This is a unique and very well written book on high-altitude. The history chapters are complete and privide the reader with an exellent oveview of many interesting discoveries. You will not find historical information of this quality elsewhere. The scientific base is strong, and the detailed descriptions of some important medical experiments are of great use. I used the book as background source while writing a dutch booklet on high altitude disease, and found it of great use. Thank you, John West!

Mary Ellen Mark is an outstanding photographer. This is among her best work. Her superb technique complements her incisive portraiture. She has studied the circuses of India carefully and captured something of the soul of her subjects. Many of the performers that she photographs are young, and for all intents and purposes are indentured servants. Their lives are filled with pathos, but also with immense pride in what they do. It is impossible not to be moved by this wonderful book. I recommend it highly.

This book is just fantastic. There's so much that's good to say about it, but if you're an Irving fan like I am, it's essential to your reading. She looks at his work in parts and as a whole, and does it wonderfully. I can't recommend this too highly.

628 pages and 45 Chapters (not including an Introduction and Epilogue) comprise David Irving's masterful history of the doomed 1956 Hungarian Uprising entitled "Uprising! One Nation's Nightmare: Hungary 1956" (London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1981). It is unfortunate that the book is currently unavailable because it is a work of merit and value. It is the only concise and definitive English history of this doomed rebellion. It is also unique because it is David Irving's only book that does not deal with the Second World War.

The full story of the revolt that temporarily drove Communism out of Hungary between 24 October and 4 November 1956 has never been told. This book is an exhaustive, full account of this event that was so quickly forgotten outside of Hungary, owing especially to the Suez Crisis that coincided with the revolt (and also because the United States was keen in covering up their tracks, as they wished to incite revolt in the Soviet Bloc, but did nothing about it once the opportunity to act presented itself). Irving recounts in painstaking detail the history of Hungary following 1945, when Communism, with the help of the Soviets, became the ruling force in Hungary, employing a secret police, the AVH (Allam Vedelmi Hatosag). He tells the story of Matthias Rákosi, a brutal Stalinist dictator that turned the country into a "pit of Marxist misery" until a more liberal Communist named Imre Nagy replaced him, who would eventually become Prime Minister during the uprising. For his liberal acts and views, such as the abolishment of collectivization of agriculture, Nagy was replaced in 1953 by a no better leader named Ernest Gero who, like Rákosi, was a hard-line Stalinist and Jewish. Those crucial years, Irving argues, were highly important, for they provided Hungarians a textbook-perfect premise, from which an uprising could grow and explode.

From there, Irving writes an hour-by-hour (and sometimes minute-by-minute), day-by-day account of the uprising that turned Hungary from being ruled by party functionaries, or "funkies," as Irving calls them (adapting this from the Hungarian word 'funkcionáriusók') to the mob of rebels that often took law into their own hands, turning their years of loss and anguish against the powerless funkies and hated AVH (lynching and shootings were an almost daily occurrence, as Irving illustrates). Of course, on the early morning of November 4, Soviet forces shattered the idea that the rebels had won against the USSR, a country of 200,000,000 by smashing the uprising and defeating key rebel strongholds, and forever scarred the ancient and beautiful city of Budapest (the reviewer once visited the city, shortly after Communism there collapsed). Irving then concludes his work by discussing what happened to many of the key players in the uprising; it was a uniform procedure, Irving surmises: they were all "tricked, kidnapped, deported, hanged" in the Communist fashion (see Chapter 45).

Irving analyzes the uprising through very strong research; he has an excellent eye for details and truths overlooked by previous researchers. The vast majority of his evidence comes from primary sources, many of them in the original Hungarian. His assessment of the Prime Minister during the uprising, Imre Nagy, indeed does raise eyebrows, as Irving predicts in his Introduction. Nagy was not exactly the innocent liberal that he has been portrayed; he remained a devoted Communist all through his life, spent most of his years in Moscow, and only practiced his liberal politics during the uprising because he feared the fate accorded to most die-hard funkies: the firing squad or being lynched. Consequently, toward the end of the uprising, he accorded the rebels more and more recognition and fulfilled their demands. It was also his death-knell, as he was eventually deported to Romania, then brought back to Hungary in 1958, where he faced trial and execution with others involved in his "conspiracy." Anti-Semitism itself played a decisive role in the uprising, as most of the high-ranking funkies and AVH officials were Jewish, such as both Rákosi and Gero (this is backed by CIA documents and the words of the Soviet Premier Nikita S. Khrushchev, as well as the accounts of several hundreds of survivors that escaped from Hungary while they could).

