"All but My Life" by Gerda Weismann Klein was one of he the most emotional books I've ever read. It's not fiction, it's reality, and the author told it like it was in the Europe in the forties; depressing, stressful, and very, very horrifying. This book tells a story no one should avoid; the story of anti-semitism and hate for other human beings and above all, the fact that everyone has different beliefs. I think the author is very brave for letting the world in on what really happened in Nazi Germany, and I suggest that you read or buy this book. It is touching and educational, but is a rather high level of reading and I suggest it for people 11 and up, if not 13 and up. This book doesn't just tell a story, it tells life.

We had to read this book for Western Civilization in College, and I could not put it down. I read the entire book in only four hours, the first time. I have read it four times since it was assigned, and could not put it down any of the times, until I reached the final page. Trying to write a paper on this book has been an eye opening experience for me, knowing that such a beautiful story about this person could in fact bring me to tears every time I read it. I applaud Mrs. Klein for having the courage to talk so intimately about her life, and to share her life with us all. An outstanding book, making me want to read more by this outstanding author.

These lasts words, Gerda Weissmann hears ring out over the crowd of Jews as they are herded away like cattle to an uncertain end. The person shouting them is her mother who is about to be ripped from her life. The Nazi's have taken everything she holds dear, family, home, friends and now she will fight for all that remains, her life and dignity.

This book is a remarkable slice of time and life, written by a true survivor who lived through the times that tried men's souls. As she wades through the atrocities of a Nazi occupation, concentration camps, and a death march amidst freezing temperatures, to be liberated by her one true love, she is true to her mother's request. This is an amazing story that will stay a part of you forever. I am astonished at her strength of spirit and her continued belief in the future. A book doesn't get much better than this. Kelsana 6/19/01

I just read this book as a school project but now I have read it over and over. This is a great book about a girl named Buran who lives with her six sisters and her poor family in ancient Baghdad. Buran wants to help her family's money problems so she dresses up as a boy and joins a caravan across the Sahara to Tyre. There she sets up shop and soon she is making a good living. But soon she makes friends with the prince of the city. Buran secretly falls in love with him but she can't tell him that because the prince thinks that she is a he.

I read this book as a young adult and thought it was wonderful. This book is about a very capable girl that sets out on her own to save her family and in the meantime finds her freedom and self-worth despite the restrictions of her moslem culture. Her father sired 7 daughters, and her uncle 7 sons and the whole book revolves around the irony that the man considered cursed with only girls later becomes wealthy and happy while all the rich cousins bankrupt their father. The heroine joins a caravan dresses as a boy as she leaves her home town to make her fortune. The work is hard but she is very skillful and inteligent at trading and becomes a pillar of the community in her adopted city. As a spice and herb trader she becomes famous (as a young man) and becomes close friends with the city's prince and his companions. It is only a matter of time before a the young men suspect their effemate young friend who doesn't go to the public bath house or go out drinking so they set up a series of hillarious tests to decide if he is really a she! Then story ends with a delicious series of punishments for the greedy cousins of her uncle that prevents her father from marrying her to any of the seven sons and the arrival of just the right prince for this extraordinary woman. Great book that reads like a popular fable that everyone has heard off but nobody really knows and that is great for contemporary audiences

This book tells the story of a young woman with six sisters. Her rich uncle has seven sons and is considered blessed, while her father, a poor man with seven daughters is considered cursed. One of the daughters dresses as a man and makes a fortune as a merchant. I've read this book innumerable times and each time found it better than the last. As the only daughter in a family of six children, I took the story to heart the first time I read it and the main character became my personal heroine. She makes herself look like a man to succeed in a man's world, but she never loses sight of feminity. She is able to overcome the subservient role which is expected of women in her culture with poise. It is a truly inspirational story for any young girl to read.

After Mick is killed in a bicycle accident, his 13-year-old sister, Phoebe, tells of the special relationship they shared. This is a very sad book, but also one of the funniest I've read. I first read it to a class of 6th-graders during library time, and it has become a tradition in the elementary school where I am librarian. A bit heavy-handed in places, Mick Harte Was Here is still a great read!

I read this book in the 3rd grade. It tells about how Mick Harte was killed in a car accident, and how his family got on without him. It is an excellent book, it made me cry. It teaches kids especially to wear their helmet while riding a bike (Mick wasn't wearing his helmet and he got killed by a car) I also recommend this to any child who has lost a family member in an accident. It's a great book.

