Frank Hollon has masterfully joined the life of a prisoner, the life of hopelessness, with the source of hope, our creator. What better place to search out hope than serving life in prison for a crime you didn't commit? As I read this book I couldn't help but think of the many prisoners who might actually find hope in their hopeless situations.
On another surprise note, now I know what happen to the mouse game at the fair. All these years I've wondered why they took the gambling away, now I know. Thanks Frank!

I had been waiting for this title to appear used on Amazon before purchasing it. I am sorry that I waited that long! This book is an excellent read for people who believe in God outside of organized religion. (It's a great read for people who read, period.)

If you were just to read Frank Turner Hollon's biography, you might think that he was a Grisham copy-cat, but this book is far from the overdone lawyer conquers all plot.

It is a raw, sometimes harsh, look at life inside a prison and one man's journey to find meaning in any of it. Mr. Hollon's writing is simple, poetic, and profound. My favorite chapter, by far, was "history". It is a great piece for people who believe in God AND science.

I am an avid, but terribly slow reader, and I finished this book in three hours! I couldn't put it down, and I would wager that you will not be able to either. If you are looking for something outside of the Oprah Book Club fiction, give "The God File" a shot!

The God File is a very good book. The read was very quick. It shook my comfortable life. The book made me forget about the flying time from San Francisco to Memphis. I had to control my emotions by pausing the read - so not to wear my emotions on my sleeve. Frank Hollon has a very interesting mind. The main character makes one think deeply. The book makes one think about how important decisions are in ones life. Its nice to see one examine the good, especially when all is not well.

Dr. Dink's prescription for financial wellness really hit home...even for a guy with a Masters in Business Administration in Finance. His book would definitely be valuable for someone trying to gain some basic knowledge of financial management. However, what really distinguishes Dr. Dink's book from others is his ability to bring abstract financial concepts down to earth and help us to understand how often our financial situation drives our decision-making regardless of how much money we make. In challenging us to "stop chasing our bills and start chasing our dreams" he reminds us that life is too short to allow credit cards bills to stand in the way of happiness. By setting his financial program within a very practical context, Dr. Dink did a great job of keeping me interested and his witty stories and useful examples were the icing on the cake. For anybody interested in taking back their life from banks and credit cards, Dr Dink has the financial cure for you.

Thank Goodness for Dr. Dink. Forget 8 steps to financial freedom. There was just 1. Read this book. For years, I've tried to get out of debt. No person nor book has been able to fit into my specific circumstances. Not only can my financial situation be analyzed using Dr. Dink's book, but he actually teaches the tools to how to improve and stay financially healthy. Other books just say do this, do that. Well, I couldn't do that. This book teaches me to stay financially well. I truly treasure this book and can't wait until the next installment comes out.

Finally a book for those of us that don't understand the world of finance! I highly recommend this book and let me tell you why.

This book has some very practical advice about getting out of debt and staying out of debt. The author also provides some insights into investing. What this book has that I have not seen in other finance type books, is the ability to draw in the reader ... you don't feel like you are reading a finance book but rather you feel as if you are having a discussion with a friend, an advisor .... yes, even a teacher. Dr. Dink is indeed a teacher. I felt as if I had sat down with him and he was telling me about the mistakes he's made, the mistakes that are common and then what to do to avoid them. For those of us who have made those mistakes [and there are lots of us] you feel like you're not alone and his advice is easy to follow. Of course, that doesn't mean it's easy to DO what he says ... but it's easy to understand his advice.

Dr. Dink has a conversational way of writing. The reader gets a glimpse of his personal life and how these finance 'lessons' worked for him, his friends and others.

I found that I was able to read this book quickly, and I'm sure will be going back to it for advice. As a business professional, I found the information valuable. I'd recommend it for younger people as well, especially those starting out. It's a great gift for college students in particular.

Sometimes books are just so well written you just can't put them down. As a medical student, I found that Dr. V's insight into medicine is invaluable! This stands as one of the best books I have had the chance to read. The only equal is Robert Marion's, Learning to play God. Read both no matter what your interest in medicine is. If you are a medical student or hoping for a career in medicine these books provide great insight. Thank you Dr.V for a wonderful book!

