A great book about the young men who served in the 56th Fighter Group in the European theater of the second world war. "Hub" Zemke tells the true stories of his life and command in the air war against the German Luftwaffe. Capturing reading with excellent historical information included.

I've read a couple of Selby's full length novels, and his writing always leaves me heavily affected for days afterward(for better or worse). This book, a collection of short stories, was at times funny and sad, bitter and naive, and essentially is a portrayal of the most mundane and ordinary things imaginable in an extremely beautiful and grandiose way. If I didn't know better(and I guess I don't, I'd swear Selby was a psychic, the way he knows people's minds' inner workings so well). The story 'Of Whales and Dreams' tore my heart out. Amazing. Selby will burn you alive with your own emotions.

This is the first book of Hubert Selby Jr.'s that I have read and I must say, it definately will not be the last. Stories like "Of Whales and Dreams" are beyond captivating--riddled with intricate details and powerful messages. Put quite simply, this book is a must read for anyone who finds value in innovative and experimental forms of writing.

Some of the stories will make you laugh, some will make you want to cry. All main characters are called Harry. All have different lives, different stories, but something underneath is the same. What is the common thread of the different Harrys? Read the book.
This is 13 short stories as aposed to his other novels, granted,but is also the easiest book of Selby jr to read. A great place to start with this wonderful and truely original American author.

Forget about the monthly fashion magazines that grace the bookstore shelves and which become dated within a few weeks. If you want to learn true style and eternal beauty, THIS IS THE BOOK. Yes, I have been an Audrey Hepburn fan since I was seven, but regardless of one's feelings about her, anyone can learn a thing or three from this book about how to live life in a way that reflects the simple beauty within each of us. The book is rich in insight regarding Audrey Hepburn's life and philosophy, which influenced her style tremendously. Ms. Keogh doesn't set out to tell us how to BE Audrey Hepburn, since of course that would be impossible as there could never be another one like her again. Rather, she tells us how she developed and found her style, and how we too can find our very own, in the true spirit of Audrey Hepburn.

The last two reviewers seemed to have missed the Title of this book. Ms. Keogh clearly is saying here's a look at Audrey Hepburns "Style" because Biographys', especially tabloid type Bios have been done.

Looking for such a bio in a book called Audrey Style makes you a suspect reviewer in my opinion. Reviewers with an agenda perhaps???

This is a wonderful look in words and pictures at a sometimes misunderstood, enigmatic person. The photos add to Ms. Keogh's beatiful biography which was thorough enough for my taste without the tabloidism that has tainted the memories of many great people. I loved the format which made no pretenses.

Thank you Ms. Clarke-Keogh!

Some of the reviewers in this category certainly seem to have missed the title of this book: Audrey STYLE. This is the reason I bought it- to learn more about Audrey Hepburn's beautiful sense of style. Imagine my surprise at finding that it did not only discuss her fashion sense, but her wonderful personality as well! I was hoping this wouldn't be a run-of-the-mill biography, and it wasn't. Obviously if you want to read a heavy, thorough biography, this is NOT the book for you. However, if you want to read a light-hearted, stylish, and inspiring tribute to one of the greatest actresses and style icons of our time, then I highly recommend you read this book.

I can't remember where I first heard of Lydia Lunch. Maybe it was in "Our Band Could Be Your Life". All that I know is that whatever I read intrigued me enough to want to learn more about her. I did a little research online, found this book, and asked for it for Christmas.

I should've known something would be a little off with this book when my Mom gave me a note with the book saying how she couldn't believe that I got her to buy this book. But being the good sport that she is, she still got the book for me. Go Madre!

Within about one page of this book I realized that it probably wasn't the kind of booking I was looking to read. I thought I was going to be in for a biography of someone I had hoped would give me more insight into punk music and the punk ideals of her time. What I got was the story of a girl who took out her hate of herself and her life on many, many men (and women).

In essence, Lydia Lunch was the type of girl that all of the other girls hated. She'd steal their boyfriends from right in front of them, take them to the bathroom, have her way with them and send them right back to when she was done. She's the girl that the guys wanted for their girl in High School because she put out. She's NOT the girl they brought home to show Mom, she was the girl they brought around when Mom wasn't home.

