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I read this book only a few months after I came out. At that time in my life I still didn't accept myself as gay. This book helped me see that you don't have a be a queen to be gay. This book also helped me look back on my own childhood. That helped me see that I've been gay all along and that I was discovering it instead of creating it.

This book is an absolute joy to read. My parents read this book, too, and that helped both of us start our conversations from some common ground.

A wonderful book for anyone who comes in contact with, works with, is friends with, is or is related to a gay person--and that's EVERYONE. This book gives gay people courage knowing that they are not alone, blasts stereotypes of the "freaks" that some people think gays are, and is a helpful "guide" for parents who need to re-think their mindset on what a perfect family is.

Joe Sacco has produced a gripping account of the war in Bosnia through the eyes of the people who lived it. He tells the story of Gorazde and by extraploation of the war in general by drawing up and commenting on personal encounters he has had during his stay in Bosnia. His account remains very much a journalist's account in remaining objective, regardless of a natural feeling of indignation for the atrocious crimes the people he interviews have suffered. He also displays appropriate criticism towards his own priviliged position as a UN protected journalist. The sometimes black humor in the book further helps to sharpen the focus on the situation.

The drawing style, in pure Black-and-white, is detailed and dynamic. There is a clear Robert Crumb influence in how the characters are drawn, especially in how Sacco draws himself. As far as format and story-telling go, I think Art Spiegelman's Maus has been an undeniable influence. The visual story-telling through the changing layout of each page is very functional. It helps the book to deliver its viewpoint in a very compact and efficient way.

All this of course is post-reading-analysis. I read the book cover to cover in one go. If I was teaching history to 16, 17-year olds, this would be a mandatory read on my reading list. I'm sure no one would complain.

I bought this one together with 'Palestine', which is of the same high quality, and immediately put in an Amazon-alert to notify me when anything new from Joe Sacco comes out.

Sacco is great at comic-book journalism; he in fact has a degree in journalism and can really draw. It's a shame that this terrific book is so little known while its precursor Maus--which is similar only in basic format--was out winning awards and hitting the bestseller lists. Maus is subjective, culturally and racially biased, far too personal and badly written and drawn where Palestine and especially this book on Bosnia are objective, intelligent and well-drawn, but Maus came first (and also had the benefit of appealing to the prejudices of many book reviewers) and so still gets all the attention. Perhaps some readers were stung by the overhype that surrounded Maus and judge the infinitely better works of Sacco by it; if so that's a shame. Sacco succeeds where Maus failed, that is, everywhere.

Joe Sacco is a rarity,a comics journalist. As in PALESTINE,Sacc uses the comic medium to give a long detailed report about a foregn land that he has visited. SAFE AREA GORAZDEfeels more true than any other reprt from the Balkans because Sacco is relentless in his search for some kind of understanding about the region without being simplistic about it. He is also a fine illustrator. This is the best graphic novel since MAUS and Sacco deserves all the praise attention and sales that he can get.

I bought Chris Thurber's book on Friday, and watched him on NBC's Today Show this morning (June 9, 2003). Seeing him in person confirms what I thought: he is a camping expert with a wealth of helpful information for parents and kids alike. I feel so much better sending my son to camp knowing that Chris and Jon's research has helped us prepare in a way that will maximize the fun and minimize the homesickness at camp. Buying this book is a small investment in a positive experience whose benefits, I am sure, will last a lifetime. (I found the perfect camp for my son by visiting the American Camping Association's web page: acacamps.org.)

This book really covers what you need to know before you send your child to sleepaway camp. The part that was most helpful to me was the research the authors have done on homesickness. Before I got this book I was guessing about how to handle my daughter's homesickness, and I came up with one or two of their recommendations. But after I read this book I felt I understood how to handle this with my daughter and also what the camp and counselors can do to help. There's a great list of all the things you can do. And everything the authors said rings true with my experience.

It's well written, easy to follow, and has parts written just for kids to read. There's even a section to tell kids how to get the most out of camp - from general guidelines on how to treat others to good advice on how to deal with living with lots of kids in a small space.

Every parent, camper, counselor and camp director should read this book! Parents will have a more relaxing time while their kids are away, campers will know better what to expect and how to have the most fun, counselors will know better what to do, and camp directors will have fewer problems with kids AND parents.

