(Unabridged tape version) I was curious about Geronimo, so I picked up this book. It started well, setting the stage for Geronimo's rise. Adams lays out the geography and politics of the time very well. But then the story begins to get very dull.

Every battle and every agreement is painstakingly set up. The author notes that the white man shamefully broke every promise (Geronimo was a clever tactician when he broke promises). After a few of these, it gets a little dull. No, very dull. That may, in fact, be the history of the Southwest, but it doesn't mean that it is interesting reading.

Good setup, poor payoff. I would recommend finding another biography.

Please ignore the first review. Alexander Adams' biography of Geronimo provides a well researched presentation of the struggles of many noted Apache leaders in their efforts to cope with a succession of foreign invaders. The book documents America's near total disregard of peace agreements. Adams' efforts to present a Native viewpoint of events is not itself biased, though he does point out bias (against indians)in the contemporary reporting of Geronimo's time. The themes are somewhat repetitive because Adams documents the succession of broken promises, and outright lies, that were visited upon one after another of the Apache leaders. It acurately places US and Mexican dealings with Geronimo's people in context as a shameful chapter is U.S. history. As to being dull, well, if a description of a repetitious American policy of ethnic cleansing seems dull, so be it. Rather than being biased, Adams avoids use of a double standard, but does point out, for example, that there was an outcry when women and children were killed by indians, but that the same (or worse)was ignored when US or Mexican troops,... or ranchers, or miners, did the same. Maybe such even handed treatment would seem like a double standard to one steeped in Eurocentric descriptions of history. And, well, it does describe how a (white) raid on a peaceful, treaty abiding rancheria, tended to make the attacked Apaches' break their agreement to remain at peace. But is that treachery, or self defense? Its prose may not match Evan Connell's Son of the Morning Star, but it is very worthwhile reading.

This is a very thorough book on Geronimo, the Apaches, their hard life in the southwest, relations with whites, their many army oppoenents, reservation life and and atrocities on both sides including relations with Mexicans. The book starts with an explanation that Apaches actually stand for a generic name for many tribes such as the Warm Springs Apaches, the Chiricahuas, Mescaleros, etc. The author discusses the great Chiefs before Geronimo such as Cochise and Mangas Coloradas. Surprising to learn that initially the Apache got along well with the stage line until an incident ocurred involving a young Lt. attempting to get the return of a hostage by seizing Cochise and and others as hostages. This was primarily because of the Army's inability to distinguish one group of Apaches from another. The book recalls the bloody total war between whites and the Indians, the efforts of agents such as John Clum, frustration with the selections of reservations and poor rations, problems with alcohol (Tiswin), the capture and frequent escapes to freedom by the Apaches and their incredible ability to survive in what appears to be hostile land. Geronimo takes the lead in resistance with his tribe of Chiricahuas that over time is pared down due to constant battle and pressure from both north and south of the border. Great detail on General Crook's use of Apache against Apache and the rise of Lt. Gatewood who is the frequent contact of Geronimo. Incredible description of Geronimo's stronghold in the mountains of the Sierra Madre. Total war on both sides with bounties up to $100 for each of their scalps and no quarter by the Apaches. Tremendous book on Geronimo who is finally defeated not by his admirable adversary Crook but by the egotist General Nelson Miles and the reduction of Geronimo's band to 35. Miles caps it all off by not recognizing Gatewood's accomplishments and sending Geronimo packing for far longer than he agreed to. You will be surprised to learn where Geronimo is buried.

I would like to explain an eyewitness account concerning the "farmer ghost" on ridge road in Upper Mt. Bethel. It was late one night, about a month ago, and three of my friends and i were bringing a friend home. We were driving along back roads and we turned down ridge road. as our headlights reflected off of a metal wire fence, a glimpse of an old man caught our eye. We all asked eachother what it was, but no one seemed to have an answer. My friend turned his car around about 10-15 ft. down the road and we came back to the fence...and he was gone. So, then, we decided to go back the way we were going and we passed it again, and there he was- smiling and waving as we drove by. By this time, my friends and i had been convinced that we had all seen a ghost! And of course, being the courageous and curious teenagers that we are, we went back again! This time, he wasn't there, but the last time we turned around, not only was he there, but this time he was bent over the fence with his face pointed toward the ground. i was the only one out of my friends who saw him in this position. Now, this is how i learned about the story in this book- I came home, and my mom started telling me about this ghost story in your book. she asked me where i had seen the ghost, and i replied, "Ridge Road." She then proceeded to explain the legend of the ghost, that's when i knew it was the same ghost i had seen.