Although I have made my Neurosurgical Residency thousands of miles from Dr. Vertosick's (and a couple of years after him I guess), his recollections reminded me vividly of this nice time of my life. Dr. Vertosick writes surprisingly well for a neurosurgeon and catches your attention from cover to cover (I have read it in 2 days).

Note for the squeamish: There is some fine black humor inside that may shock you.

I enjoyed reading "When The Air Hits Your Brain". Dr vertosick talked about his medical training from a third year medical student to his chief residency in Neurosurgery. Dr. vertosick candidly talked about some Neurosurgical cases and their outcome. He made me laugh, and sometimes he made me cry. There is a wealth of information about the structure and function of the brain which Dr Vertosick relates to things in everyday life so it's easy for everyone to understand. One can see the warmth and compassion of Dr Vertosick in his writing. I highly recommend this easy to read, and well written book.

I recently watched both "The Shawshank Redemption" (with Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman) and "Stand By Me" (with River Phoenix, Jerry O'Connell, Wil Wheaton and Corey Feldman) and this prompted me to dig out my old copy of Different Seasons. Most people are surprised when they learn that those movies were based on novellas by horror master, Stephen King, but he shows that he's not just into scaring the heck out of you.

The story cycle bases one novella per season, and each follows characters on a journey, whether it's one of hope, descent into corruption, coming of age, or life through offspring.

"Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption" takes place over decades, as a prison inmate retains his spirit and soul, while breathing life into a dark institution, and whose patient nature finally leads him to freedom. The story is told in first person from the point of view of old Red, the guy who can get you things, about Andy Dufresne, a young banker jailed for the murder of his wife and her lover.

One of King's great strengths is creating a believable voice for his characters, and as you read this tale, it is like Red is talking to you. Other King strengths are providing back story and creating a world in which these characters live, one with a past, present and future, and it makes them three dimensional. One of King's flaws is going off on tangents and digressions a bit too often, but he always comes back to the story.

'The Body' (basis for 'Stand By Me') is a coming of age story about four small town boys on the cusp of entering Junior High School. On the Friday before Labor Day, they set off to find the body of a missing boy. One of the four boys, Vern Tessio, overheard his brother talking to a friend about the dead body.

The characters fall into several categories: Gordon LaChance, who narrates the story as an adult, is the dreamer/writer whose older brother died earlier that year. Chris Chambers is athletic, tough but smart. wise beyond his years and the white sheep in a family of black sheep. Teddy Duchamp is the psycho wiseguy who wears thick glasses and hearing aids as the result of his war veteran father putting his head to a stove. Vern Tessio is the least intelligent, but plays a key symbolic part as the one tells the others about the body and also is the first to spot it.

Along their journey, the boys encounter adventures, such as Milo Pressman the junkyard operator and his dog, Chopper. There is a run across a high trestle as a train bears down on them, a swim in a culvert full of leeches, and a night in the dark woods with screaming wild animals. When they eventually reach the boys, they have a run in with a group of teenage hoods from their town. A major difference from the movie, is that this story details the aftermath of the confrontation after the boys return to town.

King does a nice balancing act with his adult narrative and pre-adolescent dialogue, making each voice unique and fleshing out each boy's character to make them multi-dimensional. All four experience growth, but Gordon and Chris take this growth with them as they get older. Don't let people drag you down. There's a lot more to this story than just kids looking for a dead body.
My bumps here are again that King goes off on tangents and digressions, some to fill in background and history for the characters, but sometimes really straying far from the course. At one point he takes nearly a page to say that someone is dead, where 'The kid was dead. The kid wasn't sick, the kid wasn't sleeping.' Would probably have sufficed.

I won't go into a lot of detail about the other two stories. 'Apt Pupil' is about a boy who discovers a Nazi war criminal living in his town, and blackmails the old man into telling him stories about the war in exchange for not blowing the whistle on him. The stories the boy hears slowly lead him into senseless acts of violence. In 'The Breathing Woman' a 'disgraced woman is determined to triumph over death.'

These four stories combine to make an interesting cycle, and demonstrate that Stephen King has writing talents that stretch beyond his horror work.

