This is the second mystery thriller that I have read in which the main characters are Black. It was well thought out and written impressively by Sterling Anthony making his debut as an author. I read it quickly and enthusuastically, wanting to know how the several story lines were interwoven and the final conclusion. I felt at times that the author gave alot of excess information that was not necessary and was a bit distracting, however on the whole it was a good book. I liked the originality of the plot, wherein a Black male who looks Caucasian is so confused and unhappy about his racial identity that he goes to extremes of murdering those Blacks who seem to hold disdain for their race and side with the White man in perpetuating oppression. It is interesting how the author makes the killer a believeable figure, because Black people are not known for being serial killers. However, the reason that Eugene commits these crimes is not difficult to understand, given his unbalanced state of mind. I liked the way Anthony gave Mary Cunningham, the newly promoted officer in charge of the case a full, interesting life in which she had others options open to her aside from police work. She also had a loving and supportive husband. Oftentimes, Black authors want to dwell on the negative aspects of Black family life. I do hope that this is not the last that we have heard from Mr. Anthony. I would enjoy reading more of the exploits of Lt. Mary Cunningham, but whatever the subject matter I'm sure he will do it justice.

A self-appointed crusader is bumping off victims who he regards as Oreos (black on the outside but white on the inside). A quick tempered hot mama of a homicide detective draws the assignment of stopping him. That's the plot in a nutshell. It's a fresh storyline but I didn't rate it just on originality. What I liked most was the execution and I'm not talking about the murders. I'm talking about the quality of the writing. I found every character believable with strengths and weaknesses. I disconnect with stories based on characters that are all good or all evil. The main character, Bloody Mary (no, that's not the killer), for example, has a number of personal issues that she wrestles with in addition to having to stop a serial killer. And speaking of the devil, Eugene Shaw is an original as far as I know. I've never run across the likes of him on page before and certainly hope never to in person. I sort of stumbled onto this book. It was listed as one of the books readers also bought for another book I ordered. The cover is very eye catching but I was convinced by the reviews. Now I'm returning the favor. Buy the book.

First of all, I would like to congratulate Sterling Anthony on his first novel and I really hope he comes out with another one b/c i loved this book. Just the fact that when the author is black i feel i have a personal connection with him b/c i write stories too and there aren't that many young teenager authors(black at that). But anyway throughout the whole book I enjoyed the character development, and flashbacks that occur constantly. It kept me interested and eager to find what kept me guessing. I think the plot was great to use b/c it was semi-contreversial and contreversy sales. Arguments and disagreements about things get other peoples' attention and anything can start. I love the intricate swaying of back and forth from the present to past to learn the past of each charcter. It made me believe in them more and made the book more realistic. I'm a sucker for action movies and unrealistic things and my dad always tells me that but this book I found to be truly realisitc. So if it's something realistic and I like it then it must be a good book. Go cop it.

This book, I must say, is nothing like I expected it to be. I thought it would focus on the life of the Hunchback, Quasimodo, but instead it looked at the lives of many unfortunate people along the way. Most of the characters are rather sad people; A gypsy girl taken advantage of by a crude soldier; a lustful deacon gone mad; a lonely bell ringer persecuted by the mobs of Paris; a poet/philosopher broke and homeless. I had expected, well, brighter, different characters and storylines. One this I found amazing about this story, however, was the shading of the characters. I expected the villain, Claude Frollo, to be black-hearted. Instead, at parts he was almost a shade of gray. Note of caution: I would not recommend this book to children. Yes, Disney made a movie out of it, but the true tale is not one for youngsters. The entire story, especially the end, is too sand and dark for young readers to enjoy

