This is in answer to many letters, phone calls, and e-mails concerning the writer's fiction and non-fiction.Robert Banfelder's nonfiction writing on the criminal justice system is unquestionably fodder for his novels. Through his first nine articles and editorials in 1991, Banfelder decried the incarceration of a young man wrongly accused and convicted of a crime he did not commit. With the help of Banfelder, attorney Mark Baker -- formerly of Barry Slotnick's office in New York -- along with CBS News correspondent Mike Taiibi, Richard Tchilinguirian's conviction was overturned and the Armenian man was released from prison. Bob's sequel to his first published novel, No Stranger Than I, The Signing, incorporates the tragic but factual aftermath of the young man's death.In an article entitled, A Case for Vigilantism, Bob Banfelder writes bluntly about a family's plea and promise for street justice with regard to the rape of their 15 year-old daughter.Displaying an editorial concerning the John Gotti trial and sentencing, the latter of which the writer attended, protestors held and waved copies of the author's writings which appeared on the front cover of The Daily News and Newsday, complete with photos of Bob and the mob boss. TV cameras zeroed in on the two photos and text clipped beneath windshield wiper blades as demonstrators overturned federal vehicles that ringed the Brooklyn federal courthouse.These factual events figure prominently into his fictional works, giving his writings the ring of truth upon which his stories are built. Another example is to be found in The Triumvirate concerning the Buttafuocos, that is Mary Jo and Joey. Banfelder interviewed the latter as well as having attended Joey's 'coming out of jail' party at an Italian restaurant in Syosset. Banfelder's portrayal of the event and its cast of characters is intriguing, "with very little embellishment," the author says.Banfelder, while a reporter covering the Galen Kelly story -- a cult deprogrammer and distinguished law enforcement professional who was convicted on kidnapping charges and whom Banfelder believes was set up by a notorious cult -- writes with an unerring eye in his treatment of fanatical groups passing themselves off as religious sects as evidenced in The Triumvirate in addition to his latest completed work entitled, The Author. Its theme? Why would the Justice Department look the other way concerning a suspected serial killer? The answer is tied to a seemingly innocuous cult, its leader insulated for reasons concerning national security.Wish to gain insights into the trials and tribulations of courtroom proceedings where Robert Shulman (Howard Mills) is on trial for his life as a serial killer? Trace Evidence is a novel based largely on the actual pretrial, trial and sentencing phase, which the author attended for fifteen months. Banfelder made it his business to interview forensic scientists, Suffolk County's head of homicide -- Detective Lieutenant John Gierasch -- as well as virtually all the major and peripheral players involved. Too, the author lectured before psychiatrists and students at Kirby Forensic Psychiatric Center, speaking about the trial and his writings.Banfelder's novel in progress is entitled, The Teacher. All seven of his works, with the exception of one (Trumble's Pond), are psychological thrillers. His novels are unique in that they delve into the mind of the serial killer as well as one who sees little equity in a flawed criminal justice system -- namely a vigilante that sets out to avenge the victim and his or her family.Bob Banfelder is an expansive literary novelist, drawing from his investigative reporting on the innocent as well as the guilty. Other personalities include Amy Fisher, Leona Helmsley, O.J. Simpson, Sammy "the Bull" Gravano, as well as several lesser known individuals.Banfelder's writings are both fascinating and brilliant say his readers and reviewers. I have read all of his published works and manuscripts, and I wholeheartedly agree. His writings are literary and lively, with strokes of murderous genius at their core. A rare combination, woven successively and harmoniously. It is only a matter of time before an ambitious agent together with an audacious publisher pick up on Bob Banfelder, acknowledging his unique form and style while realizing a potentially prodigious audience -- a readership both sexes will relish.

