Traveling Mercies: Some Thoughts on Faith

Amazon.com

For most writers, the greatest challenge of spiritual writing is to keep it grounded in concrete language. The temptation is to wander off into the clouds of ethereal epiphanies, only to lose readers with woo-woo thinking and sacred-laced clichés. Thankfully, Anne Lamott (Operating Instructions, Crooked Little Heart) knows better. In this collection of essays, Lamott offers her trademark wit and irreverence in describing her reluctant journey into faith. Every epiphany is framed in plainspoken (and, yes, occasionally crassly spoken) real-life, honest-to-God experiences. For example, after having an abortion, Lamott felt the presence of Christ sitting in her bedroom:

This experience spooked me badly, but I thought it was just an apparition born of fear and self-loathing and booze and loss of blood. But then everywhere I went I had the feeling that a little cat was following me, wanting me to reach down and pick it up, wanting me to open the door and let it in. But I knew what would happen: you let a cat in one time, give it a little milk and then it stays forever.

Whether she's writing about airplane turbulence, bulimia, her "feta cheese thighs," or consulting God over how to parent her son, Lamott keeps her spirituality firmly planted in solid scenes and believable metaphors. As a result, this is a richly satisfying armchair-travel experience, highlighting the tender mercies of Lamott's life that nudged her into Christian faith. --Gail Hudson

Amazon.com Audiobook Review

Anne Lamott admits that she's "ever so slightly more anxious than the average hypochondriac." When faced with a small, irregular mole and a family history of skin cancer, however, she remembers her faith in God and enjoys some peace--despite behaving "a little more like Nathan Lane in The Birdcage than I would have hoped." Author Lamott reads these wonderfully detailed postcards from her meandering journey to faith. With sharp and bittersweet humor, she recounts a past full of bad relationships with men, with food, with drugs, with alcohol, and worst of all, with herself. She battles her demons thanks to the love of her friends and family and her "lurch of faith" to embrace religion, that "puzzling thing inside me that had begun to tug on my sleeve from time to time, trying to get my attention." Inspiring but not dogmatic, Traveling Mercies is a treasure. (Running time: 4 hours, 3 cassettes) --C.B. Delaney

Book Description

Anne Lamott claims the two best prayers she knows are: "Help me, help me, help me" and "Thank you, thank you, thank you." She has a friend whose morning prayer each day is "Whatever," and whose evening prayer is "Oh, well." Anne thinks of Jesus as "Casper the friendly savior" and describes God as "one crafty mother."

Despite--or because of--her irreverence, faith is a natural subject for Anne Lamott. Since Operating Instructions and Bird by Bird, her fans have been waiting for her to write the book that explained how she came to the big-hearted, grateful, generous faith that she so often alluded to in her two earlier nonfiction books. The people in Anne Lamott's real life are like beloved characters in a favorite series for her readers--her friend Pammy, her son, Sam, and the many funny and wise folks who attend her church are all familiar. And Traveling Mercies is a welcome return to those lives, as well as an introduction to new companions Lamott treats with the same candor, insight, and tenderness.

Lamott's faith isn't about easy answers, which is part of what endears her to believers as well as nonbelievers. Against all odds, she came to believe in God and then, even more miraculously, in herself. As she puts it, "My coming to faith did not start with a leap but rather a series of staggers." At once tough, personal, affectionate, wise, and very funny, Traveling Mercies tells in exuberant detail how Anne Lamott learned to shine the light of faith on the darkest part of ordinary life, exposing surprising pockets of meaning and hope.

Download Description

Traveling Mercies takes us on a journey through Anne Lamott's troubled past to illuminate her devout but quirky walk of faith: how, against all odds, she came to believe in God, and the myriad ways in which that faith sustains and guides her in everyday life. With an exuberant mix of passion and self-deprecating humor, Lamott explores whether certain behaviors will get her "a better seat in heaven, " perhaps "near the dessert table, " or whether her mistakes "make Jesus want to drink gin straight out of the cat disk" She writes about her family, about helping a friend through the devastating illness of her baby, about wanting but not having all the answers for her eight-year-old son.

Through the hard-won wisdom that forms the core of her beliefs, and with wit, insight, and lots of heart, she shows us how she creates a life balance of connectedness and liberation.

Customer Reviews:

Mercy on Us.......2007-09-19

This is one of my favorite books, and I've read it many times. The essay on Forgiveness is a classic. I'm not sure how Annie Lamott makes fundamentalist Christianity palatable, but she manages to convey a deep sense of faith and gratitude along with a quirky charming wit about it all -- especially about herself.

I (heart) Anne Lamott.......2007-08-25

I pretty much love any essay Anne Lamott writes, and I appreciate her foray into the spiritual side of life. She makes faith very real and very every day/accesible ... something we all need. Her humor and witty prose make the reading enjoyable as well.

A Great and Pleasant Read.......2007-08-09

From the start to the end, Anne Lamott's writing is greatly captivating and keeps her readers guessing as to what she's getting at, then leaves us with great philosophical insight, all the while keeping her humorous input she's so famous for.
Although she writes with freedom and confidence, some of her ideas about "faith" may not be what most people expect, but then again, these are her own thoughts about faith, what she's gone through and how she has come to be the person she is today.
She carries along a great novel, somewhat of an autobiography with her son Sam, and warmly welcomes any readers willing to read to the very end. Lots of great quotations to write down; a definite read for anyone.

Put me out of my misery.......2007-08-07

Having read previously published books by Anne LaMott, I admit I was unenthusiastic about reading this book group selection. Much of the material is rehashed from previous works but now autobiographically instead of as "fiction."

I found her self-depricating tone to be disingenuous and much of her self pity to stem from personal problems that were self-inflicted. (Did that last sentence mention "self?") The book is centered on her self involvement which often attempts to depict herself as being gritty, worldly, and street-experienced.

While she has had experience as an alcoholic and sex addict, she never seems to rise above it in any inspirational way. Authors such as Frank McCort of Angela's Ashes and Jeannette Walls of the Glass Castle were confronted with horrible childhoods but managed to survive with a spunk and spirit I admired. I couldn't figure out what was so bad in Anne LaMott's life that she had to complain about and/or turn to self abuse to cope. I grew up with my own share of dysfunction but chose to take a more optimistic outlook on life.

Although I agree with many of her political points of view, it did not sit well with me how she launched personal attacks on those who held opposing views. "The New Adventures of Old Christine" is able to satirize those annoying holier-than-thou mothers at the PTO in a much more humorous way and that's saying a lot for a TV situation comedy compared to this literary selection.

I forced myself to finish the last third of the book after our book group discussion because those chapters seemed to be the most poignant. Yes, that was the best part of the book. The chapters about being kind to her aging body and dealing with aging parents were the most honest and touching sections.

Even so, this is not a book I would recommend to someone looking for emotional uplift or spiritual insight.

TOP FIVE ON MY "BEST-LOVED BOOKS" LIST.......2007-07-03

I keep a list of best-loved books, which is coming in handy lately as I hit my forties and tend to rebuy books I've already read (sometimes getting through several chapters before I figure this out). If I put the list in order, Traveling Mercies would immediately make my top five. Lamott's autobiographical essays are hilarious and heartbreaking and wonderful, and make me wish she lived next door. I've read Traveling Mercies all the way through at least six times, and picked it up countless other times to enjoy one of the stand-alone chapters. I love the poetic compassion of some of the passages so much that I read them outloud. If you're a mom, you've got to read the chapter on forgiveness - Lamott's attempt to deal with her resentment of a perfect, day-planner writing, cupcake baking, field trip-chaperoning mom. We've all been there on some level. I keep going back to this book when I need to teach adult Sunday school, because it's such a beautiful exploration of Christian faith in a life that's messy and funny and difficult and real.

