Rachel Simon has written a clear-eyed and inspirational memoir about life with her sister, a stubborn and resourceful woman who has mental retardation. Beth lives by herself in an unnamed Pennsylvania city where she fills her days with riding bus route after bus route, chatting with the drivers and a few of the passengers. When Beth challenges Simon, a professor and writer, to ride the buses with her for a year, Simon accepts.

Of course, Simon has a job and a life in another city, so her visits to Beth are necessarily brief and divided by days, maybe weeks. Simon isn't sure what to expect of this new time spent with her sister except for early rising (Beth rushes out of the house every morning at 5:30 am, rain or shine) and frantic sprints to public restrooms. On a superficial level, Simon understands what her sister does all day. What Simon doesn't expect is to find a richness in Beth's life that she herself lacks. This insight, gained not only through living with her sister but also through conversations with the bus drivers who have befriended Beth, leads Simon to re-evaluate her own priorities and choices.

This book is a journey of two sisters, who cover distances both geographical and emotional. Simon writes with heartfelt, no-nonsense prose that carries this story with remarkable aplomb. Her portraits of the individual drivers are filled with detail and sharp-eyed perception. Her honesty about her own misgivings and failings is refreshing, and the lack of sentimentality is a relief. What most distinguishes this book, however, is Simon's palpable affection for her sister. Both Beth and Simon are remarkable women, and I heartily thank Simon for allowing me a glimpse into their lives.

Do you know someone with a disability? Chances are, you do, and regardless of the disability, mental retardation, autism, blindness....there is much to learn and relate to in Rachel Simon's true life story entitled "Riding the Bus With My Sister". I have two sisters with mental retardation, similar to Rachel's sister, Beth. Reading this book gave me new insight into my relationship with my own sisters, and I see them and their lives with new understanding. In addition, the book was very informative of the systems in place to support the disabled within a community. This book has had a profound effect on me and I find Rachel Simon quite courageous and brave to share such a personal story. Anyone will enjoy reading this book, the messages of acceptance, enjoying life as it is and connecting with others are universal.

Many things in this book amazed me, not the least of which was the support system of bus drivers who were such an integral part of Beth Simon's life as she rode the city buses, day after da,y in an unnamed Pennsylvania city.

Rachel, spending part of the year accompanying her mildly retarded sister on her daily rounds of bus rides, intricately depicts these drivers and their(mostly) caring attitudes toward Beth. It was amazing to her that Beth actually had a better support system than she did in her so-called "normal" life.

Interspered in the monthly entries are vignettes about the past shared by these two sisters and their siblings. Their total abandonment by their mother when she decided to marry an abusive convict was heart-wrenching. But this book was never whiny- rather, it showed the resilience of this family.

I learned a lot about the social services, within a community, that are provided to disabled people like Beth. Her "team" seemed very caring and involved with her life.

I felt Rachel's frustration as she tried to convince Beth to eat better, take better medical and dental care of herself, and to get some kind of a job. Beth's stubbornmess and willfulness were also a challenge to her sister, as was her demanding attitude.

This book is perceptive, enlightening, painfully honest....and memorable. I am so glad that I read it and that Rachel Simon allowed me into her world.

As an American para of the same era as Simon Murray, and one who has had an interest in La Legion Etrangere since reading Beau Geste in the third grade, I found it absolutely unputdownable. It has also been published in French by Pygmalion Presse, Paris, and in that edition does double duty as an enjoyable read as well as an opportunity to improve one's French. If you have an interest in military history, politics of French Colonialism, or just want an evening's diversion reading an extraordinary journal of a middle class Englishman's survival and eventual success in a severe and foreign environment, you couldn't do better.

I was given a personal copy of Legionnaire by Simon Murray himself. Once I started to read the book, I couldn't put it down. Truly a well-written first-hand account of life under unimaginable hardship conditions. Simon's journey through life has continued to be remarkable since his days in the French Foreign Legion.