The author presents his literary abilities on every dynamic spell-binding page. Read this book slowly so that you can savor each line. I never wanted to reach the last page. But, then again I can always re-read it. Would be very interested to hear more about the writer and his current project(s). Is this the same Robert Banfelder who was the key crime reporter during the early 90's for the Towers Newsletter (New York). I remember reading about John Gotti and Amy Fisher... and seeing the name Banfelder. Is he still doing television? Let's hear more about the Banfelder man. Signed: Editor North Shore News

Mr. Banfelder must have done a lot of research on schizophrenic killers, ventriloquism, voodoo and ancient Egyptian mummification because it is all here in this story of Richard Geist -- plus a few interesting chapters on U.S. Marine boot camp. The book covers the territory explored in Silence of the Lambs and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, but with its own twist and turns.

The new 16th edition of Odysseus International Gay Travel Guide is filled with great vacation ideas for gay travelers in the USA and some 120 countries worldwide. The guide is up-to-date, reliable with accurate descriptions, photo and contact information. It is very easy to make international travel plans with Odysseus. I cannot imagine getting my travel plans right without it.

Odysseus is a wonderful guide for gay men who plan to travel abroad. The book lists select accommodations, bars, restaurants, saunas, sex shops, and other businesses and places of interest (including some public cruising areas), and there are handy maps for many major cities (like Amsterdam, Florence, and Sydney) and gay resort areas (like South Beach and Provincetown). Additionally, Odysseus is an excellent source to find "facts in brief" about foreign destinations, including each country's official language, population, unit of currency and exchange rate, telephone codes, and laws and attitudes regarding homosexuality. There are several useful indexes, including a listing of gay travel agents and of local gay publications from around the world. The book features a good amount of advertising for gay hotels and other businesses, and there is a smattering of hunk photos interspersed among the listings. Odysseus Enterprises, the publisher, also operates a worldwide reservations systems and can handle travel arrangements to many of the places in the book.

"...The Odysseus guide is easy to read, maps are simply drawn giving access to the data, and country descriptions are concise and informative. In fact the whole construction of Odysseus is a well packaged and manageable guide book..." Our World Magazine NOV.'98

Joseph Keller McNeilly's Out Here showcases this remarkable poet's best work over the past decade. Many of these poems reflect back to his first thirty years as a farm worker and an outsider within Northern Indiana's Amish community. McNeilly's verse speaks directly, honestly, and memorably to the reader's heart, soul and imagination. Before the Doors Open: In the very early morning/before even the birds/or the paper boys are about, the windows/of the corner restaurant are set/rattling with music. It's a party/of two Spanish-speaking men/and a woman, mopping floors/and wiping down tables/to the squawk of accordions and organs and/the bleat of trumpets, all punctuated/by a big clear voice/clearly in love/with someone, somewhere. The men/joke I think/with the woman, though it is hard to see/through the steam on the rattling windows and hear/through the strange, joyful music, and even/if I could hear/I wouldn't fully understand.//Later/when the doors open/I slip in for my coffee, hear sadly only/poor worried Mozart spilling/from the speakers, while tucked out of sight back there/among the noise of pots and pans and the deep-fat fryer/the party goes on/without me, without the music, or/any of us all.

Joseph McNeilly's collection of poems, Out Here, is so brilliant that it almost defies description. This diverse collection rivals the work of Anna Akhmatova and Charles Baudelaire. Sharing their intense poetic sensibility, McNeilly insightfully interprets what could have been mundane experiences, revealing instead the power that underlies daily life. His poetry is beautiful in its honesty, ecstatic in its rythm, inspiring in its vision. McNeilly captures the tender ("When it Happens"), the viscious ("Every House a Dog"), the surreal ("Autopsies"), the humorous ("Queen"), and everything in between. All share a lucid clarity that make you want to laugh, cry, and scream at once with the immense realization that you're alive. Universal enough to appeal to anyone who is living in this wild world.

Behold, the apple without the pie. Behold the burning tree in your own back yard. These flame-hardened, lucid poems take you there. Not for the timid. The bare imagination stalks these pages. Behold.