Lanterns on the Levee: Recollections of a Planter's Son (Library of Southern Civilization)

Average customer rating:

Over hyped
Not Impressed
Elusive find: an autobiography of literary quality
Perceptions of a Southern Artistocrat
A Lost Voice Of A Lost Cause

Lanterns on the Levee: Recollections of a Planter's Son (Library of Southern Civilization)
William Alexander Percy
Manufacturer: Louisiana State University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0807100722

Book Description

Born and raised in Greenville, Mississippi, within the shelter of old traditions, aristocratic in the best sense, William Alexander Percy in his lifetime (1885-1942) was brought face to face with the convulsions of a changing world. Lanterns on the Levee is his memorial to the South of his youth and young manhood. In describing life in the Mississippi Delta, Percy bridges the interval between the semifeudal South of the 1800s and the anxious South of the early 1940s. The rare qualities of this classic memoir lie not in what Will Percy did in his life—although his life was exciting and varied—but rather in the intimate, honest, and soul-probing record of how he brought himself to contemplate unflinchingly a new and unstable era. The 1973 introduction by Walker Percy—Will's nephew and adopted son—recalls the strong character and easy grace of "the most extraordinary man I have ever known." AUTHOR BIO: William Alexander Percy was the author of four books of poetry, and he practiced law in Greenville until his death, one year after the publication of his autobiography. Awarded the Croix de Guerre with gold star for his service in World War I, he also was one of the leaders in the succesful 1922 fight against the Ku Klux Klan in Greenville and headed the local Red Cross unit during the disastrous Mississippi River flooding of 1927.

Customer Reviews:

Over hyped.......2007-06-30

I've heard great things about this book, but it simply doesn't live up to the reviews. It isn't vivid, isn't absorbing, isn't all that interesting. It is a decent piece of period biography, and if you're interested in the Percy family or the region or time period, it might be worthwhile. Otherwise, give this one a pass.

Not Impressed.......2006-02-06

This is my first book about planters and plantation life. It was my expectation that the author would give more specific information about plantation finances and management. This subject is hardly touched upon. He does briefly give his opinions about slavery, but there is nothing unique about it. Basically, this is a nice, slow look back at a bygone time, but it left me wondering how the heck did these people come about, and maintain or eventually lose their wealth.

Elusive find: an autobiography of literary quality.......2005-10-09

Percy's approach to life can be summed up by a quote from the book: "It is a very nice world-that is, if you remember that while morals are all-important between the Lord and His creatures, what counts between one creature and another is good manners." Percy's book is a rare member of that most elusive category of books - the autobiography of true literary quality. Percy's touch is honest without being journalistic; poetic without appearing over-embroidered; and in his own eccentric person he provides the subject matter which is required to make such a work interesting. He steps out of the late 19th/early 20th century Mississippi delta as a character that could not have existed anywhere else. Affected, genteel, kind, elitist, romantic and with a view of race more in keeping with British Imperial "white man's burden" line of thought than anything American in origin - Percy the character remains fascinating even as the modern reader disagrees with his positions. A clearly and well told tale of an extinct breed (the gentrified southern aristocrat), a lost land (the Mississippi delta of the turn of the 20th century), and a buried epoch (the pre desegregation era). An excellent book - well worth reading not only to better understand a particular aspect of American history but for the pleasure of reading a well written book, regardless of the subject matter.

Perceptions of a Southern Artistocrat.......2004-01-23

It is true that this book attempts to explain the South, in both its physical and social aspects, from the point of view of the "landed gentry." However, a more accurate description of "Lanterns on the Levee" is that of an autobiography of William A. Percy, in which he reflects upon his life and the interesting times in which he lived. I found this book very inciteful into the mind of a southerner, and believe that Mr. Percy did a fine job of bringing his broad experiences with different cultures and social climates into this book, and using these to produce a cogent analysis of his homeland. Though not completely objective (and often bigoted by today's standards), I think that Mr. Percy did his best to "tell it as he saw it," and often admits his biases as a precursor to his analysis. The book is very poetic and philosophical in places, and includes both the subjective and emotional sentiments that one must understand in order to come to terms with "a southerner's love for the south." Additionally, I feel that Mr. Percy (especially in his last few chapters) provides the reader with thought-provoking and highly articulate observations about life, time, and human-nature. I think this book is excellent, and believe it to be a "must read" for anybody with an open-minded interest in the Missisippi Delta region, or the South in general.

A Lost Voice Of A Lost Cause.......2002-12-14

This is one of those books that is almost impossible to objectively review. The writing is elegant and evocative of an era in the South that died almost in tandem with Mr. Percy and yet I find some parts of it so arrogant and condescending that I feel myself grinding my teeth. You see, I am descended from those Mississippi hill people Percy so despised and, even after all this time, I can almost see the languid gaze and soft, drawling voice. My people came to the Yazoo-Mississippi Delta after the Flood of '27 and we build and earned what we got without the benefit of the massive slave labor that built Mr. Percy's fortune.

But this is a book review and I'll put aside old feelings to say that this is a literary gem that brings to life a way of life on which so many stereotypes of the South are built. And Will Percy is amazingly honest in his descriptions of his society. However, a society this simple and yet this complex takes more than just one book to grasp.

Thus, I also recommend "Rising Tide" by John Barry and "The Most Southern Place on Earth: The Mississippi Delta and the Roots of Regional Identity" by James Cobb to balance your view of this time and place in history.

Bottom line: This is a wonderful, beautifully written story that is refreshingly candid with none of the defensiveness and politically correct breast beating of many of the works of southern writers of recent years.

Average customer rating:

conservatives, beware

So Real It Hurts: Just Like Parenting

Healing

Laugh out loud funny.

I thought this was a great book! Great for first-time mothers!

OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS: A Journal of My Son's First Year
Anne Lamott
Manufacturer: Pantheon
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Traveling Mercies: Some Thoughts on Faith

Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life

Plan B: Further Thoughts on Faith

Grace (Eventually): Thoughts on Faith

Hard Laughter: A Novel

ASIN: 0679420916
Release Date: 1993-04-27

Amazon.com

The most honest, wildly enjoyable book written about motherhood is surely Anne Lamott's account of her son Sam's first year. A gifted writer and teacher, Lamott (Crooked Little Heart) is a single mother and ex-alcoholic with a pleasingly warped social circle and a remarkably tolerant religion to lean on. She responds to the changes, exhaustion, and love Sam brings with aplomb or outright insanity. The book rocks from hilarious to unbearably poignant when Sam's burgeoning life is played out against a very close friend's illness. No saccharine paean to becoming a parent, this touches on the rage and befuddlement that dog sweeter emotions during this sea change in one's life.

Book Description

It seems no mother of a newborn has ever been more hilarious, more honest, or more touching than Ann Lamott is in OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS. A single parent whose baby's father is out of the picture, Lamott struggles not only to support her little family by her wits and her writing, but to stay sober at the same time. Faith in God helps; so does her loyal band of helpers, from her childless best friend Pammy to her mother and "Aunt Dudu" to the folks at the La Leche League hotline. And between colic, wheat-free diets, and the triumph of solid food, Lamott learns that blessings and losses come together, and that as our capacity for joy increases, so does our capacity for grief.
"An enormous triumph . . . Charming . . . Powerful . . . A gracious book, with dozens of lovingly drawn characters and a deep, infectious religiosity throughout. It is also funny." -- San Francisco Chronicle
"Smart, funny and comforting . . . Lamott has a conversational style that perfectly conveys her friendly, self-deprecating humor." -- Los Angeles Times Book Review

Customer Reviews:

conservatives, beware.......2007-08-20

I just had my first baby (an amazing boy) & started reading this after he was born. I would not recommend for mothers, since the author drones on endlessly about her fears for her son. This only puts the same thoughts in the readers minds, things which never would have occurred to me before. I would also discourage anyone from reading this who is the slightest bit conservative. The author goes on and on about her hatred for Republicans and especially George Bush. She seems more interested in pushing a liberal agenda and teaching her son about fear and hatred than writing a good memoir. I found that part quite offensive, regardless of my political opinions. The only good thing I can say about this book is that it inspired me to write down my own observations, thoughts and feelings for my beloved baby boy, so that made it worthwhile.

So Real It Hurts: Just Like Parenting.......2007-08-16

You have an idea in your head of how Anne Lamott would be as a parent: so irreverent, so comical, so knowing and wise. Then Anne walks in and blows you away by living up to all your expectations: and destroying them!

Raw, honest, frustrating, hilarious, complicated -- this book is so dead-on about parenting it's amazing. And it's so Anne. Very simply Anne is one of the best writers currently working in English: read this even if you don't have kids.

Somehow even in the messiness (or because of it?) Anne Lamott's voice always brings us a harmony of hope. You just know, even in the worst of times, that this mother loves her son and is grateful for him.

Anne, the rest of us are grateful for you.

