This work really sets the standard for any writing done about WWII in the 21st century. Frank makes superb use of a host of documents declassified over the last decades, to build an intelligent, water tight argument on the necessity of using the atomic bomb on Japan to bring an end to WWII in the Pacific. Frank intersperses gripping documentary of the finals days in the Pacific with appalling battlefield statistics and definitive diplomatic documents to present a comprehensive explanation, and justification, for the use of the bombs. He outlines at great length the plans for the invasion of Japan, and shows why, while they probably would have ultimately succeeded, the cost would have been outrageously high. Finally, he offers wonderful insight into the Japanese (and American and Russian) motivations, and the logic behind their actions and potential actions.

This is a work of tremendous importance that should squash once and for all one of the great claims of revisionist history.

It is an overworked cliche but still true: the dropping of the atomic bomb on Japan is one of those crucial, pivotal events in human history. Richard Frank's "Downfall: The End of the Imperial Japanese Empire" is undoubtedly the finest history written about the end of World War II and, thus, the beginning of the post-war tribulations. Using many Japanese primary sources as well as new American information, he provides a view into the events, emotions, and intentions nowhere previously available. He succeeds at showing us what people thought and felt and believed in addition to what they did. The insights into the Japanese plans and deliberations are especially illuminating and are essential to understanding the unfolding of events. I don't believe that Mr. Frank will put to rest the argument over the efficacy of using atomic weapons but he has provided the best narrative and explication of the analysis, plans, and decision to use them against Japan. My sole quibble with the writing in "Downfall" is that Mr. Frank breaks Barbara Tuchman's dictum never to argue the sources in the midst of the narrative. If ever there is a book to be an exception to that rule, this one is it.

Reading DOWNFALL is a revelation. As one who boarded ship in Italy for Manila on the day the bomb was dropped this book holds a particular interest. It is a fascinating account of the final days of the war, the preparations for Olympic (the U.S. plan for the invasion of the Japanese homeland), and the counter measures the Japanese Army and Navy were taking for the defense of the homeland. The tally of figures for the expected casualties leaves no doubt in the reader's mind that the decision for the dropping of the atomic bomb was one that in the end saved tens of thousands of lives, many of them American. This is a thoroughly documented and readable book about a subject that has remained controversial since August of 1945. It should put to end any thought that an invasion of Japan would have been a simple or painless effort.

If you want to learn the basics of how craps is played this is NOT the book to read. It assumes you already have knowledge of the game and it assumes that you are somewhat familiar with Frank's first craps book "Beat the Craps Out of the Casinos: How to Play Craps and Win!" which is also available from Amazon.com bookstore. This book is a very advanced book with ideas that are, as the title suggests, revolutionary. Folks who are stuck in the outdated crapsthink that predominates gambling writing by the "experts" might not comprehend the subtle arguments that Scoblete makes but any astute craps player will immediately grasp the rightness of Scoblete's approach to the game. This is a really profound craps book but as I said, it isn't for beginners.

I am a fan of Frank Scoblete's writing but I had not read this book because it was hard to find in bookstores. Well, I bought it right here at Amazon.com and got it in a few days. It is just great!!!! Scoblete builds on the ideas he wrote about in his ground breaking book Beat the Craps Out of the Casinos. This is an advanced book and it is fast reading. It is worth every penny for the motivated craps player.

I have just finished reading Frank Scoblete's three craps books: Beat the Craps Out of the Casinos, The Captain's Craps Revolution, and Forever Craps. I have been a craps player for over twenty-five years but I never really read that much after my initial few books. Over the course of twenty-five years I have lost a lot of money, as I played the worst possible bets and I would chase my losses.

Scoblete's three books have been a revelation as well as a revolution in my thinking. Step-by-step he builds from one book to the other a method of play, a mind set, and a money management plan that is far and away the best I have ever heard of. I think reading the books in the order in which they were written, as above, is the key to really understanding Scoblete's insights and recommendations. By the time you get to Forever Craps, you will be ready to tackle the first "positive-expectation" craps approach. That approach requires discipline and full utilization of all the ideas that Scoblete has put forth in his wonderful books.

