Laurel Lee's journal contains the story of her ordeal with Hodgkin's disease & coping with her two children, pregnancy, and a husband who was fast becoming an "ex." Laurel's sense of humor is remarkable considering the tough times she faced as she opted to not 'sacrifice' her unborn child & to delay her surgery & radiation until after her baby was born. As she waited at the bus stop with her young children and "upchucked" in a street trash can, she imagined that folks driving by thought she was a 'bag lady' digging through the trash. We also went through cancer treatment for our son when he was 3 yr. old so I can identify with Laurel's anxiety as she waited for the doctor's verdict after each test. Read this book complete with illustrations by Laurel & then forward it to a friend!!!

Lee invites the reader to share her thoughts, joys and fears as she confronts the challenge of cancer. Her story is unpretentious; fresh, and told with a gripping intensity. Laurel's combination of joy, humor and fear stands out in the harsh glare of reality cancer brings to life, where families cannot easily hide in shadows. This book offers insight into the frailities encountered in any life-altering challenge.

"Coasting" is a great little guide of the beautiful Northern Gulf Coast from Appalachicola, FL. to Bay Saint Louis, MS. The author, a native of Fairhope, AL, gives great tips on finding the essence of this scenic area and its rich culture.If tourist traps are your bag, leave this book alone--you will not find them here! Instead, you will visit a home-owned and operated candy kitchen in Point Clear, AL; go on a quest for the region's best oyster Po Boy; find great bargains in shops and galleries off the beaten track. You will meet local artists, find the best beaches for bathing and shelling, and eat freshly caught Gulf seafood in dives and hole -in-the-wall bars. You will even find out about the best places to catch your own! So give "Coasting" and America's Third Coast a try. You will not be sorry!

The story is about a Korean girl whose name is Ellen and lives in America with her family. Ellen is a senior high school student. She is under a pressure from her parents who really care about her future and want her to get all A's to be qualified for Harvard, just like her sister Michelle. Ellen was also under a pressure from some popular senior students who tease her about her Korean or Asian appearance. All in all, the book mentions almost everything that comes to Ellen's mind during the conversations and events, and thatÕs what makes the book more realistic. It is interesting specificly for high school students. Besides, it is easy and quite short.

As I am an international ESL student at American University, I usually look up the books about studying English. Actually, this book is the only book which I read whole text since I came to the U.S. Though it made me feel as if I were an elementary or middle school student, this book wasnÕt easy for me because of my poor vocabulary and lack of cultural knowledge. The book includes some small topics, and each person has a strong character which made an interesting story : such as Ellen, Jessie, EllenÕs parents, Tomper, Marsha, Brad, Mike, and so on. I like the story written in detail because we can feel the situation and people more closely. This book handles some issues such as racism, high school stories, culture of Koreans and Americans, and second generation immigrants. Because of many stories in the book, I could not be bored, but interested in the book while I was reading it. On the other hand, this book made me uncomfortable because of some racial views and my identity as a Korean who is the same race as Ellen Sung in the book. I was so sorry about EllenÕs passive behavior until the end of the book when a big event happened with Marsha Randall, who is a kind of racist in this book, of last part. I have never experienced something like what Ellen experienced with race, but if I have a similar situation, IÕll be able to do something more actively than Ellen did. This book was a lot of fun for me to read.

Ellen is a Korean girl who is in for her last year of high school. And she wants it to be a fun one. This is not easy to do, for she is under pressure from her parents who want all Ellen's grades A's or no fun. A friendly girl, yet she is teased by her Asian features, by popular kids in her school. In the end she gets together with a boy named Tomper, who she has secretly liked for a long time. There is also a sequel, Saying Goodbye about Ellen's life in college. Please read them both. They are too good to read only once

I am so sorry that I cannot find more books by Laurel Lee. I have read them all and also recall reading some magazine articles years ago. Her books recall the sixties-seventies. Her journey to faith in Jesus Christ, through mortal illness and betrayal is told in a charming way. Hitchhiking Home tells the early part of that journey. This book lays the foundation for her following books. Good reading.