Truly one of the best real life stories I've ever read. Not merely a historical account, but a diary that takes the reader into the harsh and proud life of a Legionnaire. Simon Murray takes you with him on the rigors of daily life in the Legion. Murray's candor and writing style will make you want to wear Le Kepi Blanc.

If you never read another book about the French Foreign Legion, be sure to read this one!

This is a very realistic account of a year in the lives of one shift of homicide detectives written by a newspaper reporter that reads as well as fiction. You are right there at the crime scenes with the primary detectives when they roll the body over looking for clues, when they interview the witnesses, fill out the paperwork and go out for drinks after work when the board is changed from red to black, signifying the case has been closed. You can get a real appreciation as to what it is like to be an underpaid, underappreciated and overworked homicide investigator in a major city. Interrrogation techniques are revealed in this unique book. Some trial action. Definitely worth the read. Contains real life violence. A good companion to the TV show.

This is an excellent book! The characters in it are engaging. The dialogue is wonderful. And the situations are both scary and amazing: amazing in how so stupid some people are and how little it takes for someone to kill someone else, scary because it is all true.

In case you weren't aware of that, this book is actually the story of one of Baltimore's homicide units in 1988. Simon went around with the detectives for the entire year and have put their stories down in this book.

At times it is quite sad to read about the brutal atrocities that people are committing against each other. At times it is satisfying to read about the detectives tracking down or lucking in to catching those responsible for the many deaths. But it is always engrossing and fascinating to follow the process and the people involved in one of the uglier jobs possible. This book is a must for any fan of police stories, criminal investigations or anything related to law and order. And in case you further didn't realize it, this book was the basis for the tv show of the same name. It makes the show even scarier to know that not only is it based on real life, but many of the stories from the show are taken straight out of the book. If you were a fan of the show, you will easily recognize many of the exact same cases here in the book. (Or rather vice versa since the book was first.) Easily one of the best books that I've read in a while!

In this amazing true account, David Simon follows one shift of Baltimore's homicide detectives for one year. As a passive observer, he followed them from the crime scene to the emergency rooms, to the medical examiner's office, to the victims' homes and the courtroom. He has a real eye for details and he has an incredible knack for picking up dialogue and personality of individuals. I didn't notice till almost the end of the book that he wrote the entire book in present tense. This well-thought out move made the book that much more real and intense.

I had real misconceptions about this book before I read it. I thought it was all about killing and the gore of killing. As a female in my 20's, this was not a book I would have reached for on my own. Had my husband not insisted, I would not have read it and now I can't praise it enough and I would recommend it to everyone who cares about their society, everyone who wants to experience the amazing lives of people they would otherwise never know.

Read it for the writing, the superb organization, the accessible language, the incredible details. David Simon is an excellent writer and journalist. This book was long, but it was never boring because David Simon experimented with it. Sometimes he wrote from the detectives' point of perspective, sometimes the victims', sometimes the criminals themselves and sometimes from his own. He really captured Baltimore in the late 80s with his keen observation and perception of what is relevant. Some of the stories he covered are crazy, if it didn't say in large print that this was all true, I would not believe it. Some of the stories are funny, some are incredibly sad, but they are all interesting and are all a part of the regular lives of the Baltimore detectives and for that matter, probably detectives in every major city in the country. I cannot praise this book enough. After reading this book, I cannot ever watch CSI or Law and Order again with the same enthusiasm. You realize how much more complex real crimes are and you just end up laughing at those TV shows. You begin to understand police work and you have a new respect for those who have devoted their lives to solving crimes. David Simon was very fair in his book, he kept it real by telling you the good and the bad. You begin to see everyone involved as real people, the police, the criminals, and the victims.

Janeway's immunobiology is beautifully written for both medical and basic biological studies. With the update of a new edition every two years, this textbook is moving closely with this rapid scientific field. The big improvement seen in this edition is its organization and writing style. Compared to the previous edition, the authors explain concept much more concisely and less verbosely. The pictures drawn ( in a simple, friendly cartoon formats)throughout the text are nice and helpful to understand. The references given at the end of each chapter are carefully chosen. Overall, this immunology textbook covers all we need to understand all major concepts in immunology.