This book did disappoint me. It covered a wide range of the Lehigh Valley from the Slate Belt to Alburtis. However, the book relied heavily on folklore and second-hand stories rather then eyewitness accounts. On the other hand, the authors did povide pictures and competent discriptions of the sites and the locations.

I am a paranormal researcher from the Lehigh Valley. I recommend this book to anyone who has the urge to explore the unknown. I was delighted to see photos of actual occurances and descriptions of locations near my home. Although there are not a lot of eye-witness accounts included in the book, having lived here most of my life, I know how closed-mouthed the locals here are. However, I have personally researched several of the locations found in this book and have seen some interesting things myself.

....Psychotherapist Adam Phillips develops these themes in the context of Houdini's career, the attraction of his escapes for audiences, case histories such as those involving a five year-old girl who plays hide-and-seek in peculiar ways and a man who avoids women he is attracted to, mythology (Oedipus, Prometheus, Daedalus, Icarus, and Sisyphus), and literary characters (Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Emily Dickinson).

The book's themes work best in the context of Houdini. The other examples provide context, but not nearly as much insight. I was particularly interested to learn that the story I had heard about Houdini's death was wrong. ....

In general, I found the book interesting, but found that it had some serious drawbacks in its structure and focus. For example, there is discussion about prostitution, pornography, and avoiding sexual relations that is loosely tied back to Houdini's skills in escape illusions. I found the connections tenuous, not well made, sometimes puzzling, and of little interest.

The discussions with patients are probably easy for a psychotherapist to follow, but I found them not very clear. I suspect that I would have enjoyed the book more without the patient sections.

At the same time, the mythological references are mainly of value to someone who doesn't know the stories. For those who do, those sections become long and somewhat tedious.

Basically, the book needed to be edited down further and to connect the dots more. At the same time, the section on Emily Dickinson could easily have been expanded.

If you know a lot of about psychological theories, this book will probably not add a lot for you. If you don't try very hard to avoid things, this book will probably not be very interesting. For those who strenuously avoid and would like to know more, this is a pretty low-key introduction into seeing the possible meaning behind patterns of avoidance through self-questioning.

What are the implications of your avoidance? Can you embrace what you care about in healthy ways? How well is your seeking out or avoiding behavior serving you and others?

Find ways to serve others, give love, and enjoy life!

Was there a time when this was the stuff I believed actually healed people? After an intensive period of reading books on the brain and its neurochemical 'ecosystem' capacities- this book was a bit of an escape for me. The book is short and the concept simple- just not a real powerful theme.
This was a relatively simple concept- the escape process- from either real or imagined stimuli. Whether we are attempting to evade the unconscious or conscious stimuli, the process itself can become addictive. It isn't hard to include Houdini in this concept, and the parts that substantiate fact with theory remain persuasive whenever he is part of the examples. The other people, famous and not that were included were harder to incorporate. Emily Dickinson's late life retreat into solitude-while it was escape, was just limp in comparison. Too many mysteries about Dickinson's personality and psyche seem to require clarification before she can be attached into any metaphorical framework.
Still, it is an interesting little novelty of a book and has an element of cautionary charm. It is not controversial-but is it relevant? As many mental health professionals are exploring reverentially the biochemical, and evolutionary nature of consciousness, memory and mental illness- there is that notion of "Here we go again! Buying everything hook line and sinker." Hearing some of the voices of past-glorious psychoanalytical solemnity, was a bit of a kick!

Both the fan of magic and the psychotherapist in me read Houdini's Box ---- with our feet propped up on the back porch railing, on a September Sunday afternoon.

The psychotherapist in me respects Adam Phillips' way of provoking thought without claiming any corner on "the truth." (If you like being introspective about the human psyche, this is a good one.) But mostly, the fan of magic enjoyed Phillips' take on Harry Houdini. There is little doubt that Houdini would be proud to be receiving so much attention 75 years after his death, but I think he would especially like becoming an archetype for the human condition.

If your taste runs toward mixing introspection with entertainment, and if you are curious to discover what you may have in common with "the great mystifyer," the two of me definitely recommend this book.

I purchased several of these books to use as small gifts, and while they do make nice gifts, there are a few errors. At least two of the knots in the book give the wrong direction for the final loop, which can make what should be a symetrical knot (Windsor) into a fairly lopsided knot. The book does, however, give nine otherwise good, creative ways to tie a necktie.