Irving also discusses the decisive roles of the Central Intelligence Agency (the CIA) as well as Radio Free Europe (RFE) in stirring agitation in the Soviet Bloc countries as early as 1953. The later conduct of these American organizations was in complete contradiction, as the UN and NATO did nothing to aid the Hungarian cause when the opportunity presented itself. The American players in this tragedy, notably President Dwight Eisenhower, CIA chief Allen W. Dulles and his brother John Foster Dulles, the secretary of state, are all discussed. Irving also takes care in describing the horrific deceitfulness and hypocrisy of the Party funkies, both Russian and Hungarian.

Though his book touches on several themes, Irving's central thesis is that the whole event was an uprising, an insurrection, not a revolution (yet the event is still commonly called the "Hungarian Revolution"), as it was spontaneous and leaderless. Ironically enough, it was the workers and peasants, allegedly the ones forming the framework of Marxist theory, who were at the forefront of the uprising, as well as many card-carrying Communist Party members. Irving has wonderfully demonstrated what can comprise a major upheaval within a repressive empire and just how the rage of a country of only 10,000,000 can explode. An amazing book that reads like a thriller; it places you on the streets of Budapest among the rebels, wielding aging rifles and tommy-guns, Molotov cocktails and grenades, blowing up Soviet tanks with bare hands.

I was leant this book by a friend of mine, and I almost fainted at the size of it! I started reading it straight away and in the first night read over 100 pages, it was amazingly engrossing. I thought it was beautifully touching and very funny. Although it is very long, every single page was needed, every detail necessary to the fascinating plot. It is the story of two boys, Owen Meany and Johnny, and goes through their growing up. I loved the way everything Owen says is written in capital letters as he had such a strange voice. I had a clear picture of Owen and all the other characters in this novel. It is one of the best books ever written, certainly one of my favourites, the only downside being the bits that go forward to Toronto. Personally, I found them a little bit tedious. But other than that I simply loved it and had to stay up one night reading the last 100 pages to find out what happened and was in total shock from the amazing twist in the tale that the whole book leads up to. Absolutely beautiful and a real must-have!

In a lecture I was fortunate enough to attend, John Irving said "I am a storyteller". In this story filled with unique, three-dimensional characters, the reader is brought to the verge of tears, both by laughter and sadness. The story is told by a draft-dodger named John Wheelright. John is "...doomed to remember a boy with a wrecked voice - not because of his voice, or because he was the smallest person I ever knew, or even because he was the instrument of my mother's death, but because he is the reason I believe in God; I am a Christian because of Owen Meany." So sets the stage for a story which follows the lives of a handful of people who were fortunate enough to have shared some time on earth with Owen Meany. Owen is one of, if not the most inspirational and origional character crafted by Irving, who weaves a powerful story from the accounts of Owen's friend. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good story. For those who look for a deeper meaning, Irving leaves many layers in his novels, so that each reading brings forth new insight, and a better understanding of the book. - Derek DeVries (sethgecko13@hotmail.com

This is the second book of Irving's that I've read, "The World According to Garp" being the first. A Prayer For Owen Meany is slower than Garp and not as roll-on-the-ground-funny (although it does has its hilarious moments: the Christmas Pageant brought tears to my eyes I laughed so hard). In "Garp", Irving asks: why can't something serious be funny as well. In "Owen Meany", he continues along that vein and ends up tackling the issue of faith in the modern world. As other reviewers have said, Irving is not preachy, nor is he arrogant. He is cynical (or perhaps just honest?) about organized religion and the ending of the book is open to several interpretations.