David & Lisa Frisbie
The Center for Marriage & Family Studies
Authors of: Raising Great Kids on Your Own: A Guide and Companion for Every Single Parent

Healing.......2007-07-10

I actually bought this book for my daughter at the recommendation of a friend who has a PHD in Psychology. I had asked my friend for something as an antidote to "Drama of the Gifted Child" (nothing against the book - was just a hard time for my daughter to read it) and my friend suggested this book. My daughter enjoyed it so much. She kept calling a reading/reciting exerpts from the book - laughing and feeling understood were such a relief for her. My son'law even sent me an email "thank you" for how uplifting it was for her.

Laugh out loud funny........2007-06-26

This book is fantastic. Lamott says the things most mothers would be too ashamed and embarrassed to admit feeling. At the same time, she expresses the love and joy that come with motherhood in a way few of us could.

I thought this was a great book! Great for first-time mothers!.......2007-05-13

This book was given to me as a shower gift and I have since given it as a gift to new mothers numerous times. The humor really helped to alleviate anxiety with regard to motherhood, plus it was very poignant! Would definitely recommend it!

Tommy's Honor: The Story of Old Tom Morris and Young Tom Morris, Golf's Founding Father and Son

Average customer rating:

A wonderful piece of scholarship told beautifully
Tommy's Honor
Bringing Old Tom & Young Tom back to life
Tom and Tommy Morris Come Alive Again
Early golf history comes to life!

Tommy's Honor: The Story of Old Tom Morris and Young Tom Morris, Golf's Founding Father and Son
Kevin Cook
Manufacturer: Gotham
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1592402976
Release Date: 2007-04-05

Book Description

In the tradition of Seabiscuit, the riveting tale of twoproud Scotsmen who beat all comers to become the heroesof a golden age—the dawn of professional golf

Bringing to life golf's founding father and son, Tommy's Honor is a stirring tribute to two legendary players and a vivid evocation of their colorful, rip-roaring times.

The Morrises were towering figures in their day. Old Tom, born in 1821,began life as a nobody— he was the son of a weaver and a maid. But he was born in St. Andrews, Scotland, the cradle of golf, and the game was in his blood. He became the Champion Golfer of Scotland, a national hero who won tournaments (and huge bets) while his young son looked on. As "Keeper of the Green" at the town's ancient links, Tom deployed golf's first lawnmower and banished sheep from the fairways.

Then Young Tommy's career took off. Handsome Tommy Morris, the Tiger Woods of the nineteenth century, was a more daring player than his father. Soon he surpassed Old Tom and dominated the game. But just as he reached his peak—with spectators flocking to see him play— Tommy's life took a tragic turn, leading to his death at the age of twenty-four. That shock is at the heart of Tommy's Honor. It left Tom to pick up the pieces—to honor his son by keeping Tommy's memory alive.

Like the New York Times bestseller The Greatest Game Ever Played, Tommy's Honor is both fascinating history and a moving personal saga. Golfers will love it, but this book isn't only for golfers. It's for every son who has fought to escape a father's shadow and for every father who had guided a son toward manhood, then found it hard to let him go.

Customer Reviews:

A wonderful piece of scholarship told beautifully.......2007-09-17

If I were to recommend a single book to read about the famous Morris family, it would be Kevin Cook's Tommy's Honor: The Story of Old Tom Morris and Young Tom Morris, Golf's Founding Father and Son. Many of us know the familiar history of these men - of Old Tom's falling out with famous ball maker and player Allan Robertson, and of Young Tom dying of a broken heart on Christmas Day. This book goes beyond that and reveals fascinating layers of their lives previously unexamined.

This work is a wonderfully crafted narrative along the lines of Mark Frost's The Greatest Game Ever Played. It draws on facts gleaned from numerous sources, including contemporary newspaper accounts, and creates a compelling story of father and son. We are taken inside their lives in equal measure. We can feel the cold water of St. Andrews Bay as Old Tom goes for his morning swim, we are inside Allan Robertson's kitchen as Tom makes feathery balls for him. We witness his big money matches, we move with Tom, wife Nancy and baby Tommy to Prestwick, we win Opens with him and then return to St. Andrews and follow Young Tom's ascendency to golf immortality.

The enduring impact Old Tom had as Keeper of the Green at St. Andrews and his lasting legacy on the game of golf is developed quite thoroughly. Cook even touches on the class differences between Tom and the men of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews he served. Old Tom is portrayed as a man with great dedication to his family and profession. Beyond that, he also possessed a steady, dignified grace. The following passages are illustrative of both Cook's scholarship and expressive style:

"For greens other than the one at the wet High Hole he used clay pipes as hole liners. The pipes, made in nearby Kincaple, happened to be four and a quarter inches in diameter. Due to a quirk of the Kincaple brickworks, four and a half inches became the standard diameter of the cup on every green. While Tom mended the course, his son hit balls. Tommy's swing would be imitated by a generation of golfers who saw themselves as his apostles."

"Watching his father kneel to tee up another man's ball set Tommy's teeth on edge. Tom, unbothered, said there was an art to making a sand tee just the right height for a golfer's swing, and applying a drop of spit to the back of the ball so that a few grains of sand stuck to it, adding backspin when it landed. There was no shame in kneeling, he said. Had not our Savior told his followers to render unto Caesar? After all, Tom said, it was not his immortal soul that bent, only his knee."

Cook's research is impressive and thorough, as he weaves together such diverse subjects as ball and club making with the development of the Old Course itself and the players who challenged the Morris's for golfing supremacy. This is done seamlessly and leaves the reader wanting to learn more about these wonderful characters.

Of special interest are new insights concerning Tommy's wife Margaret Drinnen, a "woman with a past," as the Victorian standards of the day would have labeled her. She bore an illegitimate child before moving to St. Andrews and marrying Young Tom. Less than a year later she died during childbirth, and Tommy tragically succumbed three months later of a pulmonary embolism. His early death has frozen in time our romanticized image of him.

Old Tom Morris carried on, survivor that he was. As he once said late in life, "I've had my troubles and my trials...and with the help of my God and of golf, I've gotten through somehow or another." His beloved wife Nancy, already an invalid, died just seventeen days after Tommy. Son Jack, who had been born with deformed legs, died in 1893; daughter Elizabeth passed away suddenly in 1898; and his son Jamie in 1906. Tom survived them all.

Cook has done a great service with this book. One can read Tulloch's Life of Tom Morris and come away with a better knowledge of the lives of Old and Young Tom, but it is a dry book written a century ago. Like David Joy's Scrapbook of Old Tom Morris (2001), Tommy's Honor offers a fresh look at a familiar subject.

Bob Furgeson, British Open champion (1880-82) once said that nerve, enthusiasm, and practice were the three essentials to succeed in golf. But to be great requires the gift. Tommy Morris had a gift for golf, and Kevin Cook has helped us understand the nature of that gift and the human and spiritual elements that fostered it.

Tommy's Honor.......2007-08-28

This work by Kevin Cook is the best historical golf book I have ever read. Cook brings the characters to life by providing personal insights he garnered through research of local newspapers and other articles he was able to find about Old Tom and and Young Tom Morris. It is a remarkable tale that reveals details about mid 19th century life and golf in Scotland in a way that has never been accomplished before.
I highly recommend the book to any and all readers who have an interest in the beginnings of the game of golf and its founding fathers.

Bringing Old Tom & Young Tom back to life.......2007-05-20

The mythology of St. Andrews and "Old" and "Young" Tom Morris is well known amongst most golfers with at least a passing interest in the game's history and historic figures. We know about Old Tom's innovations at St. Andrews (which was his second stop as a head greenskeeper and teacher, lasting 44 years) and Young Tom's British Open success (he won four straight championships), but it takes Kevin Cook's beautifully written account of their lives to help us really get to know them. This is a marvelous book, well-researched and well-told, about two men who had enormous impact on the game - not just at the birthplace of golf, but on its history. Reading it is a magical experience, even if you don't play the game.

Tom and Tommy Morris Come Alive Again.......2007-05-13

Kevin Cook's poignant biography of the Morrises brings Tom and Tommy alive for his readers. It's much more than a story of their lives. It's about fathers and sons, families, social classes, golf, and the birth of the touring golf professional.