Contrary to popular opinion the novel Le Notre Dame de Paris by Victor Hugo is not primarily about the deformed bell-ringer Quasimodo. Quasimodo's role is actually surprisingly small in the story, which makes you wonder why the English translater's chose "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" as the translation for the title. Actually, as the original French title would indicate, it is the cathedral itself that is the focus of the book. This is why in the unabridged editions of this book you will find numerous chapters that seemingly have nothing to do with the plot of the story. This is the books weakest point, and it may turn many people away from the book. Once you get into the plot, however, it is iimpossible to put the book down. The characters are intriguing: composer Pierre Gringoire, archdeacon Dom Claude Frollo, once a paragon of virtue now tormented by his corrupt love for a gipsy girl, L'Esmerelda, the naive gipsy dancer, Phoebus, the selfish, egotistical captain of the guards, and of course Qausimodo, a deaf, deformed bellringer. The relationships between these characters are complex and dark but they make an unforgettable story. The story is never, from front to back, a happy one, so if you are looking for a book that makes you "feel good" this is not the one for you. If, on the other hand, you are looking for a good book to read, that is unafraid to deal with the darker side of reality, I highly recommend "The Hunchback of Notre Dame."

"The Three Musketeers", "Frankenstein", "Around the world in 80 days", all those samples of nineteenth century literature have become true icons of popular culture in our time. Acknowledging that, I decided to read the literary works that originated some of those cultural concepts, in order to better understand their true meaning. That's how I decide to read "The Hunchback of Notre Dame". This little review is based on my impressions on this great piece from Victor Hugo. Since the high quality of "Hunchback" is universally accepted, a text intended to prove that Hugo's work is a good book would be truly pointless. Rather. this review is meant to comment on why it would be interesting for readers going beyond the popular imagery generally surrounding this important piece of literature and actually reading it.

Though I've read an English version of the book, I know the original French title reads just "Notre Dame". That's probably because the focus of the story is not really Quasimodo, the deaf and deformed hunchback in charge of ringing the bells of Notre Dame. The true main character in the book is the cathedral itself. In the story, this edifice is in the center of a series of plots that help to portray medieval Paris.

In fact, one could approach "Hunchback" as a true history treaty, due to extensive descriptions of the medieval city and explanations on medieval culture that the scholar Victor Hugo included on his work.

However, in Hugo's romanticized portrait of a Paris of times gone by, it's possible to list some characters that stand out as true key figures in the drama. Those most outstanding in the book's plot are the aforementioned Quasimodo; Dom Claude Frolo, the taciturn Archdeacon of notre Dame and Quasimodo's foster parent; La Esmeralda, the gypsy girl, who seems to enchant all around her with her charm; Gringoire a foolish and impoverished poet and Captain Phoebus, a selfish and feeble spirited nobleman who holds a position of military officer.

Another misleading notion about "Hunchback" is the belief that it's some sort of gothic version of "Beauty and the Beast", staring the bestial Quasimodo and beautiful La Esmeralda. Quasimodo indeed falls deeply and thoroughly in love with the pretty gypsy, yet, the only feelings her beloved can offer in return are pity, gratitude and tenderness. Despite that, the lady never quite overcomes a deep feeling of disgust towards the bell ringer's hideous figure. Contrary to what many might think, this book is not some mild hearted fable about love and kindness overcoming exterior appearance. In addition to being a historical study about medieval Paris, this piece of literature is an amazing essay on human wickedness. The book is a powerful portrait of several manifestations of evil in the hearts of people. Because of some twists and turns in the story, all those samples of human cruelty portrayed end up being channeled against poor la Esmeralda, causing the complete undoing of she who is the only truly good hearted character in the whole book. Among the examples of how evil can manifest in human's hearts present in the piece's pages, there is the case of Dom Claude who, torn between celibacy and lustful feelings for the gypsy girl, nourishes a love for La Esmertalda stained by mortal hate towards her. There are the towns people who, while charmed at the little gypsy who make dancing performances on the streets to collect some spare change, also despise her for being a vagabond and supposedly a sorceress. There are the officials of law who ruthlessly and mercilessly ensue penalties of torture and deaf under the most improbable accusations. We also see Phoebus, a petty and vulgar man used to taking advantage of women for the sake of his own sexual satisfaction, who, although does not perform any evil toward others, is responsible for the most tragic events just for omitting himself in face of the distress of others. This huge gallery of malefice conspires to bring La Esmeralda her doom, and the only one who comes forth to protect her against such a dark state of affairs is the crippled hunchback Quasimodo. This book conveys a rich yet dark portrait o human psique. Therefore it is truly not advisable to draw from its story a script for some light hearted animated movie for children.