This book basically covers the various messed up relationships and sexual escapades that Lydia had had throughout her life. Whatever freaky thing you are into, whether it's as extreme as S&M or as mild as plain ole normal sex, this book covers it all. It even covers some stuff you probably haven't even heard about yet. I don't even really know how else to describe this book. There might be one or two pages in the book that don't deal with sex... maybe... I'd give some examples of some of the nastier things in this book, but I'm keeping this place PG-13 for now.

Another disappoint was that the cover claimed that "No names were changed because no one is innocent." I took this to mean that I was at least going to get some nice gossip on some punk stars that would shock me, but I think that sleeping with a musician was only mentioned one-time during the whole book!

But the book isn't all bad, after all I did read it all in just a few sittings. One of the highlights were the tales of her exploits in California with her adrenaline-seeking boyfriend of the moment. You just had the feeling that by the end of that doomed relationship something big was going to happen. Nobody died, but there was some serious damage done and I can't even imagine how either made it out of the relationship with their sanity. I don't know why, but it was nice to read about the dysfunction of others.

After reading this book, you'll find yourself thinking that it's pretty amazing that Lydia Lunch even survived to write this book. You'll probably also find yourself thinking that you can't even believe half of what you just read. How could anybody live such a crazy life and not either A) Die or B) Be commited or jailed.

If you are into the more perverted and twisted side of life, this is the book for you. If you are looking to learn more about the life of a famed punk icon, you might want to do like I'm going to and try another one of her books.

This book is a must have for any fan of Lydia's work. I really think it's some best writing to date.

An adventure story is not like cartoons on Saturday morning. An adventure is truly dangerous and forces the participants to face their worst fears in exchange for pain, enlightenment, joy, freedom, and a new set of treacherous obstacles.

Lydia Lunch brings us along her twisted sexual landscape in Paradoxia where everything is allowed to the point where it almost kills her and others die or episodes of extreme ecstasy and pleasure transpire. What she achieves through the series of violence, sex, and psychosis is what we all should be trying to do instead of working some job.

She illustrates the consequences of living an autonomous life, thereby refusing the status quo and security of the "straight life" in exchange for living life to its extreme boundaries of death, pain, and suffering. And where has it all gotten her? Well, I believe she's what you call an artist.

Paradoxia is also partially a documentation (and I assume everything she is saying is basically true) of New York in the late 70's and L.A. into the early 80's when artists still had a chance to be just that instead of working 40+ hours/wk just to pay rent. She was living an adventure not a routine, and paying for it every step of the way. In return she received her personal freedom, which simply meant continuous struggle with either other people or her own mind. Life ain't easy.

Paradoxia stands as a constant reminder to continually recreate your life, to live it as an adventure, in order to retain control of it from your psychotic lover, your totalitarian government, or your own personal demons.

In 1933, using the alias Richard Meeker, Forman Brown published his novel "Better Angel."

A bitterly frank coming of age story, "Better Angel" has become a classic of gay literature, and deservedly so. Like E.M. Forster's "Maurice" (which was written in 1914 but not published until 1971), this novel is a candid examination of a young man's coming to terms with his homosexuality. The kinship between the two extends to the basic optimism inherent in the works, which is both surprising and refreshing. Unlike so many early works which used allusion and insinuation when it came to the sexuality of their characters, these two novels have been rendered openly and without shame. To think that this novel was published decades prior to Gore Vidal's "The City and the Pillar" and James Baldwin's "Giovanni's Room" is truly remarkable.

Beautifully written, with a prose style which equals Forster's, this novel should be read for generations to come.

BETTER ANGEL takes place in the 1930s, but its themes and its style are timeless. Richard Meeker's semi-autobiographical novel is not just one of those 'interesting' early works, that pale beside later masterpieces. This is a mature, intelligent narrative of a gay man's youthful years. It is told with confidence and a persuasive, occasionally poetic style.

Most gratifying about Meeker's novel is its completely positive view of homosexuality. The author gives equal weight to the physical and the emotional aspects of being gay. His protagonist is initially driven by his erotic impulses, but behind the impulses there is always the emotional core. After some questioning and experimentation, Meeker's hero is never in real doubt about the possibility of same-sex love. There is no trace of shame or guilt in the novel's depictions of male-to-male relations: the reader is convinced along with him, that this love,too, is valid.

There is plenty of humor in the novel, as well as some interesting non-technical musical discussion. And Meeker is careful to characterize each player with subtle and convincing traits. Neither dated, nor only academically important, BETTER ANGEL is a novel that should be read by everyone.

Excellent book.

