I like how they are both different meaning different back grounds and how they didn't let the family stop their love for each other.

Reviewing fiction books is harder than non-fiction in that non-fiction is usually a true story or stories, that is why reviewing this book was more difficult than others. Caso's style is good and he has captured the feeling of the times with The Straw Obelisk.

The book is set during World War II, where a young soldier named Samuele is coming home to completely transformed by the war. His attitudes about life and people have changed and Samuele must bring the Obelisk to the village.

For most of the book the story is easy to follow, however there was some confusion during the reading. I got lost when a woman is killed and Samuele goes from trying to solve a crime to getting the obelisk to the village.

The book finishes nicely and leaves you satisfied. I was impressed by the author's amazing detail of Italy during the war, which adds much to the overall storyline. While the book was published in 1995, it would still make a good read.

I have always been a huge history fan and learning about the things that happened so long ago has always fascinated me. Finding out what really happened makes history more exciting and thin book is a perfect example of this.

Caso captures the essence of both Columbus and Magellan and puts together a book that in some parts makes you feel like you sailing with both explorers. The book is a record the logs that were kept during the explorations.

From the beginning to the very end the reading is informative, enlightening and interesting. While this book is written for the history buffs, I think that everyone will enjoy what is inside this new world reading.

Overall I finished the reading in less than 3 hours and enjoyed every minute, I would hope that pother books like this would follow. Well done and well written

When I first got this book I thought what do I know about poetry and how would I review this book? After spending two hours reading the poems I was simply amazed at what the author has accomplished in the few short pages.

Water and Life is filled with forty English poems and 30 poems in Italian and it makes a wonderful read. The author has drawn deep within his soul in poems like "Love Poem" and "Evening of Spring". With the poem "November 22,1963" you have short to the point look at history.

Caso has a unique and delicate style, and approach that almost has sensitivity that makes reading the poems a real pleasure. "Suicide through murder" satirical look at life and the deeper meaning encapsulated within the writing is yet another of the author's great works.

Caso is the author of other books and Branden.com is an easy to navigate website. You'll find that Branden publishing is well worth the visit.

What is our Constitution based on? What makes the Bill of Rights one of the most unique documents in World History? What's so special about the Emancipation Proclamation? This book gives the answers and so much more.

More than a book about historical documents, Caso explains the importance of each. Caso gives you the explanation as to what each document stands for and its impact on our history.

The entire text of each document is enclosed, which I found quite refreshing, as most books of this genre tend to scrutinize only certain parts. The author has certainly done his homework with this book.

A true must read for all high school and college students, as well as all politicians. This book will take out the complexity of the documents and simplify the meaning. An excellent read and a job well done!

A great read. One that makes you laugh wildly and enjoy Jo's travels but also makes you appreciate the seriousness of her discoveries. You'll want to go to Italy and any other country from which your own ancestors emigrated. You'll also be on the look-out for this author's next book.

Young and old will enjoy the journey that "Jo" takes you on, as this main character travels through Italy linking her past to her present. The author has a unique way of portraying everyday, real life experiences that all of us can relate to - making the reader connect to and be a part of the story right from the first page. The combination of wit, humor, life and love that the characters reveal is wonderful and told through carefully thought out words and sentences - ones that you will want to re- read again and again. The variety of experiences keeps you reading as "Jo" faces and deals with the many lessons life hands her. It will touch every emotion inside.

Straddling the Borders brings the reader on a young woman's spiritual journey via connecting with a grandfather that she never knew. It's a very moving book but also extremely funny. I couldn't put it down. The stories of her life in Italy are so funny and she conveys them with such candid and dry humor! She also gives the reader a wonderful glimpse of Italy in beautiful detail. I have visited Italy myself and after reading Straddling the Borders I feel as though I've missed so many wonderful details. Martha has inspired me to return to Italy one day and when I do, it will be with a much greater and deeper appreciation. Anyone with ancestors from another country who sacraficed much to immigrate to this country will truly appreciate Martha's spiritual journey. This book is an absolute delight!

Although Abenaki Warrior is filled with interesting information, I was appalled by the ignorant, racist comments that the author inserted throughout the book - comments obviously with no basis in fact. For example "...the Indian mind did not recogize such complex emotions as conscience and guilt." This and MANY other similar comments and insulting "conclusions" about "savages" etc. made it difficult to complete the book or lend any credibility to the factual information in it. A good, sensitive editor should have excised these remarks. The author should be ashamed.

I am a really admirer of the American Indian History, and I am countinuosly searching for books and other material that can be useful at the purpose to find out any news on it; in this optic I have read with pleasure the Kayworth's book. Undoubtedly well documented from an historical point of view, the author does not limit himself to present the life of one of the most notable Indian War Chiefs, detailing with plenty of particulars the most salient aspects of it (i.e: his visit to the KING LOUIS XIV in France and his life as a ferocious Abenaki warrior), but, also, presenting him from a perspective dictated by his human being, his thoughts as an old man, as a banished by his tribe, and, above all a man near to his death having, at least, the consolation of his new family that love him. In add, I was struck by the real Escumbuit's friendship with the French official Marin,sincere and truthful; it is presented us also together with several imaginary dialogues that, nevertheless are trying to explain us two different worlds, two different thoughts that are doing their best at the purpose to perfectly understand each other. I absolutely recommend to read this book to all that are thinking like me that the Indians are the unique thing that they have to be: men with their emotions, lovers of their way to life and above all of their earth.

