This is a fascinating descent into the lives of people who share houses. Most of the people have different ideas about cleanliness, or ownership, of relationships. Many of the stories are hilarious and disturbing at the same time. I don't recommend eating while reading (parts of) this book though.

This has been made into a stage show and movie (which is being released soon). The book has a sequel called The Tasmanian Babes Fiasco.

It's very light reading, very revealing and funny, and not for those easily shocked (if you get to the end and you're not just a LITTLE bit shocked, I'd worry though). Highly recommended

The title says it all really. If it wasn't for "Felafel" my housemate might have ended up in a shallow grave in my backyard. It has to be one of the coolest books on share house living ever written. Some of Johns other titles include "Tasmanian Babes Fiasco" and "Leviathan: The Unauthorised Biography". Personally I'm hanging out for his new book "Dopeland" and you'll have to work out what thats about by yourself. Although I can say that we did have the pleasure of assisting the author with his research into microbreweries when he came to Perth. "Felafel" is well worth a read and I highly recommend it.

I picked up this hilarious book while travelling in Australia and it made a truly wonderful literary companion to the trip. Birmingham's comically detailed and slightly skewed vignettes from his days as a "flatmate" are a riot to read regardless of their basis in fiction. The book begins with a story of a mysterious drug addict flatmate that was found dead with a falafel in hand and it just gets funnier from there. Birmingham's tone and joie de vivre makes for an enjoyable read. Because of the nature of the vignettes, reading this book in small doses is a great way to pass the time while waiting for the plane, or bus, or ferry, or just killing time between adventures. If you've ever lived with someone that was a less than desirable roomate/flatmate, you will undoubtedly enjoy Birmingham's twisted experiences and witty prose.

In these modern topsy-turvy times in the 21st century, it is good to see someone come to help us lads be Men.

Birmingham & Flinthart have given us all we need to know about being men, including:
* how to tie a bow tie,
* how to land a jumbo,
* how to cook (to show women we aren't cavemen),
* how to spot a cheap suit,
* cars to avoid on the freeway,
* superstars of philosophy.

If this book cannot help you, you are either the perfect man or way beyond help.

This book has a wealth of information and I would not hesitate to say that EVERY guy should have a copy of this book in his bookshelf!

It contains invaluable instructions like 'how to land a jumbo','how to cheat at cards' and gives instructions on what should be in your toolbox and what cleaning you have to do around the house and what you don't! Not to mention the 'quick and easy food recipes to impress girls' and job instructions ie 'how to ask for a raise'.

Everyone I've shown this book to has been desperate to borrow it and I've had to steal it back on a number of occasions....

Buy this book - buy it now!

Although OTIN is indeed a rare masterpiece one shouldn't forget Birmingham's true magnum dopus: "The Vancouver Split" - especially those heart wrenching and deeply poignant sections dealing with the handsome Billy Dumont towards the end of the "novel".

This is a good book by Birmingham. Written just after graduating high school, Our Time is Now is a collection of essays by the disillusioned high school students of the 1960s, and also includes excerpts from their underground publications. The essays grasp the students' anger and frustration with authority in a manner so poignant that Birmingham decided to let the words speak for themselves. It is an extremely useful resource for anyone studying this time period.

This book actually has 152 pages, not 75 as stated in the Amazon listing. The review below appeared in the Alabama Baptist newspaper:

Doing Unto The Least of These

John Hayman. Montgomery: Black Belt Press, 1998. 152 pp. $15.95. (paperback).

"The work of the Jimmie Hale Mission and the words of our Savior are to me inseparable," wrote Congressman Spencer Bachus. Carefully researched and extremely well-written, this volume tells the exciting story of this Birmingham rescue mission since its inception in 1944.

Named for its founder, the mission has reached out to thousands of people with physical and spiritual needs. Quite interestingly, "Doing Unto The Least of These" is organized around testimonials of personalities related to the mission whose stories are woven into a chronicle of events which are both informative and inspirational. Readers will be deeply moved as they relive the story of God at work in this indispensable ministry. Quite frankly, this reviewer plans to keep this book nearby for fresh spiritual nourishment.

To be sure, "institutional" books are generally not too popular. This one, however, will prove to be the exception, and rightly so. A native Alabamian, Hayman lives in Birmingham and has a rich background as an author, teacher and administrator.