This book has provided me with important information as a consumer of medical services, and has provided my mother peace of mind as someone who has been undergoing a number of medical tests. The book clearly defines various procedures, patient preparation, and often includes comments about tests that patients are seldom told but ought to know. This book has been so helpful. I am a layperson with no medical knowledge. But to be able to describe a test to my mother in advance of the procedure, to let her know when it is non-invasive versus invasive, to know what kinds of physical symptoms or complications may follow a test...this has been invaluable information. I strongly recommend this book for anyone who has to undergo, or has someone close to them who will undergo, medical tests. The price is [reasonable] given how much useful and potentially lifesaving information it contains.

I have a son that suffers from haemophilia and would like to know more about it please

I work as a Triage Nurse in a very busy Family Practice Clinic. We all use this book every day to answer patient questions--it is concise and can easily be explained to all levels of medical sophistication. In fact today I am ordering a second one.

Wonderful reading, but this is a lengthy book. . .adressing so many important aspects about French peasant society. It was written in a time when advanced students were expected to know French, so it may present some difficulty to those without the knowledge or a dictionary handy, assuming one wants to understand the quotations, samples of poetry, song, or colloquial dialogue. It is not of major consequence to understand the book, but it might be a little annoying to someone without an intimate grasp of French.

Since there are great content reviews already, I will not add anything more than the tips above. Overall, this is a book rich in facts and will certainly prove a welcome addition to the library of any advanced student or scholar in this subject area.

This superb book traces the modernization of rural France in the last quarter of the 19th century. The book is divided into 3 parts; descriptions of traditional rural France, analysis of the agents of change, and discussion of how changes took place. This book is about both material changes and the parallel changes in psychology that were part of and the result of modernization in France. The emphasis is not primarily on economic statistics but on the day to day life and psychology of rural France. This book provides real insight into the mentality of French peasants and how this mentality was transformed from parochial self-conceptions and accompanying insular social organization to conceptions of French nationality and conscious membership in French society. For example, in the mid-19th century, a large number of Frenchmen did not speak French but rather a variety of regional languages. Expansion of the national economy, mandatory primary education, and other forces would eventually destroy local languages and produce a more homogenous French speaking nation. Weber demonstrates convincingly that this process took place relatively rapidly, focused in the years between the Franco-Prussian War and WWI. While this is a very thick and scholarly book, the quality of writing is excellent and the book is packed with entertaining and revealing anecdotal information.

It is clear that the process of modernization was accompanied by loss of regional cultural distinctions and languages. This cultural homogenization is perhaps regrettable but was an inevitable part of a process that resulted also in higher standards of living, greater individual freedom, and several other benefits. For example, Weber reminds us that in much of traditional rural France, seasonal hunger was common and famine a real possibility. By the end of the 19th century, famine was a vague memory and seasonal hunger largely banished. Similarly, modernization was accompanied by a fall in violence against persons, less child abuse, and weakening of overbearing patriarchial family structure.

This book has a couple of interesting resonances. The period covered by this book is also the height of European Imperialism. As Weber points out, the processes of modernization in rural France were identical to the processes of colonialization. Indeed, the modernization of rural France in the late 19th century can been seen as the final phase of the conquest of France by the region around Paris, a process that began with the Albigensian crusade in the 13th century. Ii is conventional today to depict European Imperialism as the result of the tremendous racism of that time. Yet, the modernization of rural France was essentially the same process carried out against fellow Frenchmen. This fact points out that the relationship between racism and imperialism is more complicated than commonly depicted.

Another interesting resonance relates to the recent tendency of French intellectuals and politicians to denounce the creeping 'Americanization' of French culture. These individuals like to present themselves as guardians as ancient cultural traditions. Yet, many, if not all of these traditions originate in the 19th century. Hardly ancient, and you can argue that American traditions are at least as old. Further, where modern French culture was to a large extent imposed by the coercive acts of the French government, 'Americanization' is the result of free consumer choice.

