn't take away from the fact that Gruwell is clearly a very gifted teacher, and that she did take these children much farther than anyone ever expected of her. The lessons in the book are timeless, in that classroom management is all about building relationships, not only amongst students, but also between the teacher and the students. It's inspirational, and impressive, but clearly a bit contrived and heavily, heavily edited. This book is a pretty good read, but I think you have to take it with a grain of salt.
An inspiring story........2007-08-27
I loved reading the stories from the voices of the various students and hearing how they discovered love and hope despite their difficult home lives.
Got my daughter to read.......2007-08-23
This is an excellent book for a non reader, especially if they have seen the movie. My daughter thoroughly enjoyed the book and she is not really a reader. it has now encouraged her to move on to a Diary of Anne Frank. Thank you
A Great Read.......2007-08-14
An extra-ordinary book. I bought 3 copies to give away to friends. A very easy read and very enjoyable. Not just for educators.
Book Description
Kim Meeder has seen horses go where no one else can tread - stepping through the minefield of a broken child's soul in a dance of trust that only God can understand. From a mistreated horse to an emotionally starved child and back again, a torrent of love washes away their barren places. Kim's ranch is a place where this miracle happens over and over again. It is a place where the impossible flourishes, where dreams survive the inferno of reality - a place where hope rises.
Where Wounded Spirits Run Free
Follow a horse where no one else can tread, through the minefield of pain that surrounds a broken child’s soul. From a mistreated horse to an emotionally starved child and back again, a torrent of love revives their barren places.
In the presence of unconditional love, a mute girl speaks for the first time. A defiant teenager teaches a horse to trust again...and opens his own heart to love. A rescued horse gives a dying man his last wish. A battered girl finds love and protection in the friendship of a battered horse...
Come visit a place where the impossible flourishes, where dreams survive the inferno of realityâa place where hope rises.
Customer Reviews:
Beautiful.......2007-09-19
If this testimony of God's work in the lives of those at Crystal Peaks Youth Ranch doesn't pierce your heart, nothing will. It is well writen and absolutely beautiful.
Simply Beautiful.......2007-08-21
Inspiring, true stories of how neglected horses and neglected children help to heal each other. This book reveals over and over again the powerful miracles that can happen when one has hope.
Outstanding true stories of wounded horses and hurting kids.......2007-05-13
Kim Meeder is not only a fabulous person; she is a gifted writer. These true stories of mistreated horses and hurting children coming together for healing and enjoyment will gladden any heart. Even if you are not a horse lover, you'll love this book. It's about "horse therapy" for suffering children and the bonds and breakthroughs that happen when kids and horses interact on a safe and secure level. Kim Meeder writes with her heart and out of personal experience.
Absolutely beautiful.......2007-05-07
I loved this book. It was full of wonderful stories and personal experiences. Very touching and inspiring.
Hope Rising-Book of Miracles.......2007-03-20
This is a book of miracles. It is about love, faith, and healing. Ms. Meeder plays the human heart strings like a diva, and her stories of children healed by horses are as touching as they are inspirational.
J.R. Wise
Author of
"Give a Horse a Second Chance"
Customer Reviews:
Great Book!.......2007-08-06
Eragon is a great book. I was looking for something to read in between Harry Potter books and this was a great choice! I saw the movie and didn't even realize that it was based on these books.
Better than the movie..........2007-08-04
These two books really show off the author's talent a a writer. I was glued to the pages until I finished and then wanted more.
Not too shabby.......2007-08-01
For the price, the book set isn't bad. I've finished Eragon and am working on Eldest, and I've found the books to be entertaining (certainly much better than the movie). Still, they aren't on quite the same level of fantasy writing as some of the more popular authors. Despite this, the books are very understandable and easy to read for younger readers.
Too predictable........2007-06-22
While the first two novels of the Inheritance Trilogy, Eragon and Eldest, are a decent first attempt of a budding young author, they certainly cannot be considered masterpieces of fantasy and likely would never have been published had Paolini's parents not owned their own publishing company.
I found the tale predictable as the author adheres far too ridgedly to the classic hero's journey. Unlike with Tolkien's epic, which Paolini is obviously attempting to imitate, or the Star Wars Trilogy (Episodes IV-VI), there is no real sense of tension troughout these works. I was never surprised by anything that happened in the story, nor have I any real doubt about the ultimate outcome. Furthermore, though Paolini's world, Alagaesia, comes with it's own distinct races, cultures and liguistics, it lacks the profound sense of history that is one of the wonderful hallmarks of Tolkien's Middle Earth, leaving one with a gnawing impression of deficiency. Moreover, I found the characters rather two-dementional: lacking in depth and generally uninteresting upon the whole.
