Ahhhhh, this is one, wonderful book. Classy, suspenseful, human- all the elements for a must read. Everson and Chadwick weave a story that is unpredictable, yet believeable. Katie, the main character, is full of life, but it's her best friend Marcy that brings home the meaning of friendship. In fact, I want her for my best friend!

The authors remind us that we all have secrets, but no secret is so great that it cannot be helped and healed by genuine love and care. Forgiveness is close at hand if we're willing to accept it. Katie shares her struggles and joys as she moves closer to this piece of truth. And we, as readers, learn the lesson with her as we turn the pages of this story.

A beautifully written story of a prodigal daughter who is determined to control her own life and destiny. Katie walks away from a comfortable home, leaving behind a brokenhearted mother. Instead of freedom, Katie finds herself caught in a web of drugs, alcohol, shadows and danger.

When she meets and marries Ben, she is elevated from a life of squalor and deprivation into the glamorous world of the socially elite. Katie finds true love and happiness with Ben, but always, her memory is alive of the sordid secret of her past life.

The authors have created a stunning and unforgettable tale with a heroine so real, you will walk with her through her struggles and her pain as though they were your own.

This book is a beautiful reminder that no matter how deep the pain, nor how wide the estrangement, God's love and forgiveness are deeper and wider still.

I loved this book and eagerly await the sequel.

Just finished reading Eva Marie's book......it held my attention and was a great read. Fell in love with Katie's character immediately....the thought "what was around the corner on the next page?" kept me going. The journey back home in our lives is often joyous, often difficult, and sometimes healing. We travelled with Katie to the place of her childhood and found relationships changed.

The "shadow" of her early days followed her. Life in the darness needed the truth of light and that's where restoration began for Katie. A mother's forgiveness and love began that process. A town's acceptance was part of that restoration as well.

This is a marvelous book to give to family members where relationships need mending. I am buying four for my own family.

Now.....we must wait for the sequel....can hardly wait!!!!

Transformational change addresses the problem of how to deal with change when moving from a mass production oriented business to a customer centered customized production business. One of the truly unique perspectives of this book is that it discusses and details the process of such a change. Many similar books effectively argue the need for change but then provide no direction on how to make the change. Thomas Wentz' book provides detailed discussion and processes for creating that complete transformation of your business

In the past most businesses were based on a mass production focus. Success and management were evaluated on a numbers basis. How much has sales increased? How many items were produced during this period last year? This numbers orientation tends to cause people to work hard to meet the numbers as their primary focus. In this scenario employees typically don't go beyond what is expected of them. There is no motivation to create a unique world-class organization. Add to that the fact that times have changed and customers now require a solution or product that is customized to their specific needs. If you can't provide a customized solution or product then they will simply go to a competitor that can. Is this just another business direction change? Thomas Wentz argues that it is more than just a directional change, it requires a complete transformation of the business from one form to another completely different form.

A nice extra to the book are the numerous "Key points" scattered throughout the text. By summarizing the prior information in just one or two sentences and making it stand out from the text it is easy to quickly read over the key points of the book and refresh your memory on an ongoing basis. An excellent book on business and change that also has some applicability to personal change, it is a recommended read.

This book finally provides the process to address how leaders can transform their company. Many other books defined the need to rethink the "business of the business" but none actually outlined a process. I have not only read the book but also participated in several of Tom's Simulation exercises. With this experiential background, I can honestly express to readers that you will actually understand what Tom is trying to convey only after having experienced the Simulation in conjunction with reading the book. We all have seen managers who were trying to "fix" an organization into a level of performance desired by customers, stockholders, and employees. Given the changes in consumers' demands for customized solutions, organizations that were built within the context of Mass Production cannot be "fixed" into a new existence. Organizations must be transformed and created to compete within the new reality of Mass Customization and the required thinking of a "market of one."

The Simulation allows team members to "feel" the transformational change process and thereby it becomes more meaningful and alive than simply understanding the intellectual issues documented within Transformational Change. In particular, it becomes critical that a collection of individuals become aligned on the outcome the organization is trying to "create"; i. e., the Vision. More importantly, the individual boss can no longer "tell" the organization what the Vision should be. In today's world, team members must collectively create the Vision and enroll in that creation procss. Subsequent to alignment on Vision, then the Structural Framework becomes the documented process for leading the organization through transformation.

If you read this book and participate within a Simulation, you will not believe how you will be equipped to transform your organization and be prepared to deal with the realtiy of Mass Customization. This is a very important book that all leaders should read, and read again.