I cannot say enough good things about this book. I'm a graduate student in Microbiology and Immunology, but my undergraduate major was in biochemistry. Having had NO immunology classes before, I felt myself beginning to drown in my first graduate immunology class... I knew I needed help (there was no textbook for this lecture-only class), and went searching. This is the book I eventually bought.

It saved me, big time! In plain language, and with easy-to-follow pictures throughout, this book literally taught me all about immunology--it is the reason I passed my classes; NOT sitting stunned in some lecture hall listening to some guy drone. It took some work, and I had to read the book almost front-to-back, but it is a WONDERFUL text.

This book is not really a graduate caliber text, however. For specific and more technical aspects, books like the one by Paul are going to be the ticket. But even now, when looking to brush up on my basics, design pictures for a lecture, etc. I refer back to this book first. Only 3 years old, my copy is dog-eared, worn, and well-used. I often end up with classmates and professors asking to use it, too.

If you find yourself desperate and failing in an immunology class, BUY THIS BOOK AND READ IT. If you are taking any immunology text, and your prof has chosen a really cruddy book you are having difficulty understanding, do the same. If you're a professor trying to teach an immunology class, USE THIS BOOK. Make life a whole lot easier on your students--and you, when grading and evaluations time comes around!

This is by far the most well written immunology text I have encountered. Even the most difficult concepts are presented in the most understandable manner. This book is very extensive in the material it covers and is highly recommended for an advanced undergraduate student or as an introductory graduate text. By far the feature most appealing to me are the extensive images and cartoons used in this text, used quite effectively to elucidate even the most difficult of topics. This visual presentation style combined with the extensive and highly readble coverage of relevant material make this a must have for any serious student. The book is also updated frequently I believe a new edition is on the way slated to be publsihed in April 2004.

Simon Wiesenthal's book, The Sunflower, is a true life story of a Jew called to the bedside of a dying Nazi to hear the Nazi's life story. The Nazi then asks the Jew, Wiesenthal, to forgive him. Wiesenthal leaves in silence, but poses to you the same question: In his position, would you have forgiven the Nazi? A very thought-provoking book, The Sunflower makes the reader ponder for hours over the meaning of right and wrong, as well as giving a vivid picture of a Jew's life during the Holocaust. An excellent read.

The Sunflower tells the story of a dying Nazi soldier who seeks out Simon Wiesenthal for forgiveness for his crimes against the Jews so he can die in peace. The story is based on fact from Wiesenthals life. Many famous people wrote essays, which are printed in the back of the book, arguing wether to forgive him or not. But the true value of the book lies in the question what you would do if you were in the same situation.

This is some powerful material. Wiesenthal presents the story of a Nazi begging for forgiveness on his deathbed. Should he as a Jew grant this forgiveness? He deals with all the emotional and spiritual ambivalence he feels over this situation. What would you do? is the ultimate question he asks. Don't read this late at night if you want to get some sleep. I found myself tormented by the issue of forgiveness after reading this tale. I can not answer what I would do because I have never been in any situation as horrible as that. But this is a book that should be read by would be philosophers and moralizers as it features Wiesenthal's heart rending tale and follows it with essays by numerous writers of diverse religious and cultural backgrounds. They all must wrestle with this issue. This is a book that should be required reading in universities if not high schools. It might actually provoke students to think. And surely that would be a good thing.

Whether you create global advertisements, businesses, or Web sites, you should read this book.

Author Simon Anholt writes about the challenges of creating successful global advertising campaigns. Most companies fail miserably in this department, and he outlines the reasons why. He also provides a model for "smart centralization," which he believes international advertising agencies should follow. This model also makes a great deal of sense for the development and management of global Web sites, which is one reason I enjoyed this book. I also liked how Anholt explained the inherent tension of trying to be both global and local at the same time. Here's an excerpt:

The fundamental challenges of international marketing communications are about preserving the perfect balance between sensitivity to the culture of the brand and sensitivity to the culture of the consumers around the world. If you abandon or relax your grip on the first sensitivity, you end up with fragmentation, loss of identity, and loss of control. Abandon or relax your grip on the second, and you fail to communicate effectively, and fail to build a global brand.

