Fade Away (Myron Bolitar Mysteries)

Book Description

The home was top-notch New Jersey suburban. The living room was Martha Stewart. The basement was Legos—and blood. For sports agent Myron Bolitar, the disappearance of a man he'd once competed against was bringing back memories—of the sport he and Greg Downing had both played and the woman they both loved. Now, among the stars, the wanna-bes, the gamblers and groupies, Myron is unraveling the strange, violent life of a sports hero gone wrong, and coming face-to-face with a past he can't relive, and a present he may not survive.

In novels that crackle with wit and suspense, Edgar Award winner Harlan Coben has created one of the most fascinating and complex heroes in suspense fiction—Myron Bolitar—a hotheaded, tenderhearted sports agent who grows more and more engaging and unpredictable with each page-turning appearance.

Customer Reviews:

Bolitar is Awesome !.......2007-08-27

Harlan Coben spins a dramatic series with Myron Bolitar that out does Evanovich's Plum. It's intelligent and yet funny, funny. I intend to read the entire awesome Bolitar series.

Love His Myron Bolitar Series.......2007-08-16

I really enjoyed this book because of all the history Mr. Coben gives you of the characters. I've read the first two books in the series and was excited about this book. It gives you some history about Myron's college years and how his basketball career injury happened. Jessica kinda takes a backseat in this one. I enjoyed again the dialogue between Win and Myron. I can't wait to read the next book in the series. The mystery in this one isn't as good as the previous two. I felt like it wandered around some. There's of course the Coban twist at the end where the character you least suspected is the bad guy. I highly recommend this book for the background and the continuation of the series.

Four and a half stars..........2007-05-01

I've read a few Harlan Coben books recently and I have thoroughly enjoyed his Myron Bolitar series. In Fade Away, he definitely raises the bar and moves from being not just an entertaining mystery writer, but also a well-written one.

Myron Bolitar is a 32 year old lawyer who runs his own sports agency. At one time, he was one of the top college players in the country. But after being drafted by the Celtics, he blows his knee out in a preseason scrimmage and his potential career is history. Now, the owner and general manager of the New Jersey Dragons want him to find one of their stars, Greg Downing, who has gone missing right before tournaments are to begin. In order not to raise suspicions, they place Bolitar on the team so that he can better investigate what has happened. Downing and Bolitar have been in competition since they were in high school, and it wasn't always about basketball. Bolitar finds many reasons for the possible disappearance of Downing that range from compulsive gambling to possible murder.

When I first started reading Coben, I thought the characters were a little too much like Robert Parker's Spenser and Hawk. But I've come to appreciate them on a new level. As a person who has played and coached basketball, Coben is right on in his observations about the game and the players. In describing Bolitar's complicated relationship with Downing, he says "there is a special bond between competitors. Kinda like Magic Johnson and Larry Bird. You become defined by one another. It was like that with Greg and me. It was unspoken, but we both knew the bond was there." TC, the other Dragon star tells Bolitar about the price of being a star. " The real price is you ain't a person anymore. You're just a thing, a shiny thing like one of these Benzes out there. The poor brothers think I'm a golden ladder with goodies at every step up. The rich white boys think I'm a fancy pet."

The plot in Fade Away is also much more intricate than usual, and the ending has a stunner of a surprise. I never saw it coming. The one thing that kept me from giving it five stars is that the plot line where Bolitar is recruited to play is a big stretch. Otherwise, this was a pretty awesome book.

You will not be able to dribble your way through this book........2007-04-14

Fade Away is the third book in the Myron Bolitar series, and it's key in finding out more than ever about Myron's past. Harlan Coben has a witty way of motivating his readers to keep going to the next page with a thrilling lay-up of events. You'll find yourself going into overtime, reading like a player on a fast break, to get to the end. Guard this book like the treasure that it is, and only pass it forward to the most deserving.

I'll soon be reading Back Spin on the rebound.

FADE AWAY - VIVIDLY DONE!.......2006-10-08

Am reading Harlan Coben's Bolitar series in order. So far, loving them all. They are witty, sardonic, sarcastic all the way! Myron is a honey. Win is wonderful!!!

Myron is rehired to his old basketball team, the N. J. Dragons, to go undercover and find their star player who is missing. He is also Myron's biggest rival from the old days, before another player injured Myron's knee in a run-in on the court. What a good book! I could hardly put it down. Guessing til the end. And the end was touching and poignant. It solved a mystery in Myron's life too. Had a tough time finding this book but I am glad I persisted.

On to the next, "One False Move". Mr. Coben never disappoints.

Average customer rating:

Perhaps the best book I've ever read....
I randomly selected this book...and I'm glad I did
Indeed, a LIFE Well-Lived
Inspirational Read
What a brilliant life...