Written by the Thomas K. Wentz (President of Corporate Performance Systems Inc.), Transformational Change: How To Transform Mass Production Thinking To Meet The Challenge Of Mass Customization is a solid and deftly presented guide for adapting to the new and evolving demands and realities of a globalized marketplace where merely churning out vast quantities of a product is simply not enough to be profitable. Now, more and more, customers want goods and services uniquely tailored to their tastes, and they are willing to pay for it - so much so as to change the shape of international businesses worldwide. Learning how to incorporate customization for maximum consumer satisfaction and profit is a rocky road, but individual chapters of Transformational Change address a range of relevant problems including corporate restructuring, gathering appropriate intelligence, competitive advantages and disadvantages, and a great deal more. Transformational Change is a truly excellent resource and a highly motivational reading for business managers at all corporate levels of responsibility.

Engaging! Compelling! Riviting! Three words that describe the progression I felt while reading Shadow of Dreams and its sequel, Summon the Shadows. Eva Marie Everson and G.W.Francis Chadwick have written two books that engage all five senses. I can see the descriptions on the page. I can hear the intensity of emotion in the dialogue. I can feel the suspense as I walk with the characters down the path of twists and turns to the plot. The books are a compelling read. I want to know whether and how Katie and her mom are going to reunite after so many
years, in Shadow of Dreams. How is Katie going to pass on her gift of redemption to three waifs of the seamy underworld in
Summon the Shadows. How will Katie balance the many feelings and needs of navigating the corporate world with her hope against hope that her husband, Ben, survived the car bomb and waits somewhere to reunite with her? I was rivited to the plot development both because the storyline was so believable and real, and also because the authors so deftly wove in character responses to our national, 9-11 tragedy. The themes of personal redemption, sacrifice, and blessing through adversity are expertly conveyed. While each book is a stand-alone suspense thriller, together they are two-thirds of a trilogy that will endear Katie Webster and her cohorts to both the Christian and secular reader for many years to come. Bring on Book 3!

I must say that Eva Marie Everson and G.W. Francis Chadwick have creatively carried on the saga of Katie Webster's life. What an evolution from where Katie was in her life in the beginning and mid point of book one (a must read!!). I especially like the fact that Katie has turned to God for comfort and strength in the "loss" of her husband Ben. Katie has grown from an insecure troubled young woman to one that is in control and command of her life. Her dedication to some young women and also to carry on what her husband and his family worked so hard to build is truly a story of hope, love, a desire to succeed and most important, a trust that Ben will be back. This sequel was full of surprises that left me wanting to read a little more before putting the book down. I eagerly await the next sequel.

It's fun to see writers grow in their craft. Everson and Chadwick have done just that and the reader benefits.

Summon the Shadows is a fast paced read picking up where their popular book, Shadow of Dreams, leaves off. I liked the development of Katie's character and how, with God's help, she was able to take over the posh hotel after her husband's disappearance. Skillfully-written fiction can teach many life lessons, and through Katie, we learn that we can grow through our grief and shattered lives.

Some readers prefer the more obvious Christian fiction, but I loved the carefully woven message of God's love, strength, and hope intertwined with real-life characters and situations. This is a book I feel comfortable suggesting to non Christians because I know they won't be turned off by an excessive amount of "God talk," yet they will be able to find Him in the carefully chosen words.

I loved the way they wove the tragic events of September 11 into the story. The authors used the events as a way of showing character growth and helping us understand that we all need to do something in the face of unspeakable evil.

The plot is easy to follow but leaves enough clues so that when the surprising punch line is delivered we're not disappointed.

Summon the Shadows is an entertaining read that shouts, "We're a new breed of Christian fiction." Life is full of twists and turns and Everson and Chadwick do an excellent job of showing the One who will get us through what can be a terrifying maze.

Summon the Shadows is an excellent read with outstanding dialogue, believable characters, and an interesting plot. I'm looking forward to the next installment and finding resolution to the questions so expertly posed in the epilogue.

"Heart of the Falcon" was the first book by Francis Ray that I had read. It was recommended to me by a co-worker. I found the story very interesting and exciting! It was refreshing to read about someone with Daniel Falcon's mixed Native American and African American heritage since there are so many of us out there with the same type of ancestry in our own families. I especially liked the side love story of Daniel's estranged parents finding their way back to each other.

