Curran's "In Advance of the Landing..." is a singular book that explores the mythological basis of the UFO phenomenon. Less concerned with the 'proof' of whether or not UFOs exist, Curran sets out to show that the impact of the belief in flying saucers and extraterrestrials (all of them much more clever and wise than mere earthlings) is pervasive and sits entirely within the continuum of Judea-Christianity beliefs.
A revised mythology for a new technological age is beautifully rendered through Curran's photographs and words.

I've read virtually every UFO book that's come out over the past 40+ years, and this remains one of my all-time favorites. I have the original softbound edition, which has become a cult classic and now goes for something like $100. This is more of a sociological document than a UFO book. It perfectly captures the entire spectrum of quirky characters involved in the UFO field, and the photographs are an absolute hoot. I return to this book time and again just for a laugh and to remind myself that there are nuttier people in the UFO field than me. There's nothing condescending about the authors' treatment of their subjects, however. They obviously have a genuine fondness for them -- and you will, too. This is a "must have" for anyone with an interest in UFOs.

In 1983, as my wife Fayaway and I were travelling through Patagonia, I met a man with a penetrating but pleasant gaze, and an inviting grin, in a small village in the middle of the pampas. We shared a table and conversation for an afternoon, discussing a variety of subjects of common interests. I was myself in Argentina on business about which I was rather reticent to speak: my wife and I were travelling to Lago Lacar in the Andes foothills, following reports of a plesiosaur-like creature, which I then believed (and believe still) to be a gigantic species of the long-necked protozoan _Trachelophyllum_ (Kudo, 1966). I was, however, rather shy about admitting to holding such seemingly daft ideas at the time, but the gentleman had such a convincing and genuine air, such a gentle and open manner, that I soon told him my entire plan, and of my hopes of capturing and naming the creature _Trachelophyllum fayawayi,_ after my wife and companion on this and many other journeys. He never laughed at me, never let slip any hint that he considered my dreams to be less than rational, less than realistic.

Thus do I imagine Douglas Curran, the author of _In Advance of the Landing: Folk Concepts of Outer Space_. Judging from the material in this book, he has a way of drawing people out to discuss their dreams and hopes about outer space and extraterrestrials. These stories reveal individuals who hold that humanity's salvation or doom might live in outer space, and that flying saucers are the craft of any number of entities: angels, devils, saviours or invaders. A skeptic might see these folk as possessed by an obsession, but Curran views them as adherents to a variety of new religions, all taking their cosmogonies from the outer dark. Most of these people find hope and salvation in that darkness. Though it is difficult to pick a favorite, I think that the book's representative figure is John Reeves, the gentleman who was taken on a trip in a flying saucer to Venus, and who subsequently erected an obelisk marking the spot where the spacecraft landed. Those readers concerned only with scientific truth might laugh at such a narrative, but Curran's portrait reveals a man full of conviction and dedication to the cause of informing the world about visitors from outer space. The book is full of such unique individuals, all convinced completely of their own particular truths. Curran's journey across Canada and the United States produced a wide variety of charming, fascinating, and unique portraits of adherents to their a new mythology for the Space Age.

Though Mr. Curran would probably deny it, one of the most interesting characters in this work is the author himself. Driven by curiosity and a sense of adventure, he set out on a glorified road trip to discover what people thought about outer space. In doing so, he came to believe that humans need order and hope, and that many of us look to the stars for these normalizing abstractions. It would be interesting to see what sort of book Curran would produce today, now that alien abductions have replaced hopeful messages from space angels as the most common UFO event. Perhaps Curran could not write such a book, since the most important elements in his character seem to be hope and joy, ideas which are rare in the abduction phase of our vision of outer space. There is a real need for voices like Douglas Curran's, and I hope that this book comes back into print soon.

There are many books and motion pictures about family members. From good, bad and the ugly readers and movie buffs have seen it all. Pearl Harbor, Ali, Not Without My Daughter, Erin Brochovich and more.

Inborn Justice is the first book I have read from beginning to end and when I got to "Good Bye Debbie" I called everyone I knew and promised to pass it on.

Not everyone is a survivor, but 3-5 are. My copy of Inborn Justice (i just got back) is so worn out now that I have to purchase another one.

Our readers "Rose Readers Club" would like to invite Rae and Desiray to a private party in their honor.

Cheers, laughters, sadness, anger and then I crawled to the most spectacular ending a book about the tiumph of mother and daughter endured. Put this book on Oprah!

I know millions of woman will see abuse, domestic violence and raising their children in a whole new light after you get this book in the mail. Mothers: Pack, get your kids, walk, buse or dive as far as possible without looking back. Leave that life behind. Buy it read it and pass it on to a women's shelter.