Not Fade Away: A Short Life Well Lived
Laurence Shames , and Peter Barton
Manufacturer: Harper Perennial
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 006073731X
Release Date: 2004-09-14

Book Description

Some people are born to lead and destined to teach by the example of living life to the fullest, and facing death with uncommon honesty and courage. Peter Barton was that kind of person.

Driven by the ideals that sparked a generation, he became an overachieving Everyman, a risk-taker who showed others what was possible. Then, in the prime of his life — hugely successful, happily married, and the father of three children — Peter faced the greatest of all challenges. Diagnosed with cancer, he began a journey that was not only frightening and appalling but also full of wonder and discovery.

With unflinching candor and even surprising humor, Not Fade Away finds meaning and solace in Peter's confrontation with mortality. Celebrating life as it dares to stare down death, Peter's story addresses universal hopes and fears, and redefines the quietly heroic tasks of seeking clarity in the midst of pain, of breaking through to personal faith, and of achieving peace after bold and sincere questioning.

Customer Reviews:

Perhaps the best book I've ever read...........2007-07-15

My father passed away in the fall of 2006, from cancer, at age 58. I found this book during the winter, it was out of place and I picked it up. Maybe I was looking for meaning, I don't know. But I have read it cover to cover twice, and pick it up often to browse. It is beautiful, poignent, raw with honesty. On the surface, my father was nothing like Peter Barton, but as I read the book I saw my father in every page. Much of what I witnessed in his final months were hard to articulate, yet Peter Barton and Laurence Shames gave me the words I could not find.

A beautiful book about death and dying, about life and love and lessons. Read this book. It's more joyous than sad, more beauty than darkness.

I randomly selected this book...and I'm glad I did.......2007-05-25

I happened upon an advance uncorrected proof of this book quite by accident. I read a few sentences and thought, "Why not give it a read?" Well, I have to say that the book - both the writing and the content - are absolutely wonderful. Laurence Shames gets all the emotion and humility and pride down flawlessly in the pages of this book. You can't help but wish you had known Peter Barton after reading this.

Indeed, a LIFE Well-Lived.......2007-03-03

Mr. Shames wrote a poignant and very real account of the disease that took his life at a very early age. I read this a couple years ago, and just re-read after hearing the story of a "younger" person stricken with cancer. This book will inspire, but will also force the reader to consider; "What would I do? Would I have that much grace and zest and enthusiasm?" The dirt-nap gets us all, this book demonstrates how one man dealt with his impending demise---and teaches valuable life-lessons that we could all use. Highly recommended.

Inspirational Read.......2006-06-04

For Peter Barton, a maverick businessman whose career has been characterized by creativity and billion-dollar partnerships, the psychology of cancer was difficult to digest. Unlike most business agreements he has brokered in the media industry, the deal between a terminal patient and his cancer appeared to be a zero-sum game, and the forty-something year old media mogul struggled to bridge the disconnect.

Hardly a person to let death dictate the terms of his legacy, Barton preserved his insights on the matter before he left the living. As such, Not Fade Away -- Barton's chronicle of the last days of his life -- is an attempt at coming to terms with one's finality. The chapters switch back and forth from Barton's first-person narrative and the observations of Barton by a professional writer assigned to shadow the terminal patient during the last stages of his life.

Despite the subject matter, Not Fade Away is an uplifting read because even as death closes in around Barton, we see that life reveals itself in all its sublime beauty. Such a paradox, namely that death is infused with life, leads Barton to embrace both the fact of his imminent death and the ever-present life that surrounds him. Barton reformulates his understanding of the linear aspect of the past, present, and the future, and realizes their convergence and singularity. Just as death is a part of living, we are not fixed to a single point in time; the past, present, and the future are manifest in the now.

Although such notions are not terribly original, Barton's honesty and courage in sharing his innermost fears and doubts during the last days of his life provide a refreshing look at life, death, and perhaps what it means to "not fade away" in a language that resonates with timeless relevance.

What a brilliant life..........2005-12-04

This is easily one of the most inspirational books I have read in a long time. Peter Barton was an extraordinary buisnessman, father, husband and friend...a man who knew how to make each day count and to challenge a terminal illness in a way that must have made his family so very proud of him. I highly recommmend this book to anyone and everyone!!!!

Average customer rating:

Courtney Love and her book of lies. . .
A pretty good book.
The most boring Kurt Cobain book
an okay bio
Kurt Cobain was Murdered

Never Fade Away: The Kurt Cobain Story
Dave Thompson
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Paperbacks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0312954638

Book Description

An inside look at the life of one of the most thought-provoking men of all time - Kurt Cobain. Examining an artisitic genius who was light years ahead of his time, this is an unfailing account of Nirvana's rise and Cobain eventual descent.