The men in" Heart of the Falcon" are fascinating and complex. I especially loved Daniel Falcon. This was the first novel by Francis Ray that I read. But after reading" Heart of the Falcon" and being introduced to the Taggert brothers (Kane and Matt) I had to read their stories also. I recommend these books highly! They are such a pleasure read. And it doesn't hurt that men in Francis Ray's stories are hot! hot! hot!

Reading this book has made me a Francis Ray fan. I loved reading about the Taggert family. All of them Matt & Shannon,Madelyn & Daniel, Kane & Victoria. They all should be made into movies. I love the idea of reading romances about successful people of color. I can't wait to read about the rest of the Falcon family. Luke sounds very interesting. I loved Dominque & Trent story in Break Every Rule.

The very idea of recognizing the validity of anything an admitted Nazi had to say was anathema to me: A Holocaust refugee who landed in America at age ten.

But, Hitler's Last Courier is making a difference. The message of the book is a magnificent paean to the honesty and integrity of the writer.

Armin Lehmann gives us a picture -- in meticulous, almost overly zealous, detail of how the Nazi machine worked in Germany. Idolatry of Hitler took over, became stronger than any religion, and all participants involved cheerfully allowed themselves to be brainwashed.

Little kids judged each others blondness, parents skillfully eliminated any non-Aryan ancestors from family trees. Armin Lehmann omits nothing. He even translates every military and youth-group term into English so that the reader will have a complete picture of the Nazi hierarchy.

As a youngster, it seems that duty and obedience -- part and parcel of many unsuccessful attempts to please his judgmental "SS"father -- were major priorities. And, on he went, to become a teen-age soldier, earning two Iron Cross medals for heroically saving his fellows even when he, himself, was grieviously wounded. His reward, at age 16, was being assigned as Courier in Hitler's final bunker.

So, why celebrate this book, this gray recount of Nazi bureaucracy, of Hitler's propaganda machine, of worship at the Nazi altar? What is there to gain from such an exposition?

In a word, everything!

Because at age 16, when Armin Lehmann was shown the carnage of the extermination camps, the residue of the ovens, the skeletal remains of both the dead and the barely living, he underwent a change that took charge of the rest of his life.

From that moment, he became a fierce advocate for non-violence, for peace, and a dedicated enemy of all hatred. And he has never stopped. He has given his heart and his soul to erasing even the most remote possibility that any kind of hate movement could ever arise again.

He pulls no punches, makes no attempt to deny guilt, fully accepts the karma that has painted his destiny as an activist.

This man is to be respected. Hitler's Last Courier was written for a reason. At this point in time, at this juncture between peace and a possibly deadly World War III, we must all heed the message his message.

This book is for all ages. Every potential skinhead, racist, Aryan Nation member, and homophobic kid on the block needs to read it, learn from it. History, in fact, does not need to repeat itself.

Born in Germany, Armin Lehmann was four years old when Hitler came to power. In the impressionable years of childhood, he was indoctrinated with the principles and goals of Nazi socialism - at home by his father, at school by his teachers. His friends parroted the messages and his beloved radio was the main purveyor of the doctrines of Hitler.

As I read this book, I remembered my own childhood during WWII. Growing up in California, learning hatred for the Japanese and Germans and blind patriotism for the USA. It never occurred to me to doubt or question just as it did not occur to Armin. He was a child and had no basis for comparison with what he was being told. When his lessons in courtesy and respect taught him to assist an elderly, blind Jewish woman across the street, an older teen beat him up to teach him a greater lesson about consorting with Jews.

By age sixteen as the war drew to a close, he was compelled to be a soldier in the Hitler Jugend (Hitler Youth). Wounded during his first engagement, he was assigned the role of courier for Artur Axmann (leader of the Hitler Jugend and, at the end of the war, commander of the Hitler Youth Home Defense Force which included a close-combat tank destruction brigade named after him).
Axmann took refuge in the cellars of the Party Chancellery in Berlin and Armin came with him - one of the last couriers of the Third Reich. He, like the other children bearing messages directly in the line of fire, was frequently wounded. Unlike most of the others, he survived.
Armin not only carried messages but assisted in the Infirmary with the wounded and in searching out supplies. When possible, he helped carry the bodies of the fallen back where they could be buried. It was also his role to take messages to Hitler, Bormann, Goebbels and others sheltered in the Fuehrerbunker.
In the final days, he and Axmann moved into the bunker complex where Armin witnessed the events surrounding the wedding and the suicide of the leader that he had so admired and followed. As I saw Hitler from Armin's eyes I realized what a pathetic, though evil, person he was. I was struck by the kindness Eva Braun showed to the exhausted young boy. What would lead a woman like this to marry a man like Hitler - to go to death with him?
This was a fascinating book because of the insight into the day-to-day life of a soldier in war, the molding of a young mind to believe things that were terribly wrong, the horror and tragedy of war for men, women, children and animals, the final days of men whose names after 60 years still send chills, and as a powerful reminder of the importance of a democracy, a free press and an open society.