Read this book for the same reason you will listen to your favorite album, or root for your team, or look at a statue when on vacation...to see and admire what people are capable of. Rae is a hero, and I enjoyed reading about it. dominickolas@hotmail.com

Never in my life have I ever read such a powerful story about two very strong minded girls who suffered abuse, became a survivor and then literally changed the world! Rae's writing is purely poetic and shattering. Filled with suspence and the characters are real. This is one story that will make a motion picture in years to come. I read this book in one sitting. It had such an impact on my own life as a survivor that I am ready to face my own abuser, and transform my anger into a incredible bond with my own children beginning today! Tom Arnold did a spectacular job writing about the hero's Rae and Desiray. I could not have written it better myself. Now I am going to write the authors and thank her for taking all the darkness in my life and transforming it into a rainbow of love. A love for myself and survivors across the nation.

Notice that all the reviewers here live near the Chesapeake Bay. This bay will interest and speak to all those that have an interest in a society and environment almost gone. A super read, intimate in detail and beautiful in imagery.

Tom Horton's great gift as a writer is his ability to conjure up the natural world in words. His memoir of his family's time on Smith Island is his best work yet. Note I said yet. A book by Tom Horton is always a cause for rejoicing. His environmental writing is up there with Aldo Leopold and Barry Lopez.

An avid reader of publications like National Geographic, I found this book to be a very enjoyable and accurate depiction of an area that receives too little attention. The only thing that could improve this story would be full color photographs illustrating the brilliant sunsets, changes in water color, the wildlife and the characters that are detailed throughout. This book sparked such an interest in the area that my family currently is searching for a new home on the Crisfield side of the Bay. We appreciated the pace of life and the simplicity that have caused the locals to resist change and embrace their past. Many thanks to the author for clueing us in.

This book was written by someone who was there! Very clever and kept my attention throughout. Was sorry when I got to the end as I was enjoying it so much. It didn't happen (?) but it sure could have. I believed it all...... Great book worth 5 stars.

Ted Mason's dream is to be a naval officer and a pilot, a dream that goes sour when his mother dies and he's virtually kidnapped by an alcoholic, half lunatic, stunt-pilot father. Several years pass before Ted has his chance to get into the navy, not the academy, but as a recruit using an assumed name. The enlistment begins his long struggle to maintain an identity not his own, and to reach his goal of becoming a naval pilot.

The author, Tom Smith, takes his protagonist through a series of escapades and identity changes as he pursues his goal, combining adventure, humor and romance with an element of suspense. Readers will find themselves trying to challenge the plausibility of the identity changes, and they'll ultimately say: "It could have happened."

The Lieutenant Who Never Was is a great book, not only for one who identifies with the military and with flying, but also for anyone with a penchant for a unique and unusual turn of events.

Some books make you laugh, some make you cry, others we can relate to in other ways,.... well this book takes you through the entire spectrum of emotions and makes you sorry the book is over when you are finished. This book should be made into a movie, it would be an academy award winner. This book is one of the few that would appeal to men and women alike and have the same impact on both sexes. Please, Tom, write more like this....I will be waiting with much anticipation!

This highly anticipated work by Bishop T. Garrott Benjamin, Jr. goes beyond expectations. This book is such a personal revelation of his life, yet it reveals so many aspects of the reader's life to him/her. It clearly and repeatedly explains why the author has such a "heart for children". Throughout the book, the author mixes his past experiences with the wisdom gained during his adult life without causing the reader to lose focus.

His deep love for his Mama (grandmother) is more than inspiring.
The strength and success of a single African-American woman at a time when most of her peers were far from achieving her heights in business and motherhood show the reader just what can be achieved if you focus on what you have rather than what you lack. The most outstanding lesson in the book is the difference that love in action, directed by God's word, can make in our lives. This includes the obligation to pass the love on, person to person and generation to generation.

Although this is Dr. Benjamin's story, it contains elements of the stories of all of our lives. It also contains the answers to so many problems in our lives and the lives of those we hold dear. This book is a wake-up call to all adults in this country who can't figure out what is wrong with today's youth and how they can be helped. Finally, this book guides the reader on the path of emotional and spiritual healing which is needed by each of us for one form of pain or another.

Dr. Benjamin has powerfully shared the story of his childhood and the impact of his sainted grandmother on his formation and transition to manhood and ministry. A father and pastor, Dr. Benjamin shares how single parents can indeed have a lasting, profound impact on the children they raise. This book will speak to those who were raised by someone other than a birth parent to let them know that it's not who raises you but how you are raised that's important. Dr. Benjamin has taken the point of his greatest personal pain and transformed it into a major blessing for us all. In doing so, he has indeed followed his grandmother's sage advice: "Love is not to be paid back, it is to be passed on." A great, heartwarming, inspiring read!