A Prayer For Owen Meany is a book about faith, but it is also a book about friendship. In addition, Irving also delves into politics and analyzes the Vietnam War and the Reagan era. Even if you have little interest in religion or politics, do not let that discourage you from reading this book. "Owen Meany" is a truly universal tale and a masterpiece of modern literature. Don't miss out on reading this book if you haven't read it already: Irving will blow you away.

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow is a scary tall tale told in the quiet town of Sleepy Hollow. It all starts out when Ichabod Crane(an intelligent school teacher) goes to a party at the Van Tassel's house. At the party a mean guy named Brom Bones tells a scary tale, about a headless horseman from the Revolutionary War. It was told that he roamed the night looking for his head, which he lost in battle. That night Ichabod had to ride home, he was very frightened. Lets just say Ichabod was never seen again, the only thing found the next day was his hat.
The legend of Sleepy Hollow is a great thriller. You can tell the tale at night, when you have a sleepover, or around a campfire. The book has a good story line and can be easily followed. I hope you don't get too scared when you read about the Headless Horseman...

"The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Rip Van Winkle" brings together these two classic stories by Washington Irving. The text of this Dover Children's Thrift Classic is accompanied by the whimsical illustrations of Thea Kliros. Both tales are set in the Dutch-American communities of rural New York State.

"Legend" tells the story of Ichabod Crane, a schoolteacher who lives in an area purportedly haunted by a terrifying spectre: a headless horseman. "Rip" tells the story of a farmer who has a remarkable paranormal experience while wandering in the mountains.

Each story explores the intersection of the supernatural with everyday life. The stories are full of vividly drawn characters and are rich with the local color of rural Dutch American communities. Issues such as folk beliefs, geography, history and oral tradition are well handled by Irving.

Irving's playful, earthy prose style is a delight to read. Passages such as a description of a Dutch-American feast are memorable. Funny, ironic, and poignant, these tales are true classics by one of the most enduring figures in American literature.

First off, this review is of "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Rip Van Winkle" published by Dover Children's Thrift Classics, $.... While most reviews might concentrate on the merits of the stories themselves, this review is meant to support the benefits of purchasing this particular edition over others.

That said, the first thing I would like to comment on is the price. You can't ask for more of a bargain that to pay less than a ... of America's most popular and well known Revolutionary War era stories. Great for anyone on a budget, or parents who want to expand their child's library but don't want to break the bank on something they may only read once. ....

Secondly, I would like to mention that this book contains BOTH "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" AND "Rip Van Winkle" in their respective unabridged entirety. Both are relatively short, entertaining, and easy-to-read stories that supply a great introduction to period literature, beliefs, and storytelling for children and adults alike. While these are not Washington Irving's only writings, they are perhaps the most well-known.

As a former teacher, I have the following suggestion: If you live in the New York metro area, this book would be an excellent jumping off point for a trip to Washington Irving's homestead, "Sunnyside", in Tarrytown, NY, for which you can find plenty of information online. There are several other "living history" sites in the area as well.

I recently read the novel A World According to Garp by John Irving. I was skeptical at getting into a six hundred page classic novel like this one. Often times I find that the books I like best are somewhat the least popular books. I also have found that I find a lot of 'classics' to be boring. With the World According to Garp I found that six hundred pages can go by very fast if the book is good enough. The book feels like it is written as a biography by someone who has spent their entire life hanging over the world of Garp before he was born and after he died. You come to know the character of T.S. Garp like he's your best friend. You know his mother long before he was born and you witness the incredible and somewhat disturbing story of his conception. Then the book goes on and you hear the story of Garp growing up, getting married, having children, and dying. Garp is not president and he isn't a world renowned athlete or anything else all too exciting. Garp is only a mildly successful, but like his mother, a well known author. His life is not too much out of the ordinary and is in fact a very believable life despite the fact that it is fiction. For having what is mostly an ordinary life it is difficult to believe a story about the life and times of T.S. Garp could be that interesting. However, I guarantee you'll enjoy the story and if you're like me, you'll wish there was a continuation of the last chapter, "Life After Garp." Even after six hundred pages you'll be left wanting more when John Irving sums up his entire story with the last and best line of the book, "But in the world according to Garp, we are all terminal cases."