Unlike many contemporary coming out stories, the gay protagonist here does not get drunk, take drugs, or become suicidal. He just tries to understand his feelings and tries to do the right things. This was set in the Great Depression in 1933, in a religious Mid-Western family setting (initially), with entrapping police, and almost universal hostility. The narrator is able to grow and develop with dignity, while building long-term sexual and other relationships.

As an objective study of racism, feminism, and personal development, "The Color Purple" stretches fiction's limits. Difficult to determine the literary value of this book, there is a fine line between genius and insanity. What the novel imparts to its reader is debatable as well. At first glance, it appears a poorly written hodge-podge collection of an abused woman's diary entries, a black sympathy story whose publication can be justified by the author's ethnic heritage. There must, however, be something more. There is a certain quality, charisma, ambiance difficult to positively identify: Could it be hope? The strength of the human spirit? The eventual triumph of eclectic characters over their impoverished circumstances, motivated by personal ethos? If "The Color Purple" represents joie de vivre in strange places, the novel accomplishes its title mission. Perhaps I, the mystified reader, have missed the point entirely. An epic literary work this book is not; an exercise in reading between the R-rated lines seems more likely. Regarding the minimal inspiration squeezed from pages dripping with violence, anger, confusion, bisexuality and despair, "The Color Purple" is not for those reflective readers looking for the meaning of life on a Sunday afternoon. Finding some thematic value on an unlikely Wednesday is somehow satisfactory.

Alice Walker's, The Color Purple is a fascinating book of the struggle of black women, who were not only oppressed by white society but also oppressed by black males as well. In the beginning, readers find the main character, Celie, a virtual slave in her own family. Being raped at a young age by her father and losing her children which were sold to a family by the man who raped her. Celie, in the hopes of finding a better life through marriage, finds herself in a similar situation with her new husband. Celie finally breaks out of this bondage with the help of friends and with the found letters from her sister Nettie that Celie's husband had suppressed. Celie regains her self esteem and throws away the chains of her bondage, going on to become a succesful woman and reuniting with her long lost children. This book captures the spirit of a struggling women who demonstrates no matter how desperate the situation seems, she can make it through. An uplifting book that demonstrates how cruel mankind can be and how strong the human spirit is.

As a girl, Celie, struggles through life while she slowly matures into a woman, she discovers the irony and hatred associated with life. This woman's life--her personal journal--forms the incredibly well written story, The Color Purple. However, this story's meaningful content comes with a price: graphic sexual content and inappropriate language. Putting this aspect aside, The Color Purple's interesting plot twist kept me hooked throughout the story; I wanted to keep reading, and read I did, until I felt too tired to keep my eyes open.
The Color Purple informs readers of the harsh lives of African American women who lived in the early 1900's. Terrible examples of the discrimination they received permeate this story, but they help to convey the author's message: no matter what happens, if you have hope, you will get through the tough times. Celie, the protagonist in this book, sets an example for everyone in the world today. Her husband constantly abuses her--mentally, physically, and sexually--yet she never gives up hope, never stops dreaming of a better life, and in the end she learns how to live, learn, and love.
After I finished reading this story, I began to appreciate many of the possessions I once took for granted; I finally realized the cold hard reality of pain in this world, and even though I may think I can't live through another day, compared to many other people, my problems are non-existent.

Selby is just about the best author I have ever read. His books speak to me and make me believe what each page says more than any other author. There is a fundamental, and somewhat un-nerving, realism to his books that makes them highly uncomfortable reading, but it is this discomfort which makes me come back to his books again and again. Last Exit To Brooklyn blew me away, with it's picture perfect description of desperate, (an perhaps a little extreme) cases of inner-city slum-type living, and the psychological effects it can have upon it's street dwellers. Requiem For A Dream carried on a nasty, horrid-tasting tale of drug-related woe that Trainspotting could only begin to thinly paint. And now I've read The Demon, and this is another gut-wrencher, ready to pull you under life and show you how it REALLY works.

The Demon focuses on Harry White, a young, high-flying office worker in a successful Manhattan firm, who basically spends his days working hard, travelling hard (he has to journey from his parents' place out of town to work and back every single day), and seducing hard, because Harry's favourite hobby is to pick up strange women (especially if they're married - it adds to the excitement), and then basically dump them right after he's had his fun. The book goes on to show how Harry derives an almost narcotic-like craving for women, and begins to pick up just about anyone on his lunch hour, take them to a motel, and then try to get back to work on time. The futility of his carnal desperation soon takes it's toll on his work-load, and he finds himself getting torn between 'Broads' and potential promotion.