Customer Reviews:

Courtney Love and her book of lies. . ........2005-08-24

I had the chance to review this on the internet before buying. Thankfully I did. I would not recommend this book to anyone who really gave anything for Kurt Cobain and or Nirvana. The book is inaccurate and follows a form known as Courtney Love and her book of lies. She helped write this book and who knows what is true and what is not. My opinion is to try Love and Death or Who killed Kurt Cobain or for that matter, try Tom Grant's Investigation manual. Written by someone other than Ms. Courtney Love herself.

A pretty good book........2005-05-24

I bought this book one day at a bookstore because I didn't have much money but I was deeply interested in the Cobain story. I ended up being enthralled by it and I loved it.

But it does have some serious flaws. If you are someone who has a passing interest in Nirvana or someone who wants a very affordable, quick explanation of Kurt Cobain's story because of his popularity & influence, then this may be a good book for you. But if you are someone who loves Nirvana or someone who wants to actually understand Kurt Cobain's story as best as possible, don't get this book and instead purchase "Heavier Than Heaven" by Charles Cross.

Although Never Fade Away is an interesting book and it does describe some good stories & good information, upon reading Heavier Than Heaven I realized how inadequate Never Fade Away is. Charles Cross was given access to deep important information that others can not chance upon, and it makes Never Fade Away look unresearched and from afar. It gets important facts wrong, occasionally. Heavier Than Heaven truly is the definitive biography.

The most boring Kurt Cobain book.......2004-12-28

This book has no structure... Its so boring. Usually when I read a book about Kurt Cobain I cant put it down, but this one I could... EASILY. Ive tried on many occasions, to read this book and stick with it, but I couldnt. Its almost like a addict who cant quit whatever, they just fail. And I failed to enjoy this book. Its boring, and it only talks about stuff Ive already heard. And it documents when the fans and world heard about Cobain's death. Its a good thing I didnt buy it new, and got it for $2.99 at Half Price books, I couldnt have ever forgiven myself for wasting my money on this. Its even worse than Heavier than Heaven... Read Who killed Kurt Cobain? or Love and Death, by the same genius authors. The truth is in those novels.

an okay bio.......2004-07-20

This is a hastely put together although reasonably adequate biography of Kurt Cobain and the legendary band Nirvana. Some interesting background info on Cobain's childhood and earlier years, and lots of info on his musical life with the band and their rise as recording artists. Easy to read, but not terribly comprehensive. Worth checking out if you're a Nirvana fan or want to read about the tragic life and death of a rock star.

David Rehak
author of "A Young Girl's Crimes"

Kurt Cobain was Murdered.......2004-04-21

Isnt it amazing, that in this day and age, there are still organizations like the Seattle Police Department, that believe just because someone is an addict, that it doesnt really matter how they died?

Kurt was a beautiful and caring artist--even if he was an addict. The people responsible for his MURDER need to be brought to justice.

Any book which doesnt relay the horrible inconsistencies surrounding the so-called police investigation of Kurt's death, is either very shoddy; or in league with the murderers.

Read the site cobaincase.com, if you want to know the details.

Book Description

Jim Marshall is the ultimate rock roll photographera man who began shooting during San Franciscos acid rock heyday and never stopped; a man Annie Leibovitz once called the rock roll photographer. His outsized personality and penchant for fast living have given him a special rapport with musicians and enabled him to get candid, revealing shots. Not Fade Away collects the best of Marshalls photography for the first timeand gives us a memorable visual history of the rock roll era that is unprecedented in its intimacy, immediacy, and impact.

Customer Reviews:

I knew him when...............2004-11-15

As post teeners in SF's North Beach, Jim and I caroused the jazz clubs in the 50s with his first Leica. Always caustic, ever insightful, Jim progressed from raw talent to brilliant. This book is super to those who lived it !!!! Jack Bennett

music photographs in the highest regard.......2003-07-06

a beautiful music book from a very opinionated photographer. both text and images are the top shelf material.

This incredible photo book should get 11 Stars!.......2000-06-24

So MUCH ink has been spilled about the 60's & early 70's, most of it overblown or off base in someway. Marshall's black and white photos (most of them taken by a Leica without flash!) get to the heart and soul of the times in ways most writers can only dream of...I can't wait until the color volume comes out. Powerful stuff (like a shot of great whiskey), a must have for any music fan. The HIGHEST recommendation!