MICK HARTE WAS HERE is about Phoebe, the sister of Mick, tells the story of how her brother died, the guilt she had in herself, and the sad and happy memories they had together.
I read MICK HARTE WAS HERE in 4th grade. I read it again in 5th grade because it was such a good story. When I read it, it touched my heart. I then realized that so many people die of bike accidents. One of my friend has died on a motor bike. I cried and thought how sad it was to die at such a young age. I would recommend this book to anyone from 5th grade and up. If you read it, it will touch your heart like it touched mine.

Barbara's book is an inspiration for everyone: of course, breast cancer patients will identify immediately, and find in the book a guide to how they might deal with their own situation. Barbara's intense, honest writings will hopefully encourage other breast cancer patients to express themselves, and to be up front with friends and family about what they are going through.
I, however, am not a breast cancer patient, but I found myself staying up until 4am the night I started reading this book, unable to stop and go to sleep. I was inspired by this woman's courage in the face of a potentially life-threatening disease. I could not put the book down, wondering what would happen next. I wanted to read the next message she got from her family and friends, to find out how she coped with the typical labrynth of medical tests, advice, and choices in a foreign country where she did not speak the language.
I think that if and when I ever have to face a life crisis such as this, I will remember Barbara's book, and I hope I will be as strong, yet open, as she has been.

As Barbara's sister-in-law, I was privileged to receive a first copy of this incredible story. Though I received weekly updates on Barbara's battle with breast cancer I was unable to be with her on her journey thru Brussels, Virginia and Texas. Her book enabled me to share with her the ups and downs, ins and outs, and the trials and tribulations she went thru. I was able to laugh and cry with her.
Through her wonderful words I experienced the terror that the dread disease of breast cancer causes and the great joy of the love and care of family and friends.
This is a must read book for all those military wives who are away from family and facing breast cancer. Barbara gives a detailed list of what is available from medical care to wigs.
As a military wife I thank Barbara for the advice and motivation. As a family member of a breast cancer victim I thank Barbara for all of the insight and what to expect. As Barbara's sister-in-law I thank her for the opportunity of living the journey with her and the love with which she shared it.

Hitting the Wall documents the feared experience of breast cancer in such a way that the reader is uplifted and enlightened. Barbara Glacel describes her ordeal with breast cancer vividly and with such detail that I found myself walking with her every step of the way. I could not put the book down. I laughed. I cried. Barbara is so open in her book, describing every aspect of this dreadful disease and how it affected her and her family. It made me aware of the support we all need when faced with something like this. Barbara had a huge network of friends and family and she needed every one of them. I am grateful to Barbara for sharing her experience. Every person who knows someone suffering from this disease or who has experienced breast cancer first hand would benefit from reading this book.

I've been collecting children's Christmas books for seventeen years, since my oldest child was a baby, adding a few more to the collection each year, but without a doubt this is the best one I have. I first read it when my oldest was six and I've re-read it every Christmas since, and not only have I never gotten tired of it, but I can't imagine Christmas without it.

The story is about a church Christmas pageant in which the Herdmans, the wildest, toughest kids in town, move in and take over the main parts. Mary smokes cigars. The Wise Men steal. And the Angel of the Lord is more likely to smack the shepherds in the teeth than bring good news. Everyone in the church is scandalized, of course, but trying to fit the totally unsuitable Herdmans into their Biblical roles makes for one hilarious story after another. When you can get an adult and a six year old laughing out lout at the same things, you know you've got a special children's book.

If all this book had was its humor, it would be a treat, but it is a lot more than that. Under all the great jokes is another more moving story. The Herdman kids are hearing the story of Jesus' birth for the first time, and their reactions Ñ shock that anyone would put a baby in a feeding trough, fury at Herod's attempt to kill the baby, amazement at the angel's miraculous appearance to the shepherds Ñ renew the meaning of the story for those of us who have heard it hundreds of times. Little by little they become more and more effected by the story and it changes them.

In the end, this is not just a funny book, but a powerful story of redemption. Through most of the book, I can't stop laughing, but by the end I am always reading through tears, even after having read it eleven times.