I also liked what he had to say about the importance of translation:

So when the question comes up, why can't we just use English? I always ask this question: do you think that consumers should make the effort to understand us, or should we be making the effort to be understood by them? Are we more interested in being respected, or showing respect?

Author Simon Anholt, an international advertising consultant, says that the dangers of globalization can be just as formidable as the opportunities - if you fail to research the culture of your new markets. We've all heard the marketing legends of companies that embarrassed themselves by launching products into foreign markets without checking the translation of their brand names. Anholt retells several of these tales to illustrate the perils that await global firms that don't take culture into account. Meshing advertising and marketing strategy, he presents a systemic approach to cross-border product expansion. We [...] recommend this book not only for its insightful, culturally adaptive marketing methodology, but also for the genuinely entertaining examples that might just make you laugh out loud.

Simon Anholt has carved an impressive niche for himself in international marketing circles as a regular sage at conferences and seminars.

Another One Bites The Grass is, however, even more pithy than usual. Both witty and penetrating it lays bare the successes and failures of some famous international campaigns. The essence, and the reason for these 5 stars, is not for his being an excellent raconteur. Instead his philosophy of dynamic, multi-lingual, multi-cultural teams must make sense to those marcomms exec's who try to scale the translation mountain.

This is a book that is a MUST for those who have responsibility for putting out attractive messages internationally. Furthermore, it is an enlightening and instructive read for anyone in business, large or small, about the perils of communication on a global scale if one thinks only within one's home environment.

Buy this book - you will be entertained and educated in the best possible way.

Attend the next conference that Simon Anholt speaks at - you will be wiser for it.

Before Singh's "Code Book" came on the scene, the only other book I knew about is Kahn's "Codebreakers". I don't have the time to read such a large text as Kahn's book, so I was very pleased when this book became available.

Singh has done a very nice job of demonstrating how deep an impact cryptography has on history. He opens the book by recounting Mary Queen of Scots' conspiracy to have Queen Elizabeth murdered and how she attempted to use encryption to cloak her intentions. It was a very exciting way to open the book.

Singh has found the right combination of technical detail, historical detail, and character development.

Singh's explanation of how the German WWII Enigma functioned is exceptional. He made it very easy (and fun) to understand.

Singh's last chapter is also very neat on the subject of quantum cryptography. Though I have a BS in computer science, I'm no physics genius and Singh did a nice job of making (what I consider) difficult physics concepts easy to understand and of showing how they can be applied to modern cryptography.

Although I don't know a thing about "Fermat's last theorem", I've been so pleased with Singh's writing style that I'm considering reading that book also just to see what it is all about.

If you like codes/ciphers and want to read about their impact on history without reading a thousand pages then get this book. You'll be happy you did.

When I was a boy, I was obsessed with secret writing (as, I imagine, almost every child with at least one nosy sibling becomes) and read everything the local library's Juvenile section had on the topic. I was disappointed to discover, when I went looking for more material, that there was apparently more cryptography material for kids than for grown-ups! This book not only took me back to those days with its discussion of secret writing throughout history (scytales, Playfair, Vignere...), it's also got an excellent section on cryptography in the World Wars (an excellent companion to Neal Stephenson's novel "Cryptonomicon" in that regard!) and also explains the fundamental concepts of public-key cryptography in a readable, understandable format. As in Singh's earlier work on Fermat's Last Theorem, the people involved in creating and in breaking codes are often the focus, and some of these peope are fascinating. (Singh takes a break from strict cryptography at one point to discuss the "breaking" of ancient writing systems such as Egyptian hieroglyphics and Linear B, and this reminded me most strongly of "Fermat's Enigma," as Singh's narrative carried the mysteries of interpretation from one researcher to the next.) The final chapter on quantum cryptography is a fascinating glimpse into what may be the "final frontier" of cryptography. Of course, any book like this one that discusses a still-evolving field gets dated pretty quickly; it is silly to expect Singh to mention the recent expiration of RSA's public-key patents or the relaxation of US export restrictions on strong cryptography, since these have all occurred within just the last few months, but the book nevertheless feels somehow incomplete without them!