I recommend you buy all three at the same time. Think of this as a "going to college" expense. Once you have your degree, which means once you thoroughly understand Scoblete's principles of play, you will find the time and money you spent ataining that degree will be returned many fold.

This book was very disappointing. I tried it because I had been hearing so much about the great Stephen King and I saw the movie "It" and liked it. I guess I picked the wrong book, because it really did not read well. I found myself having a hard time understanding the whole mouse thing, that made them want to stop doing excetions. (Could someone explain that to me? Please!) I thought it was disappointing and I'll try CARRIE, but if that is just as bad, no more King for me. I'll try Dean Kootz instead.

The last book of King's series contained an unexpected and awesome ending. I could not figure out for the life of me why that daggone mouse was so important to the series. It was amazing how King connected the mouse to the prisoners, and then to his own destiny. Although extremely hard to follow at times, the series itself kept you on the edge of your seat. I hated waiting for the next book to come out, but I guess it was worth it in the end. Stephen King has not lost his knack for writing

I am a fan of King. Have been since I was thirteen and picked up Salem's Lot. I can feel the short hairs on the back of my neck rise just thinking about it. Unfortunatly, I was dissappointed by Dolores Claiborne and everything since. Just when I thought Mr. King lost the means to make my skin crawl he comes up with The Green Mile. King writes in this book like he's found a brand new toy. I guess everything old is new again. I did not think I would be pleased with the serial format but was I ever wrong. I couldn't put this short book down and was ready, oh so ready, to get my hands on the next installment immediately after I did. This is Stephen King at his absolute best. The protagonist and narrator is someone King makes you care for. The setting is as dark as you could possibly request of any writer of horror. And if you don't feel claustrophobic after just a few pages, you should go get a transfusion because you can't have much blood running through your veins.

Exceptionally well-written book which helped me through a most difficult time in my life. This book is an incredible gift to someone who is grieving. The authors share their most intimate griefs, thoughts, and outcomes with the reader. The book is easy to read. Could not put it down until I had finished it. I have shared this book with many of my friends and relatives who were experiencing loss and grief in their lives. They, too, have benefited by the wealth of information provided in this book about loss in our lives. The book leaves a reader with a sense of understanding about what and how we grieve. I now carry with me one of the most eye-opening thoughts from this book which is: "we are taught all our lives how to acquire, but never to grieve". How true this is. Once we learn how to go through the process, we can then open our eyes to the world again.

For more than a year after my father died, I felt as if I was going in slow motion, while the world raced past me. Time didn't seem to have done anything to heal me, in fact I was feeling worse. My friends tried to talk to me and help me, but I couldn't hear anything other than my own despair. One of my dear friends, in desperation, gave me a copy of The Grief Recovery Handbook. That simple act of kindness changed my life. In the solitude of my own home, without having to try to feel good so others would think I was okay, I began to read the book. Almost against my own will, I began to take the actions and do the exercises outlined in the book. One of the hardest parts about them, was that they were too easy. I began to realize how much I had been complicating the possibility of recovery by trying to use my head to fix my heart. As the direct result of creating an accurate picture of my entire relationship with my father, and completing what had been unsaid or unfinished, I regained the gratitude I felt toward life, and the energy with which to live it. While I have normal sadness and miss my dad from time to time, I am able to sustain a life of meaning and value, even though he is no longer physically here. What happened for me feels like a miracle, but in reality is the result of the safety and encouragement to take action provided by The Grief Recovery Handbook. I am eternally grateful.

"So much of life depends on how well we deal with the inevitable losses that occur. It is wonderful to know that something as helpful as The Grief Recovery Handbook exists to help those who are dealing with death, divorce, and other losses." Jane Seymour, Award Winning Actress, Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman.