Where Have You Gone, Jim Marshall?.......1997-12-27

One of America's pre-eminient rock photographers surfaces. Jim Marshall's work was a fixture of the '60s and some of the '70s, especially when it came to the Summer of Love and SF. But then like Flower Power & the '60s, Marshall indeed "faded away." His later output in the '70s and '80s is devoid of post-'60s icons as Springsteen, who had a huge pre-Time/Newsweek magazine following here, as well as others. I first met him 12 yrs ago when he sold me one of his photos. I was familiar with his work with Life (Stones 1972 tour) and before and was thrilled to be able to meet the man. At the time I wondered why he hadn't published a book yet. Now here it is and for the most part it delivers bigtime. Great insights delivered via the photo captions; sometimes when Marshall compliments an artist ("so-&-so was the greatest") it might come off a bit on the light side but you can't really complain. His work speaks for itself. It was powerful and awesome. Also in the book are photos of recent performers such as the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Maybe it's the Times...maybe it's the Subjects...but these recent photos didn't belong in this book at all. It's great to see Marshall's more current work, but I think quite a bit of the magic was missing. Marshall himself acknowledges this. If anybody can conjure this old feeling back through the art of photography, he can.

Average customer rating:

great ending
A ghost of a novel
life on the road
wild ride
An exciting revival in storytelling

Not Fade Away
Jim Dodge
Manufacturer: Grove Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0802135846

Book Description

George Gastin is a Bay Area tow-truck operator who wrecks cars as part of an insurance scam. One of the cars he is hired to demolish is a snow-white Cadillac that was supposed to be a present for the Big Bopper, who died in the Iowa plane crash that killed Buddy Holly and Ritchie Valens. Gastin has a change of heart and takes off in the car, heading for Texas where the Bopper is buried. Armed with a thousand hits of Benzedrine and chased by adversaries real and imagined, Gastin navigates a road trip that covers many miles and states of mind. Traveling in time from the Beat era to the dawn of the sixties, from the coffeehouses of North Beach to the open plains of America, Gastin picks up some extraordinary hitchhikers: the self-proclaimed "world's greatest salesman," the Reverend Double-Gone Johnson, and a battered housewife with a box of old 45s. As the miles and sleepless hours roll by, Gastin's trip becomes a blur of fantasy and reality fueled by a soundtrack of classic rock 'n' roll.

Customer Reviews:

great ending.......2005-04-23

takes a while to find it's feet in the beginning, and slows a bit in the middle, but it is all worth it for the last few pages.

A ghost of a novel.......2004-07-13

In not fade away Jim Dodge has taken the notion of the unreliable narrator to an unfathomable level. It is impossible to know what, if anything, described in the story is intended to be "real", and furthermore one comes to the realization that in this road saga, reality is ultimately superfluous. "Not fade away" is a joyous, desperate loathful drug induced romp, but also manages to sneak in a healthy dose of gut wrenching sentiment, and philosophical musings that any talented barstool philosopher has shared at some point in drunken reverie for the everyday absurdities that forever stave away mundanity in the lives of those willing to experience anything. A fine novel, to whimsical and at times lacking direction for five stars, but a great novel and rewarding read nonetheless.

life on the road.......2004-03-29

NOT FADE AWAY is about a journey, but it's more about grieving and accepting. And the book has great Dodge characters along the way. No Johnny Seven Moons, but there's Double-Gone.

wild ride.......2000-11-10

I couldn't put this one down until it was over - a wild, nostalgic ride back over familiar territory - the characters are vibrant and sometimes brilliant - I was inspired to start my own Buddy Holly novel - still in the works! One of the few books that I have read more than twice!

An exciting revival in storytelling.......2000-04-28

Wow! I picked up Not Fade Away in a book store for a dollar, not knowing that I had found such a gem. This story was told exceptionally well, crazy, hilarious, and down right odd - I think this book should be read in schools! Put a little free spirit in your life and buy this book!

Average customer rating:

Phenomenal

Reputations Fade Away
Dawayne Williams
Manufacturer: Kojack Enterprise
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0978654722
Release Date: 2006-11-01

Customer Reviews:

Phenomenal.......2007-01-16

Kojack,

I really enjoyed your autobiography and it was definitey a page turner. In the beginning, I thought it would be another B-Boy type novel, but you proved me wrong. Your book hit home because I am from DC, had a hustler for a man and hanging out at those same spots. Continue to be blessed and good luck in your endeavors!