As time goes by, it seems that Harry grows up somewhat. He gets married to a lovely girl he knows called Linda, who mentally captured him by not sleeping with him 'til they were married, thus becoming a sort-of 'chase' for Harry to find irresistable. But even through the wonders and beauty of this marriage, Harry finds himself uneasy at work, on his lunch break, and even at home. So, he wanders the streets of New York and the deep, dark depths of his psychological make-up to find new and exciting ways to fulfill his constant craving for elation, excitement, adrenaline and even terror.

The way in which the story is paced, and the way that Selby has set the story out so that it can swing from one scene of absolute horror to a beautifl, emotional journey is immense. The writing is so bafflingly simple that this, itself, provides the most starkly human quality of all. There is no complex meaning to the way Harry feels, and even if there is, trying to figure it out is futile. The mind of the character is set. No pacing, no adjustment brought on by psychological help. He is what he is, and this will shock you for being to frank. It's like looking through someone's eyes, and that's why it's so good.

I highly recommend this book. No, I dare you to read this book. How does that sound?

Thats what i said as i closed the book, i will never touch again. This was the most disturbing book ive ever read, it gave me a bad "feeling" after i set it down, it probably sounds like a clique but this book got under my skin and made me think. i believe any person could at some level relate to Harry. The way we lie to ourself and say we will do something or finish it but we end up blowing it off. A brutally honest book and the way Selby describes Harrys emotion is what truly disturbs us. Ive read over 30 books over the past year and by far this one is the best, the best book i have ever read period.Nothing will ever truly make you feel like The Demon.

Every book that I have read written by Selby, has affected me in too many ways to mention. Those people who have read The Demon, and any other books by this man know, that he tells it like it is. Anyone who cannot handle his writing, or thinks that it is too "disturbing" is turning their head from reality. His fictional characters and scenarios may be coming from his head, but they are completely real, and are totally part of our society. His subjects are things that everyday people do not see; what society deems as "deviant"; and what parents tell their children to avoid. To ignore these things is to be ignorant and naive, and to pass them of as a fallacy, is to live a life of fantasy; in a world of peace, love, and perfection. But that is not how the world is outside of the comfort zone of suburban America. Some can relate to Selby and his characters; Being a victim of anxiety and depression, having that feeling of something churning and knotting up inside of you. Read these books to understand, not to entertain and critique. There is a bitter and ugly underworld developing under our noses, and we must understand it to ever begin to accept it.

When I started this book, I was looking forward to an explanation of how to use the Convergent Architecture to create a J2EE application. What I found was a vague, confusing, and repetitive discussion that often reads as if it was in a tragic accident with a thesaurus. The idea behind the Convergent Architecture is not that complicated. We need to create a model driven architecture above UML that can link design and actual code development. Too often in this book the Convergent Architecture is not explained in terms of what it is but rather how it is like designing cathedrals, diesel engines, or jet planes. The author tells us that using the Convergent Architecture can reduce time up to 70% and that these numbers are endorsed by neutral parties but he gives us no information about these neutral parties. And he doesn't tell us what the 70% is actually compared to making these numbers useless for doing any evaluation. The book promises to be a "step-by-step" guide but instead reads like a corporate white paper designed to sell a product. And there is a product in here that the author is selling. He is the founding director of the company that makes a product that takes up the last two chapters of the book. The only part of the book that is "step-by-step" is the tutorial on how to use the author's product. Overall, I was very disappointed in a book that I looked forward to reading.

The author provides a very detailed, readable explanation of model driven architecture, but better still, shows how to implement the concepts for J2EE applications. The book covers all of the steps for designing and building software systems using this approach. And the author clearly knows what he is talking about. Very authoritative and easy to follow.

When I got this book, I was primarily interested in MDA. The author provides is a clear outline of the concept of "IT architectural style", something that is greatly missing in the IT industry. Hubert's work is pleasantly different from other books in that it does not try to promote any specific technology as the exclusive solution to all IT problems. Instead, you get a generally applicable conceptual framework and one specific implementation of this concept. The book is of great value for a great variety of readers. IT consultants, CEOs and CIOs will find the more abstract descriptions on architectural style and IT architecture of particular interest. Project managers and IT managers will benefit from the chapters detailing the MDA approach. And even if you just want to know how to organize an IT department in a meaningful way, this book is what you should read.

