You know you've read a GREAT book when almost 7 years later, you remember the whole thing and where you were when you read it.
Green days is the book, not just for Caribbean born folks ( I am one!) but for any one who have love and lost and loved again. It desires to be bought.

The characters were very universal. Even though I am a trinidadian woman and can relate to the story better than most, it is still a book that every one should read. The main character was the type of young man that you just wanted something good to happen for him. He possessed alot of the characteristics of human nature. He wants a young woman, then he doesn't want her then he does again, then you're not sure what he wants. Life is like that. This story is the perfect theme of innocence to experience.

I just love Green Days By The River. All my friends at school love the book also we read it in Literature class. and in our end of year we get a Test on this Book and others. I love the book I am only just so sorry that shell could not have married Joan.In english Class I got an assignment to write on wheter Mr.Gidharee was trying to lure Shell into a trap.What do you think if you figure something please e-mail me at nhs@cwjamaica.com please! It is to be brought in tommorrow morning. And tell me your reviews also.

November Friend is an excellent debut novel from Anthony Rivers and is a tale based upon two major things that most of us hold dearly: love and friendship. The book opens with an introduction to Christian, a writer for a magazine, and his chance meeting with Tanya....a beautiful, career-oriented woman who's not quite sure of what she wants in a relationship or hasn't fully decided if she even wants one.

Also introduced in the book are: Nicholas, Pam, Maiya, and Reggie. The characters and tone of voice in the book set an atmosphere in which you feel as if you're either talking or listening to your best friend. I found myself laughing at the commentary between the characters and also at times, feeling their pain, especially Christian's desire to find the "one" who would love him unconditionally and completely. And, I could also relate to Maiya's pain with the "drama" she went through even though I've never been faced with the consequences she endured.

The book alternates between the viewpoint of Christian, Maiya, and Tanya and once you start reading it, you will NOT want to put it down. You can feel Anthony's excitement for his characters from page one until the very end....and you'll be screaming for more. You might even be like me and start filling up his email box with queries on when the sequel will be ready. The ending will definitely amaze a lot of folks because it's not your typical ending that you would expect from a novel, but it will definitely have a dramatic affect on how you view love, life, and friendships.

Anthony's writing style is warm and refreshing and you'll find yourself in a sea of happiness and feel a bond of friendship with him and his characters. I felt as if I were enveloped in a cloud of warmth while reading this book and highly recommend it to anyone who's had and lost a friend or to those who have dreamed and hoped for true love. Anthony Rivers is here to make his mark on Literature! Don't miss out....

~Tee C. Royal
Founder, R.A.W. SISTAZ Book Club

Captivating, intriguing, warm, a must read...!!!! The characters will draw you in a make you a part of thier lives. But could you stand the excitment? And the friendship? Find out for yourself. I did. (smile)

The best review of the aspects nd consequences of tropical deforestation!

The author was an British infantry soldier during the Korean War. The bulk of his time was as a captive in Chinese-run P.O.W. camps in North Korea. The book is his riveting up and down diary of his time there.

The book is amazing. You won't be able to put it down. Originally published in 1954, the book is not only important historically. Much of the material here remains timely and relevant, illuminating the methods and tactics of the current government in North Korea.

Although it is an autobiography of the author's many difficulties during capitivity, the book never gets tedious despite the repititiveness of POW life. The author avoids making the story too personal, in the sense that he avoids indulging in many of the negative emotions he must have felt during the worst times. His optomism and realism is a lesson for us all.

He displays a profound understanding of his situation, and, moreover, that of his captors. He affords them a basic working respect throughout, a key to survival in the business of war. Admittedly, he pokes fun at some of camp staff by assigning them nicknames like "pigface" or "pudding face". But that's about as derogatory as he gets.

The book is a brilliant portrayal of the unpredictability of life in the camps, accentuated by the character idiosyncracies of the Chinese supervisors. In this way, the book is a must-read for all students of war, and of Korean/Chinese culture.

Although at times depressing, the author maintains balance in the story (and presumably his own sanity) by showing an appreciation of the simpler things in life. One such joy is simply being able to see the green hills and blue sky through a tiny window in his cell, when his guards would occasionally leave an outer door open.