As a final remark, it's important to reinforce that though one might think that is well acquainted with the concept of the popular icon "The Hunchback of Notre Dame", the piece of literature that has given rise to it can prove to be much richer than any preconceived notions we might have about it. The purpose of this tiny review is to provide a very brief idea of what one can expect to find by actually reading this great book.

For several years, I ate, drank, and breathed the Incarnations of Immortality series, much as I had previously done the same with Star Trek. I was 15. Even then, though, although I much loved the stories and especially the alternate reality portrayed in Incarnations of Immortality, I found certain aspects of Piers Anthony's storytelling to be, well, annoying. For Love of Evil even more so than most.

The target readers of all of Anthony's books seems to be pre-teens, or any others with an exceptionally short attention span. He feels the need to remind us of things that anybody with a halfway decent memory would remember without his prompting. This is especially true in For Love of Evil. For example, a key character in the novel is Nox, the Incarnation of Night. Anybody who has read the book hardly needs to be reminded that Nox is the Incarnation of Night, though, because in the course of this single book, Anthony finds it necessary to TELL us that Nox is the Incarnation of Night, "she who knows all secrets, and keeps most of them," at least SEVEN times. By the end of the book, we practically have her character description memorized. This is unnecessary. Worse, it's condescending. And it's what makes this story a 4, instead of, say, and 8.

This book is EASILY my favorite book ever written. It is so imaginative.... I love it! The whole series is great, but this one really pries into the life of Parry, and displays a lot of character. Piers Anthony is my all time favorite author, and this book is my favorite book of all time. (I haven't read And Eternity yet, but the first 6 are my 6 favorite books! My order of preference: For Love of Evil, With a Tangled Skein, On a Pale Horse, Bearing an Hourglass, Weilding a Red Sword, and then Being a Green Mother.)

I truely enjoyed this book. I actually read it when it first came out (circa 1989) and again now. Now I remember why I loved it so.

I would suggest reading 'On a Pale Horse' first (as an intro to the series and illustrates how Satan is a jerk to the other Incarnations), 'Wielding an Hourglass' as optional (well written and gives more depth to Satan's character), 'Being a Green Mother' (Did not truely enjoy this one until I got to the last 4 chapters. When taking in the context of a supporting book to 'For Love of Evil' it enhances that story well.), and 'Love of Evil' last (the best one). (I did not read 'And Eternity').

Pros: I enjoyed how Piers Anthony illustrated the humanity of Satan along with the reasoning and stuggles that comes with his role as Incarnation of Evil. Once you get past the first few chapters (slow story line) it just gets better from there. It really explains and ties togeather why Satan acted and did what he did in the previous books. It also ended in what could of been a extremely tragic and depressing ending on a high note. I put the book down after I've finished feeling good and that 'alls well that ends well'. I love how the main protaganist (hero of the story) was Satan.

Cons: If you haven't read the previous books (or at least the ones I suggested) you can feel cheated as the author just summarizes the plots of the grand schemes the hero (Satan!) goes through in the 2nd half of the story. Do yourself a favor and read the others. Makes this book so much better.

One begins reading "Big Trouble" with great anticipation - a fascinating but little known historical incident, an outstanding writer with a proven track record and a host of respectable reviews. It doesn't disappoint... at least at the start. It takes a little while before one realizes that the book is a lost opportunity. A book that is initially difficult to put down becomes hard to pick up. Athough I stuck with it, I found myself frustrated by the many diversions that distracted from the intriguing story of a notorious murder and a sensational trial. What went wrong? The fault lies with the book's editor. Was there an editor? If so, Where was he or she? The editor did Lukas a great disservice and allowed a potentially great book to meander and ultimately, fail. It's a shame, particularly when one considers that the author's disappointment in his work was one of the factors that led to his suicide. At the same time, one wonders if the inability of Lukas to stay focused was a sign of his depression and if the book's shortcomings reflected a cluttered, distracted state of mind. Sadly, we'll never know.