I was interested in this book from the first sentence. Irving takes great pains to grab the reader and suck him into Jenny and Garp's world, but he is by no means manipulative. As I read the first half of the novel, I was entertained, intriguiged, curious, but I thought this was no more than a pleasant, light novel. However, as Garp and Helen settled into family and married life, I began to see the heart of the novel. By the climax, when I saw how every seemingly minor detail fell into necessary order, I was unable to put this book down. However, the real clincher for me was the way I felt at the end, so unhappy to have Garp end. I have thought about this book and the characters in it often in the 3 months since I read it. I read A Prayer for Owen Meany this week, and while it wasn't nearly as captivating as Garp, I noticed some Irving trademarks--unforgettable characters, the importance of small events, the stranger-than-fiction quality of life. I recommend the World According to Garp to almost anyone. It won't change your life, but it will show you how much fun good writing can be.

I read this book only because it was on my summer reading list. I have now become a huge John Irving fan. To take the subjects depicted in 'Garp' and make them funny let's you know that you're reading a good writer. The book chronicles T.S. Garp's entire life. T.S. Garp is a writer, as is his mother Jenny Fields, who wrote an autobiography called 'The Sexual Suspect' which would give her a devout female following, not to mention controversy. Garp lives in his mother's writing shadow. Everyone knows Garp's writing couldn't possibly be as big as Jenny's. But still, Garp continues to maintain a sense of humor and carry on with his young marriage to Helen Holm. Along the way, Garp meets many people who will change his life, including Roberta, a woman who used to be a quaterback for the Eagles before getting a sex change, Ellen James, a rape victim who is constantly haunted by her followers, the 'Ellen Jamesians', and Alice, a woman with a cheating husband and a lisp. Sounds confusing? Well yeah, it kind of is. But listening to Garp tell of his adventures in life makes you wonder what you would do. Because to Garp, a writer is a doctor who sees only terminal cases. And in the world according to Garp, we are all terminal cases. With a main character who still holds optimism after all that has happened, makes you want his life to go on forever, even though you know the book will soon end. So if you haven't read it, read it. Then check out the movie.

In his preface to this book, Irving Younger applauds Darrow's systematic annihilation of poor, befuddled Bryan. "Analysis of this kind of drama is irrelevant. One can only smile, admire, and wonder," he says. Although Younger declined to analyze Darrow's examination of Bryan, the contemporary press (most of whom staunchly supported teaching evolution) were not so reticent to judge. Edward J. Larsen, in the Pultizer Prize winning history of the trial, "Summer for the Gods," summed it up thus: "[T]he nation's press initially saw little of lasting significance in the trial [whose centerpiece was Darrow's examination of Bryan] beyond its having exposed Bryan's empty head and Darrow's mean spirit." p. 202.

Some quotes from contemporary sources found on page 207 of Larsen's book: Walter Lippman of the "New York World": "Now that the chuckling and giggling over the heckling of Bryan by Darrow has subsided it is dawning upon the friends of evolution that science was rendered a wretched service by that exhibition." The New Orleans "Times Picayune": "Mr. Darrow, with his sneering 'I object to prayer!' and with his ill-natured and arrogant cross-examination of Bryan on the witness stand, has done more to stimulate 'anti-evolution' legislation in the United States than Mr. Bryan and his fellow literalists, left alone, could have hoped for." The Vanderbilt University humanist and champion of evolution, Edwin Mims: "When Clarence Darrow is put forth as the champion of the forces of enlightenment to fight the battle for scientific knowledge, one feels almost persuaded to become a Fundamentalist."

As Larsen explains in "Summer for the Gods," Darrow's examination assumed the status of a legendary victory only after the release of the McCarthy-era morality play "Inherit the Wind," which took great dramatic license in depicting the examination as having "won" the Scopes Trial.