Eugen Weber has given us an excellent account of the rural countryside of France, 1870-1914. He gives plenty of detail and clearly shows how France has leaped into the modern world. It is a well written and provides the reader with a comprehensive picture of the early stages of modern France. The title is excellently chosen and reflects the true essence of the work. I would suggest this book to anyone who is interested in demographics, sociology, or history in general. It is a nice read! :)

This is a classic in the field, written by two highly-respected usability specialists. I was fortunate to read it as one of the textbooks in a class on usability testing taught by Dr. Dumas. It is a very practical book, covering planning, testing, and reporting the results. The strengths and weaknesses of usability testing are discussed, and there is some information about other usability evaluation methods and basic design principles.

This is a republication, with only slight changes, of the 1993 edition, so the technology and costs are not up to date. But it's not hard to think in terms of digital cameras instead of videotape.

Highly recommended.

This is required reading for usability professionals. It's a detailed look at testing, covering everything from test plans and lab construction to data analysis and how to handle unqualified testers who slip through the screening process. It covers lower-budget tests in addition to full-scale ones. It's clear that Dumas and Redish have loads of experience, and they're not shy about sharing it.

The most useful idea I came away with is that testing needs a specific purpose. You can't just test a system's usability; you test, for example, the navigation system or a membership form.

The only flaws here are a couple of omissions. There's no mention of testing web applications, though the principles covered here can be extrapolated to other purposes. And there is no mention of the ultra-cheap guerilla testing tactics. I doubt Dumas and Redish would approve of them, but it would have been very helpful to read about where these alternative methods were effective and not.

This book is a keeper. While my organization will not likely be doing full-blown usability testing for awhile, I'm now more able to evaluate and communicate with third-party testing facilities. And this book will influence all of our other evaluation and assessment testing methods.

This is a step-by-step quide with checklists, offering insight into every stage of usability testing. It should help any software development project produce more usable software (assuming the developers are willing to make changes based on the results of testing).

As someone who has done research about usability, taught about usability to over 1000 practitioners, and developed usable systems (some more so than others) for 20 years, I am still impressed every time I open this book. I recommend it as the best practical book on developing usable software (although I also recommend other books, such as Nielsen's "Usablity Engineering" and Rubin's "Handbook of Usability Testing").

Bro Lund has made church history come alive for me. I've read many diffrent church history books. These I can relate to. It's like I'm there living it as it happens. You can bet I'll read all 9 volumes. My wife reads them to the us in the car on long trips and we all listen intently. They good for all age groups 10 to 100. Keep them coming Mr. Lund

My Sunday school teacher read us part of this one. It included the martyrdom. It was extremely sad. Hyrum and Bro.s Taylor and Richardsen were willing to give their lives for Brother Joseph, and Hyrum did lay down his life for his brother. John Taylor was shot repeatedly. I'm 14. If you want a kid to really understand the concept of hatred and how truly evil the mob was, this is the book to read. It hit me over the head like a club just what the Saints went through.

Mr. Lund uses a unique mix of fiction and fact to make this chronological story come to life. Extremely well done.

I was so impressed with this book - it struck so close to home - that I could not read it all at once. Like Mohatt, I lived with these people, I Sundanced with Joe Eagle Elk's father, ceremonied, got drunk, into trouble & rose again to help people. Mohatt's text is so close to the actual truth of the conditions on the reservation it literally scared me. That's why I had to stop reading from time to time. The Price of a Gift is the equal of Lame Deer, Seeker of Visions, which is one of the great books about Lakota spirituality.

This is a remarkable work that honors the true voice of a Lakota medicine man and the voices of his people. Mohatt's labor is not to analyze or interpret so much as present an experience which can only begin to be appreciated or understood when the suffering, missteps, fears, and clowning of the healer are shown along with their transcendence. Eagle Elk was an ordinary man who resisted but finally gave himself over to his calling. There are many books that romanticize tokens of Native cultures or presume to make use of them; this is not that sort of book. Like Fadiman's, The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, this is a work of great reverence.

