If you're writing a paper on Japanese Internment Camps, this book is really good. It superbly defines the generation gap of Japanese-Americans during the 1940's. In addition, the foreward to this book is well-written and very helpful. This book helps show what happened to the Japanese during World War 2.

cuando lei este libro hasta llegue a sonar unas cuantas veces con estar en la carretera polvosa camino a otra comunidad donde pudiese conseguir un mejor empleo, y durmiendo en una hooverville. la historia es fascinante y es tan buena que la novela no parece las paginas parecen cortas. la familia que emigra, la lucha por un trabajo, la muerte, el crecimiento y distaciamiento de la familia. esta novela pinta un cuadro dramatico aunque lleno de hermosura narrativa de la gran depresion de los anos treinta, narrada en un lenguaje humano. es una de las mejores de este autor. muy recomendada..

LUIS MENDEZ

This is a very good book. Very light hearted way of how a childs' imagination can run at bed time. It is a book that my children like to have read to them over and over again.

Plenty of suspense and drama. A very enjoyable book set in the fabled lost city of Atlantis. The story of the warrior-priest Deucalion and of the evil Queen Phorenice leaves the reader unable to put this well- written book down.

A non-Jew, author John Wiernicki was a Polish partisan and political prisoner who vividly recalls his experienced during World War II and the horrors of being incarcerated in the Auschwitz concentration camp. It was in 1943 that Wernicke as a Polish underground fighter was captured and beaten by the Gestapo, then shipped to Auschwitz. A Gentile, Wernicke's chilling memoir graphically details "life" in that infamous death camp, along with his personal battle to survive both physically and morally in the face of the utter evil that was the Nazi "Final Solution" for its enemies. Especially in the face of current efforts at anti-Semitic revisionism, War In The Shadow Of Auschwitz is a critically important and welcome contribution to the growing library of Holocaust Studies, as well as being recommended for World War II European theater reading lists and reference collections.

This book is part of a 2-book series. I read them out of order because of the publisher's comments on the back of each one. It said that The Fool's Run was the sequel to the The Empress File. It's actually the other way around......... I love these two characters... Kidd and LuEllen. They are very intelligent, ingenious and fun-loving people. I can't believe they get away with all of the mischief they cause, but its a fast, fun read. I'd love it if John Camp (Sandford) would continue this series! John Sandford writes very intelligent, suspenseful books. I'm already hooked on his "Prey" series. Every year I patiently await the arrival of the next sequel

I really enjoyed this book. AS Kidd gets his assignment, hires Luellen and Dace, and begins his project, it is just fast enough to keep you interested.Then, right around the time Dace dies, it really picks up. THe plot centers around this Tarot-reading, Computer-hacking painter who is hired by a military defense company to sabatoge another company's computer systm. This book was areally good read and I can't wait to read 'the empress file'

I read this book until 3 am and finished it afer several hours of sleep. Kidd is hired to sabotage a rival company's computer system. He in turn hires a female cat burglar to help. I am a retired computer programmer and this book really held me.

I want to thank John Sack for his courage in researching this difficult topic. I have Jewish friends who admire John Sack as much as I do.

I myself had an American mother and a German father and spent my childhood in Germany during the Second World War. Then I married a German whose father (who was not a Nazi) died in one of the Polish camps after the war under mysterious circumstances, simply because he lived in that area. John Sack's research helped many sorrowing families to find out what actually happened to their relatives.

Millions of Germans still suffer guilt and sorrow for the holocaust but do not know how to express it because they were told over and over again that words can't express the dreadfulness of what their compatriots did. There are many memorials. There is a memorial march every year at Dachau. Children in Berlin made a wall of bricks with the names of all the Jews who lived in their neighbourhood. Teachers try to help children to come to terms with the terrible deeds of their grandparents. John Sack's book is a revelation in many ways. He understands the desire of a holocaust survivor for revenge, but it becomes evident that revenge will not heal the bruised, suffering human soul. Hatred creates more hatred. So we must know the facts in order that such things don't happen again.

Congratulations to John Sack. I have read this book borrowed from someone and I have to have it myself. Is there any way the publisher will publish it again? I want to leave this exciting reading to my children and I also know about scores of my Polish compatriotes as well as Germans and Czechs in Australia, who are truth hangry and who would buy this book immediately if available. As a Pole of origin I am glad, that someone from the Jewish community took up the challenge, since the tragedy of many Polish officers and soldiers from the Home Underground Army was, that they have fought Germans during the war (having among other goals to protect also Jews), yet after the war they found themselves in the same prisons run by Jews as German criminals. I suppose Mr John Sack suffered much himself first facing the truth, secondly probably he was isolated from his Jewish friends and singled out as a black sheep. Whatever happened, Mr John Sack, our warmest feelings are with you.