I didn't read this book until I was 32 years old and it made my day! I laughed so hard that I thought that I was going to hurt something. I loved the Herdmans because I grew up with a lot of kids like them. I now know why this is a classic that will continue on long after I'm gone. Ms. Robinson did a fantastic job of incorperating humor in many, many poignant moments. I laughed reading every page until the last two or three when the tears came. You couldn't help but be deeply touched by how, for a few brief moment, the Herdmans cleaned up their act to tell the wonderful story of Christmas in their own special way. I had the opportunity to spend a day with Ms. Robinson last year and let me tell you all, it was the experience of a lifetime. She's a fantastic lady who is absolutely incredible with children.

This little novella is a gem and a wonder. The story of the "worst kids in the history of the world," who've managed to burn down a toolshed, because "it was a Saturday, and not much going on," and how they hijack the church Christmas pageant, is touching, true and laugh out loud funny. When seen through the eyes of kids who've never even heard the Christmas story, the pageant becomes something deeper and more true than any of the more conventional parishoners expect, and the lessons learned in this unorthodox manner are priceless. Not just meaningful, but fun, as when the Wise Men, sensibly reasoning that the Holy Family has little use for Frankincense and Myrrh, bring a useful gift (a ham!)or when the Angel of The Lord yells to all in attendance, "HEY! UNTO YOU A CHILD IS BORN! For kids and adults, to read and re-read.

"I'll try and do anything and be anything you want if only you'll keep me." This is how "Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery begins.
Anne Shirley is a twelve-year-old girl who is brought to Green Gables only to find they were expecting a boy. The Cuthberts however, are one over by this queer, imaginative girl with bright, red hair and decide to allow her to stay.
Green Gables is a lovely, little farm just outside of a small town on Prince Edward Island called Avonlea. It is surrounded by fields and forests, which hold many surprises for adventurous Anne.
Throughout this book Anne's fierce temper and wild imagination often get the better of her, but she usually manages to squeeze out of these scrapes.
Anne's melodramatic nature and fiery temper keeps you interested as you read this marvelous book.
Montgomery's humorous writing style gives life to the characters so that you feel like you are meeting them in person.
I think that this was a wonderful book filled with humor, drama and tears. I would recommend this book to anyone that has ever had a dream and loves a good book.

If you were an orphan and all your life you continued to move from house because no one wanted to keep you,then finally,all of a sudden you find someone who actually likes you and wants you. That's exactly what L.M. Montgomery's novel Anne of Grenn Gables is about.

Anne Shirely is a smart talkative,very imaginative little girl who lived all over until one day the Cuthberts of Avonlea,Canada adopted her. Deciding to kepp her didn't come easily. They finnally did decide and she was so happy about it. During her stay she got into lots of trouble. Anne then has something that happens that is very nice but sad. In order to find out whatg happened,you will have to read the book.

I liked Anne of Green Gable because the character was very smart and had a big imagination. I also liked it because the plot was excellent. I recommend the book to anyone who is into reading stories with lots of plots and if so you will sure love this book!

Anne of Green Gables is one of my all-time favorite books. Anne is a person almost everyone can relate to in some way or another. Anne is launched into the "depths of despair" as soon as she finds out the horrible truth that the Mathew and Marilla really sent for a boy from the orphanage. Her fiery temper gets the better of her at some of the worst possible times. Such as when she vows that she will never forgive Gilbert Blythe for calling her carrots, as if smashing a slate over his head is not enough. This is a wonderful book that L. M. Montgomery has really shown her skill as a writer and novelist in. I have read the entire Anne of Green Gables Series and am also, like another reader, saving them all for my daughter some day. If you want a book that you can thoroughly enjoy, this is the one, although I have one warning that you may have a hard time putting it down.

This book is being compared to 'Angela's Ashes' in every review I've seen, and with good reason. Barbara's father shared numerous traits with Frank McCourt's, and the hardships, poverty and many other difficulties faced by both families were somewhat similar. So many sad, crazy, incredible and unbelievable things happen to this family, though - it's one of those 'truth is stranger than fiction' things. If you'd seen a Hollywood movie (and there may very well be one eventually) about this family, you'd say 'yeah, right, all of that couldn't actually happen to a family in real life'. But it did, and their story is amazing, mostly in the sense that it appears that most of the children turned out OK. Much credit is given to their remarkable mother's spirit, teaching the children about art, poetry, theatre and music despite the enormous gulf between such things and this family's daily existence. But I think the kids themselves leaned on each other, and drew from a tough inner strength. Read this book! I admire Barbara Robinette Moss and her entire family.