England and France competed for control of the new world for more than 100 years. Caught in this mealstrom were the native americans who were destined to loose there land no matter which side they joined. Alfred Kayworth chronicles the life of Escumbuit an Abenaki Indian from the Pigwaset tribe living in Maine. Escumbuit, born in 1665, becomes active in the war as a French ally against the English settlers from 1688 through 1708 when he is wounded and retires among a group of displaced indians living on Big Island Pond in Southern New Hampshire. His adventures carry him from New Brunswick Canada down to Haverhill and Andover, Mass. His exploits and fame were such that the King of France , Louis XIV, brought Escumbuit to Paris, knighted him and gave him a silver sword and lifetime pension. He spent a year in Paris as a guest of the crown being wined and dined by the elite. He died in 1727. One of the islands in the pond is called Escumbuits Island.It is from this reference to the island that the author first encounters the name Escumbuit. His research resulted in a fascinating book, written in novel form, containing both fact and fiction. The Abenakis left no written record, but Escumbuits exploits as a French ally and an English enemy were such that there are documents written by contemporary individuals on both sides praising or vilifying him. The gaps in the historical record are filled in from the authors imagination, but are based on Abenaki culture as he came to know it through his research. He clearly delineates fact from fiction in foot notes and bibliography. He also peppers the book with facts not directly associated with the subject of the book, such as the aborted invasion of Boston and the east coast by a French fleet and army in 1697. The author does not preach or judge the charaters about whom he write. He tells his story letting events flow without coloring them with his 20th century cultural bias. I read the book in a couple of sittings, enjoying it from cover to cover. I wonder how many other stories like this are out there about this ignored part of our heritage.

The basic writing style and simplistic plot in this small to medium sized book was perfect for my two children, ages 5 and 9, to comprehend. My youngest one, Peabody, would love a Jimmy Streets talking doll! I hope there is an illustrated version of this book on the way.

If you enjoy medical mysteries, then you should give this one a try. Woody Tanger has fashioned a tale that moves crisply and holds the reader's interest. This is an author waiting to be discovered, and surely he will be.

I'll never be able to be comfortable in a relationship or on a date again. . . nor will I ever look at fresh squeezed juice the same way. Where is Det. Street when I need him?

I originally picked up this book at the library along with a large stack of other books on professional wrestling in order to help me write a research paper. My biggest complaint was that most sections were so obscure that even the biggest wrestling fans would have trouble answering the questions. Other sections, however, were so ridiculously easy that my dad, who is a casual fan at best, was able to answer every one of them. It could have used another level of difficulty between the super easy and the super hard.

How much does Haystacks Calhoun weigh? Who defeated Buddy Rogers to win his first WWF Title? What caused Superstar Billy Graham to retire for good? Don't know - Then it time to read this book and find the answers.

Every sport, every subject in fact has some sort of trivia book and each is design to stump you. This book does that but at the same time it entertains, just like the Professional Wrestling entertains.

This book is written for a specific genre of people, as are most books we read. While Professional Wrestling maybe considered fake, there is no doubt as to the reality of the people include in this book.

I have been a fan of Professional Wrestling for over 25 years, and yes it is fake, it's still very entertaining. The price tag won't put your wallet in a full nelson and this book makes a great gift.

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The World War II exploits of the 332nd Fighter Group--the first all-black unit in the US Army Air Forces--is a fascinating story on several levels. The pilots of the 332nd fought long and hard in the skies over North Africa, Italy, and Central Europe. They racked up an impressive record of enemy aircraft shot down, ground targets destroyed and--on the bomber-escort missions they often flew--friendly planes brought home safely. They also paved the way for the integration of the armed forces, and of American society generally, by showing that blacks could handle the stress of battle and the demands of high-performance airplanes just as well as whites. In a world where many (most?) whites saw blacks as innately inferior, the Tuskegee Airmen proved otherwise.

This book is a dense, detailed, information-packed history of the 332nd during and immediately after the war. It's a valuable source on a vital topic, and I'm glad it's out there.

That doesn't, however, make it a great book.

The style, for close to 400 pages, is choppy and unpolished with only a vague suggestion of a strong narrative line. Context is spotty at best, and technical terms sometimes go unexplained. The typography is idiosyncratic, and the inexplicable rendering of nicknames in italics and ranks, abbreviated, in ALL CAPS is distracting in a book where names come thick and fast. The type face itself is ugly, and the reproduction of many of the pictures is substandard. The index consists almost solely of personal names, which makes it intensely frustrating to use if you're not already intimately familiar with the story. To look up an incident in which two members of the 332nd sank a German destroyer, you have to know what their names were . . . no entry for "destroyer," or "strafing," or "naval vessels."

If there were other books out there that provide the sheer volume of facts about the subject that this one does, I'd give it about a star-and-a-half. There aren't, but there ought to be. The 332nd was noted for its professionalism; it deserves a more professionally-done history. Until that book gets written, though, this one (flaws and all) is essential.

In baseball, Jackie Robinson's impact can never be overstated. What he did for the game is immeasurable. In the world of aviation African Americans owe a debt of thanks to a group of men called "The Tuskegee Airmen". Their contributions to aviation are just as immeasurable.

Francis takes the reader back to the time when blacks in the army were living under Order 9981 from President Truman. Francis's gives you the triumphs and failures and brings it to life through each page. This read was truly remarkable.

This is the second book I have read on the Tuskegee Airmen, the first being a biography of Charles F. McGee, and for the second time I was moved by how this group of Officers and enlisted personnel worked through segregation to ensure the civil rights of those to follow.

Army life today, and the African American who serve with honor, can thank the men of this book for what they have. This nation owes a debt of thanks that can never be expressed enough. I am truly thankful to have had the opportunity to read this wonderful book.