It was with great sadness that I learned of Anthony Lukas' death. Having been prompted by 'Big Trouble' to read his other prize winning book 'Common Ground', I am convinced we've lost a major talent and human being. Having lived in Boise, Idaho, this account of the murder of the Governor during the turn of the century was fascinating. Readers may be interested to know that the Idanha Hotel, where many of the key figures lived during the trial still bears their famous names on the room doors. The book is so exhaustively researched that details of conversations come out allowing it to be read almost like a novel. I found the diversions helpful in illuminating and embellishing the atmosphere and culture of the day. The beauty of this book is that you learn about so many different historical events and issues, not just the one at the center of the story. I highly recommend this book.

This book is the literary equivalent of an unfocussed college history teacher: It sets out to explore the murder of Idaho Governor Frank Steuneberg in 1905 and the trial of his alleged killer, but soon the author is thrown off-track and the astounded reader finds him rambling on about aspects of turn-of-the-century American history as diverse as the role of Black regiments in the US army, President McKinley's private life, and Chicago's Pinkerton detective agency. But since this absent-minded professor of an author is both extremely knowledgeable and an entertaining presenter of his thoroughly researched tidbits and stories, this rambling makes an absolutely fascinating reading experience and is also bound to surprise and spellbind you. Its lack of focus ironically enough, turns out to be one of the books major strengths. I loved the book, it's a hard read but a rewarding one. Crammed with information you'll find nowhere else and actually shedding some new light on many of the topics it discusses, this is an absolutely fantastic history book.

The books of the First Aid for the USMLE Step 1 series help from the very day you decide to take the USMLE (or medicine, for that matter). It contains need-to-know information about the exam such as what the exam is like, when to register, what your score means, and what to do if you pass or fail. Furthermore, and most importantly, it contains the absolutely "must know" high-yield facts in every subject in Step 1's coverage and fun mnemonics to go along with them. This book also has a review of review books which helps you decide which books are best for you. It also includes a form you can submit mnemonics and suggestions with to improve next year's edition. However, obviously this book is not enough to pass step 1 of the USMLE, but it may give you a very good advantage.

As a student i have always believed in working hard and tried to master the concepts and material covered in the medical school curiculum.It did bring very good grades but I am afraid thats not enough for USMLE. As this book tells USMLE has focus that can be different from what is covered in medschool. A good school will have covered the material but this book will help you look at it the way you can score more on USMLE( esp. the clinical slant of the exam) .The advice are judicious and invaluable for an IMG. I read the advice early on and it helped me mentally prepare for the exam. It maybe hard to go through the review books adviced when doing your course work but borrowing them and orienting yourself to them maybe useful.The book reviews are good. This book doesnt do any magic for you. The best prepration is still studying hard during the course.Goodluck on the exam.
Updated 27th Oct2001 : Just wished to add 1 month after writting the above review that I got a 3 digit score of 269 and a 2 digit score of 99.

I worked hard through out my first two years of Medical school. We even started studying early for the boards. However when crunch time came and there was a limited amount of time for review I used First Aid. I got the score I wanted and felt like I was prepared for 99% of the questions I had on the boards. If you can use this book during your course work-DO IT! What I did was made flash cards from this book and quized myself. I also used this along with the Clinical Vignettes which were awesome as well.