This is a must read book for any parent who plans on sending their child to camp. The information on homesickness is invaluable and based on studies done by Dr. Thurber. This is not a book of testimonials but is backed up by honest to goodness scientific studies and presented in a very readable and pleasurable way.

After reading Body Bags, I went straight to the store and purchased this one and finished it the same day. This book was well done by Christopher Golden, with exceptional character developement in Jenna, Hunter, and Pierce. This is a must-read for anyone who enjoys mystery, horror, or suspense and who also has a cast-iron stomach . . . these books tend to be a little disturbing. Even so, Golden is a wonderful author and I can't wait to read Soul Survivor.

Well, I bought the first book to A Body of Evidence, and was so hooked, I went out and bought another four books in the series. After reading Book 2 and 3, I went out and bought the remaining three in the series. Now, I own all 8.

I am somewhat cautious when it comes to loaning this out to my students. It's probably closer toward Grade 11/12 level material, judging from the descriptions of some of the cadeavers in the books. However, it's quite interesting, and has a great way of blending scientific theory and observation with a heart-stopping thriller.

I like this series simply because its different and new for me. Its filled with action and its scary at the same time theres a little romance it has everything. You can never get bored with it.This book of the series was even more thrilling then the last one and it just gets better.

My first experience with the late James Herriot's inspirational books took place in a bookstore in Singapore, in the 80's. I was barely 14 & had not heard of this writer/vet. But as soon as I started reading All Things Wise and Wonderful - my very first JH book, I knew I had to get the rest of the series.
Through his poignant, funny, sensitive and Yorkshire-accented writing, I relived his world as a practising vet. His was a world where decent, civic minded people lived with much love & respect for their pets and farm animals. A world where I wanted/want to be in.
It is true how one book reviewer put it: every chapter will have you either laughing out loud or shedding a quiet tear. To this day, I still remember some of his stories that touched my heart. The courtship years when a young JH was trying to impress Helen (who eventually became his very supportive wife); the timid little black stray cat, who with her last breath, would placed her one surviving kitten into the hands of a caring family; the endearing 'beggar' dog; the bored, pampered & misunderstood pet dog of a wealthy spinster...I could almost touch and see JH's characters through his vivid writing. I even felt his pride when his daughter also became a vet, & his son a doctor.
I am sorry that there were not more of his wonderful tales.

The reading on the audio cassettes is done by Christopher Timothy, the actor who plays James Herriot on the BBC series "All Creatures Great And Small". He does a magnificent job of Sigfried, Tristan and all the dales farmers. It is truly a delight to listen to this series of tapes - it takes you into another world.

(Note: there appears to be an error above, listing Edmund Stoiber as the reader.)

In this set, James has joined the RAF to support the war effort, though fate has other plans for him. We follow his attempts to get in shape and become a pilot, as events and people remind him of his many experiences back in his vet practice.

Perhaps because of the War Years, some of these stories are slightly more edgy, such as a rash of dog-poisonings and an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease that is uncomfortably reminiscent of recent events. But overall there is that sweetness of tone that pervades all of Herriot's work.

I think my favorite story was the old farmer fetching two gallons of the local pub's best beer in a milk bucket in order to warm a mother pig to her new family. Of course he saved a "drop" for himself and his mates. The amazing thing about these books is that there is never a repeated story throughout the whole series.

James Harriot has that amazing ability to transport you into his world, take you into his confidence, and offer you his friendship.....all through a series of heartwarming stories taken from his life as a Yorkshire vet. It's so refreshing to read books that are not strewn with violence and sex...yet which captivate your attention. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants some good wholesome entertainment and an occasional chuckle.

This book contains a plethora of very funny ideas, but is not directed towards a general reading public. Rather, this book will appeal most to two groups of people: those who find modern music of the Cage-kind pretentious and preposterous; and those who are fed up with biographies that seem to be more about the biographer than the subject. And, just maybe, I should add a third category: people [messed] up for life because of the ... theories and thinking of their parents.

While I fit into the above categories, I found myself laughing more at the situations described in this book after I read it. In others words, the situations are very funny, but the writing is flat. I know this "biography" is supposed to be the work of a poor writer, but I think this approach was unintentionally too apropos. Thus, I laugh at what I read, but not particularly while I was reading it. Telling people about this book is almost more fun than reading it.