Author Armin Lehmann possesses a sole right to this book's title, both now and forever. He most probably was the last surviving courier lad available in the Berlin bunker to serve Adlof Hitler, "the Führer". Moreover, Hitler (together with his longtime mistress, Eva Braun, now his last-moment wife) was about to kill himself even as the youth, ignorant of that fact, departed on his final, almost certainly suicidal mission.
For Russian tanks rumbled up the street behind him as he ran for dear life, their guns firing after him ...
Such is the essentially final, certainly climactic scene, set in mid-1945, of "Hitler's Last Courier"; whereas Lehmann's memoirs begin with also often horrifying family scenes, dominated by his overbearing Nazi father, dating from the early 1930s.
The whole 15-year span deserves our study and understanding, for only by realizing the bitterness of such a brutal upbringing can we appreciate the realities of its consequences such as the boy's simultaneous hatred of and avid desire to please his father, and his suceptibility to brainwashing and the acceptance of rank misinformation.
Even as young Armin's perspective outgrew his family's heavy influence, there was precious little relief; for now the state's constant oppression, hypocrisies, and lies could simply take over mastery as the dominant theme in his life, leading even to war.
Our word "incredible" is badly overworked, and for someone like myself, born in 1932 and still able to recall both prewar times and the vast changes that swept over us even in Canada from Sept. 1939 onward - for instance, the loss of my dear cousin Leslie over the English Channel in 1940, and those stabs of fear as German U-boats torpedoed ships and killed men right here in the St. Lawrence River - I unfortunately know all too well how tragically credible this book really is.
Buy the work, then, by all means! - together with such overview works as Sir Winston Churchill's compendious non-fiction series (for its broad perspectives as much as anything) and Erich Maria Remaque's war fiction (for its complementary human insights), if you are able.
I do however hope to see a Second Edition someday, providing photos, maps, and a table of major events during the period covered.
The present edition is a marvel; the next will surely excel, although a roomfull of books would be needed to tell the entire tale of such a massive, far-reaching conflict as World War II.

This autobiographical condemnation of the south's Peculiar Institution puts a face on the suffering of the enslaved. American history is full of accounts of slavery which tend to broad overviews of the institution, whereas this book is written by an escaped slave who does not flinch at sharing every detail of her miserable life. Unlike other narratives which distorted the slave's voice through the perspective of the interviewers/authors who were notorious for exaggerating the uneducated slaves' broken english, this book is largely Ms. Jacobs' own words. She was taught to read and write as a child by a kind mistress, so she was able to put her thoughts on paper with clarity that surprised many. Ms. Jacobs had an editor, but this book seems to be her unfiltered view of the world.

It is one thing to hear about how slaveholders took liberties with female slaves, it is quite another to read in stark detail about women being commanded to lay down in fields, young girls being seduced and impregnated and their offspring sold to rid the slaveholder of the evidence of his licentiousness. The author talks about jealous white women, enraged by their husbands' behavior, taking it out on the hapless slaves. The white women were seen as ladies, delicate creatures prone to fainting spells and hissy fits whereas the Black women were beasts of burden, objects of lust and contempt simultaneously. Some slave women resisted these lustful swine and were beaten badly because of it. It was quite a conundrum. To be sure, white women suffered under this disgusting system too, though not to the same degree as the female slaves who had no one to protect them and their virtue. Even the notion of a slave having virtue is mocked. The author rejected the slaveholder's advances and dared to hope that she would be allowed to marry a free black man who loved and respected her. Not only was she not allowed to marry him, she was forbidden to see him or speak to him again.

The author shows us the depth of a mother's love as she suffers mightily to see that her children are not also brought under the yoke of slavery. Though she was able to elude her odious master, she does take up with some other white man in hopes that he would be able to buy her freedom. Her "owner" refuses to sell her and tells her that she and her children are the property of his minor daughter. Her lover seems kind enough as he claims his children and offers to give them his name, and he did eventually buy them, though he failed to emancipate them to spare them from a life of forced servitude. Ms. Jacobs noted that slavery taught her not to trust the promises of white men. Having lived in town most of her life, Ms. Jacobs is sent to the plantation of her master's cruel son to broken in after she continues to refuses his sexual advances. She is resigned to this fate until she learns that her children -- who were never treated like slaves -- were to be brought to the plantation also. It is then that she takes flight.