The book Split Infinity is the first book in the series of Apprentice Adept by Piers Anthony. The book is a about an extremely short serf named Stile. A serf is what the basic person is called on the planet Proton. Proton is located in the same system as Earth. On Proton, there are two types of people, the serf and the citizen. Serfs are hired by citizens to do various thing around the planet, but serfs have limited tenure and when it runs out they are deported to Earth. Citizens are extremely wealthy people that hire serfs and have unlimited tenure. Stile is a normal serf that is very talented at the game, a game that tests all attributes of a human against others. Stile led a normal life until a mysterious robot is sent to protect him and attempts start being made on his life. Once, as he is trying to escape from pursuers, he accidentally crosses a curtain that teleports him to a mysterious world were magic really exists. He then has the ability to cross the curtain from world to world, but attempts at his life are made in the other world to. Stile must now try to find who is trying to kill him on both worlds and why. I would give this book four out of five stars because it keeps you interested and makes you want to read the whole series.

Far in the future, the world of Proton is a feudal technocracy where Citizens control the strings of power and serfs are no more than objects to be used at will. Status among Citizens is determined by wealth in the form of Protonite; among serfs, by prowess in the multi-faceted test of skill, the Game.

On Proton, the serf Stile (despite being an expert Gameplayer) is nothing more than a jockey- or so he thinks. Strange events surround him and rapidly move out of control, as he is anonymously threatened, attacked, befriended by a sentient machine, and discovers an astonishing secret about his planet.

From the universe of Proton, he crosses into the alternate frame of Phaze: a world where magic rules and science is unknown, where unicorns and dragons roam the fields. A world where his unknown enemy is waiting to kill him...

In the first of the Apprentice Adept series, Piers Anthony demonstrates the breadth of imagination that characterises his best novels. The originality and detail of his twin worlds captures the imagination and keeps the reader's interest as the story shifts direction, with plenty of action keeping up the pace. Anthony's style is, as always, easily readable, even if overly simplistic to be termed great literature. "Split Infinity" is an entertaining and creative novel which will leave you wanting to read on.

This book is a fast read that will make you want to re-read it over and over. I was fist introduced to this book by a friend. Firstly let me point out i am not the reading type, however this book had me hooked i couldn't stop reading it (I've missed quite a few stops on the bus because of this book).
Piers Anthony has created a wonderful world (or worlds should i say) in which Stile (the main character) is a minor inhabitant he is a jocy on a planet called proton until it all goes pear-shaped when there is a threat on his life.
The title 'Split Infinity' makes more sense after you've read the book. Piers has two worlds which are parallel dimentions on is Proton and one is called Phaze. Proton being the futuristic planet barren out side bio-domes, and Phaze being a lush land of magic and mythical creatures.
All in all this book is an amasing read it totaly pulls you in and you won't want to put it down and you be sad to when you've finished.

BTW: Split Infinity is number one in a series to find the others go to amazon.com and serch for The Apprentice Adept Series, for a full list; as some of the books are not avalible in the UK or are out of print (however lots of second hand copies on amazon.com and .co.uk for that matter)

Like the author's journey, the reader's descent into this book mirrors the voyeuristic trip taken by Loyd into the heart of war. We feel a little uneasy, but like Loyd, we are driven to know the heart of this evil. At times it is hard to feel empathy for Loyd when he ponders a fix after having witnessed the slaughter of families. However, this is the paradox that makes for a riveting read. It is his experience - not ours. This honesty is the only aid we have in understanding the chaos of Bosnia (then later Chechnya) and becomes a welcome and necessary companion. You may understand the players a little better, but you will not understand the reasons for the war any better after having read this book. Like so much we have seen and read about this conflict, the book reveals the disturbing truth from the trenches. And the view is not pretty.

In a book that is almost as much a healing for the author as it is war correspondence, Anthony Loyd travels to Bosnia in the early 90s, to "find" a war that he never got to fight in Desert Storm as a British platoon commander.

In this 321-page book of a self-loathing death-wish, the author travels between Central Bosnia, a London flat and Grozny, Chechnya, revealing the most intimate details of his heroin abuse and the war he seeks out as the only refuge from his addition. If this book had included a 17th-century composer and Stanley Kubrick's permission, Loyd could have written a sequel to "A Clockwork Orange", only on a national level. The almost-surreal nature of combat, both in the Balkans and in Chechnya, reveal the worst in combat, something not seen in the likes of World War II, Korea or even Vietnam.