This book was far better than I imagined it would be.

Singh (the author) discusses the use/importance of code and cipher throught the ages by using historical events to illustrate the importance of secure communication. In several of his examples, security breaches affected the course of history (e.g. outcome of WWII; fate of Mary, Queen of Scots).

I'm not what you would call a "math person." Regardless, I was still able to enjoy this book. Singh is wonderful at explaining complex processes in steps and illustrations we all can understand. For example, instead of launching into a discussion about the algorithms associated with authentication and encryption schemes, Singh first tells you to picture a metal box affixed with several locks. I found each of his examples are relevant, clever, and helpful.

For those in the security trade, this is an invaluable book, as it explains the "why" behind the "how" with regard to information security. (Ever wonder what RSA stands for? Thought about how our national standards for bit encryption came about? This book will explain.)

Highly recommended to security-saavy persons, puzzle lovers, or anyone interested in history. Excellent!

An American doctor once asked Viktor Frankl to explain the difference between conventional psychoanalysis and logotherapy. Before answering, Frankl asked the doctor for his definition of psychoanalysis. The man said, "During psychoanalysis, the patient must lie down on a couch and tell you things which sometimes are very disagreeable to tell." Frankl immediately replied by saying: "Now, in logotherapy the patient may remain sitting erect but he must hear things which sometimes are very disagreeable to hear." By this he meant that in logotherapy the patient is actually confronted with and reoriented toward the MEANING of his life. The role of the therapist, then, is to help the patient discover a purposefulness in his life. Frankl's theory is that man's search for meaning is the primary motivation in his life and not a "secondary rationalization" of instinctual drives. Whereas Freudian psychoanalysis focuses on the "will to pleasure" and Adlerian psychology focuses on the "will to power" it can be said that Frankl's logotherapy focuses on the "will to meaning." Does man give in to to conditions or stand up to them? According to Frankl, the strength of a person's sense of meaning, responsibility, and purpose is the greatest determining factor in how that question will be answered. He believed that "man is ultimately self-determining" and as such, "does not simply exist but always decides what his existence will be, what he will become in the next moment."

The first (and largest) section of this book is the searing autobiographical account of the author's experience as a longtime prisoner in a concentration camp. These camps claimed the lives of his father, mother, brother, and wife. Frankl's survival and the subsequent miracle of this book are a testimony to man's capacity to rise above his outward fate. As Gordon W. Allport states in the preface, "A psychiatrist who personally has faced such extremity is a psychiatrist worth listening to."

I agree, and highly reccommend this book. As the sub-title says, it is an "introduction" to logotherapy, and anyone who wants to go deeper into the principles and practical application of Frankl's existential psychiatry should go to his excellent "The Doctor And The Soul".

Frankl was fond of quoting Nietzsche's dictum..."He who has a WHY to live can bear with almost any HOW."

The first section of this book (which makes up over half of the text) consist of Victor Frankl's account of his experiences in the concentration camp. This section seems unique among the Holocaust accounts that I've seen and read because Dr. Frankl approaches the topic from a psychological perspective. He discusses the ways in which the different prisoners react to their (note: men and women were seperated at the camps, so Frankl is mainly disscussing his experiences with the men in Auschwitz) imprissonment. He writes about the psychological effects of being completely dehumanized; of losing even your name, and becoming simply a number. Also he disscusses the effects of not being able to contact loved ones, or even know is they are still living. Another issue that Dr. Frankl talks about in this book is the idea that none of the prisoners of the concentration camp had an idea as to when there imprissonment would end (if ever). Thus, they were faced with the thought of living the rest of their lives as workers at the camps. Dr. Frankl discusses how people can find meaning to life in these conditions. He also describes how finding meaning in life, or a reason to live, was extraordinarilly important to surviving the camp.