After enduring 7-years of confinement in cramped quarters under the roof of her grandmother's house, the author escapes to the North which is not quite the haven she imagined. Still, it is better than the south, and she makes friends who buy her freedom leaving her both relieved and bitter that she is still seen as property to be bought and sold like livestock. In New York Ms. Jacobs is reunited with her children and a beloved brother who'd escaped a few years ago while accompanying his master -- her former lover -- to the free states.

There is no fairytale ending to this story because the author endures plenty of abuse and uncertainty even after she makes it to the North. She is hunted down by the relentless slaveowners who were aided by the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850 and "The bloodhounds of the North." This is a wrenching account of this shameful period of American history, and should be required reading for all.

This is without doubt one of the best autobiographies I've ever read. On a very touchy but ever pertinent subject, Harriet Ann Thomas' story of her life as a slave is a remarkable document of antebellum life in the US, both south and north. Unlike the patent attempt to play with the readers' emotions of fictional works like Uncle Tom's Cabin, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl Written by Herself, is almost a graceful understatement. At the time it was apparently believed to be a work of fiction, but it lacks the florid style of the Nineteenth Century narrative.
I had expected to have problems reading the book. For one thing, I expected either a convoluted prose style or an offensive parody of slave dialect. I also anticipated a graphic description of the violence perpetrated on individuals considered chattel by their owners. Instead I found the work to have been clearly written. It is remarkable for the literacy of its author-Ms Thomas was taught to read and write by the first owner of her family-and the care with which it's editor, L. Maria Child, took to preserve the author's intentions. Dialect was introduced only where it furthered the narrative and where the individual was likely to have spoken in the manner described. Violence is described but not so graphically as to entirely put off the reader.
Instead of the sensationalism that might have been used to promote her cause, the author provides insight into the emotional losses, personal deprivations, and incredible uncertainty in the lives of the individuals enduring slavery. She emphasizes her point by demonstrating her willingness to undergo a seemingly unending imprisonment in an attic with only a tiny peep hole out onto the world rather than continue as a slave. The great sacrifices and risks that others assumed in order for her and others like her to escape to freedom in the north underscores the extent to which the vicissitudes of the institution created a network among those opposed to it and those oppressed by it. Most poignant is her description of New Years as being a time of great tribulation for the slave. Unlike the white members of southern society who looked forward to the new year with festivity and expectation, the slave family looked upon it as a tragedy waiting to happen. Rentals and sales of individuals on that day tore families apart, husbands from wives, children from parents, often never to be reunited or even heard of again, and no slave or slave family could ever feel they were entirely safe. Sadder still were those cases of slaves who had been promised their freedom by kinder owners, only to have these promises abrogated by the heirs or to discover that no actual paperwork had been put into motion prior to the death of the individual.
Ms Thomas also makes a strong case for the damage that slavery caused to white society as well. Just by relating her own experiences and those of people around her, she recreates the anger felt by white wives who discovered that their husbands had had children by slave women, the blunted feelings of white men who, no matter what their feelings for those children, were caught up in a society that punished them for "recognizing" any children by black mistresses, the poverty and anger of the average white wage earner caught in an economy where he had to compete with poorly maintained, unpaid labor in order to make a living, and so on. In short Ms Thomas makes it abundantly apparent that the institution of slavery dehumanized both the enslaver and the enslaved.
One thing especially of note is the author's observation that the north was hardly better. She was free, perhaps, but only free to be second class. While recognizing that slavery was incompatible with the institution of democracy, northerners were still, with rare exception, prejudiced against individuals of non-white background. I think a case could easily be made that it is the more silent prejudice of the north that has perpetuated the inequities that still plague the lives of non-white Americans today.

Incidents in the Life Of A Slave Girl is a harrowing, personal experience of a AA female born and raised during the tumultuous, infamous and tragic era of slavery in America's history. Harriett Jacobs, aka Linda Brent, tells in her own voice-one that is explicit and easy to understand-the story of a young woman born into the brutal, horrendous slavery era who later escapes to freedom in the North. Incidents is emotional and the feelings are raw as you experience the tale of a slave who desired freedom so badly that she hid for SEVEN YEARS in a narrow, cramped quarter without much freedom of movement. The story is riveting and moving and shows what an individual is able to accomplish in spite of sex, race and slavery. Incidents is a story of bravery in light of insurmountable circumstances and ones belief that they can succeed in spite of unmeasurable difficulties.