When a lawyer performs as mean-spirited an examination as Darrow did of Bryan, the lawyer's rabid fans are enthralled, his enemies are enraged, and those on the fence are encouraged to join the enemy. Darrow's examination of Bryan should be studied as a fine example of how not to perform a cross examination.

The public recollection of what happened when Darrow questioned Bryan in the case of Tennessee v. John Thomas Scopes is a mixture of topics and outbursts. Most accounts of the trial, as well as the fictionalized version in "Inherit the Wind," include the discussion of the Bible Stories of Jonah being swallowed by the whale/big fish and Joshua making the sun stand still. The crucial point of the exchange comes when Darrow forced Bryan to admit the days of creation in Genesis were not 24-hour days, thereby forcing Bryan to deny the Fundamentalist's literal interpretation of the Bible. Scopes himself called it the "great shock that Darrow had been laboring for all afternoon." However, the actual exchange does not support such an interpretation. Darrow specifically asked about the number of days involved in creation. A fuller examination of the transcript, which this volume provides, indicates Darrow was trying to get at not only the length of creation but the DATE as well, intending to get Bryan to endorse Bishop Usher's infamous calculation the earth was less than six thousand years old in order to confront Bryan with evidence of civilizations considerably older. The key to the exchange is that Bryan gives a preemptive answer, declaring the days of creation were not 24-hour days BEFORE Darrow asked the specific question, in order to avoid agreeing to Usher's flawed calculations. More importantly, Bryan volunteered the information twice, each time cutting Darrow off from a particular line of question.

Moral of the Story: When there are primary documents available, such as this volume which provides the entire transcript of the trial as taking from the stenographers record, you are better served by reading them rather than secondary sources that tend to privilege a play/movie rather than what really happened.

Finally, you don't have to hear someone else's take on one of the most spectacular court cases this country has ever seen. Decide for yourself who outwitted who in this battle of the courtroom titans. This book includes only the exact words from the cross-examination of William Jennings Bryan by Clarence Darrow. A must read for all those who wish to know how the cross-examination really ran.

I have a grudging admiration for Irving's novels: his descriptive powers are sharp and defined and his plots are as composed and delightful as a painting. His themes are always a disturbing combination of human greatness and human evil. This conflict is probably why I have the mixed feelings. For example; in Cider House Rules, Irving creates a wonderful character in Dr. Larch. However, Dr. Larch administers his medicine, including abortion, with a deepfelt personal charity for the patient but a strange detachment from moral issues.

Homer Wells, the other main character in the book, is another Garp; misbegotten, a kind of loser on the surface, but with special abilities underneath.

So if you liked The World According to Garp, Prayer for Owen Meany, you'll recognize a continuing theme in Homer Wells and in Cider House Rules. It's a page-turner and crafted superbly. If you like Irving's other novels or are reading Irving for the first time; this is a great choice. If you are disturbed by frankly written medical scenes or by depictions of abortion, you will want to avoid this novel.

In "The Cider House Rules", author John Irving weaves an engrossing and thought-provoking story of morality, choice, and responsibility. Using the story of orphan Homer Wells (a true "stranger in a strange land") to illustrate personal choice versus public responsibility (focused mostly on the issue of abortion), Irving introduces us to complex, three dimensional characters whose choices may not be the best, but are understandable and realistic. Well-balanced in the controversial areas, this is an uplifting novel that intertwines Dickens, "Jane Eyre", and medical terminology to illustrate the impact one individual -- or in this case, two: Homer Wells and Dr. Larch -- can have on countless people. I cried several times, because I came to care for these characters, even if I didn't always agree with them. The use of real historical events only adds to the imaginary world that Irving masterfully creates. I highly recommend it!

John Irving's The Cider House Rules is an amazing book. When you read it, you're captured by the mental conflicts the characters go through. The issues in the story, that takes place many years ago, continue to be issues presently and will most likely challenge people forever. Irving's mature themes and writing makes the book a little difficult to read, however, it is realistic for most high school students to be able to get through it. There is not one person who won't find interest in this book; it contains themes and characters that relate to everyone.
While there are some parts of the book that are predictable, many surprises come along. It is amazing how Irving can make a story about a boy finding his way such a fascinating book. The reader is able to see the changes a person goes through from childhood to adulthood and on. If anyone is looking for a good book to read over the summer while at the beach, this should be what you reach for.