All this is understadable. Unlike Tolkien, who was a professor of ancient languages and mythology, as well as WWI combat veteran, when he wrote The Lord of the Rings, Paolini was still an adolescent at the time these books were written and his novels evidence inexperience throughout their length. Having yet to embark upon his own life's quest, Paolini's insights into the causes of human behavior and its effects on others are more theoretical than precise. Consequently, I have real doubts about his ability to develop Eragon into a grown man by the end of the third book, as he himself has yet to fully mature.
One might feel that my comparison of the Inheritance Trilogy to the Lord of the Rings is unfair, but since Paolini clearly set out to mimic Tolkien, I believe such treatment to be fully justified. That said, Paolini admittedly possesses raw literary talent, but reminds me of a minor league ball player who has advanced to the majors too soon. Wisdom would have waited another thirty or forty years before attempting to tackle the grand master of fantasy.
Rip off of JRR Tolkien.......2007-05-17
Tons of hype, NYT best seller and a movie; boy did I expect more! Its nothing more than a rip off of Lord of the Rings, without the cute little hobbits. Dwarves live underground, make elaborate cities in mountains, bond with stone. Graceful Elves have pointy ears, live a long time, are aloof and above mere mortals. Protagonist is a young male-on-a-mission. Long trek with protagonist at center, elf and dwarf in-tow ensues. Sound familiar? It should. Its a re-invention of the characters and even sub plots of the LofR trilogy, only not nearly as well written or clever. Tired, familiar, and predictable, I'd like a refund. Time better spent rereading the original Tolkien. Pass on this.
Amazon.com
When it came time to select a Guest Reviewer for Sarah Thyre's Dark at the Roots, a debut memoir laced with plenty of dark humor, Haven Kimmel was at the top of our list. Her own debut, the groundbreaking memoir A Girl Named Zippy, offered readers an unforgettable coming-of-age story that sparkled with originality, heralding the arrival of a writer to watch. Check out Haven Kimmel's review below of Sarah Thyre's Dark at the Roots.
Guest Reviewer: Haven Kimmel
Haven Kimmel is the author of the bestselling memoir A Girl Named Zippy, and its sequel, She Got Up Off the Couch. Her novels include The Solace of Leaving Early and Something Rising (Light and Swift), and she is the author of the children's book, Orville: A Dog Story. Her next novel, The Used World, will be published in September 2007.
So much has been written, said, and expectorated about the memoir genre in the past five years there remains little to say. And it's true, the memoirs worth reading are rare--the ones that jolt or enlighten or delight with craft. Sarah Thyer's Dark At The Roots is a stand-out for countless reasons. Her sentences compel like electricity: the reader moves from one to the next as if being shocked, but pleasantly, or with the pathological love of the tongue for the toothache. Thank God I have this toothache, you think, because otherwise my life would be a pit of stupid. Her dialogue is dead-on (and having lived in both Mississippi and Louisiana I can tell you it isn't easy to replicate and virtually everyone gets it wrong). She is shameless and unembarassable and she makes a foreign world so concrete you can feel the shag carpeting and smell the extinct shampoo. Thyer handles a shadowy relationship with her father with a grace that both reveals and conceals, simultaneously. Most of all, from beginning to end she remains as consistent a character as one looks for in fiction: she is the best friend you wish you'd had, and the girl your mother warned you about (as if those two things don't always go hand in hand). My own sister recently said to me, as we were having a swinging contest at the park--I am 41 and she is 51--"I swing higher, I'm smarter and funnier than you, and people like me better." I can think of no better description for Sarah Thyer, or for her memoir, which was crafted with an edge razor-fine. She's gifted enough to write anything: fiction, another memoir, pamphlets about the dangers of hitting electric lines with your Rototiller. I can't wait for whatever comes next. --Haven Kimmel
Book Description
The story of one girl's heroic struggle to overcome the lower-middle class obstacles that stood between her and the world she knew she could call her oyster, Dark at the Roots limns the absurdities of growing up funny in the deep south.
When Sarah Thyre was barely out of diapers, her father started referring to her as the "family liar," though no particular incident had provoked this designation. Undaunted by her label, Sarah started referring to herself as Renee and creating scenarios that would help her assimilate up from her chaotic family into a higher social calling. But even as she was clipping an alligator logo off of one shirt to sew onto another, her place in the middle - of her family, her neighborhood, her school, her country - kept humbling her back to just plain Sarah.