Incidents is an excellent reading selection for a bookgroup and a book that I highly recommend to everyone. Remember the story and share the story so that history doesn't repeat itself.

A Father knocked on the door of his son's bedroom and announced, "Wake up! It's time to go to school". The son replied, "I don't want to go to school". "But you must", answered the Father, "why don't you want to go?" "For three reasons", said the son through the door, "first, I don't like it, second, all the kids tease me and third, it's so dull" "Well", said the Father opening the door, "I'll give you three reasons why you must go: First, it's your duty, second, you're forty-five years old and third, you're the Principal" With stories like these Fr. De Mello explores how all of us, young and old, resist waking up. By helping us examine our own beliefs and thought patterns, he leads us to SEE our ourselves for the first time with all of our flaws and selfishness. And by so doing, liberates us. Fr. De Mello is a Master Teacher. If you are ready to see yourself truly for the first time and awake from the sleepiness you currently believe is your life, you must read this book. It's has plenty of humor and playfulness to match it's intensity. It has been said that the gap between stimulus and response is the area called human awareness. Fr. De Mello helps you to increase your gap and lead to even greater AWARENESS.

This will be a brief review, to cast my vote "for" this wonderful book and to offer some advice. I was greatly impressed with Father De Mello's advice to stop thinking about being aware and Just DO IT! That advice -- to be aware of the blessings of God in our world and in the brief section of the world we call our life -- is superb and valid no matter what your faith or outlook (assuming it is basically positive).
Just one word of advice -- the Vatican has, indeed, cast some aspersions on this book (at least for now; who knows when that may change). I would recommend this book be read by someone who feels comfortable with their faith and with their trust in the Lord. The book can seem a bit new age-y but it can also bless one's prayer life and one's response to the wonderful creation, which includes one's awareness.

Awesome. DeMello was recently censured by the Roman Catholic Church for dabbling too much in Eastern spirituality, but this book is as valuable to me as the Bible. It just contains so much spiritual wisdom. I have read it several times over and have loaned it to so many people that I finally bought a second copy just to let others read it. Despite what the Church says, if you are the least bit interested in spirituality(Christian or otherwise) this is a must read.

After sober reflection, I state my conviction that, if I lived the length of a dozen lives, I should never again be the spectator of such an amazing,
thrilling and magnificent finish to an Open championship.
-Bernard Darwin (1876-1961), The Times of London

Mark Frost has already proven himself a terrific writer, with such television series as the great Hill Street Blues and the innovative Twin Peaks to his credit,
and a few successful novels, including the excellent Sherlock Holmes homage, The List of Seven>, and a sequel, The Six Messiahs. But I don't know that
anything can have prepared even his fans for this book, which, though one must have some reservations about its form, is quite simply one of the best golf
books ever written.

To begin with, Mr. Frost has chosen his topic wisely. Harry Vardon (1870-1937) and Francis Ouimet (1893-1967)--both of whom came from working
class families, had difficult relationships with their fathers, and learned to golf as boys at the local courses where they caddied, Ouimet in Massachusetts, Vardon some twenty-plus years earlier on
the Isle of Jersey--are thoroughly compelling heroes. In 1913 their similar stories converged at The Country Club, in Brookline, MA--the very club at which Francis had caddied--in the United
States Open. Harry Vardon was at that time probably the best golfer in the world and in previous visits to America had been instrumental in marketing the game here. But it was to be the young
amateur Francis Ouimet's playoff victory over the professional Vardon and countryman Ted Ray that, or so Mr. Frost argues, gave birth to the modern golf era in America.

The book starts with extended biographical sketches of the two men and the events that brought them to the tee for their face-off. Numerous other characters are on hand to lend color--two of
whom stand out, and will be the star-making roles in the inevitable movie: the dashing young American professional Walter Hagen (golf's eventual answer to Babe Ruth) and Eddie Lowery,
Ouimet's preternaturally self-assured ten year old caddie. Digressions inform us about changes in rules and equipment, the professionalization of the sport, and its popularization. But it is the
tournament itself that forms the bulk of the book, particularly the final day, the Monday playoff, when the little known twenty year old, playing before large and enthusiastic hometown galleries, on a
course across the street from his own house, had to fend off two of the world's best.