Silber's father is a sadist who develops a "method" for turning out a great pianist. He tortures not just Silber with this method, but the entire family. Silber's brother is somewhat of a doppelganger of Silber. Silber's hated sister is petty and cruel, but the way she turns out is the most lifelike portrayal of how a real human being would probably react to the torments of growing up with a bunch of self-absorbed loons.

Afflicted with a phobia against all noise, eventually this leads the composer Simon Silber to remove the strings from one of his best pianos and replace them with rubber. He writes a piece for piano pedals. He spends an hour performing Chopin's Minute Waltz. In short, Silber appears to be the bastard son of John Cage.

The story of Silber is told by a hired biographer, Norman Fayrewether Jr. If anything, I'm more annoyed with the literary pretensions of Fayrewether than I am with the musical pretensions of Silber. Silber is a victim of a childhood he couldn't control; Fayrewether is just a bitter failed writer of bad aphorisms.

There are two clear antecedents to this novel: John Kennedy Toole's "A Confederacy of Dunces" and Nabakov's "Pale Fire." The loony farce is descendant from Toole, the structure of the novel from Nabakov. "Pale Fire" is a novel told in footnotes to an epic poem. "Simon Silber" is a novel told as liner notes to a CD collection. It's taken a lot of decades for someone to come up with something as inventive as the structure of "Pale Fire", and, this is another plus in the column for "Simon Silber."

This book is just hilarious. I had a lot of fun reading it and laughing at the pretentious characters. The writing style is just so funny, I chuckled a lot while reading it.

This is really a beautiful book. Take the reviews written about Richard Powers (particular Galatea) and apply them to Mr. Miller. The prose is meticulously crafted, but not just that--the subtle (though not too subtle that his non-literary readers didn't pick up on them)changes in voice, as the narrarator's mood oscillates from adulation to envy to spite to disgust to amusement and all back again.

Just really fine, fine writing.

Hoooooooly Smoke!!!!!!.....I just finished one of the best Sci-fi books ever written. The other reviews are correct, The Vang; The military form makes the Alien series look like a cake-walk. I never thought I would have nightmares from reading a book, but this one did it. I'll never look at a "greyhound" the same. I would definately recommend this book to fans and non-fans of the sci-fi genre.

What a Book! I originally read the first 50 or so pages rapidly, then the last 150 or so paragraph by paragraph, occasionally having to put the book down and walk away. But I couldn't stay away. By comparison, I would recommend the entire Alien(s) series as happy fantasy stories for kids 8 and under. Makes you ill as you read the book and realize just how stupid humans get chasing the buck. Modern day parallels with business and society's modus vivendi are quite vivid

A great novel in forgotten genre of pure abnormal alien terror packed with adrenaline-pumping action. Unexpected discovery in a distant space turns a human colony into Hell. To my pity I can't find Rowley's StarHammer, the first book of Vang series, but it isn't cause to miss The Military Form. A 'must buy' book of hardcore horror/SF. I read it many times and that lust similar to desire to watch Aliens movie again and again. Similar to: Foster's Alien novelization, Heinlein's "Puppets Master".

Christopher Durang was the playwright of choice for my high school speech team when it came to picking pieces for ensembles or duos. Many will most likely see why after reading some of the one-acts in this brilliant collection. These one-acts include:

A Stye of the Eye- Jake is a hillbilly in his thirties. He is, in the words of Durang, a "rage-a-holic". Infuriated by his actress wife's latest play, Agnes is Odd, where she plays an insane nun who babbles incoherently in Latin, he freaks out and supposedly kills her, only for his "good" brother Frankie to find out that she's not really dead, and then she falls in love with him. Jake finds out, explodes and kills his brother for cheating with his wife. The only catch is, Frankie and Jake are not really brothers, they are two sides of the same person.

Naomi in the Living Room- Naomi is an eccentric woman, who likes to give tours of her house, even to her son John, who used to live there, and his wife Johnna.