Have you ever wondered how many ways there are to tie ties? This book gives you more than you need to know, 9 to be exact. All knots are nicely illustrated with brief description on their characteristics. This book covers beyond classic Windsors and Four-in-Hand. I gave 4 stars, because it didn't cover the basic techniques, such as how to put a dimple in the middle. Here is a hint for you. To achieve sharper looking knot, buy a shirt with 1/2" bigger neck size. This will help reduce tie-space, thus giving you smaller looking knot.

Overall I thought the book was very straight foreward. This book takes you beyond the foolish 4;windsor, 1/2 windsor, 4- in -hand, and the bow. I've always seen excellantly tied ties in fashion advertisements and wondered how they did it. The fact is they are not using the knots mentioned above. The classic knot described in the book is very sharp semi-semetrical with a small vortex at the bottom. There was even two ways to tie the bow; one easier than the other. The only complaint is the layout of the diagrams although clear some were scatered all over the page making it difficult to follow along. Money well spent for the man who is always looking for new ways to look sharp!

Those who are not looking for an academic biography should check out Adam Smith: The Man and His Works by E. G. West. It's concise, elegantly written, and keenly insightful. Only specialists and academics need bother with Ross's tome.

Easy to read in spite of the larger-than-life reputation of Adam Smith. Presents Adam Smith the man as a bit of an absent minder professor who talked to himself.

However, the book shines in connecting Smith's life experiences to their effect on his thinking and writing. Extensive use is made of Smith's correspondence to flesh out ideas presented in his published works. The author is clearly more comfortable with the pedigree of thought behind "The Theory of Moral Sentiment" rather than "The Wealth of Nations", but Smith's ecomonics are still given thorough treatment. The disconnect between Smith's free trade theories and his work as a Commissioner of Customs is explored to the full.

A quick read and a delightful look into the Scottish Enlightenment.

This is an extraordinarily interesting biography, especially for its insight into the very different world of 18th century Scotland. Smith's student start at Glasgow University with six professors, at which and education could be obtained for 10 pounds a year. His first book -- A Theory of Moral Sentiments -- in which he developed his concepts of morality, and which he kept revising along with A Wealth of Nations until his death. His first protest against tariffs -- an import duty on oats into the city of Glasgow, which would be unfair to his students who brought oats and peas from home and lived on 1 or 2 pounds a year for food. Writing is a bit turgid, eighteenth centuryish. Still, I keep thinking about the bits and pieces of the life of this most interesting man.

... agency.

Well,I love his other books, you know. hhgttg (hithchikers guide to the galaxy) trilogy, In fact it's my favorite book. But this one SUUUCKS!! I can't remember how many times I fell asleep while tring to read this monstrosity. I still haven't figured out why the horse was upstairs to begin with, and now,I really don't care.

After reading the five (!) books in the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy trilogy, I turned to his two books featuring Dirk Gently, Holistic Detective. Although it took me a bit of time to warm to these stories, I wound up liking them even better than the HhGttG trilogy, much to my surprise. This audiobook version of these two excellent books is everything you would want in such a thing - unabridged and read by the author. On the downside, it is slightly pricey, and on the way far downside, it is out of print, and therefore a little hard to find. (Here's hoping that is remedied soon.) The late and much lamented (by me in any case) Douglas Adams was a writer of rare talent. He could write books about great subjects such as the origin of life and the meaning of existence, and make them riotously funny and entertaining. I believe that the only thing that will keep him from being recognized as a major writer is that he wrote science fiction. Too bad, because science fiction or not, his stuff was superb.

Being a long-time fan of Douglas Adams and his "Hitchhiker Series" doesn't automatically mean you will fall in love with Dirk Gently, but...

If you have any love of Norse Mythology, and enjoy a great Detective story...you will love these stories immensely.

Lurking refrigerators, redheaded housekeepers, Odin, Thor, jets, the birth of new Gods, Valhalla, cripsy linen sheets, exploding desks at airports, missing passports, pregnant cats, Coke machines, time warps, hot potatoes, rock groups, soothsayers, strange horoscopes, greed, history, mythology, and of course at the center of it all is the humor of Douglas Adams.

These are two of the most thoroughly enjoyable stories to be found on tape, and I give it 5 stars, it never flags, it holds your attention to the last paragraph of the last page. And it is especially nice to hear them read in the author's own voice, unabridged. Every little jewel is included, nothing is lost in the transition from print to spoken story.

