My daughter finds this book appealing because she identifies strongly with main character, who cannot sleep without her stuffed bear, and who needs her bear to feel safe. I love this book because it presents a child living a normal childhood, who just happens to be a part of an interracial family. The fact that the family is interracial is deftly woven into the story, a part of who the child is, and yet not a big deal. She has a white mother and a black father, a black grandma and cousins who are both white and black, and it is all presented as perfectly normal (which, of course, it is!) She is comfortable enough the racial differences in her family to discuss her own skin color in a matter of fact way (saying that, when her bear is clean, he's the same color as she is, light brown) and to compare the texture of the bear's hair to her cousin's little dreadlocks.

As a parent of two children in an interracial family (white and asian) I am delighted to see such a lovely, sweet children's book, which has a good story, and presents an interracial family in such a normal light. Not to mention that the ending is so comforting to both adults and children. It is a lovely book to read to a child just before bedtime.

If your idea of love is limited to visions of puppies and balloons, The Thing About Love Is... probably not for you. In Polyphony Press' first effort, the heavy topic of love is tackled in gritty, gutsy pieces that cut to core of this complex emotion. Sometimes it's bliss, sometimes it's bizarre, and quite often it hurts, but regardless of its form, love is always intriguing. This anthology is in keeping with that notion. With a variety of styles and voices, the works featured here are unanimous in their ability to draw the reader in and keep him hooked. It is truly a great read that may challenge one's personal definition of love. Call it an enjoyable experiment in mind expansion!

It's difficult to find an anthology that has as much stopping power as this one. Reading it, I was impressed not only by the diversity of the authorial voices, but also by their veracity. Each story, poem and play seems to have come straight from the gut. What's more, the contributing writers help to remove our blinders; particularly when it comes to matters of the heart. Love, they argue, is nothing less than a battlefield on which each of us daily chances victory or defeat.Those seeking to enter the contest fully armed would do well to buy this book.

Anthologies are not my usual choice of reading material, but as this was recommended to me, I decided to give it a try. I was pleasantly surprised. While I could not relate to some of the pieces here, I enjoyed the underlying topic immensely. The poetry, drama, and short stories were a good blend. The Thing About Love Is... an enjoyable and fast read, but has a peculiar lingering effect that required that I return to it for further exploration. It's a perfect book to read from the relative comfort and safety of your best chair, where you know that you can dip into the joy and angst of love and for once, walk away unscathed.