You don't want to miss this incredible story of a rejected little boy that survives through the grace of God and the succor of his sainted grandmother. This story will build confidence in anyone,and it's a wonderful guide for the single parented individual faced with the challenge of raising a child alone. The story is very moving and you'll feel the train as it moves down the tracks with little Tommy to Cleveland, Ohio in search of love and his adoring grandmother.
Get a tissue or better yet a towel as you read this very candid true story written by Bishop T. Garrott Benjamin, Jr. It's guaranteed that the tears will flow!

after having read and loved it almost eleven years ago. All I can do is quote the author here...

"I so much more than merely love her. More than a hurricane merely blows or the sun merely shines..."

Those lines have stuck in my brain for eleven years. DeHaan is brilliant at metaphor and it's both a joy and an anguish to read. Now I can't wait to order it and finally own it for myself...

Wonderfully disjointed, just like it is meant to be as a remembered life. Makes me cry and feel and dread and love.

I hate to say anything is The Greatest, but this simply is the greatest story I have ever read. A haunting, sustained meditation on the two things in life that matter - Love and Death. Tom de Haan's writing is of the highest caliber. Equal to any of the Classic writers I have read. I couldn't recommend this book more. Also, de Haan's other book A Child of Good Fortune, set in the same time and place, is another very good read, though a bit lesser of a work than this one.

The amazon.com site states that Nutritional Biochemistry is "out of print." Fear not! According to the editors at Academic Press in San Diego, another printing is on its way. Furthermore, the editors are interested in publishing a third edition of this textbook. The third edition will probably have more than one author.

I love this book! I'm trying to teach myself, and this book manages to make the information so interesting that it's easier to remember. Sometimes I can't wait to get to the next chapter.

I especially like the way the author has managed to present core concepts in a simplified version before expanding on them. It's a lot easier to understand the complexities after you have a vision of the overall concept inscribed in your brain.

I also like the way the author has alternated discussion of the basic facts with discussion of methods and experimental results. It breaks up the monotony of fact after fact. And the exhaustive references appear to be up to date considering the date of publication.

My only criticism is that the book deserved better copy editing and/or proofreading. There are sometimes unnecessary repetitions and typographical errors. However, these small faults don't detract significantly from the overall merit of the book.

The following review, which appeared in the July 2000 issue of Journal of the American Dietetic Association, was written by Prof. Edith Lerner of Case Western Reserve University. Only part of the review is quoted: "The new edition of this textbook . . . includes added discussions of some current topics of interest, such as unsaturated fatty acids (trans versus cis) in the cardiovascular section and neural tube defects in the folate section. The book effectively integrates aspects of metabolism, nutrition, and interorgan physiology for advanced undergraduate students in dietetics, nutrition, or biological sciences. . . the chapters on energy metabolism and requirements are particularly comprehensive and provide key concepts in an integrative manner. . . an additional discussion of methodology appears in the 3-part appendix: animal experiments (eg, pair-feeding), molecular biology techniques (eg, cloning), and epidemiology studies that include a copy of Block's food frequency questionnaire, which has been used to determine human cancer risk. These are helpful discussions to provide background necessary for understanding nutrition research articles. . . many of the chapters include graphs, tables, and diagrams of original research results. . .this book is well-written and provides a good foundation for the advanced undergraduate." (quoted from the July 2000 review by Prof. Edith Lerner)

wo side effects from reading "Inside the Works" are blindness, resulting from the weird font, and nausea, resulting from horror so hardcore that you want to wash your hands after putting the book down. Edward Lee along with Tom Piccirilli and Gerard Daniel Houarner, are the writers featured in this "3-way collection of hard core horror". All three have a kind of genius for writing almost pornographic horror that is intense, gut-wrenching, and scary, yet strangely compelling. Although these stories are like skinny dipping in a pool of blood and other bodily fluids, I kept getting the sensation that I was reading something NEW and FRESH. Edward Lee's novella The Pig was drenched in torture and mutilation but amazingly enough these elements were used in service of a great story rather than the other way around! Also worthy of mention i! s that many of the situations in the story had me laughing out loud! Counterbalancing Lee is Tom Piccirilli, whose five short stories were grim little journeys into hellish back alleys of New York. At this time, I have yet to read all of Gerard Daniel Houarner's contribution but I will soon! If he's as good as the company he keeps than I am in for a ride!

The Pig was one of the most disgusting stories ever. Buy it. The "Plugger" scene in this story is unmatched to date.

Two side effects from reading "Inside the Works" are blindness, resulting from the weird font, and nausea, resulting from horror so hardcore that you want to wash your hands after putting the book down. Edward Lee along with Tom Piccirilli and Gerard Daniel Houarner, are the writers featured in this "3-way collection of hard core horror". All three have a kind of genius for writing almost pornographic horror that is intense, gut-wrenching, and scary, yet strangely compelling. Although these stories are like skinny dipping in a pool of blood and other bodily fluids, I kept getting the sensation that I was reading something NEW and FRESH. Edward Lee's novella The Pig was drenched in torture and mutilation but amazingly enough these elements were used in service of a great story rather than the other way around! Also worthy of mention is that ! many of the situations in the story had me laughing out loud! Counterbalancing Lee is Tom Piccirilli, whose five short stories were grim little journeys into hellish back alleys of New York. At this time, I have yet to read any all of Gerard Daniel Houarner's contributions but I will soon! If he's as good as the company he keeps than I am in for a ride!