Tom's story gives us a keen insight into golf and a golfer's life in the second half of the 19th century. Many aspects of golf have changed over the years and, surprisingly, many have remained exactly as they were 150 years ago.

The reason for the seemingly strange title is revealed in the final sentence of the book.

This book should be on every golfer's Best-Sellers list.

Early golf history comes to life! .......2007-05-13

If you're a golf history nut, or just interested in late 1800's-early 1900's, you'll love this book. If you just like to know more about the great game of golf, this is your book. Kevin Cook brings the world of St. Andrews and Scotland to life. You can just about smell the oil lamps burning on the streets or the low tide blowing in from the North Sea. Oh, and the history of Tom Morris and his son, Tommy, is just amazing. I felt like I was reading a novel but is was true! If you love golf or know someone that loves the game you must get this book. It's a classic.

Average customer rating:

Caleb's Story
Touching Story
Sarah, Plain and Tall and Skylark Sequel is Heartwarming
I'm not impressed
Caleb's Story by Patricia MacLachlan

Caleb's Story (Sarah, Plain and Tall)
Patricia Maclachlan
Manufacturer: HarperTrophy
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0064405907
Release Date: 2002-08-06

Book Description

Anna has done something terrible. She has given me her journal to fill.

In Anna's journal the words walk across the page like bird prints in the mud. But it is hard for me. It is hard for me to find things to write about.

"It's your job now," Anna says as she hands Caleb her journals, asking him to continue writing the family story. But Sarah, Jacob, Anna, Caleb, and their new little sister, Cassie, have already formed a family, and Caleb fears there will be nothing left to write about. But that is before Cassie discovers a mysterious old man in the barn and everything changes. Everyone is excited about the arrival of a new family member except for Jacob, who holds a bitter grudge. Only the special love of Caleb, and the gift he offers, can help to mend the pain of the past.

Caleb's Story continues the saga begun by the Newbery Medal–winning Sarah, Plain And Tall and its sequel, Skylark, spinning a tale of love, forgiveness, and the ties that bind a family together.

Ages 8–10

Customer Reviews:

Caleb's Story.......2006-02-20

This book in the 'Sarah, Plain and Tall" series has the same brilliant ability to draw readers in as the original, this time through Caleb's eyes.

Touching Story.......2004-03-13

Caleb's Story, the third of a series by Patricia MacLachlan, shows how a family can be brought closer together. Caleb, a teen coming of age, meets his grandpa who is sick. Taking place on the prairie this story show a struggle between generations. Read more to understand the struggles between the generations, and possibly solve some of your own.
Two good reasons you must read Caleb's Story are you could find more about grandpa, and find out more about Caleb and Cassie. You could see if their grandpa could make it or not. You could see if they started to get a long. Calob's Story is a MUST READ because you will learn about relationship. This book Calob's Story has a happy ending. You will love Calob's Story.
Patricia Maclachlan is a great writer. You will love her books. Patricia was a English teacher. She has a daughter who is helping her writer a book. She lives on the top of a mountain in Massachusetts. Calob's Story is the best book out of the series.

Sarah, Plain and Tall and Skylark Sequel is Heartwarming.......2002-04-09

Caleb's Story picks up where Skylark and Sarah, Plain and Tall leave off. For the countless readers who fell in love with Sarah as she learned to be a mother to Anna and Caleb, and a helpmeet for Jacob, this book is a wonderful addition. For the reader who lacks "Sarah background," Sarah comes from Maine to a prairie farm after responding to an ad placed by Jacob, who is looking for a woman to replace his recently deceased wife. While he is not necessarily looking for romance, Sarah and Jacob ultimately fall in love, and their next years as a family is chronicled in the sequel, Skylark.

In Caleb's Story, Anna leaves for town to help with victims of the influenza epidemic of 1918. A stranger is discovered in the barn, which turns out to be Jacob's estranged father, John. John wishes reconciliation with Jacob, who stubbornly continues to deny him the forgiveness he desires.

Journaling is a major theme in this book, making it a perfect companion to teaching the importance of recording events and feelings. Caleb picks up journaling for the family, a job which Anna had done until her departure. In trying to encourage Grandpa John to learn about the family he knew little of, Caleb offers the journals to him. Ultimately, in an extremely touching scene, Caleb presents Grandpa John his own journal, whereupon he learns that John never learned how to write.

What a touching story this is! A perfect read-aloud for the classroom (if the teacher can harden the heart enough not to cry!), students do not need to have a lot of background of the previous parts of the story. This reviewer found the characters believable; their reactions that John's arrival caused the family were extremely believable. MacLachlan's ability to convey emotions in an easy-to-understand way for intermediate readers makes this the perfect addition to any school or family library.

I'm not impressed.......2001-12-10

I'm not impressed with this book.

Sarah Plain and Tall is a near perfect novel in it's simplicity and depth but it is evident that MacLachlan spent neither the time nor the care to develop this story. I felt jipped with the cliches and predictable unfolding. This is definitely not her best writing.

Plus, the way the father Jacob is portrayed (an angry unforgiving man) takes away from his character in the first book .. shy, strong, deep and wise.

This book is a classic example of an author monopolizing on something good (Sarah Plain and Tall) knowing her fans will buy it. In the book "Caleb's Story" MacLachlan leaves herself plenty of loopholes so we know there will be more books.

I'm disappointed and kinda disgusted.

Caleb's Story by Patricia MacLachlan.......2001-12-03

As a third grade teacher, I am always on the lookout for good literature for student reading or teacher read alouds. My class and I read together the first two books in this trilogy and I used Caleb's Story as a read aloud which I shared with my principal. We loved this poignant story from its opening pages to its final pages. The old characters come to life once again while the surprising introduction of some new characters give great insight into family life. Everyone could relate to one or more of the characters, they are realistic. Lessons on cause and effect, character traits and goals, predicting, and problem solving were ongoing. Class discussions were wonderful as this tale presents much to talk about. The fact that this book is told in a different voice from the first two, is an interesting change. Caleb, who didn't want to take his sister's place as the family historian, eventually continues the saga in his own journal. My class is writing to the author requesting that she continue the stories using Jacob and the new characters to tie some pieces together. Many of my students are reading it again. It is a beautiful chapter book and appropriate to read when studying the early prairie years of our country.

Dragonwings: Golden Mountain Chronicles: 1903 (Golden Mountain Chronicles)

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A Good Book--4 stars
Upset
snooze fest
Dragonwings
Dragonwings

Dragonwings: Golden Mountain Chronicles: 1903 (Golden Mountain Chronicles)
Laurence Yep
Manufacturer: HarperTrophy
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0064400859

Book Description

Will Windrider
take to the skies?

Moon shadow is eight years old when he sails from China to join his father, Windrider, in America. Windrider lives in San Francisco and makes his living doing laundry. Father and son have never met.

But Moon Shadow grows to love and respect his father and to believe in his wonderful dream. And Windrider, with Moon Shadow's help is willing to endure the mockery of the other Chinese, the poverty, the separation from his wife and country'even the great earthquake'to make his dream come true.

Customer Reviews:

A Good Book--4 stars.......2007-04-27

Dragonwings is a good book to read because you have a good feeling to know someone's dream came true, like Moonshadow's father's dream. Moonshadow is a young man. When he was just eight years old, he had a chance to join his father who he had never seen before in the United States. He went through a difficult time passing immigration. This book talks about how Chinese people settled down in Chinatown and the experience in 1906 with the big earthquake in San Francisco, and then how Moonshadow and his father relocated to Oakland. Moonshadow's father is a good kite maker, and he has a fabulous dream to make a flying machine. Moon Shadow writes a letter to the Wrights telling them how his father likes to fly too, and wishes they can help him. The father's dream came true when he made a flying machine in 1909. Lawrence Yep's historical novels shows rich traditions and the culture of the Chinese community. I will recommend this book to people who are American born Chinese because they can learn from this book about how difficult it was for their ancesters to get into this country, and how they worked so hard and how they survived in white society, so they will appreciate them. Overall it is a good book to read, I just have some words that were hard to understand for me, maybe because they are too old fashioned.