As a user of Neurofeedback, I can't tell you how disappointed I am with this book. Reading it is like literary dumpster diving: there are nuggets of wisdom to be gleaned here, but at the sxpense of sorting through a lot of garbage.

Initially I was taken in by the subtitle, "Neurofeedback and the Process", and was expecting more detail of how Neurofeedback works and how it may be used to further improve our state of mind. Instead, the book continually harps on and hints at the authors' undisclosed methods of enhancement. At many points, the style remind me of someone on a soapbox in a public square harranguing the crowd. There is a lot of enticement, exciting brief examples of success, but not much substance.

I totally support the underlying premise, modern medicine has become too drug oriented and Neurofeedback holds an unerutilized potential, but there is little presented here to help people accept the alternative of EEG Feedback. The style of writing is a throwback to the "bad old days" when these techniques were seen as a shortcut to Nirvana and associated with Hippies discussing the "power of the high". The authors' work does a disservice to what is really a well founded and researched alternative approach to treating many serious disorers as well as a legitimate means of enhancing our mental processes.

I am giving it one and a half stars because of the message. Unless you are already familiar with the technique, however, no one will likely be positively influenced by the this book. I can't give it the one and a half stars it really deserves, so I'm rounding it up by giving the authors an extra half star for at least trying.

After reading the title, I expected a lot more about actual information on the technique of neurofeedback. That, I didn't find. However, I felt all along reading the book, that the information the autor shares, comes from years of working with neurofeedback on himself. The thinking process written there is a result of years of work of an introspective mind. For that content I would give 5 stars. For the misleading title it is now 4.

Revue of Book MINDFITNESS TRAINING: Neurofeedback and The Process by Adam Crane and Richard Soutar, Ph. D. Writers Club Press, 2000.

This fascinating book blends science, psychology, philosophy and mysticism into an inspirational and highly authoritative exploration of the mind. Seldom does a purportedly scientific book take what at first glance, judging by the title, appears to be dry, clinical research data and transform those brain wave analyses into an expansion of individual and collective consciousness. However, this is exactly what the authors attempt to do and, I would argue, in fact do. After reading this book, or should I say savoring this book, I felt a connection between the rhythms and patterns of my own brain and the rhythms and patterns of the Universe. It was probably a liminal moment to which the authors allude.

Adam Crane is an entrepreneur thoroughly credentialed in Biofeedback and Neurofeedback with 30 years experience in medical / educational biofeedback and applied psychophysiology. He is the President of American BioTec, Director of BioMonitoring International and BioTec Corporations, and Founder of Health Training Seminars. Richard Soutar, Ph. D. is a professor at Arizona State University and is Director of Biofeedback Services for the Neuro Performance Center in Phoenix. He lectures and gives workshops on social psychology and clinical neurofeedback. They are on a mission with Adam's MindFitness Training program to expand the consciousness of humanity so that our individual minds learn how to access Universal Mind. This is not the typical mission statement for a neurofeedback specialist, but through a program called The Process, it seems they are picking up where Carl Jung left off with his treatises on psychoanalysis. On a less grand scale, it seems possible to provide life and performance enhancement learning through these techniques.

The idea that we can modify our perceptions and our states of consciousness is an ancient idea and has been suggested by cultures throughout time. All have given great importance to Attention as the method by which this is done. In the MindFitness program , with the technology of neurofeedback, the authors discuss a method to help clients attain Profound Attention which is defined as the ability to see with brain and heart. The MindFitness Training program includes The Process with its nine stages. In raw form, The Process sounds like the ancient teachings of Raja Yoga, the study of the mind through the yogic tradition. The authors allude to this connection and define Raja Yoga as the royal road to 'union' and the maximization of one's unique potential. The Process includes nine two hour modules for how to develop Profound Attention to what is.

The Process is part of a lifetime of learning as a human being which is a continual work in progress in order to be the best 'artist of living' possible. In brief, the content of the nine sessions includes the following concepts and sound like training to be a Yogi or Yogini: (1) Extraordinary life enhancing changes are possible through the use of these techniques, (2) Each 'artist of living' must bring a sense of mission to the journey, (3) The 'artist of living' must include learning about the mind through learning about and fully experiencing the body, (4) The 'artist of living' will bring Attention to his/her thinking to bring about higher orders of intelligence, (5) Attention to Attention brings about flexibility of thought and dimensionality to the thinking processes, (6) Improving the quality of sleep improves the quality of awake time, (7)Economic order and well-being provides the freedom to self-actualize as an 'artist of living,' (8) Eliminating negativity and the unnecessary frees artist's energy for focus on fully living, (9) Awakening to the ability to love provides the creative, healing energy so necessary for the fully awakened life of a true 'artist of living.'