This book is a great book for those just beginning in the consulting field. The content is very helpful and credible because Hubert Bermont is a successful consultant himself. Bermont's main objective is how to be able to cash in on your own experience rather than work for someone else. I think this is good advice for those interested in external consulting because you must learn through your own experiences and mistakes in order to be succssful. This book is easy to read and understand and I would definitely recommend buying this book and using it to your advantage!

.
this is the classic book.

it was the first book ever on the topic.

could I want more? yes.
read howard shenson's book for the graduate degree.
this book is the place to start.

supplemental works by bob bly (not robert bly - he's the poet), jerry buchanan, jeffrey lant, joe karbo, john kremer, ted nicholas, et al may fill in special topic areas especially in the marketing of services.

this book is worth reading if you have any interest in being an independent consultant.

.

My wife read this book to me on a road trip just after I was laid off from a job, and by the time we got home, I felt charged up and ready to get started. The tips on personal networking, proposals, negotiation and formalizing the deal were especially helpful to me.

This book does not come with rose-colored glasses. If you're motivated but a little uncertain, this book gives the advice and reassurance you need to get started. If you're willing to put in the effort and be totally honest with yourself, it's no-nonsense all the way.

I would never have known that the author was not in my field. It's one of the best 'professional improvement' books I've seen.

Feel the disease, to paraphrase Depeche Mode. This is a compelling read if only for a peek at pre-Stonewall gay life in Brooklyn. I, like one of the other reviewers, felt that the drag queens were a little to "out" for the early 1960's, even if it was Brooklyn. I had trouble identifying with any of the characters, they were all such a mess. I don't know a lot about recreational drug use, but in the story "Queens", the titular queens were popping "bennies" like M&M's...is that possible, or wouldn't you OD on them.

I really wasn't sure what to make of Harry in "Strike", Selby alternated between making you feel sorry for this poor closeted schmo and then made you hate him for various acts of brutality and/or cowardice. The violent ending didn't make sense in the context of Harry's character, it also reflected the homophobic myth that gays are also child molesters. This was probably function of the times in which it was written.

Those who have seen the movie, the book is quite different. Not so much a story as a pastiche of different scenes, none of which are really contected.

The best of the bunch is the last story which follows a slew of housing project denizens through their various dreary lives. Some of the passages are funny, some are heartbreaking, and all are engrossing. I liked the rhythm of the narrative and the way Selby portrayed each character from his or her own point-of-view.

I'm a big fan of Darren Aronofsky, which is what turned me on to this book. After seeing Requiem for a Dream, I read that Aronofsky started reading Selby with this book, so I figured I should start reading him with this book as well.

I was surprised to find out what it was about, if that's even possible to determine. It was fantastically written, which is the only thing that kept me turning the pages at first. As for the subject matter, I couldn't really connect with what was being said... for the first 2/3 of the book, it was mostly about drag-queens, homosexuallity, things of that sort. With Requiem, I connected with the characters on a level because of my personal experience with drugs, but with Last Exit, I connected with the characters because of Selby's amazing writing techniques.

I have to admit, though, that as much as I liked this book, I found it hard to follow with his use of the same names in different stories... and the last 1/3 of the book seemed too scatter-brained for my taste, and seemed way off the rocker with the rest of the book... I'm not complaining, just something I wasn't prepared for I guess.

All-in-all, though, this guy is an amazing author.

I first read LAST EXIT when I was in junior high school, having discovered it mixed in with a cache of other books in my mother's library. I read it twice in a week, then a few more times, more slowly, over the following months. Selby crashed into my life like a meteor smacking into the earth -- literally, like someone from another world, which was what he was reporting to me. He wrote about the life in the city around him, which ruined many and forced some to ruin others, and starved people for love and made them turn to hateful substitutes. He also wrote unflinchingly about sexual agony, something I hadn't seen addressed honestly in any fiction at all until I'd read him. He also wrote with great empathy; he didn't hate any of his characters, even the vilest ones, but wanted to give them all a clear moment in the sun for us to see. I've gone on to recommend this book to others that I know will be moved and stunned by it, and they've in turn done the same to others they know. A lot of people will reflexively dismiss the book as disgusting or depressing, but I'll say this: what's more depressing? Reading an honest depiction of the worst and the best in us, or reading something that chooses to ignore the whole question in the first place? Selby will be remembered and loved for a long time after the louder, shallower, more immediate authors of our age are left to rot.