I've always been a fan of Nathalie Dupree's books. You can almost always count on her recipes and cooking tips. But after watching her most recent PBS series, I have to admit that my admiration for Ms. Dupree has significantly decreased. If you haven't seen the woman before or realized who she is in the culinary world, you would never believe that this is a graduate of the prestigious Le Condon Bleu. Ms. Dupree appears inconfident, ill-prepared, unorganized, and sloppy in the kitchen. She's nothing like I'd imagine my favorite cookbook author would be on TV. Compared to other prominent TV chefs, Ms. Dupree flunks out big time. Some of her favorite sentences on TV include (paraphrase): "I missed a step, but that's okay. We can fix it. Follow the recipe. Don't do what I do.", "These popovers are a little bit overbrowned. Yours should look much lighter than this.", etc. The way Ms. Dupree sloppily pipes whipped cream on top of a pie or struggles to remove silver skins from a piece of beef tenderloin (resulting in a very sloppy and jagged looking piece of party roast) makes one wonder if she really belongs up there with Jacques Pepin or Julia Child.

The show needs to be retaped and edited. The host herself needs a new haircut which doesn't require constant flipping and allows people to see more than half of her face.

Like I said, get the book but skip the TV show.

Nathalie Dupree is one of the most practical, yet creative chefs around. She has created (many) beautiful books, the being the culmination of her efforts at culinary, literary and artistic undertakings. I have watched her develop over the years and recommend this to all those who want to entertain properly as well as those who just want some wonderful recipes.
What will she publish next? I'm waiting!!!!!!

I not only enjoy the Comfortable Entertaining Cookbook by Nathalie Dupree, but I feel Nathalie Dupree's Comfortable Entertaining television series is one of the best cooking series ever. I can identify with Nathalie more than other cooking show personality's. She makes me feel as though perfection is not a prerequisite for a good cook. She comes across as someone who finds joy in cooking and entertaining and does not require prefection in herself or others.

Of all the major "Keys" writers, Corcoran seems least frequent in publication, and this pays off in well written novels, or at least fast moving novels. He really is fun to read. Additionally, if you are "into" Key West, he's your writer. While there are actually two trips up and down to Miami, and a couple of "off island" forays, this book is centered in and plays on the ambience of that "last place in America." Alex Rutledge, Corcoran's photographer hero, tools up and down Simonton on his Cannondale or strolls the sidewalks of Duval, avoiding the overflow from Sloppy Joe's, dodging into Captain Tony's around the corner for an early beer. Certainly the Key West life style. There are many other little treasures: remembered sidewalk restaurants, cascades of bouganvillia on corners, the ocean mist, happy hour at Hog's Breath, regularly painted empty buildings. These are the observations of someone who knows the streets over time.

Dirty deeds in this novel, surprise, are linked to real estate development and illegal immigration. The two plots work, but are not systematically linked to each other. These are mingled with the unraveling of a relationship between Rutledge and his "roomie" Teresa, that not unfrequent disaster that comes about when two decide to live as one and abandon the freedom of separate apartments. As the novel drew to a close, I had the feeling that there were three distinct stories, all joined at Alex Rutledge. Still, both mystery plots are exciting, and enough to keep anyone reading the novel awake an extra hour. The romance ends, as is common in "Keys" novels with a promise of future solace.

For those who remember the days of clearing the pier of ships for sunset, or "tank" island (before the "condofying" of the island perimeter) wise contemporaries who bought Conch cottages for a song seem just a little long in the tooth. Such folk, also, have to be in their mid to late fifties and for we less lucky mortals self-knowledge forms plausability questions. One bit of K.W. zaniness, which someone eventually will seriously propose is a developer's Malory Square Dome with recorded projected sunsets to allow tourists to view the ten best in history. No mention of a guaranteed green flash, however.

I was an inhabitant of the islands in the early 80's before the place got popular and crowded. Corcoran's description of the characters and the long term residents of the keys are dead on. If you know the keys and key west well, you will really enjoy this book and the other Rutledge novels. Fans of the Travis McGee series and Carl Hiassen's books would really enjoy this story as well as the others Corcoran mysteries. Keep them coming Tom!

I have read all of the Alex Rutledge novels by Corcoran and this one beats them all. I felt as if I were on the streets of Key West. The dialogue is gutsy and dead on, characters to love and hate. Tom Corcoran spins a murder mystery with the best of them.