...as i sat in my buddy's dorm room on a cold, thundering night in late april, i secretly fell in love with the movie, "Shawshank Redemption,". who would have guessed, but this movie was by one of my most favorite authors --- stephen king. up until a few moments ago, that movie was on my hit list of one of the best, all-time movies to see...now it's on my hit list to read the book! cruising into amazon.com, and looking *eagerly* for the latest book --- hopefully the fourth and finale in the gunslinger series --- i "fatefully" stumbled on the book entitled "Shawshank Redemption". thinking it had to be a fluke, i clicked on the bio of the tale. now, pleasantly surprised... ...i'm buying the book --- not only because it's possibly the best movie i have seen of the nineties, but because i know it's got to be good if it's written by stephen king! ---poetchick@hotmail.com

Reta hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption, was a great short story by stephen king. I enjoyed reading this book and even watching the movie. I was suprised how much the book grabed my attention and how I didn't ever put it down.

There is not much new that I can add which has not already been said of the Journals. Simply put, fantastic! I have read some excellent books regarding the Lewis and Clark Expedition, but reading the actual journals themselves makes one feel as though they are right there alongside them. Names such as John Colter, the Fields brothers, George Drouillard, Peter Cruzatte, Touissant Charbonneau and his wife Sacajawea, John Ordway, George Shannon, and many of the others in the journal become so familiar, it's as if the reader is a "fly on the saddle" (so to speak) during the entire expedition. Every chapter, every leg of the journey, has something relating to the hardships, sacrifices, conjectures, speculations, survival strategies, Indian confrontations and appropriate manners of behavior, along with wonderful descriptions of landforms, Indian culture, animals, plants, climate, etc. A truly gripping, meaningful look at early western U.S. exploration. DeVoto's introduction and editing is extremely well done.

This is an excellent book. It is hard to imagine the hardship these men had to endure on their trip across the nation, but by reading this book you get some kind of idea. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is even slightly intrested in the history of the Lewis and Clark expedition. This book tells it exactly how it happened, from the men who were there. I strongly believe that books like these should be required reading in schools....who knows what this country would be like today had it not been for those brave men.

Fascinating personal day-by-day account of the journey of Lewis and Clark through the Louisiana Territory. As you read, you feel yourself slowly seeing the American west as it was seen by those who first wrote of its magnificence, the customs of the natives, the wildlife, and climate. You see it for what it was, and for its possibilities. This edition has been edited from the individual journals of both Lewis and Clark and some of the others. It has been made more compact by putting in only passages that tell the story, but with no sentence restructuring or spelling corrections. Sometimes this requires you to figure the meaning out, but is never a big problem. The chapter length was perfect for reading a chapter a day which means 33 days. The only bad chapter was 31, which was a summary of one leg lifted from DeVoto's The Course of Empire, which I felt was harder to understand than the journals. The appendix includes Jefferson's Instructions, list of personnel, and specimens returned.

My boyfriend (he's Chinese) saw my copies of Amy Tan and Maxine Hong Kingston books, he wasn't happy with my selections of these so-called Asian-American books, so he gave me the Big Aiiieeeee! I was surprised what Tan and Kingston have done (read Frank Chin's article...it's a blast!). I have to admit that I still like their (Tan and Kingston) books, but they don't represent Asian-Americans that's for sure. There are some Asian girls I know who are ashamed of being... well, Asians, so they go out with White guys (ever heard of that bimbo Margaret Cho?). I don't have a problem with that (with people going out with different races other than their own), but it seems that they're ashamed of their own heritage. They should get this book and read Sui Sin Far. Now, my favorite author! She writes about how a White woman falls in love with a Chinese man. And in spite of laws banning interracial marriage she was still not ashamed of him!

Since the publication of this book, it has been criticized for it's "machismo, misogynist" morale. Guess who these criticisms are coming from? White feminists (or those who support them). They cannot look beyond history and textual matter, instead they force and assume their principles and try (and unforunately, they succeeded) to make this a battle of Women's rights. I have read Chin's "Come All Ye Asian American Writers of the Real and of the Fake" and in nowhere is there any misogynistic dictum. Why? Because this isn't a matter of Women's views or MEN'S! It's about history and how it should be interpreted. People like Kingston, Hwang, and Tan want to deconstruct Asian American history. Feminists want to help Kingston's and Tan's deconstructive views by arbitrarily labeling Chin as a misogynist. If Chin or the editors of The Big Aiiieeeee! were misogynist why would they have women writers in this anthology? Just because there aren't that many women writers doesn't mean it's totally and utterly sexist. Could it be because there aren't that many authentic Asian American women writers?! If there are no authentic texts to Asia America, would it hurt to say that stereotypes (or whatever) are actually right?