Upset.......2007-04-18

I was honestly upset with this book not as good as i thought it would be, I mean the story was just boring overall.The only thing I thought was interesting that they used kites and I would be curious to ask the author why.

snooze fest.......2007-02-22

horrible
I am 13 years old and I hate this book
we read it in english class this year. About two people actually fell asleep reading it in 5th period. Really boring. There was one exciting part to the story. The names are hard to keep track of. I also don't like the fact that all throughout this book the boy refers to the white men as "demons". At first I thought the book was suposed to teach a lesson. But in the end it didn't
don't buy this book

Dragonwings.......2006-11-30

Wow,this is the best book I've ever read in years.This book starts off with a boy named Moonshadow,Moonshadows mom,and grandmother.They are in there farm allways workinging in the farm and not having any fun.
Moonshadow always wonders how the goldenmountains (America)looks like.When Moonshadow visits the goldenmountains and finds his dad there.The white demons (white people) are mean to the chinamen and all yhey care about is themselves.

Dragonwings.......2006-05-25

Moonshadow starts out as a shy little boy who lives in China who was curious about The Land of the Golden Mountain (America). Men from China would go to America in search for a better life. This is what Moonshadow's father did. One day Moonshadow was told that he had to choose between either staying in China and never knowing his father or being taken to his father in The Land of the Golden Mountain, he chose to leave. On the boat he was very frightened because he heard the older men telling stories of how they were almost tortured in America which did not make it any easier for Moonshadow to leave China. When he arrives he encounters a couple of "scary" things before they get to where he will be staying. Everyone with the last name of Lee works in a Laundry Shop, which is owned by Uncle Bright Star and White Deer. Moonshadow is greeted with Demon (white people) clothing. He already doesn't like what he sees. Moon shadow faces many difficulties such as being mugged, robbed, being picked on and racism through out the whole story. Towards the end of the story Moonshadow's father Windrider discovers that he wants to peruse his dream and he will need Moonshadow's help to achieve that dream. When he tells everyone that he will be moving out they are hurt and angry. They live by a white demoness and her niece, Miss. Whitlaw and Robin. While they are living there Windrider works as a handy man for Mr. Alger. Everything is perfect until the Earthquake comes. Miss. Whitlaw and Robin, Moonshadow and Windrider have to separate. It is up to Moonshadow to take over there new house because father is working on his dream but, will he finish in time and will it work? You find out!

Turn Away Thy Son: Little Rock, the Crisis That Shocked the Nation

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After nearly five decades, enlightenment at last
Anatomy of a Train Wreck
A MISSED OPPORTUNITY
The American Dream or the American Nightmare...
Information Overload

Turn Away Thy Son: Little Rock, the Crisis That Shocked the Nation
Elizabeth Jacoway
Manufacturer: Free Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Book Description

In September 1957, the nation was transfixed by nine black students attempting to integrate Central High School in Little Rock in the wake of the Supreme Court's Brown v. Board of Education decision. Governor Orval Faubus had defied the city's integration plan by calling out the Arkansas National Guard to prevent the students from entering the school. Newspapers across the nation ran front-page photographs of whites, both students and parents, screaming epithets at the quiet, well-dressed black children. President Eisenhower reluctantly deployed troops from the 101st Air-borne, both outside and inside the school.

Integration proceeded, but the turmoil of Little Rock had only just begun. Public schools were soon shut down for a full year. Black students endured outrageous provocation by white classmates. Governor Faubus's popularity skyrocketed, while the landmark case Cooper v. Aaron worked its way to the Supreme Court and eventually paved the way for the integration of the south.

Betsy Jacoway was a Little Rock student just two years younger than the youngest of the Little Rock Nine. Her "Uncle Virgil" was Superintendent of Schools Virgil Blossom. Congressman Brooks Hays was an old family friend, and her "Uncle Dick" was Richard Butler, the lawyer who argued Cooper v. Aaron before the Supreme Court. Yet, at the time, she was cocooned away from the controversy in a protective shell that was typical for white southern "good girls." Only in graduate school did she begin to question the foundations of her native world, and her own distance from the controversy.

Turn Away Thy Son is the product of thirty years of digging behind the conventional account of the crisis, interviewing whites and blacks, officials and students, activists and ordinary citizens. A tour de force of history and memory, it is also a brilliant, multifaceted mirror to hold up to America today. She knows what happened to the brave black students once they got inside the doors of the school. She knows how the whites' fear of "race mixing" drove many locals to extremes of anger, paranoia, and even violence. She knows that Orval Faubus was only a reluctant segregationist, and that her own cousin's timid tokenism precipitated the crisis.

Above all, Turn Away Thy Son shows in vivid detail why school desegregation was the hottest of hot-button issues in the Jim Crow south. In the deepest recesses of the southern psyche, Jacoway encounters the fear of giving black men sexual access to white women. The truth about Little Rock differs in many ways from the caricature that emerged in the press and in many histories -- but those differences pale in comparison to the fundamental driving force behind the story. Turn Away Thy Son is a riveting, heartbreaking, eye-opening book.

Customer Reviews:

After nearly five decades, enlightenment at last.......2007-07-31

I attended Little Rock Central High School as a sophomore in the 1957-58 school year, and during the intervening five decades I have often attempted to make sense of the bewildering events that occurred at my school then and that gained such massive international attention. After all of these years, a talented and meticulous historian has finally created the definitive history of this crucial episode in recent American life. Drawing upon her exhaustive research of the primary documents and by conducting a huge number of interviews with most of the principal participants in the Central High crisis, Elizabeth Jacoway has written the book that should achieve recognition as the single work requiring citation whenever a future historian undertakes a serious examination of the integration of Central High. In this volume readers will encounter the naivete, bumbling ineptitude, treachery, malevolence, sporadic acts of grace and heroism, or misguided policies and decisions of so many of the major community, state, and national leaders and officials of the 1950's. Congratulations to Professor Jacoway for possessing the dedication, courage, and persistence necessary to produce this seminal work of history.

Charles Chappell
Professor of English
Hendrix College
Conway, Arkansas

Anatomy of a Train Wreck.......2007-07-19

This wonderful piece of scholarship is not in keeping with our time. Today, we are asked to look to crack-pot talking heads on television who are experts-on-nothing with opinions on everything, and who think every issue can be reduced to an eight-second sound bite, plus three more seconds for the personal insult. This incredible work is nothing like that. Dr. Jacoway approaches the subject matter like the trained historian that she is: fairly, dispassionately, and factually. Her uncle is a key player, and even he gets no pass. This is the story of a train wreck - the Little Rock desegregation crisis. The characters are huge. There is Harry Ashmore, editor of the editorial page of the Arkansas Gazette, who was always the darling of Little Rock's goat cheese liberals, but who in fact was self-important, self-congratulatory, and self-absorbed. When he wasn't editorializing, he was giving speeches to Democratic Party groups, conduct which would be considered appalling by what little passes as journalistic standards today. There is Virgil Blossom, school superintendent (and the author's uncle) who comes across as a nervous and manic Mr. Whipple of please-don't-squeeze-the-Charmin fame. There is Congressman Brooks Hays, trying very hard to be the peace maker between Faubus and Eisenhower, but who in fact was unsuccessful in doing so, and accordingly, had to resort to making it up as he went along. There is the Establishment, school board members and attorneys, all claiming to be doing the right thing, but some of whom had noses so high in the air they would drown in a drizzle. There is Jim Johnson, a lieutenant of Gerald L.K. Smith, and an unreconstructed racist who, along with his wife, had more in common with Juan and Eva Peron than main-stream white middle class Americana. There is U.S. District Judge John Miller whose ex parte communications with the school district attorneys would get him in serious ethical trouble by today's standards. And then, there is Orval Eugene Faubus. I have often characterized Faubus as the Darth Vadar of Southern politics. This book brings that image home in a more authentic way than I had ever imagined. It reinforces the point made by Roy Reed in his magnificent biography, that Faubus's journey to the dark side was uncomplicated and breathtakingly political. Without pointing fingers, the author reports that Faubus accused Blossom and others of "double-crossing" him in publicly down-playing the facts and circumstances of the "crisis" and the extent of potential violence, thereby failing to give Faubus cover. Whether as a consequence of their public views or whether it was strictly retaliatory to gain political advantage (my personal view), or whether for some other reason, the author does not say. To do so would be an attempt to read the mind of a mastermind of politics. But,the author reports that the next thing that happened, quite literally, was Faubus's calling out the National Guard. The rest, as they say, is history. But not quite. Eisenhower sent in the 101 Airborne Division, the Little Rock Nine were escorted into the front door of Central High, and the rest is history. Well, not quite. A year later, the schools didn't open at all. Faubus was elected to a third term in a campaign uncharacteristically filled with race hatred. I say uncharacteristic because in '54 and '56, he had run as the liberal populist reformer, accused by his opponent of being a communist, with Ashmore as his chief water carrier and speech writer. Ashmore took a leave of absence from the Gazette to serve as Adlai Stevenson's spinmeister in '56. Faubus headed the Arkansas delegation to the convention, and would not deliver Arkansas's support to Stevenson on the first ballot. Ashmore remained bitter toward Faubus for years after that, and the author invites speculation, but does not opine herself, that the resentment may have been the reason for the "Ashmore-Gazette" version of events at Central High.
This is a must-read book for anyone interested in the history of the American civil rights movement. As a liberal Democrat, I had difficulty with some of the material - not because I didn't think the material was true, but because I knew in my heart and mind that it was true. But there is nothing here for the conservative, either. Those who want to go back to a time when "everybody was good" and American values were "held high" should read this book. Segregation, racial discrimination, bigotry, and hatred are not American values. There are no conservative heroes, and very few liberal heroes (Daisy Bates, Elizabeth Eckford, Wiley Branton). In the aftermath of this train wreck, bodies are strewn up and down the track. It's very bloody. History is that way sometimes.