His harrowing tale of murder, rape and carnage on the front lines of Bosnia are a must read for anyone who will serve in the Balkans. One must appreciate the Hell that was forged by all three guilty parties in Bosnia and Loyd does a perfect job of capturing it. He also portrays the Bosnian people openly and accurately, accentuating their bravado as well as their kindness on a personal level. Also reflected in his work, is the pure evil that comes from a battle where the combatants are fighting for everything from Allah to fascism.

Once you stomach the "stream-of-consciousness" chapters in which Loyd battles his addiction to heroin, he allows you to see the demons he is fighting and his need to go to war as a means of self-destruction in a time of his life where he is drifting between boredom, "smack" withdrawal and self disgust.

Buy this book and experience the atrocities of war first-hand.

I chose this book with the goal of comprehending the conflict in the Balkans. Loyd is an excellent writer with an eye for detail and a gift to deliver the big picture. After finishing the book, I feel that I have a much better understanding of the events, and I am horrified. Some reviews comment on the lack of pictures (odd indeed for a photo journalist), but I'm personally thankful to have been spared an eyeful of the atrocities, tragedies and pain lobbied back and forth between these factions. More than a journalist, Loyd is a writer and an adventurer, and this is his trip. Don't expect a straight forward history of the Balkans, it comes in doses, the story keeps a general chronological order, but there is temporal incongruence. It didn't bother me in the least. Also, this is Loyd's story. He intersperses accounts of his life in England, his distant father, his heroin habit. If anything, view these as extras. This is a brilliant account of the situation in the Balkans (with a terrifying chapter on Chechnya towards the end) and the author's personal vignettes should be savored and considered as a means to better understand the kind of man who day trips into other people's nightmares.

I remember slogging through The Canterbury Tales in Middle English when I was in high school and although the language is beautiful, having to take time to decipher it all did diminish somewhat the enjoyment of a terrific collection of stories. Since most of us are more comfortable with modern English, a good translation makes all the difference, and Nevill Coghill's excellent translation does full version to Chaucer's book. Reading this version takes the work out of it and makes "The Canterbury Tales" a pure pleasure. Chaucer writes about everyman and his stories represent one of the motliest crews in English literature: the Wife of Bath who has put away five husbands and is looking for a sixth; the pardoner, the reeve, the clerk, the knight, and a host of others from all walks of life. There is something in here for everyone; my three favorite stories are the Pardoner's Tale; the Miller's Tale (reading this in Coghill's translation, I could see why it has been excised from the bowdlerized versions used in high school English classes; it's rude, crude and downright lewd, but it's so hysterical they had to sew my sides up again when I finally stopped laughing), and the Franklin's tale of the knight, the squire and the magician who outdo each other in chivalry. Antisemitism was commonplace in medieval Europe and Chaucer is no more free of it than anyone else of his time; but to say that The Canterbury Tales is not worth reading because Chaucer was true to his time is overstatement. One must accept that Chaucer was as human and imperfect as most of his peers; without compromising the fact that Chaucer was a literary genius who had a profound effect on English language and English literature.

The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer is one of the first great works of literature in the English language and are good reading for a number of reasons. They are written in "old English", however, and read like a foreign language for most of us. Barbara Cohen's adapted translation gives us four of the tales in contemporary English and therefore provides an excellent introduction to Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. Cohen's tales retain Chaucer's colorful insight into fourteenth century England including life as a knight, the horror of the plague, and the religous hypocrisy of the age. The illustrations by Trina Schart Hyman are vivid and tell a story all by themselves. I use Cohen's book as a supplement to teaching medieval history and literature to 7th and 8th graders.

The biggest hurdle in reading Chaucer is the language. Trying to read his work in Middle English is impossible without really good footnotes, and some of the "translations" are even worse--they're written in a high-blown, pompous style that takes all the fun out of the stories.