...Amy Tan, David Henry Hwang, Maxine Hong Kingston, Gish Jen, or Jade Snow Wong (and then some!)? YOU BETTER READ THIS BOOK! These people have reinvented Asian literature that have sold out to the Christian (and for that matter Darwinian) white-racist-stereotypical form of Asian writing. You'll read it all in this book, and it is disturbing to say the least. The editors of THE BIG AIIIEEEEE! shows how these authors hate what is Chinese and invent a fake history that appease the white racist way.

I read this book when I was eleven or so and have spent the rest of my reading life in search of something that fascinated me more. Tolkien's was the only fiction that may have done so, but it is, of course, nothing like Wasp.

WASP is a short, simply written book, but it has some quality that makes people mad for it. I think it is the sardonic omniscient voice that adds so much to the flavor of WASP: the voice of the Author himself.

A new edition was published not long ago that was completely unabridged. I felt the slightly abridged version read better (It's always good to cut out the fancy talk.). But I may just be used to the same slightly shorter edition most people have read.

If you want a guaranteed fascinating read (and be swept away on wings of reading enjoyment!), buy this book now. Be forewarned, however, that some might say it kind of glorifies terrorism.

Since I first read it (and Russell's other brilliant books such as Men, Martians and Machines and Three to Conquer) in my early teens, I have regarded Wasp as one of the true SF classics. It ranks with Bester's The Demolished Man and Tiger! Tiger!, as well as the best of Clarke and Heinlein, although its sardonic tone has more in common with Robert Sheckley.

Although set in a future a few centuries ahead, when Earth is at war with the Sirian Combine, Wasp is directly transplanted from conventional warfare of the Second World War era. Indeed, I don't know why it took so long to dawn on me that the Sirians are analogues of the Japanese, while the noble Earthmen are essentially 1950s Americans. Oh sure, the Sirians are purple instead of yellow - but they are short, bandy-legged, and fanatical. To clinch it, their dreaded secret police is called the Kaitempi: compare the actual Japanese Kampeitei.

The Sirians have a great advantage in numbers, but the Earthmen are smarter. How to make the most of their quicker wits and superior technology? One way is to drop secret agents behind enemy lines to sow confusion, dissension and destruction. The result is dramatic, convincing and (in parts) riotously funny.

As a teenaged devotee of Sci-Fi in the late 50's, this was one of the first of a select list of books of any genre that impacted my life. I didn't fully understand why this was so then; I only knew it was special, even tremendously relevant at some fundamental level. At the time, yes, it completely entertained me with its action and its sardonic and irreverent narrative. Beyond that, the precepts of this novel created an unease in my mind that remained with me over the years. Full comprehension followed with a little more life experience and a better understanding of humanity and our history. Now this book not only entertains and intrigues, but frightens as well

"Wasp" is a portrayal of how devastating a single, well-equipped terrorist can be to a society (especially a technology-based one). Though the society targeted in this novel is (humanoid) alien and the terrorist a human patriot (albeit not entirely willing) passing as an alien with the help of some surgical modifications, it is entirely believable that the author drew upon human social conditions, especially our foibles and weaknesses, as the basis for this alien society.

Using an insidious "monkey wrench" approach, one individual (suborning marginal elements of the enemy society for use as unwitting accomplices) spreads dissention and disinformation and fear, and so distracts the enemy police and military that the result is the creation of an environment in which the society can be more easily subdued with an overt military invasion. Hence, the precept of this novel as presented at the beginning of the narrative: A wasp buzzing around threateningly in the close, closed quarters of a car traveling a high-speed can cause the driver to lose control, resulting in the death and destruction of relative giants and their huge machine.