This is probably the last Irving book I'll review for a while because I've pretty much read them all until something new comes out. What I can tell you after reading 8 Irving novels, is that some are really good (Cider House Rules, World According to Garp), others are pretty bad (Prayer for Owen Meany, Fourth Hand), and still others are in between (Widow for One Year, Son of the Circus). Hotel New Hampshire I have to put in the third category of in between books.

The best thing about the book is the cast of quirky characters essential to any Irving novel. The Berry family is a loving, oddball family of different personalities, which sometimes conflict, but for the most part work together in a sort of harmony as they grow up. The story follows their misadventures through three variations of the Hotel New Hampshire, one in the rundown town of Dairy, New Hampshire, one in Vienna, and the final one along the ocean in Maine.

Like any Irving novel, you can see elements in past and future books. The way I think of it, Irving's books are all one house and for each novel, the author moves around the furniture a little bit so while it's the same house, it LOOKS slightly different to us readers. After eight novels, I'm used to the references to wrestling, prep schools, Vienna, and bears, though like anyone, I wish Irving would try to move beyond these elements sometimes.

The main weakness of the book is the same as in Owen Meany, although not as pronounced. John the narrator is really a dull guy, who pretty much sits back and has things happen to him as opposed to going out and doing anything. As he says, he's the caretaker of the family, which also means he's not very interesting. However, he's not like John the narrator of the Owen Meany who's completely unlikeable.

So, in closing, this is an enjoyable read and I recommend anyone who's liked some of Irving's other books take a look at this one. If you haven't read any other Irving novels, then I'd say to start with Cider House Rules and World According to Garp, then move on to Son of the Circus, Hotel New Hampshire, Widow for One Year, and Setting Free the Bears. Then at your own risk, try out Owen Meany and the Fourth Hand.

And that, as Forrest Gump would say, is all I gotta say about that.

With The Hotel New Hampshire John Irving wrote one of his best books and one of my personal favorites. Although in every book several themes return (we already read about rape, wrestling and Vienna in The World According to Garp and the transsexuals from this book can also be found in A Son Of The Circus and the bears... well, you got the point now, I suppose), every work of John Irving is original, surrealistic and moving.

John Irving writes about people. And whether he writes about Owen Meany, Dhar or The Watermethod Man, he writes about life. All his characters are in a way eccentric and bizarre, but always understandable and just normal people. Irving describes their lives, their thoughts, their emotions and so tries to find the meaning and purpose of our own lives. Irving's books are in that way portraits, but not just portraits. It are portraits of colorful people, absurd, but still in a way being like us. We can see ourselves in the eyes of Irving's main characters. And that's, beside his wonderful writing style and humor, what I like about Irving and especially about "The Hotel New Hampshire" that's a fresh and imaginative dive in Irving's world and really worth reading!

With The Hotel New Hampshire John Irving wrote one of his best books and one of my personal favorites. Although in every book several themes return (we already read about rape, wrestling and Vienna in The World According to Garp and the transsexuals from this book can also be found in A Son Of The Circus and the bears... well, you got the point now, I suppose), every work of John Irving is original, surrealistic and moving.

John Irving writes about people. And whether he writes about Owen Meany, Dhar or The Watermethod Man, he writes about life. All his characters are in a way eccentric and bizarre, but always understandable and just normal people. Irving describes their lives, their thoughts, their emotions and so tries to find the meaning and purpose of our own lives.

Irving's books are in that way portraits, but not just portraits. It are portraits of colorful people, absurd, but still in a way being like us. We can see ourselves in the eyes of Irving's main characters. And that's, beside his wonderful writing style and humor, what I like about Irving and especially about "The Hotel New Hampshire", a fresh and imaginative dive in the wonderful world of John Irving.