All this being so, I was delighted to find the Puffin Classics version retold by Geraldine McCaughrean! The tales are told in an easy-to-read, flowing style that captures the bawdy humor of the originals, without being over-crass (this is a children's book, after all.) I found myself often laughing out loud, and wishing I'd found this version much sooner, because it makes Chaucer fun to read! I highly recommend it for anyone who wants to try Chaucer but feels intimidated by the scholarly-looking versions available in the "Literature and Classics" sections. You won't become expert in reading Middle English, but you WILL see why The Canterbury Tales has such a wonderful reputation!

As the mother of a 15 year old girl, communication, understanding and a respect for one anothers thoughts and feeling, have all been highly prioritized in my role as a parent. The adolesant years can be most turbulant for youngster as well as for parents. What caught my first attention was the title of this book. When I started reading, I couldn't put it down. It's refreshing to know that my daughter and I are not alone when it comes to dealing with the frustrations that come with the adolesant years.The author did a great job with the topics discussed, the examples given, together with the parental advise on how to deal with these issues. I'd recommend this book to every parent.

This is the best how-to-parent-a-teen book I have found, after reading quite a few. It is succinct and humorous and covers the situations that really happen to parents and their teen aged kids. This book gives the best advice I've seen on how to reduce conflict, how to avoid unecessary conflict (he gives explicit advice on how and when to pick your battles), and how to handle conflict when it does occur, as sometimes it must. However, this book really convinced me that a lot of parent/teen conflict is unecessary and superfluous to really trying to raise a good kid into a good adult without trashing the relationship and spending several miserable years. It shows how we often react in a way that negates our true intentions, and gives better options for interacting. I have gone back to this book a number of times and I always come away feeling I've gotten advice that I can put into practice with real (and positive) results. I think my son and I are happier and closer as a result of this book.

"You will be punished and some day you'll have a teenager just like yourself" These were the prophetic words of my mother, sometimes spoken in jest, sometimes in awe, but mostly in fits of frustration and anger. As a parent through adoption I had some hope that I might be spared the angst I put my parents through."

"But alas, as this book demonstrates, the teenage years are universally challenging due to the developmental issues faced by all those who enter. While "Get out of my life..." doesn't specifically deal with adoption issues, (adoptive parents should read up on the unique complexities that adoption brings to teenagers), this it is a wonderful, matter-of-fact, often lighthearted explanation of the struggles facing both parents and children."

"From failure to participate in chores, to lying about their whereabouts, to sex and drugs, the author normalizes these behaviors and offers sound advice to harried parents. For those embattled parents going through this roller-coaster ride, sitting down with this book feels like a big supportive pat on the shoulder from a kindly professional. This is a must read for all parents - good luck!"

I have trouble reading classic literature. I am an avid reader and I want to enjoy the classics, but just find it difficult to understand the meaning in some of the writing.

This, however, was a pleasant surprise. Although written in the early 1700s, the story itself was fairly easy to follow. Even towards the end, I began to see the underlying theme of the satire that Swift has been praised for in this work.

Being someone who reads primarily science fiction and fantasy novels, I thought this might be an opportunity to culture myself while also enjoying a good story. I was correct in my thinking. Even if you can't pick up on the satire, there is still a good classic fantasy story.

Essentially, the book details the travels of Lemuel Gulliver, who by several misfortunes, visits remote and unheard of lands. In each, Gulliver spends enough time to understand the language and culture of each of these land's inhabitants. He also details the difference in culture of his native England to the highest rulers of the visted nations. In his writing of these differences, he is able to show his dislike with the system of government of England. He does this by simply stating how things are in England and then uses the reaction of the strangers as outsiders looking in, showing their lack of respect for what Gulliver describes.

I found it very interesting to see that even as early as the 1700s there was a general dislike of government as well as lawyers.

I would recommend this book to anyone who reads the fantasy genre. Obviously, it's not an epic saga like so many most fantasy readers enjoy, but it's a nice break. I would also recommend this to high school students who are asked to pick a classic piece for a book report. It reads relatively quick and isn't as difficult to read as some of the others that I've tried to read.