Writing at its best is lived rather than read. Occasionally we have the privilege to be drawn into someone's experiences with such power and clarity that we are possessed by their history and translated into it. Barbara Moss's story makes us members of the family as she weaves gripping tales of poverty, alcohlism, sickness and neglect into a book that you can't stop reading. As difficult as the circumstances are, the story is never without hope. The characters are in many ways ordinary and flawed and in spite of that, are amazingly appealing, interesting, funny, and often heroic as they struggle with the situations that compose their existence. In her writing she is able to depict seemingly ordinary events, turning them into human essences that touch our deepest emotional levels, where we live and laugh and cry and love.

Change Me Into Zeus's Daughter by Barbara Robinette Moss

I loved this book. It seems impossible that children who spent their days memorizing poetry and reading books on classic art also lived with poverty, violence, malnutrition, and humiliation. How could someone survive such a childhood and still write such a hopeful book?

The book is set during the late 1950s and 60s in Alabama in the towns of Eastaboga, Anniston, Birmingham and Kimberly. The book tells why Ms. Moss sought a life of art and beauty.

Her father was an alcoholic, too proud to accept charity, too violent to stay out of trouble, and too charming not to control his children's hearts. Ironically, it was he who told his children one night about Venus, the daughter of Zeus. Pointing to the star, he told them she was cherished and beautiful. Venus was "a star that encompassed everything I had been praying for. I closed my eyes and made a wish: Change me into Zeus's daughter."

Ms. Moss's mother provided an escape from the ugliness of their lives. She focused her children's attention on the liberal arts since she was an educated woman whose only fault was submissive compliance, not only to her husband, but to life's traumas.

Many chapters tell of the antics of Ms. Moss's siblings. Her stories are strictly Southern with descriptions of bright lilies, blue foothills and red clay. Describing a field of gladiolas, she says "...the slender stalks had soaked up energy from the sun all day, we could hear them grow, jubilantly crackling as they pushed toward the stars. Solar furnaces. Cosmic rockets."

When she's older, Ms. Moss suffers from perceived ugliness due to several moles and a severe overbite. Ridiculed by classmates, she saved money to have the moles removed. She also worked to pay for braces on her teeth and underwent facial surgery at the University of Alabama Hospital at Birmingham. Further, she worked to finish college, raised a son and is now an accomplished artist of oil painting and multi-media art, according to several magazine articles I've read about her life.

The book's dust jacket reflects the two-edged story. On the front is a photo of the children and their mother sitting on the steps of a ramshackle house. On the back is a painting of a pretty, delicate face -- Ms. Moss's self-portrait in yellows and reds. She is more like Venus, not only in beauty, but also in the transforming power of her starry goddess.

This book is THE best! I previously tried one of those shady "carbohydrates are bad and here's how to get rid of them" books, and not only was I miserable, it also made me physically ill after 1 month. Volumetrics, however, is such a wonderful "plan". It's realistic, it's easy, it doesn't have any weird ingredients or any true no-no's. I've lost 5lbs in about 2 1/2 weeks, and I feel great...I'm not starving, I'm not eating at only specific times, and I'm eating real food that my husband can enjoy with me (he who has no need to lose post-baby weight!). It truly is a life changing book as far as how you eat; it makes you much more aware of how and why fruits, vegetables, and fiber are good for you and how they help you in your weight loss venture. I highly recommend it to those of you who want to look and feel better.

I have a PhD in nutrition and want to let readers know that "The Volumetrics Weight-Control Plan" is a weight management book that they can trust. Unlike most other popular diet books, "Volumetrics" is based on scientifically proven principles. "Volumetrics" does not include lists of foods that must be avoided. People can follow this weight-management plan without giving up their favorite foods! In the book, the studies on which different concepts are based are explained in a conversational style. The book also provides many easy-to-understand examples and great-tasting recipes. Thus, readers will be able to truly understand the principles of the diet. I would recommend this book not only to people who want to lose weight, but also to people who just want to adopt a healthier way of eating. Enjoy!