"You don't know me, but you probably knew of my Dad, Michael Landon. I have known and been helped by John W. James and Russell Friedman, in seminars and through the incredible process outlined in The Grief Recovery Handbook. Whether your loss was recent or a long time ago, this book is invaluable in dealing with all of the feelings caused by significant losses of any kind." Leslie Landon Matthews, Ph.D.

"I am familiar with the life affirming work of Russell Friedman and John W. James at The Grief Recovery Institute. I am pleased to recommend theri new book, The Grief Recovery Handbook. While we all know how to grieve, completing the pain caused by loss is essential. This book is the toolkit for recovery." Tom Campbell, United States Congressman.

"The Grief Recovery Handbook is an oasis for anyone who finds themselves wandering in the desert of grief and loss. It is refreshing water to a thirsty soul." Rev. Bob Sands, Hollywood, FL.

"I have referred many congregants to The Grief Recovery Handbook, they have all found it helpful. I will continue to use it in my counseling sessions." Rabbi Mel Glaser, N. Brunswick, NJ

"As the bereavement care director for a mortuary, I find The Grief Recovery Handbook an invaluable resource. One of the strong points of the book is its respect for widely varying religious and professional principles when dealing with unresolved grief issues." Agnes Lestico, Lompoc, CA

Frank Peretti's fame as a Christian horror writer can easily be understood once you read this soul-baring, heart-rendering account of his early life. Focusing somewhat on the tragedy at Columbine, Peretti tells us of his own wounded spirit at the hands of bullies and insensitive people during his school days. Peretti relates the story of the night of his birth, when his father had to replace a tire in a raging snowstorm. The faith his parents have in God is awesome and he uses a quite unusual object to aid in his repair of the wheel.
Peretti is never self-pitying, and he offers some really wonderful insight into the reason bullying is such a devastating occurrence to a withdrawn, self-conscious young male. I'm sure many male readers can share in the terrors that awaited the "different" in phys ed class and the showers.
Peretti then goes on to suggest ways we can heal our wounded spirits, and stand up for what we believe in. He also tells us that when we wound, we too should ask for forgiveness.
This is not a preachy book, it is well written, and it can be read easily in one or two sittings. It's a joy to read someone who has such faith in his Lord, and is willing to share his past with those who have also been there.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Frank Peretti is well-known for novels about spiritual warfare. This is the first non-fiction book he has written and it will impact your life dramatically!!

Peretti tells his own story (which he hasn't told openly until only recently) of growing up with a medical condition that left him disfigured and also small and underdeveloped for his age.

The first chapter "A Boy's Hell" describes the scene in the boys' locker room when Peretti was in junior high. His story is powerful - you will never forget it! It is brutally honest and it is also hard to read. Your heart goes out to this young boy who has had to endure so much torment at the hands of his peers.

The horrific treatment followed him into high school, until finally someone showed an interest in him and in so doing, helped stop the chain of abuse in Peretti's life.

The Wounded Spirit is not about only kids being mean and abusive to other kids. This is about our society and how we treat each other. He points out how these problems are also present in adult relationships. He calls the strong people (who might perhaps be the ones being mean) to be the protector of the less strong.

Instead of merely telling a moving story and outlining the problem, Peretti has good constructive things that can be done about it. He has advice for the wounded and for the wounders! He has advice for teachers and other adults in charge in those situations where kids are being wounded by other kids.

Ultimately, healing can only come through Jesus Christ - through Him, we can break this cycle of victimization and abuse.

This book is a MUST for anyone who is involved in any kind of parenting or leadership of children and teen-agers. Mr. Peretti has bared his soul in order to help prevent another incident such as the Columbine High School massacre. It is also literary balm for victims of bullying or abuse, young and old. There is already a strong following as can be seen by going to the Wounded Spirit web site. I encourage everyone to read this book and pass it on; it is time for a change in how we view and treat other people.