John Sack is a brave man (this must be pointed out - he deserves credit) John Sack is a Jew (this is pointed out by him - why do some claim he is "anti-Semitic"? ) How can facts be "anti-Semitic"? I know this must hurt him. I say don't shoot the messenger!
Mr. Sack reveals the threats against him by those that did not want him to write this book. He fearlessly explored these terrible crimes against humanity. He reveals how the crime is ongoing because we all know this is a "no-no" subject and those that can have used there power to keep this book from being the blockbuster it should be in America. You need to read this book if you want to know the WHOLE story about the Holocaust. (not the edited version sold to the American public) Buy this book while you can - it may very well go "out of print" - Mr. Sack has told his web site readers that his books have been destroyed in the past. Jews teamed up with communists and systematicaly killing ten of thousands of Germans is something we are not to know about. The history he sheds light on is one that is being suppressed - it cannot be argued otherwise. I say you don't have to be in the dark - don't let the censors win - read it and know.

This is the second novel starring Kidd, a computer whiz and painter and his partner in crime LuEllen, a professional burglar. After taking down a defense corporation through computer hacking in the first novel(The Fool's Run), Kidd was asked to help bring down the corrupt government of Longstreet, a small town located south of Memphis. The town's political machine consisted of the mayor, a few councilmen, and a dogcatcher who is the town bully. The town was also divided among its white and black residents. The current town government was ruled by whites (with only 1 black councilman) even though blacks were the majority. The mayor and her gang accepted bribes and stole money from the city at every chance they got. Kidd agreed to help the few black members who want to overthrow the government both as a favor to a friend and a good opportunity to steal the illegal cash the political machine members had stashed away.

With LuEllen's help, Kidd concocted a con scheme to topple the current town government and appoint new members to the council. As the plan is executed, something terrible happens. Several murders took place. Kidd and LuEllen is faced with possible danger as the mayor and her gang gets more desperate...

Overall, I like this book better than the first one because there is less computer terms therefore no confusing dialogue since the con scheme relies more on lying and planning than computers. The con scheme is fun to read about, almost brilliant. The relationship between Kidd and LuEllen gets more interesting as Kidd's feelings are brought more to the surface. Even though they enjoy an open relationship (each had other lovers), it's clear that they are devoted to each other more or less. Kidd on several instances in this book declares his love for LuEllen. However, I think it will be some time, if ever, before this couple is willing to acknowledge their feelings and settle down with each other. Hope the author doesn't disappoint us and fully develops their storyline in later novels.

This is a very different Sandford book. It is nothing like the Prey series. Reminds me more of a con going on than anything. Kidd and LuEllen are very good. There is much suspense and you do not want to put the book down. I really liked the part that was at the dog pound. Kidd is great in getting people to believe what he wants them to. I think I like the Prey books better but this was pretty good.

Kidd, master computer hacker, and LuEllen, master burglar are hired by a local action committee to discredit the mayor of a small Mississippi town. The mayor is corrupt, along with the group of selectmen who govern with her and the honest people in town want to take their town back. Kidd and LuEllen swing into action but things go wrong and two of the honest folk are murdered. And then Kidd himself is captured. Will he die in the dreaded vacuum chamber or will LuEllen be able to rescue him before it's too late.

The Kidd and LuEllen novels were originally written by John Sandford under his own name, John Camp, and as such pre-date his more successful "Prey" novels. The Kidd novels are just as good if you can overlook the outdated computer technology Kidd uses (that was cutting edge when the novels were written). The writing is great, characterization is right on and the dialog sparkles. As others have suggested read "The Fools Run" first to get a little background on both Kidd and LuEllen. I'd recommend this book.

De Wolk and Swain put together a very helpful book; but I think Swain decided to take on a bit more artistic license. Some of his photographs are of locations far from the campgrounds (but still within the defined area). For example, the photos of Yosemite Valley were taken about 23 miles away from the campground mentioned in the book. Other photos are of the more "select" campsites like at Samuel Taylor State Park. What you'll see is not necessarily what you'll get.

There's also a debate going on about this book on whether toilets are mentioned or not. A cross-check with Stienstra's "California Camping" book on a sample of 10 camps, plus De Wolks own preface, shows that they recommend camps that have toilets unless mentioned otherwise in the text. What isn't mentioned with consistency is whether or not the camps have hot showers.

The contact information and fees for the parks need to be updated as well. Some of the telephone numbers don't work and there's no forwarding service.

Still, this is a good book if only because it provides a bit more detailed information on these 50 campgrounds than any of the camping bibles. It's NOT the only book I use when choosing a campground for my family but it is a good starting place to get ideas. If you're into family car-camping, you can start with this book and cross-reference the data with books by Foghorn Outdoors (author Tom Stienstra), Menasha Ridge (author Bill Mai), and Frommers guide books.

BTW, some of the campsites mentioned in this book have grown crowded since its publication date. A revised edition is definitely called for.

If all the pictures were of just the campgrounds, they would all look alike after a while! Instead, it's obvious as can be that the brilliant photography helps one visualize what you can experience if you spend time in these carefully chosen places. The highly readable text describes much more in detail.