The story of Joseph Eagle Elk, Lakota Healer (1931-91), as told to Gerald Mohatt, cross-cultural psychologist, is simply and beautifully told.The effect of many mirrors of the gift of Joseph Eagle Elk derives in part from testimonials by people who he knew and helped to heal themselves. The sacrifice, persecution, and exhausting , demanding life of the traditional Lakota healer are fully portrayed. But the beauty that sings through in Price of a Gift is undeniable. Just to read such a book, just to know such a person lived and touched others, is profound and impacting in itself. An awareness of the core value of our lives radiates through the stories of the life of Eagle Elk. It is impossible to avoid the basic message of this book, with all its humble compassion. Without distortion, greed, evil, or pettiness, the matter of spiritual healing both as duty and joy is its glorious burden. Black Elk's vision included an awareness that the Lakota legacy would include an intrument of healing. The Price Of A Gift is evidence of that legacy. What a gift it is, to us all.

Nancy Lorraine, Reviewer

Although this book neither as a biography nor as an anthology of the sayings and writings of Will Rogers explores its subject in any depth, this is a very solid introduction to one of the most fascinating individuals in American history. As a biography, Joseph Carter manages to give an excellent, if brief, summation of the major events in Rogers's life. The last part of the book collects a number of Rogers's better-known sayings. This section is a bit more disappointing, since most of the excerpts are presented somewhat out of the larger context. Sometimes, this doesn't matter. But having read some longer pieces by Rogers's, I find that it doesn't enable the reader to get an adequate feel for the kinds of concerns that Rogers had as a political and social thinker.

Rogers was a humorist, but concerns with political and social issues permeate his work. He was also an enormously complex thinker. Although there was a quaint simplicity and humility to the way Rogers expressed himself, he actually worked out a political position that wasn't entirely at home on either the Right or the Left side of the political spectrum. Although he was in most respects of liberal sympathies, he was almost libertarian in the way he yearned for a small central government that didn't intrude into the lives of everyday individuals. He was profoundly suspicious of big government. At the same, time, he was profoundly non-libertarian in being even more suspicious of big business and capitalism. His sympathies, however, were definitely populist.

Rogers was simultaneously one of the most popular stage performers, movie performers, radio personalities, and political writers of his day, and arguably one of the, if not THE, most popular Americans ever to have lived. This excellent volume will provide the neophyte with a good introduction to all these aspects of Rogers's life and career.

I do believe, however, that we desperately need a good, in-depth anthology of the writings of Will Rogers. I would love to see the Library of America bring out a volume dedicated to Will Rogers. Until they or someone else does this, I am afraid that Rogers will be remembered more as the author of pithy one-liners than as what he was: the most influential political commentator of his day.

Excellent reading book combining both a biography and familiar quotations--and writings--from America's best-loved cowboy humorist who lit up the film screen and the radio airwaves during the Roaring 20s and the New Deal 30s. This is a great book for reading--stop by a local bookstore and check it out!

Every school library should have this book! Todays young people need to know about Will Rogers and this book tells it all in great style.

I bought both the book and the accompanying tapes.

The book introduces no more than 10 vocabulary words, a grammatical concept, and reading from a prayer. By the time you're finished, you understand basic constructs of Hebrew thought, and several important prayers, including the Sh'ma, the Aleinu, and V'ahavtah.

It presupposes only that you know basic Hebrew pronunciation of the alefbet and vowels.

I really like the book, but I'm disappointed with the tapes, which I would have preferred to have been read by an Israeli speaker. Still, I may be too picky on this aspect, since it's designed to help you with prayer, and not with getting along in Israel. One thing that might help is if the tapes separated the grammar lessons from the prayers. I would be willing to listen to a tape of prayers in the car, just so I could get an idea how they sound, especially if the prayers were chanted.

As a child, I tried to learn and it didn't stay with me. What did stay was a fear that understanding prayerbook Hebrew was something I couldn't do. Well, judging by the excellent reviews, I bought this book. And lesson one made me sigh with relief. I *can* learn this!

Please note that you need to know the Hebrew alphabet but then you can move right along.

This book does not require any complicated grammatical prerequisites. You don't have to have headache to cram up the declension and the conjugation of the nouns and verbs. If you just follow the lessons, you will soon be accustomed to the practical Hebrew liturgy. This is a well designed excellent manual for learning Hebrew for the beginners.