If you've ever wondered what really happened during the "forgotten war", read this book. It won't answer all your questions ("why did it take two years to reach a truce?"), but it shines a light on a dark spot in history.

Many of the author's friends died in the camps. But this is a story of one man who - perhaps with a little luck - was a winner.

I have read and re-read this wonderful account of the history of Amazonian exploration since the hardcover edition first came out in 1990. Anthony Smith, an inveterate science writer, writes with warmth and humor as he describes the very first European travels down this mighty waterway, those of the Spaniards Don Francisco de Orellana and the notorious Lope de Aguirre (the subject of Werner Herzog's 1972 movie "Aguirre, Wrath of God") and the Portugese navigator Pedro Teixeira. Next came the scientists, including la Condamine and von Humboldt followed in the latter nineteenth century by a bevy of entrepeneurs who expropriated rubber and other commodities from the rainforest. A well-written book on a fascinating subject!

This is an extraordinarily detailed account of the St Anthony Falls cataract with all the names of it's founding father's, companies and buildings that rose and fell around the whole area. This is a must have for anyone who is interested in the history of the downtown Minneapolis/Gateway/Falls. Having worked in one of the buildings that was talked about in the book for the better of five years I have come to appreciate the wonderful history of Mill City as it once was. I highly recommend this book, especially given the fact that the brand new Mill City Museum will be opening up in May 2003.

I recommend this work to anyone interested in Africa - quite possibly the best you can get without going to Botswana.

If you want to read only one book on conservation in Amazonia, I would recommend this one. The author has a long experience in this field and is chairman of the international advisory group (IAG) consulting the "Pilot Program" of the G-7 states to save the rain forests in Amazonia. Hall's concept of "productive conservation" takes participation of the local population very seriously. Even if you know that the people living in the forest should be seen as part of the solution, you can still learn a lot from reading this book. Several projects of "productive conservation" are presented in detail: Rubber tappers, agroforestry and the Mamiraua fishery project. According to Hall, public awareness (in Amazonia) of conservation issues is about to reach critical mass. This book is of great help to reach that goal.

Rivers has written a very convincing and refreshing book on friendship between a man and a woman. Redefining friendship as an intimate and spiritual relationship without sex, Rivers explores this concept with Christian and Maiya. These two characters develop such a strong emotional and spiritual bond between them that is powerful and inspiring. When Rivers throws us a few surprises that disrupts Christian's and Maiya's relationship, we read how Maiya kept the spiritual bond within her and passed it on to her daughter, Angelina.

However, no relationship is a solid one without honesty and trust. Both Angelina and Maiya learns this the hard way when Maiya keeps a secret from Angelina and Angelina discovers the secret. When Angelina knows, it threatens to break down that spiritual bond between her and Maiya, but Christian's spirit carries them through and forges a new and more real relationship between the two.

Rivers has a written an emotional and spiritual story that may truly touch the hearts of many. It is a well written story with believable characters, interesting plot, strong dialogue, and inspiring messages on the power of love and the spirit.

"Dreams of being unconscious, lying next to me a past whose time I try to measure."

With those words began a literary journey I shall never forget. Daughter By Spirit was an extremely touching novel about friendship, betrayal, trust, and self-discovery. It spans sixteen years of Maiya's life. From her beautiful friendship with Christian, a friendship that most people believe is impossible for a man and a woman to have, to the loss of that friendship, and the birth of her daughter Angelina, a daughter who Maiya makes the decision to tell that a man who she has never shared an intimate moment with, is her father. Why? To give her what every child needs, a good father role model. But like all lies and secrets, the truth is revealed with the shining of the sun. However the discovery of truths is not easy for a 16-year-old girl, who discovers that she is not Christian's daughter by blood, but instead, his daughter by spirit.

This book is moving, captivating and is one that readers will feel deep inside of themselves. The articulate way the characters relate to one another will give readers what they have been craving for: a voice from realistic, yet warm, educated African American.

Grab your tissue box for this one, you will not be left unmoved, or untaught. You will also be adding another name to your list of distinguished male authors on the rise once you have witnessed the talent of this new author.

