My child brought this book home from his school library. I am in complete disbelief. This book is horribly insensitive and frightening for children of a parent involved with or anticipating involvement with our current war. Originally, I thought, well, maybe it just seems worse because of Enduring Freedom, but then I realized that the book was written during the Gulf War. I am so glad I previewed this book before reading it to my six year old. He would have had nightmares for quite a while. My husband is in the National Guard, so this tale of a mother leaving her child to find her wounded husband while the child is only able to think that perhaps he wouldn't see his father again would have done nothing more than scare him to death. Granted, the back cover tells us that this story takes place during the Civil War, but that is not what a child will focus on. The "happy" ending of the family reunited is only made more petrifying by the father having lost an arm. Give me a break. Perhaps, this story would have some redeeming quality if it was written for older kids, but it sure isn't picture book material. If you really feel compelled to read this to your child wait until the war is over.

Cecil's story was written by the sister of my English professor. It is simple but extraordinarily powerful. The book deals with a young boy's reaction as his father is wounded in the war, though I think it would be appropriate for any child who's parent has suffered an illness or injury. It concludes with the understanding that in the face of debilitating circumstances, we are fortunate simply to have each other.

Both the writing and the artwork are extraordinary--I would recommend it for any child.

Catalanotto's illustrations bring so much depth to this story of a child missing his father. His use of overlapping images to show the passage of time is beautiful. A moving book to have and treasure.

The story of a maturing girl provides many stereotypical events of growing up. The reason I rated this book three stars is because it really isn't a book written for males. I am sure that young women would enjoy this story much more than I did. The story is set in the times of WWII, beginning when Suse is in elementary school. She has a brother who is put in the war and a sister who soon goes away to college. Without her siblings she goes through the adolescent type events involving friendship, puberty, love, and middle school. These stories of maturing related little to me being a male. Still in my view this was a decent book to read as the voice of Suse's feelings captures you regardless of your sex. However, I would still only recommend this book to younger girls.

Yes, if I were stranded on a desert island, I'd certainly want a copy of this book with me. This well written, poignant book tells about Suse, a young girl growing up in the Bay area during WWII. It's particularly memorable for capturing her struggle to understand the war, her family and friends, and the world in general. You'll enjoy this novel very much as you watch Suse try to understand her place among these elements.

I loved this book when I read it nearly 20 years ago and loved it anew when I re-read it this year.

I first read this book in high school on the recommendation of an english teacher. I asked why so many serious books about artistic, intellectual and sexual awakening focused on males (we'd just read James Joyce) and not females, so he suggested that I read this book on my own time, (he had enjoyed it and was considering using it for class at some time in the future). Even though it dealt with the WW-II era, which occurred long before I was born, I really related to this book and enjoyed the characters of Suse and her friends. Too many books about girls deal with the kind of transformation Suse's friend Peggy went through as if it were a good thing...as if all girls want to become cheerleaders and prom queens in high school. The part about friends growing apart was funny and sad. I liked the fact that Suse went through adolescence and awakened sexually without losing her brain or sense of self. I thought there was some nice imagery in the book too, and I enjoyed (and squirmed sympathetically during) the parts where Suse embarassed herself trying to impress her prodigal friend's peers by talking about "Rosa Luxury" the socialist agitator....and about thinking that the "crystal night" pogrom had something to do with Christmas. I can recall going through similar logical but inaccurate thought proceses and embarassing myself in similar ways as a kid! I re-read it recently and enjoyed it as much as I did nearly 20 years ago. I wish there were more similarly intelligent books out there about coming of age in America.

As a big fan of Tony Hillerman, I was extremely excited about new mysteries from the Four Corners region. I was extremely disappointed by this effort. The dialogue is poorly written, the storyline tedious, and, unlike Hillerman, many of the numerous subplots have no bearing on the conclusion. The ending lacks credulity, and the characters are thin and stereotypical. Buy this book only in paperback or as a special from a Mystery book club.

I enjoyed the first novels by the Thurlos but I have been very disappointed in the last two Ella Clah novels. I could not understand why they bothered me until I realized the Ella seems to get getting more Anglo in each novel. For as long as she has been back on the Rez and the types of cases she has been dealing with, i.e. skin walkers, I expected her to be more accepting of her heritage but she totally denies it even though her fetish seems to warn her when there is danger. A disappointing read. I doubt if I will buy Red Mesa.

This is the best book in the Ella series. It is sure nice to read a book set in the southwest that shows the real southwest. Some authors do not have a clue about New Mexico. The Thurlos have done excellent research. The book is an excellent example of this and is a great read.

