La gente "común" que hicieron la revolución cubana está retratada en
este libro pequeño y poderoso. Son entrevistas conducidos por dirigentes
socialistas norteamericanos (¡sí, existen!) con generales de las Fuerzas
Armadas Revolucionarias de Cuba. Los oficiales explican como fueron
reclutados inicialmente al Ejercito Rebelde y el Movimiento 26 de Julio,
sus experiencias en la guerra contra Batista, la batalla de Playa Girón
y la crisis de octubre de 1962, sus misiones internacionalistas en
Angola, Argelia, el Congo y Bolivia bajo el mando de Che Guevara, en
Siria y otros países. En el curso de las entrevistas, los conductores
resuman sus experiencias en actividades en defensa de la revolución
cubana en los EE.UU. durante esos mismos eventos históricos, además de
sus experiencias hoy en día de los militantes de un partido obrero
revolucionario en distribuir libros y periódicos en inglés y español que
dicen la verdad sobre Cuba y plantean el ejemplo de la revolución cubana
para la clase trabajadora la sigue algún día dentro de las entrañas de
la bestia imperial yanqui.

Simply put, this book that convinced me Alice is a Talent with a capital "T". She starts with a lovely preface, "In keeping faith with Poetry's honest help to me, I have not deleted or changed--beyond a word or two--anything I have written, though greatly tempted at times to do so. The young self, the naive promiscuous self, appear doubly vulnerable now, in light of my unexpected bonus of years, and the experience they have brought me. I embrace them all, as Poetry embraced me..." From there, she follows with some beautiful, beautiful poetry, speaking to the struggle to develop and improve as an artist.

There are mis-steps, irritations. "There are no tigers/in Africa!/You say./Frowning./Yes. I say./Smiling./But they are/very beautiful." doesn't do much for me. I prefer my evocations of Africa without this almost Disney-esque gloss of "all cool primitive things we'll embrace as African."

Cumulatively, however--the poems are terrific. It's not often that I read through an entire volume of poetry without putting it down. Read this book for all its warts and missteps--and glory in it for its terrific human achievement.

Martin is extremely disappointed to learn that Christina is leaving the industry after this film wraps. He had very much hoped to work on future projects with the beautiful, young actress. She is one of the most talented--and most exciting--women he has ever known.

Christina is very attracted to Martin, and when she realizes that his admiration for her is more than simply professional, she determines to proceed as a liberated, independent woman and propose to him that he be her very first affair.

Gentlemanly Martin is shocked to his polished shoe tips at Christina's scandalous offer. He is adamantly opposed to sex outside marriage, tells Christina so, and remains stiffly withdrawn from her until an accident injuring the leading man forces Martin to take over his role. Soon Martin and Christina are sharing kisses on the set so heated, it becomes impossible for Martin to resist extending those kisses into his and Christina's private lives.

The setting of HER LEADING MAN is fascinating, and so authentically drawn, reading it delightfully transported me to the world of early Hollywood. The liberated heroine and the stiff, moralistic hero are a great pair of comic opposites, and the heroine's outrageous grandmother provides a lot of laughs, too. The love scenes between Martin and Christina are very emotional and very hot--I really love stories where a repressed hero finally lets go to the cauldron of passion inside him, because the heroine is utterly irresistible to him.

Martin's newest leading lady Christina is made of a different ilk than most actresses seeking stardom. She sees acting as a means to an end. Rejected from scholarships because she's female, she intends to earn sufficient funds to pursue her dreams of a medical degree. To protect her reputation and run interference, she brings her Grandmother to the set as a chaperone. The elderly Mrs. Mayhew, Gran, provides marvelous comic relief with her high-spirited ways and obnoxious remarks. Christina calls her an Egalitarian because "she treated everyone like dirt." Although Christine prides herself on her independence, it helps to have someone with a reputation for hardhead ness and a nasty disposition on her side.

Martin's latest project is an Egyptian epic based on the bible. But when his loathsome lead breaks his arm trying to ride a camel, Martin finds himself stepping into the part. Despite the strong chemistry between Martin and Christina, he's not prepared for her out spoken ways when states that she wants to make love with him. Rather than flattered, he's outraged because he considers her perspective to be repetitious of the deterioration of the morals of the industry. He doesn't perceive her outspokenness to be a natural part of her independence and honesty. Now they must act together in the roles of lovers, and as the heat increases on screen, it likewise threatens a conflagration off screen. Especially when their passion takes control, but the moralistic Martin wants marriage and the determined Christina wants a medical career.