I received this book as a gift and it has earned a place on my kitchen counter (instead of in the bookcase with other weight-loss books). "Volumetrics" has helped me to make gradual changes in how I feed my family without feeling deprived and without having to announce, "We're going on a diet." I especially like the snack suggestions. When I REALLY WANT ice cream, I can quickly turn to the snack list and find something sweet (like a smoothie) that I can put together FAST. The recipes are fresh and very easy to prepare. Not normally a soup eater, I now understand its value in a meal plan and eagerly look forward to trying some new soup recipes (when the heatwave ends!). I don't quite understand why one reader gave this book only one star and then went on to praise a DIFFERENT book by a Dr. Shapiro. Sounds like the negative review was written by a friend of Dr. Shapiro! I didn't pay any attention to it and I suggest that you don't either.

"There is little to be satisfied in reading this book"?? I couldn't disagree more. Bleak House left a profound impression on me, and was so utterly satisfying a reading experience that I wanted it never to end. I've read it twice over the years and look forward to reading it again. Definitely my favorite novel.

I don't know what the previous reviewer's demands are when reading a novel, but mine are these: the story must create its world - whatever and wherever that world might be - and make me BELIEVE it. If the novelist cannot create that world in my mind, and convince me of its truths, they've wasted my time (style doesn't matter - it can be clean and spare like Orwell or verbose like Dickens, because any style can work in the hands of someone who knows how to use it). Many novels fail this test, but Bleak House is not one of them.

Bleak House succeeds in creating a wonderfully dark and complex spider web of a world. On the surface it's unfamiliar: Victorian London and the court of Chancery - obviously no one alive today knows that world first hand. And yet as you read it you know it to be real: the deviousness, the longing, the secrets, the bureaucracy, the overblown egos, the unfairness of it all. Wait a minute... could that be because all those things still exist today?

But it's not all doom and gloom. It also has Dickens's many shades of humor: silliness, word play, comic dialogue, preposterous characters with mocking names, and of course a constant satirical edge. It also has anger and passion and tenderness.

I will grant one thing: if you don't love reading enough to get into the flow of Dickens's sentences, you'll probably feel like the previous reviewer that "...it goes on and on, in interminable detail and description...". It's a different dance rhythm folks, but well worth getting used to. If you have to, work your way up to it. Don't start with a biggie like Bleak House, start with one of his wonderful short pieces such as A Christmas Carol.

Dickens was a gifted storyteller and Bleak House is his masterpiece. If you love to dive into a book, read and enjoy this gem!

After years without picking up a novel by Dickens (memories of starchy classes at school), I decided to plunge into "Bleak House", a novel that had been sitting on my bookshelf for about ten years, waiting to be read. Although I found it heavy going at first, mainly because the style is so unfamiliar to modern readers, after about ten pages I was swept up and carried off, unable to put the hefty tome down until I had finished it. This book is a definite classic. The sheer scope of the tale, the wit of the satire (which could still be applied to many legal proceedings today) and the believable characters gripped me up until the magnificent conclusion. One particularly striking thing is the "cinematic" aspect of certain chapters as they switch between different angles, building up to a pitch that leaves the reader breathless. I can't recommend "Bleak House" too highly. And I won't wait so long before reading more Dickens novels.

This is the second book by Dickens I have read so far, but it will not be the last. "Bleak House" is long, tightly plotted, wonderfully descriptive, and full of memorable characters. Dickens has written a vast story centered on the Jarndyce inheritance, and masterly manages the switches between third person omniscient narrator and first person limited narrator. His main character Esther never quite convinces me of her all-around goodness, but the novel is so well-written that I just took Esther as she was described and ran along with the story. In this book a poor boy (Jo) will be literally chased from places of refuge and thus provide Dickens with one of his most powerful ways to indict a system that was particularly cruel to children. Mr. Skimpole, pretending not to be interested in money; Mr. Jarndyce, generous and good; Richard, stupid and blind; the memorable Dedlocks, and My Lady Dedlock's secret being uncovered by the sinister Mr. Tulkinghorn; Mrs. Jellyby and her telescopic philanthropy; the Ironmaster described in Chapter 28, presenting quite a different view of industralization than that shown by Dickens in his next work, "Hard Times." Here is a veritable cosmos of people, neighbors, friends, enemies, lovers, rivals, sinners, and saints, and Dickens proves himself a true master at describing their lives and the environment they dwell in. There are landmark chapters: Chapter One must be the best description of a dismal city under attack by dismal weather and tightly tied by perfectly dismal laws, where the Lord Chancellor sits eternally in Lincoln's Inn Hall. Chapter 32 has one of the eeriest scenes ever written, with suspicious smoke, greasy and reeking, as a prelude to a grisly discovery. Chapter 47 is when Jo cannot "move along" anymore. This Norton Critical is perhaps the best edition of "Bleak House" so far: the footnotes help a lot, and the two Introductions are key to understanding the Law system at the time the action takes place, plus Dickens' interest in this particular topic. To round everything off, read also the criticism of our contemporaries, as well as that of Dickens' time. "Bleak House" is a long, complex novel that opens a window for us to another world. It is never boring and, appearances to the contrary, is not bleak. Enjoy.