Not Fade Away: A Backstage Pass to 20 Years of Rock & Roll

Average customer rating:

Check the Table of Contents Before Purchasing
The Best of Ben Fong-Torres
Title Says It All
A little disappointing but maybe it was my fault
Good

Not Fade Away: A Backstage Pass to 20 Years of Rock & Roll
Ben Fong-Torres
Manufacturer: Miller Freeman Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0879305908

Amazon.com

Where rock scribes are concerned, you've got provocateurs of the Lester Bangs school, academics of the Greil Marcus variety, and the nuts-and-bolts sorts who, while perhaps less colorful wordsmiths, excel at capturing their subjects by putting them at ease. Early Rolling Stone contributor/editor Ben Fong-Torres may be the best known and most durable member of that third school. Not Fade Away gathers 34 Fong-Torres profiles and interviews ranging from Woodstock-era pieces centering on Sly Stone and Janis Joplin to '80s articles on Eddie Murphy and Tom Hanks. Despite the occasional foray into film writing, Not Fade Away centers around rock & roll. Solid journalist that he is, Fong-Torres can stretch from James Brown to Neil Diamond, from Bob Dylan to Iggy Pop--all without straining. Vignettes update and add color to Fong-Torres's out-of-the-archives articles. --Steven Stolder

Book Description

From 1969 to 1981, Ben Fong-Torres was one of the first "star" writers on staff at Rolling Stone - the "scruffy rock journal" that metamorphosed into one of the most powerful voices of a generation. Now in this fascinating book, Fong-Torres revisits his most intriguing celebrity interviews and profiles, and - for the first time - tells the revealing stories behind the stories, the stars, his writing process, and life at Rolling Stone.

Customer Reviews:

Check the Table of Contents Before Purchasing.......2007-02-18

Fong-Torres is a talented writer, but readers who are interested in rock 'n' roll history may wish to skip this book's chapters on people like Diane Keaton, Neil Diamond, Annie Leibovitz, Tom Hanks, Eddie Murphy, and (!) Rodney Dangerfield. (Steve Martin's is worth reading, however.)

Not to worry, though, this volume does contain actual interviews and profiles with music industry folks like Ricky Nelson, Three Dog Night, and Dick Clark. You can probably see the problem with this book's title and cover image by now. And you might understand why I got excited when I came to the book's piece on Iggy Pop. Unfortunately, it was just a two-page description of an appearance Iggy did at a Tower Records.

Drat.

The Best of Ben Fong-Torres.......2001-06-23

A better title would be the Best of Ben Fong-Torres. This book is a collection of articles he wrote for "Rolling Stone". Some of the people written about in this book are Jim Morrison, Bob Dylan, The Jackson 5, Janis Joplin, Ray Charles, Marvin Gaye, The Jefferson Airplane, The Rolling Stones, Santna, Ricky Nelson, and many others. What really makes the book worth reading is that he gives information on what he had to get the interview and what happened after. Sometimes, the behind the scenes information are as good as or even better than the article.

Title Says It All.......2001-04-30

If you weren't around in the 70s, or you want to "relive" this era, Ben Fong-Torres' book is a good place to start. It's a collection of many of his Rolling Stone feature articles, along with a brief update of the personalities involved. Having "come of age" in the 70s, it brought back memories of my own and it gave me insights into some of the most famous rock personalities of the 70s and early 1980s.

Fong-Torres has an excellent writing style and "captures" a little bit about what made a lot of these musicians "tick." His articles are enjoyable to read or re-read if you've seen them before. While part of the title (A BackStage Pass to 20 Years of Rock n Roll) may seem cliched, it fits here. Fong-Torres in his Rolling Stone articles managed to catch a glimpse of an era now long gone.

A little disappointing but maybe it was my fault.......2000-10-19

I bought this book after seeing Cameron Crowe's "Almost Famous". That was an exceptional movie and I thought I would relive the era through Ben fong-Torres, who was featured in the movie.

The book is really a reprint of many of his stories in Rolling Stone which the reviews probably stated and I didn't focus on. I would have preferred his story of being close to the Rock and Roll scene. Reading some of the articles that were over 20 years old became somewhat boring and outdated. I did learn quite a bit in some of the stories and Fong-Torres does provide some narrative on each story although it is limited. Overall though, I'd take a pass on this one and look for another if you are looking for a good book about rock in the 70's and 80's.

Good.......2000-08-13

I thought this was a good, literate book. I only read the stuff I was interested in, but there was plenty of that (especially the George Harrison, Paul McCartney and Mick Jagger profiles). Frank Zappa once said that rock and roll journalism is "Writers who can't write, writing about musicians who can't play music, for readers who can't read." And he was/is correct for 99% of rock journalism. This book is the 1% of rock journalism for which that statement does not hold true. A solid book.