Mr. Frost's prose gets a tad purplish at times, but personally I thought that gave it the feel, of old time sportswriting. Besides, the story is so improbable that the reality seems like a clich?, so why not
write it like a sports movie? More troubling is that Mr. Frost has chosen to provide dialogue and to ascribe thoughts and feelings to the various players even though he has had to create some of it
himself, without ever differentiating which is which. Although it serves his purposes as a storyteller well, fleshing out the characters and letting us see them interact "naturally" with one another, it
actually becomes distracting because you can't help but wondering which thoughts and words come from people's memoirs and contemporaneous accounts of the event (which are apparently
sufficiently extensive so that much of what's here is genuine) and which are purely made up. It also--though we've seen experiments of this kind in recent years, like Edmund Morris's
Dutch--seems more than a little unfair to attribute imagined words and emotions to real people who don't have an opportunity to dispute or confirm them. It would, I think, have been preferable to
simply call the book a novelization, in the tradition of Michael Sharaa's Pulitzer Prize-winning account of Gettysburg, The Killer Angels. At the very least, there should be footnotes to indicate where
truth ends and fiction begins. From an author or publisher's point of view there may be reasons not to do these things--just in terms of the sales and marketing of novels vs. nonfiction and reader
dislike of footnotes--but from a standpoint of intellectual rigor it's somewhat disconcerting.

Once you get past these considerations--and take my word for it, the writing and the story are so exciting that you will get past any questions--you're in for an unbelievably thrilling tale. It's
especially recommended for golf fans, who will find the tangential stuff about the clubs and balls they used just as interesting as the championship, but it should really appeal to everyone, in much the
same way that Seabiscuit reached past horse race fans to a wide audience. It's a marvelous read and seems certain to make for a great movie.

Grade: (A+)

I grew up caddying at Wollaston Golf Course. We often heard about the legend of Francis Ouimet and the 1913 US Open. This books bring to life the life & times of not only Francis but also Harry Vardon and the many other golfers who competed in that historic tournament. I saw and heard much about Francis while working at the US Open in 1963. I saw his house across the street from the 17th green and this book brings us back to those days growing up on Clyde Street. The book is truly inspiring in the same category as the movie, Chariots of Fire. I hope Mr. Frost goes on to write similar books. We owe much to Francis as he was a man for the ages, a gentleman, a decent & compassionate person who on one fateful week shook the sporting world.

In Dandelion Wine Ray Bradbury taught us that the best time machine is storytelling. In this wonderful book, Mark Frost transported me to 1913 to witness the birth of golf in the United States. The heart of the book is the battle between the Tiger Woods of the day, Harry Vardon of England, and the American kid who would become the first homegorwn champ, Francis Ouimet. For a non-golfer like me, it was a revelation to feel present at a great golf game as psychologically tense as Fischer vs. Spassky, as hard fought as Ali vs. Frazier, and as crowd thrilling as Bird vs. Magic. A truly great read. To paraphrase the old potato chip commercial, I dare you to read just one - (page that is).

Peter Pan is a good adventure/fantasy that kids and adults can enjoy alike. With much exaggeration, it is something kids can enjoy and read into. It's a page-turning book that once you started you can't stop.

Wow! What a great story this is! I picked it up on a whim years ago having enjoyed the Disney cartoon, and when I finally got around to reading it, I couldn't put the darn thing down. This is really exciting stuff! Peter is ten times as irrascible as he is in the toon. One line has always stuck in my head - its where Peter is faced with certain death (I forget exactly what). He thinks to himself that its quite possible he could die, and thinks `That would be the greatest adventure of all!' That line sums of the feel of this book. Imagine being a kid who can never grow up who has the power to fly through a world woven of dreams and fairytales....I learned later that this was probably the sincere wish of the author, James Barrie, who was afflicted with a disease which made it impossible for him to grow. Though an adult in mind, he was the stature and semblance of a child. The warmth of this story has a deep heartfelt resonance in the heart of any boy who has grown up having adventures in his mind. It can't really be described -it has to be read and appreciated. If you love fantasies in the vein of The Never Ending Story and The Wizard of Oz, you will love this book.

Driving with young children in the car quickly convinced me that it was unsafe to not give them something to listen to. After ten years I have collected a large (30+) bag of books-on-tape. I have also loaned them to others and asked for opinions. Peter Pan (read by Wendy Craig) is not only my favorite, but also the favorite of my wife and most of my friends. It is excellent for all ages (4 to 80) and even most hardened teenagers. Humour, presentation, ... a prefect 10.