It's amazing how our perspective changes as we age. What we thought was important as children may now seem completely insignificant, replaced by entirely new priorities, priorities children wouldn't even understand. At the same time, things we used to take for granted, like having dinner on the table, being taken care of when we're ill, or getting toys fixed when they are broken, have become items on adult worry lists.

Your perspective on literature can change, too. Reading a story for a second time can give you a completely different view of it. "Huckleberry Finn" by Mark Twain, which I enjoyed as a sort of an adventure story when I was a kid, now reads as a harsh criticism of society in general and the institution of slavery in particular.

The same thing is true of "Gulliver's Travels" by Jonathan Swift. The first thing I realized upon opening the cover of this book as a college student was that I probably had never really read it before.

I knew the basic plot of Lemuel Gulliver's first two voyages to Lilliput and Brobdingnag, home of the tiny and giant people, respectively, but he had two other voyages of which I was not even aware: to a land of philosophers who are so lost in thought they can't see the simplest practical details, Laputa, and to a land ruled by wise and gentle horses or Houyhnhnms and peopled by wild, beastly human-like creatures called Yahoos.

While this book has become famous and even beloved by children, Jonathan Swift was certainly not trying to write a children's book.

Swift was well known for his sharp, biting wit, and his bitter criticism of 18th century England and all her ills. This is the man who, to point out how ridiculous English prejudices had become, wrote "A Modest Proposal" which suggested that the Irish raise their children as cattle, to be eaten as meat, and thereby solve the problems of poverty and starvation faced in that country. As horrible as that proposal is, it was only an extension of the kinds of solutions being proposed at the time.

So, although "Gulliver's Travels" is entertaining, entertainment was not Swift's primary purpose. Swift used this tale of a guillable traveler exploring strange lands to point out some of the inane and ridiculous elements of his own society.

For example, in describing the government of Lilliput, Swift explains that officials are selected based on how well they can play two games, Rope-Dancing and Leaping and Creeping. These two games required great skill in balance, entertained the watching public, and placed the politicians in rather ridiculous positions, perhaps not so differently from elections of leaders in the 18th century and even in modern times.

Give this book a look again, or for the first time. Even in cases in which the exact object of Swift's satire has been forgotten, his sweeping social commentary still rings true. Sometimes it really does seem that we are all a bunch of Yahoos.

Swift's classic satire of English and European governments, societies, and cultures should be required reading of every college student. (Except for those who appear to be in law school as is the earlier reviewer who referred to Swift as being an "18th century Unabomber." Swift may have been conservative in his beliefs and not cared much for individuals such as Robert Boyle, who is satirized in the book, but he was not violent. Perhaps our "law student/reviewer" is offended by Swift's biting satire of lawyers and politicians in part four.) The version I read was an annotated edition by Isaac Asimov and contained many passages that had been deleted by previous publishers. Asimov's comments enable the reader to more fully appreciate Swift's satire. In part one of the novel, a ship's surgeon, Lemuel Gulliver, is shipwreaked and finds himself on the island of Lilliput, the inhabitants all being only six inches high. This section is great satire of English politics and wars. Royal ponp, feuds amongst the populace, and wars are made to look rediculous. In the second part, Gulliver finds himself in Brobdingnag in which he is only six "inches" tall (relatively speaking). This part forms another satire of European governments. In part three, Gulliver visits the flying island of Laputa where shades of ancient scholars can be called up. This section is a satire on philosophers and scientists. Scientists are portrayed as men so wrapped up intheir speculations as to be totally useless in practical affairs. Absurd experiments are described (for example, extracting sunlight from cucumbers (but, extracting energy from cucumbers and other plants is no longer so absurd Jonathan)). Also described in this third part are the Struldbergs, men and women who are immortal but who turn out to be miserable and pitiable. In part four, Gulliver travels to the Land of the Houyhnhnms, horses with intelligence but who have no passion or emotion. The word "Yahoo" originates in this part. READ IT!