Although the book focuses on the expansion of consciousness, it does cover a learned discussion of the more common uses of neurofeedback, including the treatment of addition, alcoholism, anxiety, ADHD/ADD, chronic pain, conduct disorders, depression, epilepsy, learning disabilities, and sleep disorders. Research data is quoted to substantiate treatment protocol effects. However the primary focus and majority of the book deals with The Process.

Even though the book is dedicated to the mother and wives who nurtured and encouraged these authors / seekers on their journeys, it could as easily have been dedicated to The Hero with a Thousand Faces as Joseph Campbell described the thousand heroes on the journey within.

In conclusion, I think that if Neurofeedback as presented in The Process were simply a new drug being touted by pharmaceutical companies with a promotional campaign behind it, this treatment would be catapulted into the mainstream and could supplant many of the drugs of which we are currently enamored. The beauty of this treatment is that it does not involve medication, but rather the training of the mind, which is what good therapy is supposed to be, but seldom is.

DeAnsin Goodson Parker, Ph. D., Director of the Goodson Parker Wellness Center, developer and author of Yogababy tm, and Director of the Foundation for the Development of Human Resources.

Overall, this text is sufficient in teaching the skills and tools necessary to understand and read New Testament Greek. I was actually instructed using James Efird's text (with the same title). So I was able to make a few comparisons. In Adam's text, all of the info needed to read Koine Greek is there, but it is not always presented in the best manner or order. Some irregualrities (for instance - of verbs) are presented too early and my friends found that confusing. At times, too much information is crammed into a chapter. And more often than not a sufficient amount of examples are not present in each chapter. There are plenty of exercises, which provides a benifit, and then again does not. For a Pre-Seminary student (or any other student for that matter) who is not only studying Greek, he/she may have many other subjects to prepare for and the abundance of exercises may be too over-whellming as a homework assignment. There also is no vocabulary section in the book. To wrap this up, I always wanted to state that there was a lack of emphasis on accents...of course many teachers don't stress that in class. Even though I've been harsh, the book does provide the necessary means to learns New Testament Greek and read the original text. From my experience as a student, tutor, and teacher, I've had the opportunity to compare and contrast. I prefer Efird's text and wish it had not gone out of print. But this text will suffice.

I have to say that I'm still working my way through this book, but I have several problems with the text. Too much information is stuffed into chapters, instead of being spread out to facilitate a slower, easier method to learn Greek. Also, there are almost no examples in the text to convey what is being taught. Since grammer rules are often tricky, examples could have provided a much needed explanation of what the chapter is trying to convey.

The exercises are excellent and copius, allowing for plenty of opportunity to practice translation. The book also has a great index of verbs, adjectives and all kinds of goodies that are easy to refer to. The author even includes a list of common terms that one will find in the Greek New Testament, as well as a list of common names.

As I work my way through this text, I have to say that overall it is a good, not great or excellent, book. But with steady study and hard work, the book does yield success. Maybe Machen would be better.

I used the manuscript for this book in a Greek class at Princeton Seminary, and I found it to be very well organized, clearly written, and very accessible. This grammar, while not being 'inductive' as such, is certainly functional. My only complaint is that there is a lack of focus on accenting; for many students and teachers, that is not a problem.

The Greenway was garlanded with lavish critical praise on its publication .I am at a loss to understand why and see no basis for this if literary merit is the soledetermining criterion.I suspect the crime writers mafia-you praise me and I'll praise you syndrome.
The book is curiously tepid and I will own up to part of my irritation arising from my lack of engagement with and interest in its themes--superstition,psychotherapy and middle class angst.
Its author in an online interview has stated she does not feel the book is a crime novel,despite its marketing, and I see why .There is a crime,a detective has a prominent role and the routine of police work is etched in but Adams interests seem to lie elsewhere.
The plot is triggered when a young girl vanishes from the Greenway,an ancient pathway in Norfolk ,England .Some years apreviously another girl had vanished and her companion that time ,Cassie,is vacationing in the area when the second child vanishes.She begins to experience visions and ultimately leads the police to the child
The key goes back to an even earlier dissappearance and the working out of the plot just about sustains interest The policeman Mike Croft is colourless and flavourless like much of the writing.
I have read another Adams novel featuring Croft namely Cast the First Stone and that is a quantuum leap ahead of this tired book I suggest you start your exploration of Ms Adams with that one -it will repay your time in a way this does not.