Stephen Coonts manages to wrap up three years' of Vietnam experience into a very well-written novel. While the characters are fictitious, the mood is very real. Many pilots faced the same dangers as Coonts' Jake Grafton. Low-alt dangers from small arms fire, SAM's, explosive concussions, in-flight refueling (a very hazardous proposition in itself), carrier launches in pitch-black darkness, landing on a heaving deck on a storm-swept sea. All these are in this book. This was Coonts' break-out book, the first in a series. Hollywood turned it into a film, but as usual, the book is better (and has a different ending). A must-read for aviation fans.

This excellent novel took place in Vietnam. As a controversial time for our country, Coonts captured this theme well. The protagonist, a humble, but typical flying ace, Jake Grafton became sick of the war. He was frustrated with losing friends for a cause he didn't understand. He eventually pairs up with a hotshot navigator/bomber, and they fly up to the "no-fly zone" of Vietnam, (Hanoi) to bomb something "important" for a change. Something worth "going for." The ensuing plot is accented by a casual romance with an American girl Jake met in Hong Kong, which eventually develops as a substitute family/friend during the war. Many flying sequences are included, and the majority of the novel is in a combat naval context.

Stephen Coonts' first novel, Flight of the Intruder, was superb. A Vietnam flyer himself, Coonts depicted historic naval aviation very accurately and compellingly. Not only did he include accurate and detailed facts about the technological aspect of carrier aviation, but a unique and flowing writing style that captures the reader. His beautiful and simple descriptions of the sky, the sea or flight were powerful and intriguing. Action-packed, well-paced, and worthwhile plotline and cast made this novel the best seller that it was. Anyone at all interested in the military or Vietnam would find this novel to be thought provoking and meaningful.

This is the story of navy attack pilots during the war in Vietnam. It is also the story of one particular pilot, LT Jake "Cool Hand" Grafton, an A6B Intruder pilot flying off the coast of North Vietnam as part of the Tonkin Gulf "Yacht Club."

This is a first novel by a writer who lived the experiences of his fictional character. When I first read this book about the time the hardcover was first published, I felt as if I was in the ready room with Grafton, Boxman, Razor and the others being briefed before "going downtown" to bomb Hanoi.

The feel for time and place is all here. The descriptions of the life aboard a carrier on station, the shore leave in Subic Bay and Olongapo City all ring true according to my navy veteran friends. As I read, I felt as if I could have been one of the characters Stephen Coonts wrote about.

For a debut novel, this one was extrememly well done. It was the entrant to a series that I hoped Coonts would write, and subsequently did. I like Jake Grafton because he is a man all of us could only hope to be. Most of all, he is a man of honor and integrity and this is demonstrated when he decides to put his career (and freedom) on the line by going after a target "downtown" after President Johnson has called a bombing halt over Hanoi and Haiphong.

Another wonderfully drawn character is LCDR Virgil Cole, Jake's B/N (bombardier/navigator). Cole has seen combat before and has the Silver Star. He trusts no one but himself but, does his job magnificently. In the movie version, the casting for this character was brilliantly handled when Willem Dafoe played the part to perfection. Although the book and the movie differ at the end, the characterization was true to Mr. Coonts' intent, in my opinion. Jake and Cole became a team and stuck together in thick and thin. Their friendship and loyalty to each other was proven when they went after their downed squadron commander, CDR Camparelli, were shot down themselves and had to survive. The two, who are bound by a well-defined sense of honor, keep their commitments to each other and their squadron.

Although Coonts the writer was also Coonts the lawyer at the time he wrote the novel, he introduces a question of military ethics and obedience when the navy investigates Grafton's and Cole's unauthorized mission against the North Vietnamese capital. Senator Fred Dalton Thompson of Tennessee, in one of his supporting screen roles, does an effective job as the navy Staff Judge Advocate arguing that control of the military must remain in the hands of civilians and elected officials if the United States is to avoid the dangers of military control of the government. Again, this actor turned politician mirrors exactly Mr. Coonts' character in the novel when he and other senior officers attempt to determine the fate of the two aviators who flew side by side in that wonderful Grumman attack aircraft.