Average customer rating:

"Don't I need to see all my mistakes so I can improve?"
"Close to Home"
4 1/2* Journals of Pain and Healing
Debut Novel
required reading

Never Fade Away: A Novel
William Hart
Manufacturer: Daniel & Daniel Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1564743861

Customer Reviews:

"Don't I need to see all my mistakes so I can improve?".......2007-08-18

An excellent novel that gives deep insights into dfficulties experienced by a young girl who escaped Vietnam in the final days of the war. She enters a California university and faces many things that are new and different from what her life had been. One of her professors ,who was a Veteran of that same war,goes through great mental difficulties in dealing with the university establishment in his efforts to really help his students and get his own life back to normal.
The structure of the book is unlike any I have ever come across.There are no chapters at all.All the prose is in the form of journal entries of the student and her professor . There is no necessity to show which person's journal is being quoted.Tina,the student's journal entries are dated by day,month and date (Sunday,November 24) while the professor's are given numerials (11/26/85). This is very inovative and works surprisingly well.
The story is so well constructed and written that it is surprisingly easily understood and flows so well it is difficult to put down. That is not to suggest that the topics and emotions are simple;they are anything but. What the author has done so well is to put it all into a novel in a way that the reader has no difficulty in understanding the thoughts and emotions that these two people experienced.
This may be William Hart's first novel,but with the skills he has shown us with this one;I suspect and hope for many more from him in the future.
There are many little things that I found different in this story. Tina's dealings with other people,particularly roomates,present her as a very mature person for her age.No matter what difficultu she comes up against;she never falls for the "poor me" victim,syndome.She just takes a breather and pushes forward.Another little item is Tina's use of the word "wander".One never is in doubt of what she means.
If you were to read this book with a plain cover;it would be interesting to think what sort of picture would be appropriate.The picture on the cover is supurb and I just love looking at it .It will get a prominent spot on my bookshelf.
Aside from the story itself;I couldn't help but think of some of my own experiences in university.At the time it seemed that the professors just "appeared" at the lectern,gave their lecture,and then we all filed out. We were all more interested in the subject and our interests in passing the course and didn't give a whole lot of thought to the professor and his interests and problems. This book will make you think that "professors are people to".
There is another little thing that intrigued me on page 174.A method to numerically evaluate the quality of writing.I don't know if it is really used;but many years ago in a "Better Writing" course I learned about "The Fog Index" It was a way to evaluate numerically how easy a piece of prose was to understand. It worked and is given for many of the books listed on Amazon.The method of calculating it can be found on the net by searching "Fog Index"

"Close to Home".......2002-06-18

This story hit, "Close to Home", for I am a Vietnam Vet and a member of a minority. It is for these reasons that I was very sympathetic, understanding, and emotionally drawn to the people in this story. William Hart has written a short, but powerful story that packs quite a punch.

It's a solid and touching story of the relationship between a teacher and his student, that could become romantic but does not quite reach that point. It's 1985, and a Vietnamese student, Tina Le, has signed up for an English Secondary Language (ESL) course at a Los Angeles college. John Goddard is her writing teacher and a Vietnam Vet, who is still experiencing flashbacks of the war. The story is told in alternating journal entries, so that we are exposed to the views of both characters daily lives. This creates a very personal and intimate method of telling the story. I think it brings us closer to the characters real feelings. The story unfolds as the English Department decides to flunk out the many Asian Students. Tina Le, a math major, has a talent for writing stories. She writes a heartfelt story on the suffering of her family back in Vietnam during the war. Goddard recognizes her literary talent and tries to reward her by having the story published. Soon Goddard finds out the university administrator plans to fail the overabundance of ethnic minority students, including Tina Le. Once Goddard finds out Tina Le has failed the course unfairly he strongly brings his objections to the university administrator, and soon finds himself fired from his job. After filing a grievance, they are given a hearing, and what follows is a courtroom like drama, where both Tina Le, who testifies for Goddard, and Goddard fight to save his job. During this time, Tina Le's and Goddard's relationship deepens, to the point where it could become romantic. Of course, this creates even more problems for both of them.

This is a short and easy read, and an impressive debut by a writer that is a force to be followed in the future. I especially enjoyed and related to his Vietnam experiences and the emotional and caring feelings he had for his ethnic and Vietnamese students. This is a book that's hard to put down, and a story that should touch almost any heart. Highly Recommended!

Joe Hanssen

4 1/2* Journals of Pain and Healing.......2002-06-06

This is a superb novel about Vietnam War veteran John Goddard and his ESL pupil, Vietnamese refugee Tien Le, as each confront past war traumas and current problems with the English Department's grading policies at a fictional California State University.