I give this book a 5, for originality, an off da hook cover, and unforgettable characters that will stay with you for a very long time.

Kudos V. Anthony Rivers!

JDaniels/ The Nubian Chronicles

Can a man and a woman have a platonic relationship based on mutual admiration and love? You will have the answer to this question when you finish reading V. Anthony Rivers' Daughter by Spirit. Moving and touching can best describe this novel. The positive and negative elements of love, hope, friendship, jealousy and deceit are plentiful.

Christian and Maiya are both searching for love and someone to share it with. Their paths cross but the timing isn't right. Maiya accepts Christian as her friend and Christian admires Maiya for her fighting spirit. Together they form an emotional bond of friendship that no one can tear apart.

Maiya encounters turmoil in her life and makes an earth shattering decision.
Angelina, Maiya's daughter, is sixteen and has always believed that Christian was her father. Angelina knows Christian through his poetry, articles, letters to her mother and through her mother's own words. What occurs when Angelina finds the truth? Will she continue to feel that spiritual connection to Christian?

This novel offers insight on love and friendship by forcing you to reflect on those that are most important to you. The contexts of Christian's letters to Maiya empower and motivate and are often lyrical in nature. The following is an example of this: "God placed me on a path of consciousness recently that united sincerity with determination and focus."

Daughter By Spirit is quick and absorbing read that may have you discussing what you would have done in Maiya's shoes.

I'd have to say this is one of the best of Koontz's books that I've read. It's not as quick paced as some of the others, but it is still a page-turner.

Spencer is haunted by memories of his adolescence and even more by memories he can't quite remember. He's drawn to a woman he met one night, although he can't quite say why; he just wants to find a life. So, when he discovers this woman has disappeared, he finds himself suddenly on the run from her enemies: a goverment agency that technically doesn't exist. While on the run, he is led through many terrifying discovers - about the government, the group that's chasing them, and about his own past.

Meanwhile, Roy, the leader of this group, is trying to figure out how Spencer fits in with this woman. Roy sees utopia as a possibility and desires to help achieve utopia by having "compassion" for all who are imperfect. His idea of compassion is killing them.

Typical of Koontz's novels, you have the man and woman who have bad pasts, and a villain who is downright despicable. But it's still a great book. The writing is superb, and although things don't happen as quickly as I would've liked, it still keeps you on the edge of you seat, waiting to find out what's next.

If you like Koontz's other books, you'll most definitely like this one. If you haven't read Koontz, this is a good book to start with to get a taste of his style. The Door to December was the first Koontz book I read, and it got me hooked. I'd have to say this book is just as good as that one.

An avid Koontz fan, this is by far my favorite novel. His portrayal of Spencer Grant and Rocky are A-one! The characters in this book were so real, I began discussing them with friends like they were real people. Rocky is so real, I have to sometimes wonder if Mr. Koontz was a dog in a former life. In reading and listening to this book, you'll see part of your own dog in Rocky. I highly recommend the audio version. The reader, Anthony Heald, does a great job presenting each character, and there are many in this book. This is a book you can listen to over and over and over.

I'm not very articulate when it comes to this sort of thing but I strongly suggest you check it out. If you like dogs, you'll also enjoy Koontz's dogs in Midnight, Dragon Tears, Fear Nothing and Watchers.

It's very hard to describe this book. On the surface, it's Koontz's usual guy-and-gal on the run from evil government goons story. But this one is written in such a way that it can be taken as a parody - and yet it sometimes rises almost to epic poetry. It's darkly comedic, and breaks free of Koontz's standard melodrama formula in one important regard - where the virtuous may be rewarded, the evil go on to fight another day, and are bizarrely appealing, in a genuinely funny, though sick and twisted fashion.

It's overwritten, as many of the author's books are, but this is a truly great book by Koontz. Dark Rivers of the Heart is the first book I've seen Koontz really spread his wings and fly with, and it's a tremendous joy to experience. He made much the same kind of attempt with the recent From the Corner of His Eye, which didn't work, but both books at least show Koontz has unexplored perspectives he's willing to work on sharing with his readers.