Business Lunch at the Russian Tea Room- Melissa is a Hollywood agent with a lot of outlandish ideas. She's heard from others that this guy named Chris is a great writer, and she tries to sell him on the idea of writing a screenplay, either a remake of Cruising/Bugsy Malone, or a story about a priest and a rabbi who fall in love, and then, both get sex changes, unbeknownst to each other.

DMV Tyrant- James Agnes' temporary license has expired so he must pay a visit to the Division of Motor Vehicles, where he comes face to face with a DMV lady from Hell.

Sister Mary Ignatius Explains it All- Sister Mary is a crazy nun (insanity and eccentricity seem to be a running motif for Durang) who gives lectures on Heaven and Hell, and fires guns in church.

Other one-acts in this collection are 1-900-Desperate; Mrs. Sorken; Funeral Parlor; John and Mary Doe; For Whom the Southern Belle Tolls; Medea; Nina in the Morning; Canker Sores and Other Distractions; The Hardy Boys and the Mystery of Where Babies Come From; Wanda's Visit; The Book of Leviticus Show; Woman Stand-up; Women in a Playground; Phyllis & Xenobia; Desire, Desire, Desire; One Minute Play; Diversions; The Nature and Purpose of the Universe; 'dentity Crisis; Death Comes to Us All, Mary Agnes; Titanic and The Actor's Nightmare.
The plays, though often over-the-top, are very funny nevertheless, though many are beyond bizarre. Personally, I like them; some may find them offensive; perhaps, many won't care if they're seldom tasteful or even logical and will laugh and laugh, and laugh some more.

I loved this book. It is a wonderful collection of Durang's plays, though not my absolute favorites. I loved Beyond Therapy, and I think some of these plays could be worked into longer ones, though I'm not sure whether they'll be very funny then. If you liked this book, I also recommend Take Ten: New 10-Minute Plays, edited by Eric Lane. I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

This is a phenomenal book! Never has a book been so useful to me and my speech team (ours is bent from use). Every single play is a masterpiece and everyone who participates in the performing arts should consider this excellent compilation. ---Radford Speech Team Hawaii takes it all!!!!!

I would like to cast a somewhat dissenting view of this book. It is certainly a good place to start for information on various projects but comes up short on construction techniques. Perhaps an older source, Procedures in Experimental Physics (Lindsay Pubs), is better. Of course, it was written in 1938, so materials cited might be out of date, but the construction techniques aren't bad. I recently decided to build a good sized water tank (40" by 6" by 3") of acrylic and found nothing about construction tips. I was thinking of building something that probably required casting, and found a paltry two pages on the subject.

It would be good to see it updated every 5 years or so. I see the pub date is 1991. Things have changed a bit. It has a very good list of references, but with the advent of the web, it would be good to see some the reference material cite the web.

This is a _great_ book! I buy a copy of this for every student who starts work for me--which I consider to be a fine investment. Practical, hands-on information is given on a huge variety of skills needed by those working in Physics labs. From glass blowing to vacuum systems, to instruction on attaching BNC connectors, it's all in here.

Have never seen a book which was able to pack so much practical information into so few pages, and able to explain complex concepts so simply.

If you have to work with any type of laboratory equipment you would be insane to NOT have this book on your shelf.

Young Neil Miller is orphaned following a car accident of which he is the sole survivour. He goes to live with his grandparents and whilst there, civilisation is almost entirely wiped out by a plaguee of pregoria. This is a disease which causes premature ageing in younger people. Neil must learn to survive alone and meets two girls in London and the fact that 'three is a crowd' makes for an interesting conclusion...

It is sad that John Chrisopher isn't more well known.
Unlike his other books that deal with sci-fi themes like space ships and aliens, Empty World deals strictly with reality and in many ways is all the more chilling because of it.
I have only ever found it in Children's libraries, which is a shame because even though this book is short (easily read in an evening) it is a very thought provoking examination of the nature of being human.
I first read it in 7th grade and now that I am 27, I am happy to report that the book is still as powerful as ever and has the same effect as a really good Twilight Zone episode.

I had read many of Christophers books before and found Empty World after looking through the library under Christphers name. It is the best book that I have ever read. In amost ten years of further reading I have not found a book so deep, moving and realistic that has captured my imagination and sent my mind reeling. I have read Empty World about 15 times now and it is still as gripping as the first time.