De Tocqueville is every bit as brilliant and insightful as he has been said to be. The book is as relevant now as when written and is a must read for every american who is serious about understanding his country. What one realizes in reading the book is how novel and radical was the american experiment in creating a state that was both a republic and a democracy. De Toqueville's research was amazing, as well, he read the laws and constitutions of the various states, he didn't just observe the manifestation of american government and society. His assessments of the plusses and minuses of our government forms was incredibly astute and it is interesting to reflect on the changes that took place in the government after his time and how accurately he foresaw the advantages and disadvantages of those changes, as well. Given the short period of time that he spent in this country and the distances that he travelled one stands in awe of his work. His writing style is, of course, dated but one gets accustomed to it and learns to follow the rhythm.

De Tocqueville was simply of one of the great social scientists writing about America and Democracy. From reading the book I deduced that De Tocqueville was a social scientist before Marx! He compares European culture and government with the fledgling culture and democracy he observes in America. He is very much impressed with what he sees taking place in America in the 1830's and hopes it will spread to Europe. He at first believed that America's prosperity was simply due to geography and their distance from powerful neighbors, he abandons this idea after his visit to America. He comes to realize that the West is not being peopled "by new European immigrants to America, but by Americans who he believes have no adversity to taking risks". De Tocqueville comes to see that Americans are the most broadly educated and politically advanced people in the world and one of the reasons for the success of our form of government. He also foretells America's industrial preeminence and strength through the unfettered spread of ideas and human industry.

De Tocqueville also saw the insidious damage that the institution of slavery was causing the country and predicted some 30 years before the Civil War that slavery would probable cause the states to fragment from the union. He also the emergence of stronger states rights over the power of the federal government. He held fast to his belief that the greatest danger to democracy was the trend toward the concentration of power by the federal government. He predicted wrongly that the union would probably break up into 2 or 3 countries because of regional interests and differences. This idea is the only one about America that he gets wrong. Despite some of his misgivings, De Tocqueville, saw that democracy is an "inescapable development" of the modern world. The arguments in the "Federalist Papers" were greater than most people realized. He saw a social revolution coming that continues throughout the world today.

De Tocqueville realizes at the very beginning of the "industrial revolution" how industry, centralization and democracy strengthened each other and moved forward together. I am convinced that De Tocqueville is still the preeminent observer of America but is also the father of social science. As a retired Army officer and political philosopher, I found this book to be a must read for anyone interested in American history, political philosophy or the social sciences.

De Tocqueville was an amazing man who posessed amazing insight into the workings (and not-workings) of American society. One only laments the fact that he was not a middle caste American politician arguing amongst great minds during the Constitutional conventions. Then again, we are equally lucky of the fact that he was a curious Frenchman of the leisure class who happened to be passing through. This is what gives de Tocqueville the ability to refrain from emotionalism and give us an outsiders view of what makes America good, bad and just plain different.

See, de tocqueville recognizes, as did our founders, that liberty and democracy are key ingredients to a healthy society. On the other hand, he points out that too much freedom or democracy lead to lazy, public-opinion driven conformity, over-emphasis on materialism and restlessness. Another contradiction de tocqueville points out is that although self-government is generally a good idea, there are times when an all powerful aristocracy is just more efficient. He can see all sides.
The best part then is that de Tocqueville doesn't come to any final conclusion. He just observes and reports on America's inner workings as seen by an aristocratic Frenchman.

A few reccomendations to the de tocqueville virgins. First, as this is the unabridged, it may be advised to read the first book, pause to read something else, then read the second book. I read it straight through and found that not only would I have benefited from reflection, but much of the second book is a rehash the first. Second, keep in mind during the second book that the word 'democracy' is also de tocqueville's word for 'capitalism'. The word 'capitalism' would be introduced only years later by one Karl Marx. So when de tocqueville says that democracy increases industriousness, what the reader should hear is that capitalism increases industriousness. This in itself is a brilliant observation by de tocqueville. Democracy and capitalism really are the same thing, different scale. The producer, like the political candidate, cater to the consumer or the voter. Both systems allow the individual to choose the goods and services he wants and reject those he doesn't. This is why one may also want to read 'Wealth of Nations' with this book.

The only other thing I can tell the reader before he or she embarks on a fascinating reading adventure is to keep in mind why de tocqueville wrote the book. He intended it to be read by the french who were not familiar with or had misconceptions about America. Of course, it provides contemporary America with an amazing historical survey. Like the introductory exclamation to MTV's 'Diary' show says, "You think you know, but you have no idea".