One of the most interesting, and disturbing, issues in the book was the idea of the Capo. These were were people put in charge of their fellow prisoners, in order to keep them in line. Dr. Frankl describes these people as, often, being more harsh than the actual guards. This seems to be a disturbing lesson in the abuse of power. This also goes along with Dr. Frankl's discussion of how the camps brought out the true personality of the people within it (after all the social trapping had been stripped away): The cretins, the saints, and all of those in between.

The second half of the book is made up of two sections "Logotherapy in a Nutshell," and "The Case for Tragic Optimsism." These two sections basically describe Dr. Frankl's theory on as to how to conduct therapy (Logotherapy). The idea behind this therapy is that man is driven by his search for a meaning in life. This differs from the psychoanalysis perspective (driven, at this time, by the ideas of Sigmund Freud) in that the psychoanalytic school believed that humans were driven by their unconscious desires. For Frankl, the need for meaning seems to outway the unconscious. In fact, he goes into detail about the negative effects that the abscence of meaning, or what he calls the "existential Vacuum," has on people. To illustrate many ideas, he often uses his experiences in the concentration camps, as well as various cases for treatment (which help to solidify his view of life, and therapy).

I would recomend this book to almost anybody. I feel that it's interesting, and worthwhile. I would especially recomend this to people interested in psychology, as well as those who wish to learn something about the experiences within the concentration camps.

Dr. Frankl's book is divided into two parts. In the first part, he eloquently describes how he survived a Nazi concentration camp. He took this horrible "opportunity" to learn how people survive crises and deprivation and horror. This section will be valuable to anyone, and especially to those of us who have survived tragedy and trauma of any kind (in other words, just about anyone again).

The second part of the book describes the philosophy of life and the existential theory of psychology that Dr. Frankl derived from his experiences. I am a practicing clinical psychologist and, while Dr. Frankl probably would not label my brand of psychotherapy as his logotherapy, I credit this book as providing me with a framework that had been missing in my work. Through my education, I learned many techniques that were useful to me, and I read about many theories of psychology and psychotherapy that were interesting, but I ended up with a set of tools but no toolbox to put them in. "Man's Search for Meaning" gave me the toolbox, or the framework that tied everything else together. Read it; it will challenge you and probably change you.

"One Day in September" is a compelling and unblinking account of the Black September raid on the 1972 Munich Olympics that left five Palestinian terroists, 11 Israeli athletes and one German policeman dead. Reeve shows how Palestinian fanatcism, Israeli defiance and German police incompotence led to the tragedy. He also gives the background stories of the victims, putting a face to the names of the dead. The story is played out across a canvass of the Arab-Israeli conflict, of which Reeve gives a good overview for the less informed.

The second half of the book, which focusses on the Isreali revenge operation called "Wrath of God," is not as strong. Though a vital part of the overall story, the book is too brief to give the proper treatment to the myriad of assassinations that follwed the disaster. After a while it all starts to run together until both sides seem like a couple of warring mafia families.

Overall, Reeve is an excellent journalist and a good writer who knows how to tell a story. And in this case, he has a sad story to tell indeed.

Simon Reeve's book, One Day In September, is an outstanding documentary/report/story of the 1972 Munich Olympics. He has done excellent research in compiling the facts of this horrific terrorist attack.

The book explains the very beginning plans designed to bring the world's attention to the struggle of the Palestinian's. Specifically, the pettiness in being left to feel like an outsider in the world arena of sportsmanship. Reeve's research brings Arafat's PLO full circle in Black September's attack on 11 Israeli athletes.

Other facts that are revealed are the minute details of the "rescue mission" by German officials and how their plan failed miserably. Since Munich, Germany has established a counter-terrorism squad, GSG9, that has had successes in combatting terrorism since 1972. They learned a painful lesson from Black September.

Stasi reports are included in Reeve's research and reflective quotes from all who were touched by this angry expression of aggression.

