"Shortchanged" tells the story of a young man who can't seem to get a break. As his life passes in front of him , we get glimpses into his rural Virginia past that seem to at once comfort him and haunt him. We must wait, as he does, to find out if he will continue to be "shortchanged".

John H. Harding,Jr. has drawn upon his own growning up in the Northern Neck of rural Virginia to create a memorable word picture of how a young man finds solace in flashbacks of his youth while dying in a foxhole in Korea. His story is told in a simple direct style suitable for the setting and the youth's encounters there. It is in his recounting his memories that we get to know him, his family, and the neighbors that cared about his well-being. We sense his fears and his puzzlement of being hit by friendly fire after only five weeks as a driver in Korea and the ending that appears eminent. This is a book that gives credence to the following quote from it. Page 112 "------There is no glory in war, only pain for those who live as well as those who die." Everyone is Shortchanged.

Very readable - explains complex subjects eg: Physiology, in a simple and understandable way. Covers all aspects of aviation medicine from transport of patients by air, problems associated with altitude, legal aspects of inflight emergencies to crew fitness for flight. Also has interesting chapters on medical emergencies in the air and manned spacecraft. Particularly relevant for nurses considering in flight nursing, for doctors and for anyone with an interest in aviation. Reasonably priced and small enough to fit in a medical kit.

I thought it would be a difficult task to go through the gospel of John with my children, specially the first verses, but reading this book I see how wrong I was. In a very simple, clear and direct way, Susan Harding explains every phrase of the first 18 verses and goes further. She links each one of them to the rest of John's gospel so that in the end we have a complete overview. The book brings small portions of the gospel to be read each day so the child does not get tired or disttracted, however, even being brief, every explanation is very consistent and aims the point of presenting Jesus as Saviour and Lord.

This story is magic, and it's not even fantasy. My mother read this to me when I was about twelve years old and I still remember the musical cadences of the narrative that pulled me into the story, that made it an expressive and powerful tale. On the surface, this story has a plot that is similar to the one of E.T. An alien worker, mistakenly left behind by his comrades, is abandoned on Earth and must communicate with a human boy in order to survive and get back home. But that's very much on the surface.

The narrative is split in POV, balanced between Tyro, the "fallen Spaceman" in his gigantic space suit. And the humans who encounter him, most significantly a young boy Erik, whose fate ends up tangled with Tyro's when he accidently becomes trapped in the damaged suit. This is a powerful, optimistic tale about understanding and hope for the future, but its also an excellent SF story. Descriptions of the enormous spacesuit and how it is used, the difficulty of breathing the air of this planet, small peices of technology are interwoven into the story without it ever losing its poetry or emotive qualities. Most importantly, its done in such a way that a child of eight years or older should be able to enjoy the story.

The narrative never falls into the trap of "dumbing down" for its audience, but does a remarkable job of remaining on target while still appealing to mature audiences. I highly recommend this book as a read-aloud. Parents and children will both enjoy the experience. The particular copy I have also contains line illustrations by John and Ian Schoenherr that aide in visualizing the story. It's not an easy book to find, but if you come across it, please give it a try--this is a treasure whether or not you are a SF fan.

Happy Reading! ^_^
--shanshad

This book is also named "Displaced Person" and I, a 15 year old student read it in less than one hour. A short story? Just about. It almost seems as though the author has written a short story, been told how excellent it is, and prompted to write it into a novel!

Misplaced Persons is a 'different' read, the author taking on an unusual approach to character development and overall narrative. The tension is set from the beginning, and does not stop until the very end...each little 'climax' adding more and more...enough to drive you insane!

Although Misplaced Persons has been given many awards, I would not reccomend it for a good read by the fireplace. It is a book to read while in bed....and wanting to get to sleep in a hurry.

I havn't read it since it's first publication, but Misplaced Persons remains vividly in my recollection. A young man finds his link with the physical world around him disappearing, and he must figure out a way to survive. This short novel truly provokes a "sense of wonder". If you can find it, get it.

After hearing about the hype around the book, a friend from Singapore asked me to pick up a copy of "Escape from Paradise" for her. I got a copy for myself as well and i must say it was an intriguing read. Not the best written of books, but definitely interesting.