Stephen Coonts' wrote a novel that begged for a sequel or a series. I am sure that most readers clamored for more of Jake Grafton after reading this book. I know I did. This book proves that Mr. Coonts is a man of many talents. After all, he flew the Intruder, came home to become a successful lawyer and then launched a very successful career doing something he really likes namely, writing popular novels. Even though I first read this book almost 11 years ago, I finally got the chance to thank the author for all the hours of reading enjoyment he's given me. I'd also like to thank him for his service in Vietnam and in the reserves from which he retired not so many years ago.

BZ CDR Stephen Coonts USNR (ret) and thank you!

It's a great book, and I'd recommend it highly!....to everyone 13 and over, that is. It has a lot of language, and some inappropriate things for 12 year olds. But for TEENS, this is an incredible book. Full of life, straight to the point, and something they can relate too. However, I do think Sonia's life is way too strict for any Muslim girl, but that's the way the author put it, but it's fine. Read this book!

This book dosen't get more real. These 11 teens talk, some sad, some strange, some sexy. You come to know and love each one of these 11 teens. Frank describes these true characters so well, you almost become friends with them.
There's Eric, who has a grim outside, but he's always smiling down at his little brother, Mickey. Monique, who is pregnat, and is only 16. Keisha and Gingerbread, who are head-over-heels in love. Sonia, a muslim girl trying to live in a new culture. Grace and Sam, who are lucky enought to be beautiful, and who model. These are just a few of the so real characters in Life is Funny.

As a teenaged reader, I have always suffered through mediocre books written for people my age who can hardly concentrate or grasp simple concepts. The other thing I always found frustrating was how contrived and unbelievable the dialogue was in these stories. E.R. Frank's "Life is Funny" gave me hope for the teen fiction genre, as it not only tackles tough issues of 11 teens living in Brooklyn, but also utilizes real dialogue that teens can relate to. The book opens with China and Ebony using undated slang used by kids everywhere, but particularily in urban America. The book is also uses graphic profanity and sex lingo, which is also, as difficult as it may be for parents to accept, commonplace in teenage conversations. The story-telling format, which finds the kids switching off from chapter to chapter over the course of their middle school, high school, and college years, also keeps the reader interested in their separate dilemmas, while still making the stories overlap and having the characters be connected in one way or another. Each character struggles with personal demons, family troubles and young love, and though they often fall flat on their faces, each one picks him or herself up by the time their tale is through. This book was a joy to read; it made me laugh, cry and served as an inspiration. Much love to writer E.R. Frank, who I will be on the lookout in bookstores for in the future.

I've read many reviews that have invested grand arguments comparing Frank Miller's seminal SIN CITY to the works of Raymond Chandler, and I think they're missing the point. While the storylines might bare a passing resemblance to Chandler's, the hard-edged dime-novel prose smacks more of Mickey Spillane with a half-bottle of Jack Daniels in him. The images are stark (the book is done entirely in black and white), the material is adult-oriented, and the tale is wickedly perverse ... just the way Mike Hammer would like 'em. While Miller has also been lauded for his work with Batman (THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS), I think his SIN CITY work stands as a far greater example of how comics have grown up over the past two decades.

Get dark. Get bloody dark.

This tale of twisted love and satisfying vengeance breaks the mold of comic art and plot.

Sin City comes at you with pummeling force. In pure Film Noir tradtion, the characters are gritty and tough. The females aren't women but dames. The Scenes are rendered in pure black and white that adds to the clear distinction between good and evil set by the story.

You wont find subleties here. The plot is straightforward, just like the dialogue. The action is quick and inventive. The violence gruesome (barbed wire laced with razor-blades to begin with).

The true subtlety of this book is its very existence. Nothing is quite like it. No one will even dare. Except maybe Frank Miller.

