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A fun read, with lovely drawings, and lots of color. A five star book for your child.
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The book focuses primarily on Washington's life up until the time he became President. The book does cover his entire life, but his years as President are skimpy by comparison to the rest of his life. The author's interest is more on who Washington was as a man than on his public accomplishments. Focusing on his formative years provides more insight into his character.
Nevertheless, the novel demonstrates the truly great accomplishments Washington made to American history. Without Washington, we would not have won the Revolutionary War: he provided the military strategy, the determination, and the leadership needed to win. Without Washington, we would not have become a country: he provided the leadership the 13 colonies needed to come together as a union. Without Washington, we would not have become a democracy: he resisted efforts to anoint him king, and he voluntarily relinquished power--first as commanding general who won the War of Independence, and later as the nation's first President.
Washington was an admirable person, and deserves the adulation the nation gave him then and since. But of course he had his flaws, and Citizen Washington conveys them, particularly via the characters in the novel who did not idolize him. Such was Washington's force of personality, though, that even his detractors were in awe of him.
This novel is particularly valuable as an adjunct to a nonfiction account of Washington's life, the best of which is James Thomas Flexner's Washington: The Indispensable Man.
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I have to admit, I struggled through the first three or four chapters, and it was kind of touch and go for awhile after that as to whether I would or wouldn't like it. (Once I start a story, I try to finish it no matter what, good, bad, or indifferent.) But I pressed on, and by about the tenth chapter, I was hooked.
What hooked me was the 1850s U.S. riverboat milieu which Martin so deftly draws you into (I felt as if I were actually there, plying the Mississippi!); the characters, from the gruff, courageous Cap'n Abner Marsh, to quiet, anguished Joshua York, to loyal Toby the cook, a black man given his freedom by Cap'n Marsh when he agreed to be his cook; and one of the most original plots I've come across in speculative fiction. I mean, who would've thought to put vampires on a U.S. riverboat, plus give a different, interesting twist to the vampire mythos?
A small caution: There is some foul language in the book, plus use of the "n" word, which some might find offensive. However, I think it was realistic to the time and place, plus the language came from characters where it made sense, so I came to accept it.
I picked this up at the library, and it took me the full 4 weeks to finish it. With the great descriptions, finely-etched characters, and a unique plot, I'm glad I stuck it out.
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George MacDonald, a Congregational minister turned novelist, who seems nearly forgotten now, was one of the seminal figures in the development of Fantasy. His influence on other Fantasy authors is obvious, he was a childhood favorite of JRR Tolkein, who especially liked this book, and C.S. Lewis named him one of his favorite authors. His own stories draw on many of the themes and characters of classical European fairy tales. But where they were often merely horrific and meaningless, MacDonald adds a layer of Christian allegory. Thus, Irene and Curdie are eventually saved by a thread so slender that you can't even see it, but which leads them back to safety, teaching Curdie that you sometimes have to believe in things that you can't see.
The book would be interesting simply as a touchstone of modern fiction, but it stands up well on its own and will delight adults and children alike.
GRADE: A
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Julie goes through many difficult situations in this story, like when she comes face to face with a wild bear. I enjoyed this book very much because, you have the feeling you were part of this book, and also the story. I thought Jean Craighead George made things very descriptive, like the ice on the Tundra, the soft fuzzy fur of the wolf pup, and the scurrying ground squirrels. This book shows the power between a father and his daughter, they love each other so much that they can read each others minds'.
This novel is for people who like a book with happiness, a bit of sadness, and the smallest bit of romance. It is also a book that has a lot of adventure.
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My one complaint is that some of the examples were a bit contrived. On the other hand, the code samples were extremely clear and easy to understand, and I suppose that there's a tradeoff there between realism and simplicity. That's why I'm still giving this book five stars -- because even if the examples weren't "realistic", they were at least effective.
Since the topics are largely unrelated to one another (with the obvious exception that they're all relevant to Java programmers), this isn't a book that I'd recommend someone read from cover-to-cover. However, I do consider it a very good reference for most of the subjects that it covers, and a good starting point for the remainder.
Some people dont like Wrox books but I do and and I think this one is great. It was really clear and informative and I highly recommend it to anyone doing serious Java coding.
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Ever thought about the physics of Aikido? Ever seen a collection of answers to those "silly" beginner's questions? Ever thought about "verbal Aikido"? And - ever gotten advice from people of various Aikido styles from all over the world? This book contains all this and much, much more.
It is like walking around a sculpture you already knew from pictures and finding out that it is three-dimensional and you can see it from angles you never thought of. Each topic, each question is not only presented in one way but with various approaches to help the reader gain a better understanding. Everyday experiences included in the book suddenly reveal a new sight on the principles of Aikido.
But what I like most about this book is that it approaches the art I love with a lot of humor without making fun of it.
While KIA dealt only with Ki Society style aikido, AET expands its scope, drawing lessons from all styles of aikido and a global internet discussion list where all aikidoka ae welcome. Likewise, Shifflet's second book focuses attention on all stages of study in aikido, from the first day in the dojo beginner to the 20 year experienced sensei. Finally (and most importantly in my opinion), AET expands well beyond traditional "throw uke to the ground" aikido, to encompass such rarely discussed topics as dojo injuries, the physical basis behind many common techniques, the psychological and physiological process of learning and "verbal self-defense."
It is this last section that truly creates the book's value, at least for this reader. In a chapter at the end entitled "Off the Mat, in Real Life," Shifflett (with a little help from linguistics expert Suzette Elgin) dismembers the traditional view of martial arts as a means to beat evildoers on the mean streets of your local city. instead, she shows how to apply principles of aikido to the sort of conflicts people are far more likely to encounter in their real, non-Steven Segalesque lives.
I have read the final chapter, including Verbal Self-Defense, Life Etiquette, about five times. I have read the middle of the book, about techniques and exercises, twice. This is a disturbing underemphasis on my part of the end. The middle of the book will likely never save your life. The end likely will.
This chapter alone compelled me to buy the book -- the rest (including the badly needed translation of Aikido and the Dynamic Sphere technique numbers into the actual names as they are used in real dojos) was merely a bonus. A wonderful, amazing bonus that makes this book one which, if you can only buy one aikido book, you should buy. But a bonus all the same. =) Like her previous book, this is also wonderful for a nearly constant laugh, with quotes from a wild variety of seemingly mad, yet inspired, aikido practitioners on and off the internet.