The entire Dream Maker miniseries has been a huge success, culminating in THE LEADING MAN. Indeed, the early years of the motion picture industry with its rapid changes has provided a fascinating background beautifully captured by author Alice Duncan's talented pen. Further, Duncan has a flair for creating both unconventional and unorthodox characters that really grab the imagination. Christina, like each of her predecessors, possesses strength of character and a gentle vulnerability that makes her markedly appealing. Martin, who's been a background character of each book, finally gets the story he so richly deserves. His concerns regarding the moral character of his industry span the decades, making him a surprisingly contemporary hero. Very highly recommended.

Martin is an idealist, but is frustrated with all the negative publicity the young Hollywood industry seems to produce. Thus he finds the intelligent Christina with her accompanying escort, her grandmother, quite refreshing to say the least. Christina soon finds Martin not only her intellectual equal but surprisingly he encourages her to use her intelligence rather than pretend to be a vacuous pretty babe. They begin to fall in love, but Martin's codes of ethics involving people working for him seem like a roadblock to any permanent relationship between them.

Alice Duncan's entire "Dream Maker" series has been a delightful look at the first decade of the movie industry, but this novel is by far the best of a wonderful collection because this is Martin's story. Martin has been a key secondary player in the previous novels and readers (except perhaps this reviewer) have patiently awaited his venture into love. The story line is insightful, but also loaded with fun as Christina realizes that she must persuade HER LEADING MAN to reach for the stars with her.

Harriet Klausner

Dreger's book focuses on the collision of hermaphrodites with the medical profession in 19th century Britain and France, a time period when feminists and homosexuals were beginning to challenge sexual boundries. Dreger sucessfully balences stories of individuals with the larger social context. Also, she never resorts to euphemisms, and the accompanying photographs are something that is missing from the standard human anatomy textbook. We should see and appreciate humanity in all its infinite variety and not force anyone to conform to a constructed "norm."

Dreger's final chapter explores the plight of the intersexed in contemporary America. If we are truely to "celebrate diversity," we are going to have to become educated about the millions of intersexed in this country and become sensitive to their issues... because they are issues that concern us all.

My three year old niece is fascinated by this book. The large photos give her lots of detail to examine, and the text suggests that being a Queen requires devotion, intelligence, and bravery. Most movie tie-in books are just plain cheesy. The Random House SW line is a real exception. This is a classy, classy book with a message that I can enthusiastically support.

While my niece is younger than the suggested age range, older kids should also find this book fascinating. I also recommend the book to older Star Wars fans; the graphics are stunning and you'll learn more about Amidala. All in all, a terrific job for all ages!

Amazing photography and unique insight into far lands and distant peoples. "In Her Hands" takes you on a journey to the places you've always wanted to go and into the lives of the people you wish you'd meet when you travel. Women around the world, working to create art and improve their lives. No flashy get-rich-quick success stories, no explosive dot-com egos, but real people who truly earn their success, day by day. The book deals fairly and honestly with complex issues of traditional societies around the world, as women invest their own money in the education of their children and change their local economies.

Beautiful, color-rich images help tell the tale all along. Like photography from LIFE magazine or National Geo, the photos make stories of In Her Hands almost leap from the page.

I highly recommend this to anyone and will be buying many copies as gifts for the holidays!

Indian clubs now prized for their sculptural, artistic merits were once a must for every man, women, and child who hoped to obtain physical and spiritual well-being in the late 19th, early 20th century.

It's amazing to learn that Indian clubs were once thought to be an exercise that would stand the test of time. Hoffman has shown they have, not as muscle builders but as a collectible.

If you're interested in learning something new and not afraid of becoming an Indian club collecting addict as I have since reading this book, I suggest you order Indian Clubs today.

The book also touches on the life of the disciple (person consciously treading the path) and the two main stages of the spiritual path, the later stage being called the Path of Initiation.

The book contains a fair amount of esoteric and technical detail of the processes whereby initiations are undergone. Whilst these technicalities can be evocative and inspiring to some readers, for those who would not find it so, it nevertheless presents an expansive view of the vastness of Life, and the amazing interconnectedness of, and purpose behind, all things living.