This book explains the tragic events of the 1972 Olympics in great detail. They why, who, want, when, and how of the Palestinian decision to strip the Olympics of the pride that has generated from the kind of sportsmanship competition over many years. Thier target was plainly and clearly Israel from the very inception of the attack and their reasoning behind such deliberate motives is still maintained as to bring attention to their cause. This book puts the actions of Black September in perspective with what was seen as a horrific act for some sense of twisted justification.

I bought this book due to the HBO documentary of the same name. Although I was not born yet, I believe this book is important in educating those of us too young to know the real history of the problems in the Middle East.

The book is about the 1972 Olympic hostage crisis, where most of the Israeli delegation were taken hostage and subsequently killed by a Palestinian group calling themselves Black September (named so because of a battle in which many Palestians were killed by Israeli's in September 1967).

Mr. Reeves has done an excellent job in researching this book, to the point that one is amazed at the almost keystone cop-like appoach made by many German officials in dealing with this problem. Obviously, they (the Germans) were facing an uphill battle dealing with a fanatical terrorist group, all in front of a worldwide audience expecting to watch sporting events pitting country against country. This said, the mistakes are many and made by many different people. In the book, there are the "hawks" and there are the "doves", then there are the Israeli's on foriegn soil trying to get their countrymen safely back home. Mr. Reeves does a great job on the background of the terrorists, giving the personal reasons for (but not justifying) the actions that they took. Great detail is given to the debacle at the airport where everyone was killed. Many questions are raised about what went down there, such as why none of the snipers were given walkie talkies to communicate with one another allowing them to discern who was going to take down who? It was this situation geon awry that made the Germans create GSG-9, their counter-terrorism unit. Mr. Reeves also touched on Operation "Wrath of God". the Isreali revenge mission to assassinate surviving members of the group. This part of the book is just as fascinating and reads like a novel. It shows the resolve of the Isreali's to seek revenge on those who did them wrong. They had there own problems though when they assassinated a suspected member of Black September, who turned out to be an innocent waiter.

All in all, the book is not "enjoyable" but is an important piece of history. ... I would recommend this book to anyone interested in the history of Middle East conflict and/or terrorism.

I first picked up Tom Jones because to put it bluntly I am a bibliophile and it was a cheap book. However, I was suprised at how engaging and hilarious the story was despite the claims on the back cover, which are often far off. To tell the truth I did not expect to make it through this extremely lengthy tome, I only wanted to satisfy my curiousity.

Although I am a fan of Jane Austen I was shocked by the freshness and wit that Fielding's writing still retains. Every book in the novel begins with an essay by the author. Do not skip these, they are one of the best features of the book. My favorite is the essay before the ninth book which explains the purpose of these introductory chapters. What a riot!

The story of big hearted and big appetited Tom Jones and his adventures and misadventures is one long satirical gem. Fielding's interpretation of morals, piousness, love, and high society is still as hilarious and relevant as it was in the 18th century. For anyone who appreciates wit and history, this is a must read.

It was so hard finally putting this book down.

The friends you make!

Tom, Sophia, Allworthy, even Western himself.

But most of all, Henry Fielding.

The humor, the humanity!

What an author and what a man. And to think he
penned his comic masterpiece in his darkest days.

With all that, Tom Jones can be tough going. The
language requires you read fairly slowly. And the
novel is huge. And the plot is intricate.

You may benefit from book notes; I did, especially
during the second half.

If you love Tom Jones, check out Thackeray's
Vanity Fair. And Guerney's translation of Gogol's
Dead Souls.

While you're at it, grab The Brothers Karamazov
and go crazy.

Tom Jones is probably one of the greatest novels in all of English literature. I imagine some might be put off by the length and by its designation as a classic (something which Mark Twain said was frequently praised and rarely read). Tom Jones does not deserve to be ignored since it is a riotous rollercoster of a book filled with comic vignettes and blows against the self-satisfied and pompous. It is a book that not only is instructional, but is considerate enough to give the reader a good time while doing so.

Though frequently termed an immoral book, Tom Jones holds up rather well in the early 21st century. Even Fielding's comic characters seem to have a dimension often lacking in 18th and 19th century novels. Fielding is a genius.