Penelope Keeling is a character that you just cannot help but love ~~ hosting dinner parties for friends and family, wearing shabby clothes simply because clothes aren't that important to her and talking about wine, literature and art ~~ sounds perfect to me! I am not fond of Nancy and Noel ~~ two of her children who seems to expect too much from their mother, while Olivia is my favorite child ~~ she's so much like her mother except for being career-driven. She doesn't put many demands on her mother ~~ she's the daughter every mother wishes she has!

Pilcher writes convincingly of the human relationships between Penelope and her children as well as the other characters. She writes of ordinary lives transformed by love. Her descriptions of Cornwall are so vivid that you can almost see the breakers on the beach as well as smelling the salt in the air. It must be artists' paradise!

What captures my fancy is how Penelope is such a warm-hearted person who uses her inheritance to pay for a trip home. Too many people expect their parents to leave them money after they have gone, whereas Penelope spends her inheritance prudently and wisely. She has never followed the rules and she does it with so much grace and love ~~ it makes one want to be more like her instead of like two of her greedy children.

This book covers more emotions and depths of the human lives and these characters become as real as your family. It's a great summer read (or even a winter read ~~ with a pot of hot tea nearby and delicious scones!) and the characters will linger long after the last page is turned.

Many years ago I stumbled upon a book I borrowed from the library for no other reason than it had a most beautiful cover. The book was The Shell Seekers by Rosamunde Pilcher and the rest is book history. History because this book about Penelope Keeling, her family, her life in the Cotsowlds area of England and her memories of WWII has become a most beloved read throughout the world.

Then recently, again while browsing the libraries audiotapes, I came across the tape of The Shell Seekers and thought, why not listen to it.

Now there are few audios I would compare to the reading experience. Clearly I enjoy reading more than listening and most often I don't finish the audiotape preferring to experience the reading of a book first. But in the case of The Shell Seekers audiotape, I found the tape provided me once again with a wonderful experience as I was surrounded totally by the characters, sights and sounds of Ms. Pilchers now classic book The Shell Seekers.

This is now perfect walking weather and what could be better than strolling along and listening to this pleasurable read. Believe me, before you know it, you'll be walking miles and miles and won't want to stop till you hear the last word.

This is one of the best books I've read in ages and I love re-reading it. Pilcher's stories create worlds the reader wants to settle into and stay in.

Penelope (I see her as Kate Hepburn in "Summertime") has a painting that she especially loves. Her father did it years ago, of her playing on the beach, and titled it "The Shell Seekers." Now her deceased father's paintings have become valuable. When the story begins, Penelope returns home from a hospital stay. She has released herself, feeling that she has sufficiently recovered from her heart attack. She feels an increased sensitivity to life and relationships and she's driven by a need to accomplish some final things with family and friends.

There's a great deal to be desired in her relationship with two of her children and with their relationship with each other. They want her to sell the painting and their motives are selfish.

As the story progresses, Penelope feels the need to return to her childhood home. She invites each child to go with her and each refuses for one reason or another. So she takes two cherished young friends on a pilgrimage into her past that changes their destinies. And hers.

Pilcher creates women characters who are strong and independent and at the same time feminine. Penelope doesn't need a man to help her work through her problems but when one comes along, she's gracious and kind.

This book is about values and relationships, hope and dreams, rights and wrongs. It's a delightful story that I hated to end. I wanted it to go on and on and on.