Having read that Ella Clah was a counterpart to Jim Chee and Joe Leaphorn, I started this book with great expectations. These were destroyed when I discovered that the book bore little resemblance to reality. Protagonist Ella, unlike most policemen, seems able to interrupt whatever work she's doing to jump in her car and drive to 'nearby' towns at a moment's notice. She always arrives ready and eager to tackle yet another emergency. Of course, the Four Corners region is huge, and travel between towns would have her driving incredible distances. The reader can't help but know that Ella possesses some sort of sixth sense because, in the first 70 pages, Ella feels 'uneasy' at least 70 times. Each colleague, (again mentioned repeatedly), gives great respect to her famous hunches. When an author repeates himself, it's usually because he doesn't have much to say. And neither does Ella!

Readers who follow the jacket blurb and go into Bad Medicine expecting a Joe Leaphorn/Jim Chee mystery will be sorely disappointed.

First, the Thurlos don't have nearly the lyrical voice of Hillerman. You have much less of a feel for time and space and terrain in the Ella Clah books.

Second, the Thurlos spend much more time on external circumstances than on their characters' internal struggles. Even Ella's constant conflict over being a cop and not having time enough for her family seems forced.

Third, the Thurlos give far more play to the supernatural than Hillerman. Progressive though Clah is, her family and her enemies are not. If you're not willing to suspend disbelief, this book won't work for you.

That said, it's not a bad book. I enjoyed reading it, and found it a faster read than all but the most recent Hillerman (i.e. Hunting Badger). The characters are not as deep, but the action is paced well enough to keep the story interesting.

Navaho tribal investigator Ella Clah is isolated form the Navaho community she is sworn to protect because of her FBI training and her family heritage of being vessels of powerful magic. Ella herself is torn between the traditional beliefs of her people and the scientific method employed in the Anglo world. When the Anglo miners form the Brotherhood, a group that preaches hatred and violence, several Navaho retaliate by forming a counter-group, spouting the same violent intolerance.

Both groups operate in secrecy, but when one of the miners is murdered, the escalated tension between the two groups is noticed by the police. Ella, who is in charge of the investigation, concludes that some powerful person, working behind the scenes, is manipulating events to further drive a schism between he two communities. Before the reservation explodes into more deaths, Ella must learn who the enemy is and why he has brought evil to the peaceful area.

This is the third book in the Ella Clah series and it is by far the best one to date, an amazing accomplishment since the first two novels were quite good. Readers feel a real connection to the heroine's angst as she struggles with an inner turmoil caused by having her feet straddle two worlds. It should not surprise fans of the terrific Thurlo twosome that this novel has a haunting quality reminiscent of Tony Hillerman and Louise Eldrich.

Harriet Klausner

I don't know if it's this kind of "essay collection" book that I don't like, but now I'm looking for a more complete biography on Ella. But the text is most of the time very journalisticand boring, and way too positive to sound like a biography. I should have paid attention to the title "seven decades of commentary". My bad.

This book is a compilation of articles, linear notes & book excerpts plus a selected discography and bibliography of Ella Fitzgerald, "The First Lady of Jazz."
Follows her from orphan to icon - gives you an oversight of how the singer was discovered in Harlem and rose to be the highest-paid jazz singer in the world.
Not an actual biography this book collects writings about Ella Fitzgerald and her career from a variety of sources and follows her achievements over the years.

This has to be one of the most poorly structured and poorly written books I've ever had the experience to read. While I do think Ella is a beautiful woman and a fairly decent actress (or, to be politically correct, "actor"), she fails miserably as a writer. I tried my best to ignore the fact that every grammatical rule was casually tossed out the window, but that eventually proved to be too difficult.

I bought the book because I recently decided to "go natural" with my hair. I had all my relaxed hair cut off last month, which left me with short natural hair. I was hoping that Ms. Joyce's book would be a good supplement to "Good Hair" by Lonnice Brittenum Bonner in helping those of us who have been moved to go without chemically altering our hair. Unfortunately, that was very much not the case. Ms. Joyce shares her many hair trials, but I wasn't looking for her experience; I already know the trials that come with dealing with kinky and curly hair! I was looking for substantive information about natural-hair care. The book is touted somewhat as a how-to book. I was reminded "how to" return a book to Amazon. Even her critique of hair-care products left me empty.

Beyond the poor writing, worse grammar, and lack of any real information, I was also disappointed that Ms. Joyce neglected to show us more photos of her journey. Like Ms. Bonner did in her book, Ms. Joyce showed plenty of photos of her final result. (In Ms. Bonner's book, she has a photo of her short afro and then photos of her shoulder-length hair. What happened in the meantime?) There were no "in- between stage" photos or information that would be helpful to the many of us who are transitioning. It's as though POOF! One day you decide to go natural, and the next day you have a head full of long hair. While Ms. Joyce used braids to transition, more information and pictures of the in-between stage would have, I think, provided more inspiration.

I can say that if you are looking for a bit of information about braids (she really touts those for transitioning), then you may be able to glean something from this book. However, I have to caution you that even that information is presented in a somewhat disjointed fashion. I really think this is a "one star" book; but I'm giving the book two stars for the simple reason that there is a bit of information about braids as a transitioning device. Someone may find that information helpful.

A final note: Ms. Joyce, we editors are out here. Please use one of us before your next publication!