Careful readers have noted that no campground gets in the book unless it has clean, accessible bathrooms. The author notes right from the beginning how important that is to many, especially families.

An update would be great. And a version for Southern California, too! This is a great book!

Roland De Wolk makes a big point that every campground he puts in his book has clean, working and accessible bathrooms -- otherwise they wouldn't be suitable for inclusion!

I am 40 years old and just read this book for the first time. I found this story to be a page-turner and very absorbing. Excellent local color and superb character development. You know, I think today's younger generation could take a few lessons from this story - the stocism these people demonstrated throughout their ordeal was fascinating. The simply did what they had to do and only complained periodically (with exception of Rosasharn - who bitched and whined all the time). This is also a great review of a bleak period in American history.

My advice to people who haven't read it is: by all means, read it, learn something about history and the human spirit.

Now for the oddities:

1. Maybe this was symbolic and I just glossed over it, but several times in the book, drivers (including the protagonists) are squashing with their vehicles animals who have the misfortune of using or crossing the road they use. Well, that was kind of strange I thought.

2. Why Connie left Rosasharn is sort of a mystery. She was pregnant for crying out loud. Was her constant carping about her wanting a house and nice things just driving him bug-s---?

3. Noah left and was never heard from again. I suppose you could argue that this was symbolic of a family disintegrating and how they dealt with it.

4. Now the really odd thing. It ended at a weird spot. Not much closure. I had to check to make sure pages weren't torn out of this old paperback. Wonder if other reviewers thought that was kind of dissatisfying....?

Between 1936 and 1938, Steinbeck wrote a series of newspaper articles for the San Francisco News and the Monterey Trader about the horrendous plight of the migrant workers in California, many of whom arrived from Oklahoma, Texas, and beyond, seeking work during the "Dust Bowl migration" of the 1930s. (Earlier, he had written and published a novel "In Dubious Battle," about labor unrest among those same migrant workers.) The fruit of Steinbeck's years mingling with these workers and investigating their conditions, "The Grapes of Wrath" is a powerful and sympathetic fictional portrayal of one family's horrific odyssey across America in search of work after losing ownership of their farm.

There is certainly more than one way to read this novel: as an incendiary historical document that galvanized the country (Eleanor Roosevelt and various politicians took up the cause of the migrant workers, while conservative-leaning groups and towns banned--or burned--the book); as an epic about human perseverance, survival, and dignity (reflected symbolically in the much-maligned "turtle chapter"); as a political manifesto unflinching in its condemnation of the insensitivities of corporate capitalism (for which Steinbeck was accused of Communist sympathies). Readers who find the novel unrelentingly depressing or unrealistic in its portrayal of the Joad family's fate should understand that the Joads were actually quite lucky. (Very few migrant families, for example, were fortunate enough to live in government camps.)

The first hundred pages or so proceed rather slowly, in part because Steinbeck alternates the chapters about the Joad family with prosaic interludes describing the difficulties facing the migrant workers in general. But the pace of the novel accelerates (and the interludes become shorter), as various members of the Joad family experience frustration, sickness, brief periods of success, and death--never letting go of their dream of settling down somewhere and living in a house. The various members of the family are astonishingly realistic, and their motivations, if simple, are always believable. (The two children are, well, just like children). The ending, which must have been scandalously shocking in the 1930s, is still electrifying; it forcefully shows the desperate lengths the poor were willing to go to help each other when most of America didn't care about their plight.

This is my second time reading the novel, and--although I again found it gripping and moving--I was not as impressed as the first time I read it two decades ago. (I was much more idealistic then, I suppose.) One of the novel's greatest weaknesses is that Steinbeck overstates the evil machinations of the "bad guys" and the good-natured intentions of the "good guys." All the police and the bankers and the landowners are thoroughly malevolent; all the displaced migrant workers and the sharecroppers are faultless (or their shortcomings are unsophisticated, understandable, or well-meaning). As a result, the novel reads in a few places like agitprop rather than fiction.

Of course, that was Steinbeck's intent: he wanted to wake up the country. Yet, as a work of art, this style doesn't date well. Nevertheless, only a cynic or a monopolist could be unmoved by the story of the Joad family. It is truly a classic proletarian novel.

Some books are better read, and some are better heard. The poetry of Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath takes on even greater depth with the Okie dialect of Dylan Baker. This is probably the greatest American novel of the last century. Despite the condescending attitude of academics, this book lets us all in on our own history. Steinbeck doesn't tell us who we are, he shows us who we are by showing us what we have been. As Samuel Clemens dug up our essence in the disease of slavery, Steinbeck confronts us with the violence of our economic system. Also like Clemens, he shows how religion tends to compound injustices. But what makes this a truly great novel is that all this understanding of the world and how it works is communicated by the lives of characters so real and complex that they have become part of our personal history. We experience the depths of our own emotions and capacity to love. The final scene is perhaps the most powerful depiction of human love in all of literature.