Hart presents a dual-first person narrative in the protagonists' journals, and this is where his mastery shows. Unlike other first-person novels (or dialogue in 3rd person), Hart gives John and Tina (her chosen Anglicized name) authentic voices true to their strengths and, most importantly, limitations. The bounds on their perceptions and emotional responses ring true: Goddard's cynical and sometimes sweeping moralizing tone, for example, seems appropriate for a man tuned into the "black and white" rather than the gray shades: "Then there's Memorial Day...here the underlying theme is human sacrifice by auto crash, as thundering engines and screaming gears are echoed a millionfold on the nation's highways." Though the book effectively attacks the ESL practices and the self-righteous administrators who impose them, Hart restrains from using his characters' voices as a proxy for his own; they do not suddenly become eloquent or insightful so that Hart can make a point.

The book's pace, character development, and alternating narratives show great balance. Hart is patient with his characters, letting them reveal explosive bits of the past in wider and wider circles as they approach their Vietnam experiences. Mr. Goddard initially confronts the past indirectly, seeking answers in the lives of other war survivors: Ulysses, the prototypical soldier and war refugee, humorist/Civil War veteran Ambrose Bierce, and in his own farcical but somewhat detached Vietnam novel. However, this intellectualizing does not abate his continuing symptoms strongly indicative of PTSD (e.g., nightmares, flashbacks, isolation, anger). Goddard (as well as Tina Le) gradually faces the past through his journal entries (and ultimately through some briefly mentioned therapy at a VA Medical Center and a Vet Center.)

Hart doesn't stereotype the hurting vet, he shows us Goddard's intelligence, compassion, and a cynical idealism that serve him well in his battles against the discrimination of the English Department. Similarly, Tien "Tina" Le is a well-rounded character, showing doubt, strength, and maturity. The writing, with very few exceptions, is excellent: "...the polyglot students of CSUM are quiet but tough...a leatherlike durability cured to absorb 10,000 blows without a flinch or whisper." Goddard also injects a somewhat mordant levity to the book:" Once our squad did a body count after a wall-to-wall carpet [bombing] our leader called...We confirmed 32 kills, although all the pieces could have come from-And I believe did come from-one unlucky water buffalo." Excellent. However, I did think that Rayneece, Tina Le's roommate, sometimes seems a bit "pasted" onto the story. But no matter, this is a great book.

What could have been a confining format becomes instead an insightful and exciting scope in to the protagonists' inner and outer lives. I can't help but compare "Never Fade Away" to Alice Walker's great "The Color Purple," though Walker's work covers deeper ground. Hart, like Walker, allows the characters to tell the story, and the overlapping perspectives give us a whole greater than its parts. He has found a true voice for each narrator. I recommend this book very highly, and look forward to more work from this outstanding writer.

Debut Novel.......2002-06-04

"Never Fade Away", is William Hart's first novel. Dr. Hart has been a teacher of basic writing and (ESL) English As A Second Language at Los Angeles Universities, so how close this novel is to his experiences makes the moniker of novel less than absolute. His own experience clearly adds a great deal of credibility to the work, and this makes a strong message even more disturbing. The message that he shares is one that has gained in importance as events last fall have brought this country's immigration policies in to question. There are fine lines between prudent immigration law, xenophobia, and racism. As congress is getting itself prepared to crucify various governmental agencies hoping to score points for this November's elections the theme of this book only increases in relevance.

There have been disturbing books recently, and one specifically that spent a good deal of time on the bestseller list. They are opportunistic cheap self-promotion screeds that play on fear and ignorance and offer nothing of value. The people who read these books and those that write them are hardly Native Americans. Unless one is a full-blooded Native American, all of us have immigrated here or are the descendents of immigrants. For those who thought the Witch Hunts of McCarthy were a thing of the past, wait for these hearings. They have already been carefully scheduled so that the initial hearings are closed to the public, congress will adjourn to craft their campaign speeches laced with accusations that are indefensible, and then return for public hearings in September, and we all will be the worse for it.

The book takes the form of journal entries of a teacher and one of his students. This student and all others like her must pass a certain proficiency level in written English to stay in school regardless of their performance overall. It is reasonable to expect people that wish to make their home in The United States to have the abilities to write and speak competently. It is not appropriate to use these educational hurdles as institutional racism. And this is the environment that the book's teacher and his students struggle against. If the tests in reality are as described in the book a substantial number of us who have been hear for generations would fail.

Many may ridicule that last sentence, but I offer this. Recently national testing for history was done in our schools and when given the list of the primary combatants in WWII less than half of High School students provided the correct multiple-choice answer. The winner and third place occupant of the recent National Geographic Geography competition were both home-schooled.

"Never Fade Away", has other elements that were hard for me to justify. I don't know if I am being fair, or if the primary issue is just so volatile. For me some of the flashbacks and personal history seemed a bit awkward, but others may find these facets appropriate.