A MISSED OPPORTUNITY.......2007-03-30

I am impressed with the depth of research, and I think Ms. Jacoway writes rather well. Given the extensive research, this book COULD HAVE have stood as the definitive study of the Little Rock Central High School episode. (Several other books on the crisis were written by the key figures themselves, and thus are not detached overviews of the episode. Also, Roy Reed's superb book on Faubus, since it is a biography, does not deal with Central High in as much detail as this book does.) I say "could have" because Ms. Jacoway allows her personal feelings about her uncle, Virgil Blossom, and about Governor Faubus to lead her to paint a distorted picture. Superintendent Blossom certainly had his faults, which the book identifies and then greatly overemphasizes. As for Faubus, it is absurd to argue, as the author does, that betrayal by Blossom and others left him with no choice but to defy the federal courts. This is revisionist history and a fatal flaw in the book. There are other omissions and misunderstandings, but those could be forgiven were it not for the fatal flaw. An example: The author misunderstands the role of Maj. Gen. Edwin A. Walker. Since he was the ranking Army officer in Arkansas (he was in charge of Army Reserve units in the state), protocol dictated that he be the nominal commander of the 101st Airborne units sent to Little Rock. But he was purely a front man, not a decision-maker as the book suggests. Although the end of the book follows other key figures through the years after the Central High crisis, it amazingly fails to note the irony that ex-Gen. Walker helped lead the charge against federal marshals during the desegregation of Ole Miss in 1962.

The American Dream or the American Nightmare..........2007-03-11

Even in politically-charged 2007, what Elizabeth Jacoway has written is an honest, behind-the-scenes look at one of the darkest periods of American history. This is a must read book, especially for African Americans, because it shows us why we should be steadfastly embracing educational and economic opportunities before us and not browbeating each other. Racism, segregation, etc., has left segments of our society forever scarred. "Turn Away Thy Son" is the American history that you won't get from a public school history book.

Information Overload.......2007-02-23

I was born shortly after the attempt to intergrate Central High School by using the Little Rock nine. The nine black students faced a firestorm that was years in the making. Elizabeth Jacoway has impressive family connections to many of the movers and shakers in the integration struggle. Many of us recognize the iconic photo of a dignified young black woman walking seemilnly alone, surrounded by white faces, the face of a young white woman behind her contorted with scorn. Jacoway peels away layer after layer of the actions and attitudes on all sides of the integration battle and lays it out for the reader to absorb, and encourages them to draw their own conclusion. There is also the little remembered episode of the closing of all the city's schools the following year when authorities said they couldn't (or wouldn't) keep the peace. The school administration has very few shining moments in this book.The heros were the black students, some teachers, Daisy Bates, parents and countless citizens who stepped out from the crowd to lend support, comfort and safety. In many cases,local women were not only trying to keep their children in school,keep their children safe, they are also the forces that nudged the general populace into doing the right thing. There are also examples of others who sought the spotlight to continue to threaten and bully their peers into keeping the status quo. I often wondered while reading this, what became of Sammie Dean Parker, is she still a bully? I went to school a decade later in a school system in the south that was still struggling with integration. I was more than familiar with the dynamics. I found Jacoway was more than familiar with the dynamics and uses all the information available, as well as the information gleened from family and political connections. That is where the book struggles. There is too much detail. Some parts of the saga simply fall away in the effort to stick to a liniar storyline. I closed the book feeling as if I had focused so much on the details that I had somehow lost sight of the overall picture.

Fathers and Sons (Oxford World's Classics)

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Truly A Classic
Good story, but could have been better with more realistic philosophy
A different Russian classic
Good place to start in Russian literature
A splendid little book

Fathers and Sons (Oxford World's Classics)
Ivan Turgenev , and Richard Freeborn
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0192833928

Book Description

When a young graduate returns home he is accompanied, much to his father and uncle's discomfort, by a strange friend "who doesn't acknowledge any authorities, who doesn't accept a single principle on faith." Turgenev's masterpiece of generational conflict shocked Russian society when it was
published in 1862 and continues today to seem as fresh and outspoken as it did to those who first encountered its nihilistic hero.

Customer Reviews:

Truly A Classic.......2007-08-10

This is a true Russian literature classic. Turgenev doesn't seem to carry the same heft as Tolstoy or Dostoevsky, but he is not in any sense inferior in his genius for writing. The story is tight and dramatic, and deals with the timeless issues of family, love, relationships, war and politics, with a good dash of Russian miracle. It describes the transformation of Russian society 250 years ago, but Turgenev does so in such a way, finding a common center in our experience, that he could be describing a 21st Century San Francisco family. My book buddy Marcia Makepeace describes the building anticipation in Fathers and Sons, which keeps the reader glued to the book, as expecting old fashioned chills and thrills on every next page.

It is indeed one of those books that is hard to put down once you start. But it is a quick read, and therefore an easy introduction to the Russian classics.

Good story, but could have been better with more realistic philosophy.......2007-07-19

This book is about generational conflict in 19th century Russia, when the moderate liberals of the 1840s generation are confronted with their radical sons from the 1860s.

Given the upheaval in Russia in the 19th century, this has the potential to be some very interesting reading. However the radical sons in this case are portrayed as being nihilists and to the best of my knowledge (and the publishers introduction confirms this) very few of those creatures actually existed in 19th century Russia. There were lots of Social Democrats, Socialists, and Anarchists of all shades among the Russian radicals, and all of them shared a common hatred of the establishment, but they all had detailed visions of what they wanted to put in its place.

The young heroes of Turgenev's novel believe their duty is simply to destroy everything in front of them, and leave the new society up to the next generation. They repudiate the serfs and the peasants, the traditional heroes of the left, just as much as the church and the Tsar.

In my opinion, since the philosophical basis of the story is so far removed from the actual reality, the novel looses a lot of its punch. I had a hard time swallowing the idea that these young men would seriously take nihilism as a philosophy. Of course the idea of nihilism itself isn't supposed to be central to the themes of generational conflict in the novel, but I found that was the stumbling block I couldn't get past.

At the very least though, this novel is very short, compared to the epics of Tolstoy or Dostoyevsky. Less than 300 pages, and (about a third of that the publishers introduction) you could easily read this book in a week and then brag to your friends how you got another Russian classic under your belt.

Speaking of the introduction...Like all republished classic books this contains a lengthy introduction, in this case about 1/3rd of the actual book. The edition I read was introduced by Isaiah Berlin (whose biography on Marx I just recently completed), and contains an interesting summary of Turgenev's own political views, and the big controversy this book caused when it was first published. According to Isaiah Berlin, one of the reasons the philosophy of this book is so muddled is because Turgenev was under pressure both from his radical friends and his conservative publisher. In some ways I found the introduction more interesting than the actual book.

A different Russian classic.......2007-04-06

I'll start out by saying that this was not the version I read. I read a different translation (the Signet Classics version), but as I do not speak Russian and have not read the original, I can't honestly say if the translation made a difference. I'm reviewing the content, and nothing else.