No one in his right mind would argue with Frank Miller's pedigree as a comic artist. Miller single-handedly reinvented the superhero genre with his seminal "Batman: The Dark Night Returns" in 1986, then took on a flagging Daredevil title and made it the most gripping reading available in the comic book racks. Even the X-Clone fans had to applaud Miller for breathing life into a dying medium.

And then he created "Sin City," making everything which came before seem amateurish in comparison.

"Sin City" is the story of a down-on-his-luck,dumb schlub named Marv who wanders into a tangled situation he cannot begin to understand. Naturally, his life heads straight down the toilet immediately after making love to an incredibly beautiful woman. Marv's single-minded pursuit of vengeance consumes the remainder of the series in true film noir fashion.

I could go on and on about the classic noir elements Miller blends into the tale, the obvious glee he takes in crafting this work, or the extraordinary nature of the villain he has constructed to be Marv's foil.

Forget all that and look at the art. It explodes off the page in glorious black and white. Miller's use of light and shadow and the cinematic nature of his composition is the most remarkable thing I have seen in the medium. The best way I can describe the illustrations in this series is to say it looks like a storyboard Orson Welles would have put together for "Touch of Evil."

Let's face it: "Sin City" is no "Othello." ("Titus Andronicus," maybe, "Othello," no.) But Miller's not looking to create great literature here, as Chris Claremont often attempts in his overwrought "X-Men." Instead, he's treating his fans to a tightly-wound, suspenseful romp through a visceral urban swamp.

This is a book you'll read straight through to the shocking end, and I heartily recommend it to anyone tired of the Todd McFarlane clones and their spandex jive.

I first purchased this book in Vietnam in 1990. In the past 12 years I have purchased well over a hundred more copies just to give away to other Vietnam Vets. It seems that Mr. Bao Ninh and I once fought each other on the battlefield, I contacted him in Hanoi in 1993 and praised him for his great work and his life's story. This book starts off after the fall of Saigon, a former North Vietnamese soldier searches the jungle for fallen comrades with a MIA team. As he searches and passes familiar places of long ago , he drifts back to the war the beautiful girl he loved. The sorrows of war deal with the horrors of war and lose of love and what it can do to your mind and spirit. In the words of Mr. Bao Ninh "Losses can be made good, damage can be repaired and wounds will heal in time. But the psychological scars of war will remain forever"

To fully enumerate the qualities of this book would be impossible here. As far as Vietnam literature is concerned, this book out-classes all other works in the field. As far as all war literature is concerned, only "All's Quiet on the Western Front" can even compare. Bao Ninh has produced a hauntingly beautiful eulogy to innocence lost in the maelstrom of war. Youth, love and art are all tenderly portrayed in the hard light of that ultimate metaphor for life, war. Supporting the book's incomparable handling of its subject is the author's superb prose. The book is written in a poetic, yet terse, style that is a model of economy. Every line of this relatively short novel is laden with aesthetic beauty and spiritual depth. The book abounds with insights about Vietnam as well as about the human spirit. It is a reading experience not to be missed.