"Wasp" is frighteningly close to a workable blueprint for effective terrorism today in most any society on this planet -- especially if there are certain fundamental social conditions at work and certain enabling technologies, chiefly communications-related, in place that can be meaningfully exploited (in addition to being feared by the novel's protagonist).

About the only "criticism" I have relates to the novel's presentation of technology. The author mostly avoided technological traps by simply not going into "the details," and the story suffers nothing for that since the book is mostly about people and governments, and the exploitation of their foibles and fears.

The most technologically "off" element in this novel relates to electronics, particularly communications and, to a lesser degree, computers and "recognition" technology, or the lack thereof. The alien space-faring society's police and military seems pretty much stuck in a 1950's human communications environment where the kind of personal radio communication common with today's police and military is far advanced from that in the novel. I don't really find this deficiency distracting, just amusing. If you read the book and find its technological deficiencies truly distracting, then you have surely missed the essence and relevance of this great novel.

I have been a bit
disappointed with this book. It's a great starting point for finding
places that are dog friendly, but I wouldn't rely on it solely. For
example, I found the information on Santa Cruz County to be pretty
inaccurate. Contrary to what the book tells you, New Brighton Beach
does allow dogs on leash ($1 fee) on the beach; and the
"trails" mentioned are just paths between the campgrounds
and the beach itself.

We stopped at a local gas station and picked
up a map with all parks indicated and it was more accurate about which
places allow dogs and on what terms.

Perhaps the author does a
better job in the more specific "Dog Lover's Companion to the Bay
Area".

I would recommend "The California Dog Lover's Companion" to anyone who has a dog and lives in California or plans on visiting the Golden State. This book is very well researched and put together. Locations to take your dog are easy to find because the book is split into sections for each county in California. The book lists places you can stay and restaurants that are dog friendly; I even discovered a few places I didn't even know about that were close to my home. One very valuable thing this books does is to tell you the parks and open areas that allow dogs to run without a leash or if you'll need to keep your pet on the leash. This is a great book for all dog lovers in California!

In our opinion and our dogs', this book is truly the best thing that ever happened to dogs, at least California dogs!!! It's written with such a sense of humor and a love of dogs that sometimes we just read through it like it's a regular reading book, not a guidebook. Our dogs want to meet the author one day and shake her paw. We took a coastal vacation, staying at only places in this book, and the dogs were in total heaven, from Mendocino down to Santa Barbara. No other dog travel books compare.

This is quite a thorough reference book for Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. It contains about 70 pages of biographical information about Baum, a history of the Oz series including some color plates, and related discussions; a reproduction of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz printed with correct colors with thorough annotations; a 20 page section about W. W. Denslow's illustrations beyond the collaboration with Baum; and 20 pages of bibliography.

Hearn makes a point of saying that the reproduction of the Wizard reproduces the colors correctly; this is probably less of an issue now that high quality facsimile editions are available, unlike say the Dover edition of 1960. There are plenty of annotations, often fairly long, which are interesting but aren't in the category of opening up whole new worlds of perspective on the book. There are also some b&w photos and some other illustrations which hadn't been previously published. The Annotated Wizard is probably most of interest to those with a particular fascination about Oz, and those who are interested in a historical perspective and context for Baum's first Oz book. It would have been nice if it were printed on higher quality paper -- especially the color plates.

28 x 22 cm (landscape), hardcover, 384 pages + 32 unnumbered pages of color plates. New York: Clarkson N. Potter Inc, 1973. LCCN 72-80842.

Michael Patrick Hearn really has done a grand service to the American literary world. While the book Wizard of Oz in itself will be a classic of all time, Hearn's annotations breathes life into this book like nothing else I've ever read.

His exhaustive, extensive research illuminates this classic, and brings us into the life of L. Frank Baum in connection with his writing of this story. I also loved the reproductions of the the original color plates from the first printing, which Baum painstakingly wanted.

As a true devotee of the film, and a casual devotee of the book, I now considered myself converted and find joy equally in both, due to the reading of this new classic.

Take advantage of this low price while you can still get it!

I believe the Wizard of Oz is one of the greatest children's novels ever written. It has fantasy, horror, beauty and fun characters, but it also has some wise comments about life. (The scene where Dorothy unmasks the Wizard as a fraud and they chat about life back home and his life in Oz is one of the most touching conversations in children's literature. When the Wizard floats off and abandons Dorothy, we feel, as she must, the pain of disappointment.)