I think the thing I enjoyed most about "Fathers and Sons" was that it was short. The great Russian classics we generally think of are "War and Peace", "Crime and Punishment", etc. These are all long, drawn out books. "Fathers and Sons", thankfully, is short(er), with fewer characters and less confusion as to which person is which, especially since few have similar last names. Confusion does arise between Nicholas Petrovich and Paul Petrovich, his brother. There it is important to remember who is who, but luckily, their personalities are very different and it becomes clear very soon.

Another thing that is nice about "Fathers and Sons" is that it's different. It is not a book of great dramatic fighting (though there is one). It feels human and realistic. All the characters have both virtues and flaws that are easy to relate to. The ending is sad, but at the same time it is happy. It doesn't feel over-done, and I especially liked how the romance stuck in was sweet and not too out-there.

The book also reflects the difficulties Russia had during that period of time. Things were changing and some didn't welcome the change as much as others. Things that had once been acceptable became strange, and the people who believed in the old things became outdated. This book shows the concept of a generation gap beautifully while maintaining an interesting plot and characters.

I recommend it, partially because it's simply a good book, and partially because it shows that not all Russian classics must be long, drawn-out, and with lots of complicated names. Turgenev, who came before Tolstoy and Dostoevsky, will hopefully remain with them on the literary level for a long time to come.

Good place to start in Russian literature.......2007-03-13

If you're intimidated by Tolstoy or Dostoevsky's long masterpieces, consider starting instead with Turgenev's "Fathers and Sons." This book is of course a masterpiece of Russian literature. It's characters and themes are timeless and absolutely relatable to our modern culture. This is a story of family relationships, romance, and philosophy. Highly recommended.

p.s. When you're done here, try "War and Peace" or at least "Crime and Punishment."

A splendid little book.......2007-02-07

This novel is no less than an epic minus the length. The potency of the novel will stir even the most insipid soul. It revolves around the central character Bazarov, a nihilst, who stands in sharp contrast with the traditional values of Russian society. Bazarov views everything with his scientific lens this draws a duel between him and the other characters, mostly the elders. As the novel progresses the gaps between the characters widens but beneath this there is a torrent of emotions that binds them together.

Also, the characters are explored in detail which creates a sense of intimacy and a feeling of sympathy. Again Turgenev is a master here with his impeccable narration.
In short, 'Fathers and sons' captures the generational gap that exists and will continue to exist between the younger and the older generations.

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Mississippi Trial, 1955
Mississippi Trial, 1955
Unoriginal
Mississippi Trial, 1955
Li-Hsin's book review

Mississippi Trial, 1955
Chris Crowe
Manufacturer: Puffin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0142501921

Book Description

At first Hiram is excited to visit his hometown in Mississippi. But soon after he arrives, he crosses paths with Emmett Till, a black teenager from Chicago who is also visiting for the summer, and Hiram sees firsthand how the local whites mistreat blacks who refuse to "know their place." When Emmett's tortured dead body is found floating in a river, Hiram is determined to find out who could do such a thing. But what will it cost him to know? Mississippi Trial, 1955 is a gripping read, based on true events that helped spark the Civil Rights Movement.

Customer Reviews:

Mississippi Trial, 1955.......2007-03-30

At first, Hiram is excited about visiting his favorite grandfather in Greenwood, Mississippi. But before long, Hiram begins to feel that the small town of Greenwood is not the same place where he spent the golden years of his childhood. Then he crosses paths with Emmett Till, a black teenager from Chicago who is also visiting over the summer, and Hiram sees firsthand how local white folk treat blacks who "don't know their place." When Emmett's body is found floating in a river, Hiram is determined to make sure justice is served. But what will it cost him?

Mississippi Trial, 1955 begins during Hiram's childhood with his grandpa in Greenwood, Mississippi. His parents could not raise him at the time because Hiram's dad was in the process of getting a master's degree in English at the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss). Hiram's heart was broken when he had to move to Tempe, Arizona for his father's job. Flash forward a few years. When Hiram was sixteen, his father reluctantly decided he was old enough to go back to Greenwood for the summer. Hiram arrived there happy, but as time went on, he could not shake the feeling that something was different. Then he met Emmett Till, a nice young black boy from Chicago. Hiram and Emmett see each other a few times at the Tallahatchie River, where Hiram played and shared food with Emmett (it was a little unusual down there for whites to hang out with blacks, but Hiram didn't mind). A few days later, a body of a young black man was found in that same river. Hiram thinks he knows something about the hate crime. A day before, Hiram's racist friend, RC Rydell, said something about planning to murder a black boy. Meanwhile, there is a huge media blow-up throughout the country about this cruel crime, so Hiram tells the country sheriff about what he heard. Hiram was subpoenaed to the impending trial to present his evidence, despite his grandfather's misgivings about it. At the trial, the defendants, Mr. Bryant and Mr. Milam, explained how Emmett had made rude gestures to Mrs. Bryant the day before the homicide, but neither of them had killed Emmett. The plaintiff, Emmett's uncle Mose, said that Emmett had been kidnapped by the two men and driven off, never to be seen again. However, there was another man in the car, a blue Ford pickup truck by the looks of it. Just as he was about to testify about RC, Hiram discovered that RC had not even been in town the night of the murder, so it could not have been him. The all-white jury found Bryant and Milam innocent of all charges, even though they, in fact, did kill the young man. The morning after the trial, a few men came to pick up grandpa's blue Ford pickup after they bought it from him a couple days beforehand. Grandpa claimed the transmission went bad, but Hiram was not so sure. Finally, Ralph Remington, a neighbor who would talk in circles to anyone, told Hiram the real story of what had happened. Grandpa had been the third man in the pickup and had sold the truck to remove the evidence and perhaps, a little of his guilt. Hiram felt sick to his stomach, as if his whole world was crashing down. A couple days later, Hiram went back home to Tempe, where he and his father finally saw eye-to-eye... Dad had been right, the south was not a good place to be.

Mississippi Trial, 1955 is an excellent book to spite the sad reality of events. There is happiness as well to balance it out in this historically accurate story.

There were many examples of sadness in Mississippi Trial. One was when Hiram was a child, his grandma died. Hiram was very much upset, because he had lived with his grandparents for so long. Another example of sadness was when Hiram's new friend, Emmett Till, was found brutally murdered in the Tallahatchie River. The last bit of sadness was when Hiram discovered that his grandfather, whom he had known and trusted all his life, was part of the group who killed Emmett. That was like the final blow - Hiram felt broken after that.

The examples of happiness in Mississippi Trial were sparse, but nonetheless, they were there. One happy moment was when Hiram's father granted him permission to go back to Greenwood, the small town Hiram loved. Another was when he saw Naomi, the girl whom he rather liked, again. Hiram was happy because now he had someone who would criticize him when he talked about everything that was going on. The last example of happiness in the book was when Hiram and his dad made up when he came home - they did not always see eye-to-eye and they always argued.

Mississippi Trial was historically accurate in many ways, although the story about Hiram and his family was all fiction. One historically correct aspect of the book was, of course, the cold-blooded murder of Emmett Till, which aroused the entire nation. Another historically correct part was when Hiram's grandfather explained to Hiram that the Jim Crow Laws were the only thing keeping the southern schools segregated. The last major historically correct element of the story were how the jury was all white men, how the black people had to sit in the back of the courthouse, and how grandpa, a cotton farm owner, said the only reason black people were put on the Earth was so they could work the fields.

Mississippi Trial, 1955 was a very good book - I would recommend it to anyone who is looking for a good historically correct story, but does not mind a little bit of sadness mixed I as well, although there was happiness to balance things.