So, why did i give the book 1 star if it was such a fun read? I had a look at their website, that's why. I would have given the book 3-4 stars but their site was a real put off. Instead of an informative and detailed guide, the site was more of a politically-driven tabloid website which fabricated truths and twisted facts. Libel and scandal seem to be her idea of democracy, and if she had any nerve at all she would have written her book in Singapore and personally publicized it there. For such a "reputable" lady, the site sure made me lose all respect for her, and for her book. In my opinion, Escape fro Paradise is more fictional than factual, and grounded on rumours and gossip rather than on hard, solid facts.

It's a well written book. When I start reading it, I couldn't put the book down.
May Chu, who lives in Singapore shares her personal life, and speaks about her experience with the legal system in Singapore. John, her now husband helped her through all this ordeal. If this review doesn't help. Check their website out ... I highly recommend it to everyone. Especially to woman who's interested to learn more about woman rights.

if everybody who can't write wouldn't, we'd have few novels like this one

I should have known this novel wouldn't be to my liking. After all, I did not particularly enjoy Wessel's two previous efforts. I was told that, when it comes to this author, third time's a charm -- that this novel shows some growth and improvement. What I got was the typical detective blabber that makes novels of this kind trite and, believe it or not, predictable. I'd skip this one if I were you.

Though I thoroughly enjoyed John Wessel's previous two novels in the "P.I. Harding" series (THIS FAR, NO FURTHER & PRETTY BALLERINA), his newest book, KISS IT GOODBYE left me somewhat confused at the end. In fact, I'm still scratching my head in puzzlement, trying to make some sense of who the bad guy actually was and the book's finale. KISS IT GOODBYE brings back ex-con/ex-PI Harding and his tough-as-nails girlfriend, Alison, as they try to help Detective Terry Crowley of the Chicago Police Department solve the murder of Tracy Lawrence, one of Alison's old college roommates. While this is going on, Harding and Alison are attempting to keep Beth Reinhardt and Charles Muller (two more friends from Alison's college days) from splitting up and continuing on with their wedding plans. Add to this the possibility that Dr. Henry Dahlgreen, who's friends with everyone, may have his eyes on Beth, and Logan Pollard, who knows the girls from their college days, may just have his eyes on Alison. Plus, there's Henry Dahlgreen's wife, Moira, who has slept with most of the men involved, not to mention Tracy and Alison. And, let's not forget Crystal Royce, who's been just as bad as Moira with the same gentlemen and happens to have a psychopathic brother who just got out of prison and has been hired by one of the above to do some killing on the side. Last, but not least, is the murdered victim, Tracy Lawrence. Not only did Tracy sleep with everyone, she also looked a lot like Alison, which means that Harding's girlfriend could very well be the next intended victim. This isn't even the tip of the iceberg. Harding, like the reader, has to make sense of this complex plot, along with all of the multiple sub-plots that seem to intertwine with each other. It's a task that even the best PIs in the world of fiction would find daunting. KISS IT GOODBYE isn't a bad novel-it's simply a little too confusing at times with one too many plot twists for its own good. I had a difficult time keeping track of all the characters and how they were involved with each other, plus I ended up with more questions than answers when the book reached its final few pages. What did make the novel fun for me were Harding and Alison. They remind me a lot of the "Kenzie/Gennaro" characters in the series by Dennis Lehane. I enjoy their toughness, the bantering between each other, and the fact they have everyday problems just like the rest of us, especially Harding with his drinking and his inability to commit. These two together are nearly impossible to put down. Though KISS IT GOODBYE isn't as good as John Wessel's first two books, I hope the author will continue on with the series. He has some great characters here that definitely deserve a better story line. With time and a few more novels under his belt, Mr. Wessel could eventually be giving Dennis Lehane a run for his money.

PLEASE NOTE: micheal puryear is NOT martin puryear the famous sculptor! lets start with the shipping from the seller. took 3 weeks to receive the book. it was sent in a re-used enveloped. the book is a first graders primer of pictures and i woke up... then i brushed my teeth. as an adult book it is not even worth your time. as a childs book it offers no educational value. rating -20