Bao Ninh's novel is, I assume, like most first novels, largely autobiographical. Like his protagonist, Kien, Ninh was one of ten survivors from his unit of 500 which started the war with him in 1965. This is a tough read, a story with tragedy scoring almost every page. There are no MASH unit antics or Hogan's heros characters here, only unrelenting bleakness, pain, terror, and loss. The Vietnamese began resisting the French occupation in small groups of guerillas before WWII. Stanly Karnow, in his book, Vietnam: A History explains quite explicitly why the Vietnamese did not consider the French occupation as one of the culteral highlights of their history. After the French were expelled by a ragtag army which had opposed the Japanese while the French cooperated with them back in the last good war, the United States subjected the people of Vietnam to our gentle mercies up until 1965 when it became obvious to all that many of the Vietnamese would never accept our installed leadership and artificial partioning of that country when it became obvious back in the late 50s that Uncle Ho was destined to win any free election of the people. However, by the time Lyndon Johnson sent in the first large scale troop deployment, much of the South had already been destroyed, at least in the countryside, by the creation of "strategic hamlets," in actuallity rural prisons, supposedly meant to protect the citizenry. This was a strategy which had failed in Chaing Ki Shek's China years before and was equally successful in Vietnam. Ninh/Kien's story really startes with him and a girl friend, Phoung, almost but not quite consumating their young love while skipping school, then skips back and forth beeen pre-war, post-war and wartime scenes. It is told mostly in flashbacks and stream of consciousness vignettes and is sometimes difficult for the unsophisticated reader to follow. Kien goes from a poor but happy and extremely idealistic young student to warrior and finally back to student and author after ten years of unremiting war, violence and loss. When he comes home to find Phoung still in the same apartment building in which he lived in the old days and still has an apartment, it seems as though he might have realized his dream of happiness. However, near the end of the book we discover the terrible events and betrayals at the beginning of their seperation which make a successful reunion impossible for both. For any who still think war is glory and honor and a test of courage and manhood, Ninh illustrates quite vividly that it is continuing horror, terror, chaos and blind chance which determines who lives and who dies. And sometimes the living envy the dead before the Sorrow of War has played its last chorus. The government of Vietnam opposed the publication of this book, and it is easy to understand why, given the honesty with which life in postwar Hanoi is portrayed. One of the most amazing things about the book is the almost total abscense of bitterness toward the Americans who invaded his country and started the war that destroyed so much of his life. There is also an interesting parallel between the American Vietnam veteran's homecoming after their time "in country" was over, and the Vietnamese soldiers who fought and suffered so long and so greatly for the eventual victory. The sorrow of war is almost overshadowed by the sorrow of his homecoming and all that he had lost as a result of that war. As we continues this new war, Ninh's is a cautionary tale which should be read by anyone rejoicing at the idea the American military might can overcome any foe. Vietnam proved a long time ago that it takes more than superior military equipment and a vastly stronger economy to win a war. Ninh tells us why. wfh

I have read Wilderness and was quite moved by it. Not only is JDM a wonderful poet, but he is not afraid to go against tradition and write the way he truly feels. His poetry is deep and expresses many inner feelings we all have but are scared to reveal. In his poetry lies the seeds of greatness, rebellion and mystery. Some say Jim was pretentious, others a geniuis, one sure sign he knows what he is doing. Jim was a brilliant man to me because he wasn't afraid to take chances. I love his poetry and I think wherever there are people who are brave enough to express their true feelings, his work will live on. I love Jim Morrison, a truly great man and an angel. ---Death makes angels of us all and gives us wings where we once had shoulders smooth as raven's claw. JDM

Wilderness is a wonderful book for anyone who loves to write, or deeply enjoys reading poetry. It is quite sad that some people in our society automatically think that Morrison's poetry is trash just because of the fact that he was a rock star as well as a poet. Morrison wrote beautifully and the depth that he concentrated into each one of his works shines through. This is a great book for anyone who appreciates Morrison or good poetry, I highly recommend it.

"Wilderness" is a wonderful book of poetry no matter who wrote it. Jim Morrison was interesting to say the least, but his poems really stand on their own. The poems are beautiful, honest, and intriguing and cover a wide range of topics from women to music to America to growing-up. That being said, they offer a candid look at one of rock music's most infamous characters. Though often portrayed as a talentless drunk, the book is proof of the wonderful, sensitive artist that he really was. The style is slightly reminiscent of Beat poetry with beautiful phrases and words placed in specific ways that are visually effective. In addition to the poetry, the book also contains a two-page "self-interview" in which Jim explains kind of how he got into writing and why he loves poetry. "Listen," he says, "real poetry doesn't say anything, it just ticks off the possibilities. Opens all doors. You can walk through any one that suits you." Really, if you are even remotely interested in poetry or Jim Morrison get this book. I promise you won't regret it.