If you are considering purchasing of this book, I urge you to go ahead and buy it.

I am in my third year of wearing my hair in natural styles. It has at times been a difficult three years. I have often wanted to throw a relaxer in my hair to conform to the average standard of beauty and to be able to care for my hair with ease.

I have read and own several of the natural hair care books out there. I really like Lonnice Bonner's books but was unable to duplicate the natural curly styles that she wears until I read Kink Phobia. Ella Joyce's Kink Phobia provided me with inspiration, detailed styling instructions, a products list, and reassurance that my thick curly mass of hair is indeed beautiful. Ms. Joyce reminded me of the many reasons that I decided to go natural in the first place.

Any editorial failures should be overlooked in consideration of Ms Joyce's sincere, open-hearted, and sista-ly sharing of kinky information that she learned the hard way.

This was not at all what I expected !!! I thought I was going to die of boredom! It was not worth the paper is was processed on. I could have bought a "Daily Guidepost" and been more fullfilled! :(

The book itself was pretty good.... it's more like 1001 WAYS to think positive (versus 1001 REASONS to think positive). But I found it a good read.

This book really inspred our readers group. There are 50 people in our group and 48 out of 50 readers found this book inspirational and helpful to our everyday lives.

This book is written for people who already have a firm grasp of canine anatomy. This book reads like a medical text book. It's like reading stereo instructions. I am very dissapointed in this book and am going to try to return it. It was very expensive. It makes acupressure look very difficult (which is not true). It gives "alternative" methods a bad name. Of course, if I could have looked at it in a store I would never have purchased it. I do not recommend this book for the average pet owner.

Never being familiar with canine acupressure before, I found this book very easy to read and very easy to understand. I read the book and then read it again. The second time I read it I tried a few of the techniques on my dogs. They loved it! I highly recommend this book to any dog owner.

I found this guide to acupressure for pet dogs to be clear and easy to use. It is the only book of its type that I could find, targeted for beginners. I especially liked the lists of specific conditions or problems, and how to treat them. One of my dogs was treated for a hot spot using this book. The relief he got was immediate and evident to everyone in the room. Another dog has benefited from acupressure treatment for joint disease. Both my dogs and I have enjoyed a closer, more satisfying relationship using regular acupressure techniques described in this book. People with an open mind, willing to try something different for their pets, will love it.

I can only write about my few years with her - but I certainly have more insight about the woman not so much the singer than this whole dumb book.

Lots about recording - of course he was not there - and nothing about her other than "and then she did"...

Overall this book collects most of the facts of ELLA's life and career in nice perspective.However i must say this:Mister NICHOLSON while preparing the biography has not met his subject and has included some totally out of place remarks that makes his book a shameful attempt to collect royalties he does not deserve.Mister NICHOLSON who i beleive never conducted an orchestra try to demonstrate that BUDDY BREGMAN the conductor of the PORTER and RODGERS songbooks failed to deliver the goods,allthough millions of fans throughout the world consider them to be the best of the series.Mister NICHOLSON sad to say has caught a severe case we should call the RIDDLE syndrome.Still,you can buy that book and still get to know ELLA if you can read between the lines.

This is the best of the Ella bios. Authoritative, well-written, and insightful with a helpful discography. Avoid the much inferior "First Lady of Song" by Fidelman. THIS is the bio to buy.

I enjoy the Hillerman novels, so I bought this one. A few pages in I remembered that I'd read one of the earlier ones and quit in disgust.

Well, several books on, Mr. and Mrs. Thurlo still haven't learned to write adequate fiction.

The dialog is wooden and unconvincing--especially between the heroine, Ella Clah, and her brother, Clifford, who is a Navajo healer.
The plotting seems to be straight from the Plot-O-Matic

Characterization is equally weak, especially for the set-piece bad guys, Navajo witches or skinwalkers. On the other hand, I didn't have a clear sense of Ella's character either...

The story makes for a good read, and I had trouble putting it down; but this is no Hillerman! The Thurlo's depiction of Navajo culture and life on the rez is inaccurate and clearly shows a lack of depth and understanding. A few key phrases are tossed around but the author hasn't an idea of what they mean or represent. The author's superficial knowledge of Navajo culture leads to many inaccuracies and absurd plot lines. How dare they steal Hillerman's character perspectives and call them their own!

I am prompted to write this review in rebuttal to the person in Colorado that reviewed this book, giving it one star. I can not believe that we read the same book. I live in New Mexico and feel the Thurlo's discriptions of New Mexico and the Navajo way of life are researced well and portray things as they really are. I doubt that the person in Colorado has ever been out of the "big city" and even been on a Reservation let alone know what it is like in New Mexico. The Thurlo's have an exciting read with this book and you will find yourself unable to put this book down. I find I prefer the Thurlo's writing to Hillerman as I love reading from a female prespective. It is nice to see equality. You should definately read this book to get a true picture of our lovely state and it's Navajo people.