In Dark at the Roots, Sarah is catapulted from the relative safety of a nuclear family, through the years of her mother going it alone with five mouths to feed with a steady diet of pasta and fried eggs, to the teenage years where wearing a school uniform was a godsend to a girl unable to afford the latest fashions ... if only she would have admitted it. In this telling, Sarah's inimitable sense of humor and resolve are both honed to a fine, sharp point. And though it is occasionally young Sarah who is skewered, she manages to turn her pain into punch lines, leaving little room for doubt that this is how a true humorist is built.
Whether it is a scene where small Sarah accidentally goes "poddy" in the garage during a game of hide-and-seek or medium-sized Sarah survives a fishing trip with her volatile father, or full-sized Sarah wrestles with a tooth she calls "Uncle Wiggly" and all he represents, grown-up Sarah tells her story with self-effacing sincerity and a seemingly invincible sense of humor. With its spare, razor-sharp prose and precision timing, Dark at the Roots emerges as not just a humorous memoir, but a powerful, universal testament to surviving one's rearing and living to laugh in the face of it all.
Customer Reviews:
Not that great........2007-09-11
The only thing I liked about this book was the picture on the cover. I thought this was a boring book.
From one Izod lover to another....LOVED IT!.......2007-08-15
Loved this book! I wanted a book for my book club that was going to make everyone laugh...and I think it will. We meet this Thursday night to discuss the 70's and this hilarouus book. I could relate so much to the trendy must have's of the 70's...I had one Izod shirt and a pair of Calvin Klein pants that I wore whenever they were clean. I thought I was so cool!
Thanks Sarah for the memories...
A fantastic read for anyone who remembers (?!) the 70's.......2007-08-08
I've often pondered in amazement myself at what I know now was the "hands off" parenting style of the 70's. I went through it and still sometimes can't believe how we managed to survive... my sisters and I would go out early in the morning and not come back until all the mothers in the neighborhood yelled "DINNER" or well after dark. It was exciting, fun, funny, scary and joyous all at the same time. I didn't experience the South that Sarah writes about, unless you count Southern California the south. I loved all the references to the pop culture of the time, the TV shows, the music. It's a thoroughly entertaining, disturbing and funny account of a spunky, funny kid who manages to thrive in spite of her upbringing. I loved all the references to Catholic schools, priests (I know nothing of these things but they fascinate me anyway), and Disneyworld. It's a wonderful book and I highly recommend it!
Disappointed.......2007-06-28
I really enjoyed Thyre in Strangers with Candy, was raised Catholic myself, and lived a few years in the dirty South, so I was looking forward to reading this book. I was hoping to find her tales observant, amusing, and slightly touching.
Instead, I found the novel to be wholly unentertaining. It was definitely dark, but in the Welcome to the Dollhouse sorta way, and not very funny. To be honest, I didn't think her writing was very good or "compelling." Most of the stories were centered from her POV as a child, not as an adult looking back at the events.
The situations she reminiscences about not only make her seem like a jerk as a child, but not even a loveable jerk. The executions of each story lack oomph in the chapter endings and are very anti-climatic. I had no desire to finish it.
I DEMAND A SEQUEL!.......2007-06-12
I finished reading this lovely tome set in my illustrious home state of Louisiana last night and sat straight up in bed and shouted, "I DEMAND A SEQUEL!" As it was 2 a.m., my husband sat straight up in bed, too, and said "WTF?" Even the dog barked! LOL!
This is one of THE best memoirs I've read in years. Sarah Thyre is a born comedian and a fantastic writer. She captures the essence of the Coonass culture and the hidden joys of a dysFUNctional Louisiana childhood like no one else I've ever read. (I was born in south Louisiana and have lived here most of my life, so I know a good story when I read one.) Ahem...
My only regret was that she ended the book too soon. I'm dying to know what happened to her after high school (and the convenience store job so deliciously described) and if she really did go to LSU. So, Sarah, if you read this, please, please, please consider a sequel to this hilarious, touching, bittersweet story of your childhood.
I think it deserves ten stars after some of the dry, boring memoirs I've recently read. Buy this book if you need a good laugh and a summer read that you won't soon forget.
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- Forever a Hustler's Wife: A Novel (Nikki Turner Original)
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- Glorious Appearing: The End of Days (Left Behind #12)
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- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
Books Index
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The Lost Colony (Artemis Fowl, Book 5)
Christopher Paolini's abiding love of fantasy and science fiction inspired him to begin writing his debut novel, Eragon, when he graduated from high school at age 15.
Our quickie pronunciation guide will help you get to know some of the names and places in the Inheritance series.