The Greenway by Jane Adams jumped out at me due to author Minette Walters comments on the book. While The Greenway is far from the fabulous writings of Ms. Walters, it does have it's own blend of suspense and some interesting twists and turns.

The plot kept me reading past my stop on the bus but I never really fully felt the characters, they were not fully formed nor very sympathetic. They seemed very wooden to me but I really wanted to know what happened to Suzie! The novel opens with Cassie Malthams perpetual nightmare of the day her cousin Suzie disappeared. They were young children playing on the greenway - one moment Suzie was there and the next she had vanished.

Cassie and her husband decide to return to the sleepy village many years later so that Cassie can face her fears and move on with her life - only as Cassie returns another young girl vanishes from the greenway. The police see the connection as does the press and Cassie must face her worst nightmares to help save a child's life as well as save her sanity.

While I felt the ending lacked a bit - I did enjoy the read. The writing was light and moved quickly and the plot stayed very intriguing from start to finish. I only wish Jane Adams had drawn stronger characters.

I picked this book up randomly and I am glad I did! The tight plot, believable characters, and suspenseful pacing are reminiscent of Ruth Rendell and Minette Walters. The only drawback is that after you whip through this book, you'll want to read more by her and her other works are very hard to find in the U.S. If you can find it, check out Adams' Cast the First Stone.

Adam Rapp's Little Chicago presents a portrait of an eleven-year-old who lives largely in a world that misuses and neglects him. Blacky Brown, the book's protagonist, is introduced to readers first while running through the woods in the middle of the night, escaping from the house in which he's just been sexually abused. The book's darkness hardly subsides from this point. Blacky experiences neglect from his depressive mother, peer ridicule at school, a substandard living situation at home, and virtually no help from any of the clinicians put in charge of his case. He is passed around, treated poorly, and only able to confide in one person-Mary Jane Paddington, a girl at school who is equally outcast by classmates. Though the relationship that develops between the two of them is one of the only points of hope in the book, it is scarcely developed.

Rapp's style is coarse and bristling, full of short sentences and poignant remarks. But this style is so regimented that it becomes predictable, and often it becomes impossible to ignore the author behind the characters. Many moments of beautiful writing and collage-like images emerge throughout this text, largely because of the sparseness of language. However, the vulgarity of language used by characters, at times, furthers the darkness and rawness of Blacky's experience, but may well pose a problem for younger readers.

Though the book targets readers twelve and up, the substance and language of the text is certainly mature and may be unsuitable for many young readers. This text might be most useful for readers who want a hard-hitting book about the traumas young people sometimes face and are able to sort through the painful and sometimes graphic aspects of the book in order to find its virtues.

Adam Rapp's Little Chicago presents a portrait of an eleven-year-old who lives largely in a world that misuses and neglects him. Blacky Brown, the book's protagonist, is introduced to readers first while running through the woods in the middle of the night, escaping from the house in which he's just been sexually abused. The book's darkness hardly subsides from this point. Blacky experiences neglect from his depressive mother, peer ridicule at school, a substandard living situation at home, and virtually no help from any of the clinicians put in charge of his case. He is passed around, treated poorly, and only able to confide in one person-Mary Jane Paddington, a girl at school who is equally outcast by classmates. Though the relationship that develops between the two of them is one of the only points of hope in the book, it is scarcely developed.

Rapp's style is coarse and bristling, full of short sentences and poignant remarks. But this style is so regimented that it becomes predictable, and often it becomes impossible to ignore the author behind the characters. Many moments of beautiful writing and collage-like images emerge throughout this text, largely because of the sparseness of language. However, the vulgarity of language used by characters, at times, furthers the darkness and rawness of Blacky's experience, but may well pose a problem for younger readers.

Though the book targets readers twelve and up, the substance and language of the text is certainly mature and may be unsuitable for many young readers. This text might be most useful for readers who want a hard-hitting book about the traumas young people sometimes face and are able to sort through the painful and sometimes graphic aspects of the book in order to find its virtues.

On a literary level, this is Kerouac or Burroughs for the young reader. Written in a plain, suggestive, stream of consciousness style, time and events flow over Blacky Brown while he innocently takes note. Beautifully written, haunting, surprisingly hopeful.

On a practical level, the theme, language, and situations are quite mature. The main character is 10, the readership is 12 and up, but I would hesitate to recommend it for readers so young. I wouldn't be surprised to find it in a college freshman English course.