I enjoy the work of new authors, as there are so many names that seem to have a production line for their work. Small publishers have brought to readers new writers that may not be as polished as familiar names, and for that I thank them. Too much of contemporary fiction is occupied by different takes on tired themes, so make the leap occasionally to writers you know nothing of, and you will often be rewarded.

required reading.......2002-05-29

NEVER FADE AWAY should be required reading for teachers at any level, especially those (which is now nearly all teachers) with students for whom English is a second language. It shows poignantly the frustrations and downright heroism of an immigrant student and of a teacher who risks his job to help her in defiance of a college administration that uses absurd standardized tests for academic cleansing.
Furthermore, this is a fine novel. Using a double epistolary form, alternating narratives by teacher and student, it evokes brilliantly the complementary perspectives of its two main characters. It keeps us intimately involved in their thoughts and feelings while it presents the social and political tangles in which they are wound. I literally did not put it down, reading it in a single sitting, something I have not done since reading Nabokov's PNIN many years ago.
I recommend it most highly.

Glory Fades Away: The Nineteenth-Century World Series Rediscovered

Average customer rating:

If you're a true baseball fan, you'll love this!
GREAT BOOK

Glory Fades Away: The Nineteenth-Century World Series Rediscovered
Jerry Lansche
Manufacturer: Taylor Pub
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Baseball | Sports | Subjects | Books

General | Sports | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0878337261

Customer Reviews:

If you're a true baseball fan, you'll love this!.......2005-02-24

Most baseball fans think the World Series started in 1903 but the National League and the American Association, considered a major league at the time, played for bragging rights in 1882. Twelve other championship series followed prior to the turn of the century.

In GLORY FADES AWAY, Jerry Lansche recounts these series. But he does much more than that. He starts with a history of baseball, taking us back to Alexander Cartwright who formed the New York Knickerbockers; he also changed the shape of the field from a square to a diamond, reduced the lineup to nine, and placed the bases ninety feet apart and codified the rules for the game. Lansche then takes us through the Civil War all the way up to 1869 when the Cincinnati Red Stockings became the first professional team and 1876 when the National League was formed.

Lansche also places baseball in a wider social setting. For instance, there were over a hundred thousand saloons and three thousand distilleries spread throughout the country. Half the male population visited a saloon at least once a week. Baseball had its share of hard drinkers and baseball players in general were considered roughnecks. Gambling was also a problem. Let it suffice to say that the 1919 Black Sox series was not the first series to be fixed.

Speaking of the Black Sox, I wonder how many people know that the owner Charlie Comiskey was also once a slick fielding first baseball for the St. Louis Browns, who defeated the Chicago White Stockings in seven games in 1885. Coincidentally, Cap Anson, the first man to reach 3,000 hits also played in this series on the losing side.

Many other Hall of Famers played in these championship series. Hoss Radbourne, the only pitcher to win sixty games in a season, won three games for the Providence Grays in the 1884 series.

Probably the most interesting group was the 1896 Baltimore Orioles who played Cy Young's Cleveland Spiders. The Orioles averaged .328 that year. Hughie Jennings hit .398 with a 112 RBIs. Wee Willie Keeler had 214 hits and scored 153 runs. Muggsy McGraw had malaria that year but he was the heart and soul of the team. But the Orioles were primarily know for their "win-at-all-costs" attitude, cutting corners on the base paths, snagging an opposing players belt loop on his way around third etc.

Lansche also includes sidebars on "The Changing Game." For instance in 1882, the pitching mound was only fifty feet from home plate but the pitcher had to throw seven balls before the batter was given first. In 1887 the number of bad pitches required was reduced to five. A batter could no longer ask for a high or a low pitch. Also in 1887, Cap Anson originated spring training when he took his White Stockings to Hot Springs, Arkansas, prior to the season.

Numerous pictures are included. A young, skinny John J. McGraw pictured in 1899 his hair parted in the middle; "hard-drinking, free-spending" Mike "King" Kelly leaning on a bat; an autographed picture of a young Cy Young with a mustache.

This book is a treasure trove of information about a time when baseball was in its infancy; if you love baseball as much as I do, you won't be disappointed.

GREAT BOOK.......1999-06-12

A really enjoyable history of baseball's World Series in the nineteenth century. Sorry it's out of print...

Never Fade Away the Kurt Cobain :NIRVANA

Average customer rating:

A true remembrance of Kurt Cobain

Never Fade Away the Kurt Cobain :NIRVANA
Dave Thompson
Manufacturer: Pan Books Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Customer Reviews:

A true remembrance of Kurt Cobain.......2002-02-27

This is one of the best books I have read, and I have read several. It doesn't go into great detail but it does show Kurt in a respectful light and truly lets you realize what an extraordinary man Kurt really was. I would recommend this book to anyone.

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