If you are reading to your children, this book is a top choice. Kids who are read to become better readers. And what can be more quality time that hearing the loving voice of a mom or dad or even elder sibling, reading an exciting tale?

The centennial edition has 70 pages of biographical information about Baum, info on the entire Oz series (it's quite a number of books), a section about W. W. Denslow's beloved illustrations and much more. This makes the book not only a great family gift but also a good present for a child to treasure for his or her entire life. I still have my copy of Wizard of Oz, complete with a torn page (the pretty picture of Glynda on her throne), a souvenir of my baby sister (oh well) and I would NEVER part from it. This is a gorgeous edition and should be a top choice for your shelf of good children's literature.

Book Review
A Stranger In The Kingdom was an incredible book that tells the story of a young boy's discovery of the world around him. I enjoyed the introduction to this novel because I felt I got to know the characters, especially James Kinneson, because the author Howard Frank Mosher spent a great deal of the opening chapters describing James and his family in detail. They talk about the relationships in the town of Kingdom and the Canadian influences on the town. I found it surprising to see the racism that exists in the northern town. The book especially gets interesting when a murder takes place that the new preacher of the town is accused of. The trial sequence which takes place throughout the last chapters of the book seemed to be a little monotonous yet I still feel the rest of the novel more than makes up for it. I personally enjoyed the descriptiveness of the author. It made the novel a smooth read and told the story well.

A Stranger in the Kingdom is an amazing story about friendship, mystery, and overcoming the overwhelming presence of racism. Set in Vermont in the early 1950's, A Stranger in the Kingdom poses all questions of race, betrayal, friendship, and murder. When the new minister in town is found to be a Negro, opinions and fists begin to fly. However, the helping hand of the county newspaperman proves to be the aid needed in surviving the slew of people in Kingdom County. The story, told through young James Kinneson, makes a twist when a young Canadian girl comes to the county seeking employment. As things begin to go wrong, the unthinkable occurs, murder. It is here that the powerful force of racism steps up upon its pedestal. The new Reverend is placed on trial for murder and prosecuted possibly for the man he is than the crime that he may or may not have committed. Howard Frank Mosher has written a gripping story presenting prejudice, friendship and devotion, loss of innocence, betrayal, and so much more. A Stranger in the Kingdom provides both good reading material and holds the poise of a great American novel. It is truly a great book and pushes all means of friendship and the bond between people.

Reading 'To Kill a Mockingbird,' was like death by peanut butter; it was too dry to be swallowed alone. If you are looking for something with a similar theme and would like to make it through the book alive, try digesting 'A Stranger in the Kingdom' by Howard Mosher. Loss of innocence through racial discrimination is the underlying theme experienced through a young Vermont boy. Even if this doesn't particularly interest you, the oddities of the Kingdom County citizens will.
'A Stranger in the Kingdom' isn't full of cliffhangers; instead, the tension slowly builds until the reader is so anxious the book cannot be set down. One knows that a murder will take place, but the victim is not made clear until just beforehand. As for the criminal, can his lawyer prove he was framed? Not only will the reader pick up this book before going to bed, but also on lunch break, in the bathtub, and between internet pages downloading.
Mosher's character development is excellent at the least. Though there are many characters, each has his or her unique qualities that make him/her stand apart from the others. Elijah and Resolved were the town outlaws, the judge would do anything to be able to fish longer, and Claire would tell her story over and over again to anyone willing to listen. The great characterization allows one to relate more with the book and enjoy it more thoroughly.
Mosher's writing style is, in part, what drew me into the book. Unlike 'All the King's Men,' it can be easily understood and is what one would call "a good read." While there is not much vocabulary to it, pages cannot be skipped or else the meaning of colloquial terms shall be lost. The sentences flow easily and have a good length variation. Dialogue is also balanced within the book; it does not rely solely on dialogue or text. This keeps the late-night reading do-able because one is not drowning in paragraphs with no breaks in sight.
Is 'A Stranger in the Kingdom' to be recommended? Yes, highly recommended, and without regret.