-Elizabeth H =]

Mississippi Trial, 1955.......2007-03-18

Welcome to the Delta. Back in 1955, slavery was still the way of life in Mississippi. No one cared about crimes committed to colored people. When a young colored boy is murdered for whistling at a white woman, no one but a young white boy, Hiram Hillburn, cared. I recommend this book to people who like reading about history.
This book really makes you appreciate the basic rights that we take for granted every day no matter what color or sex you are. Nowadays if you murder someone, you will suffer the consequences. The two men that murdered the colored boy, Emmit Till, got away with the murder with no punishment just because they were white.
Chris Crowe did an extremely good job of writing this book. The way he describes everything puts a descriptive picture in your mind. When a bully named R.C. Rydell was messing with Emmit Till, you can actually picture R.C. shoving fish guts all over Till's face. You can also see the tears dripping down the cheeks of Till's loved ones.
Suspense is a key factor in a book, but this book barely had any suspense. Once you figure out about the trial, you can already assume how the book is going to end by the reaction of the people in the Delta. Nobody cared about the murder, and some were happy about it because "it showed colored people their place".
This was a mediocre book. It wasn't horrible, but it wasn't good enough. Sometimes it just got really boring and you get tempted to put the book down and never pick it up again. Like when Hiram was dreaming about Naomi Rydell, R.C.'s sister. I only recommend this book to people who like reading about history.
D. Clayton

Unoriginal.......2007-02-26

This novel, Mississippi Trial, 1955 is a fictionalized account of the actual events that happened around the murder of Emmett Till. However, many of the plot elements are unoriginal and very similar to To Kill a Mockingbird.

Mississippi Trial, 1955.......2007-02-17

This book is about a boy named Hiram who goes to stay with is Grandpa in Greenwood, Mississippi. While there he meets an African American boy named Emitte Till. They became good friends. When Emitte is found dead floating in the river. Hiram sets out to find out who it was that killed him.
I thought this book was very good. It is a Non-Fiction book based on a true story. It is a great mystery.

Li-Hsin's book review.......2006-12-04

The title of this book is Mississippi Trial, 1955. The author is Chris Crowe who is a professor of English at Brigham Young University. He has written other books about racial causes and this book was written in 2002. The story takes place in Greenwood, Mississippi. This book is about when there was much racial injustice in the south of the United States. It sees this injustice from the point of view of a teenager.
The main characters are Hiram and his grandfather. Hiram is a sixteen year old boy who lives in Arizona, but in the summers, he visits his grandfather in Mississippi. His grandfather has lived in the Deep South all of his life and actually, Hiram grew up there. One other character, R.C. Rydell, is also important to the story.
The main idea of the story is that a boy Emmett, a black boy, is found shot, dead floating in a river. R.C. told Hiram that he going to talk with Emmett before he was killed. R.C. was a bit of a bully. There are three men who took Emmett away and were going to kill him because they thought that he was rude to a white woman. When Emmett was found dead, two of these men were accused of killing him. It was brought to trial and the judge decided that there was not enough evidence to convict them. However, Hiram still thought that the third fellow was R.C..
My least favorite part was when Hiram went with his grandfather to check the cotton fields. Hiram saw that his grandpa was not nice to the black workers. Hiram was not accustomed to this attitude toward other people.
I give this book four and one half stars out of five because I understand more about racial issues and the issues raised in this book upset me. It was sad to read this book and see that people really do this. I want to add that I liked how the author wrote the book and used such specific details to describe feelings and actions. I would recommend this book for others to read.

The Brothers Karamazov: A Novel in Four Parts and an Epilogue (Penguin Classics)

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A story of fraternity and strife...
The last and the greatest of Dostoevsky's novels
A Fitting Finale
One of the greatest novels ever written
A Long Haul . . .

The Brothers Karamazov: A Novel in Four Parts and an Epilogue (Penguin Classics)
Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Manufacturer: Penguin Classics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0140449248
Release Date: 2003-04-29

Book Description

Translated with an Introduction by David McDuff.

Customer Reviews:

A story of fraternity and strife..........2006-08-29

Dostoyevsky's The Brothers Karamazov is a rich, thick, somewhat ponderous piece of literature which tells the tale of three Russian brothers and the circumstances surrounding their father's murder. Fyodor Pavlovitch, a disgraceful wretch, competes with his son, Dmitri Fyodoritch, for the favor of a local girl. The psychopathic Dmitri struggles mightily throughout the tome to vanquish paterfamilias. Alexey, the youngest, is the voice of reason and hope, while Ivan, the enigmatic atheist of the lot remains, to the bitter end, a hard man to pin down. Amidst these four is a collection of townspeople and relations who combine to drive the plot forward.

Interspersed throughout the angst are generous dollops of theology (inspiring for those so inclined), philosophy, and politics. At nearly 900 pages, it is an effort to get through, but there is excellent character formation. One can't help but admire Alexey's innocence, magnanimity, and gentleness while despising the obsessive carnality of Fyodor Pavlovitch and Dmitri. It is said The Brothers Karamazov is the finest example of Russian literature, but there is room to disagree. Tolstoy's War and Peace and even Anna Karenina are superior to me. 4+ stars.

The last and the greatest of Dostoevsky's novels.......2005-11-07

This is the last and the greatest of Dostoevsky's novels. It is the story of the family Karamazov who embody within themselves the character and conflicts of human nature as a whole. Each of the family members as Anne Freemantle writes Dostoevsky gave some part of himself, : to Dmitri his sincerity, generosity, and courage; to Ivan his intellectual temptations and pride, his unmentionable secret sins; to Smerdyakov his malady. To the father he gave his own name; and Alyosha is both the innocent child he once was, and the saint he would become. Also, Alyosha is something more. At the novel's end, Alyosha "half laughing, half enthusiastically" tells a group of boys gathered for a funeral, ". . . we shall all rise again, certainly we shall see each other and tell each other with joy and gladness all that has happened." Alyosha, then, is also the genius, the writer in Dostoevsky, the narrator who "tells all that has happened."
The plot of the novel centers around the question of the patricide of who has killed the sensual, greedy,father of the family.
The work contains one of the greatest chapters, set- pieces of world literature, the Grand Inquisitor. In this section told by the son Ivan there is the possibility raised of Christ returning to earth. The Grand Inquisitor provides Mankind bread and circuses and forbids the return of Christ, for the meaning of Christ's return is that Mankind knows the moral decision and passion of human freedom. And to know human freedom is to know suffering. And all this against the background of the question of the unjust suffering on earth, the terrible injustices Mankind has known.
This is a powerful, complex work, one of those great works of Literature which one can read over and over again throughout one's lifetime - and each time be fascinated anew by the remarkable strangeness, richness , cruelty, complexity and perhaps too simplistic beauty( in the form of the soul of the brother Alyosha and the saintly father Zossima who is his spiritual master) which are the picture of life given by the novel.

A Fitting Finale.......2005-09-18

Fyodor Karamzov is curmudgeonly, nasty, lecherous old man, cursing the lives of those with whom he comes into contact, and blighting the lives of his three legitimate sons: Mitya, who shares many of his father's traits and with whom he is in rivalry for the attentions of Grushenka; Ivan, a hard-bitten drunken cynic; and the deeply religious yet impressionable Alyosha.

When Fyodor is murdered, the blame falls upon Mitya, but was he really to blame and can any of the brothers be absolved of guilt?

This is a long, at times dense and challenging novel, in which Dostoyevsky re-examines many of the themes he explored in his earlier works, albeit with much greater intensity: for example, the nature of freedom and man's destructiveness when moral and social controls are absent or fail to work. He also delves into the nature of heredity - are the sins of the father visited upon the sons?

At one level, the plot is of course an extended murder mystery, complete with court-room scenes. Although these play a great part in the novel, the reader needs to be prepared for long, introspective passages. For those unaccumstomed to Dostoyevsky these might be a chore.

It takes some time to get through, but it is worth the effort, because it is the most eloquent statement of Dostoyevsky's world view and still has deep relevance.

G Rodgers

One of the greatest novels ever written.......2005-08-27

Arguably one of the greatest novels ever written; challenging, brilliant, and a wonderful entry into early existential literature. This is a tale to read in your adolescence or early adulthood; do not be intimidated by its reputation, length or greatness; just enjoy.

A Long Haul . . . .......2005-04-29

But worth it in the end. I'm a slow reader by nature, and this took me some time to get through.

Although I haven't read an awful lot of Dostoyevsky, I wouldn't say this was my favourite so far, which is not to say I didn't enjoy it. It can be slow and heavy going at times, but that is to be expected due to the sheer richness of such a large novel - the notes to the text are also a wonderful guide to such a thick prose and I'd have been greatly lost without them. That said, and I don't wish to at all bring spoilers to my review, I did enjoy The Idiot more, just for the deeply dark ending that novel contained compared to this one, the ending of which left me a little unsatisfied, despite the sense of achievement of having finally finished the book!

If you like other novels from the era, and can patiently read large slabs of monologue and the like, stick this one out and you will be rewarded.

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