This book is great, although I'm not too crazy about the translation. Realistically though, if you're not planning on learning to speak Polish fluently anytime soon, you should get this copy. It's not that bad. Lem is a great, realistic, down-to-earthy (no pun intended) Science Fiction author. Also get Solaris,...and Fiasco.

Lem, as always, comes through. In some of his other work he takes on philosophy, science, religion, usually with a humorous strain; in this book, and its predecessor, Tales of Pirx the Pilot, he chooses to write straight hard SF. However, the image usually conjured up by 'hard' SF is Asimov, Heinlen, and so on, meaning writing anchored on scientific devices and with generally far less time spent on character development. Pirx is a welcome antidote. He is an engineer and pilot, grounded in a reality made up not of quantum-physical theories but of nuts and bolts. He's a professional and strictly blue-collar. REading this book might give you an idea of what the future REALLY will be like.

I really enjoyed reading this book. For me Prague is an amazing and beautiful place. Reading this book makes me feel like I'm right back in the city again. I also like the fact that the book is fairly upbeat and easy to read. I definitely recommend reading this book over a Pivo in a Pivovar in Mala Stana.

I am a great fan of Czech literature, and eagerly awaited the arrival of my copy of Prague Tales (just six months after returning from Prague myself).

When I got my copy, there were eight blank pages in the range of 140-155. That is to say, eight pages of text were omitted, not that my book had extra blank pages thrown in.

The publisher should be notified. Check your copy carefully. It is a real pity, as this is considered one of the best books to come out of the Czech Republic. I'll get my next copy in a book store where I can Czech it out (sorry, couldn't resist!).

At the close of the Great War, Andreas Pum - the protagonist of this, Joseph Roth's third novel - has lost his leg in the service of an empire that no longer exists. It seems to him a small price to pay for what he soon gains: a valuable permit from the authorities to operate a hurdy-gurdy anywhere in the city, a plump widow and her affectionate daughter, even an obedient donkey named Mooli who is his best companion, carting around the instrument for Andreas as he travels the city to play for pennies. Andreas is one of the few of his station who has not become disillusioned with his predicament, for he still believes in the old order, in the beneficence of his God and Government; indeed, he brands those who have lost their faith as "heathens." It is then that Andrea Pum begins his Job-like descent into despair, a Kafkaesque combination of bad luck and spitefulness which conspire to destroy him - he is deprived of his permit, his donkey, his wife and he is then jailed. He spends his final days as a bathroom attendant in a nightclub. Andreas rebels. But his rebellion is not so much against society as it is a rebellion against his perception of himself within this society, against the presupposed image of his self. Pum is a victim of a rules change where the order of the "belle epoque" has denigrated into the chaos of the modern world. Joseph Roth has crafted a compelling parable about a world in flux and its effect on the individual; we the reader can sympathize with the plight of Andreas Pum because we know that is just as easily could be us.

As relevant today as in the 1920's when it was first published, this slim but remarkable work, Rebellion, chronicles the downward spiral of Andreas Pum. A simple man destined for a simple life founded on trust in god and the government, his life slowly crumbles as that destiny gradually evaporates. World War I takes his leg, yet he accepts his fate and proudly wearing his medal on his chest as he parades on his peg leg through the streets practicing his new trade as an organ grinder, complete with his official permit from the state. As he selects from the 8 cylinders of music, playing to the mood of the street, he sees himself as a true musician and patriot: "Was he not fulfilling his duty when he played his hurdy gurdy? Was not the permit pressed into his hands by the government in person, so to speak, as much an obligation as a concession?...his occupation could only be compared to that of service to the state, and his role with that of an official..." Life hangs by that permit and faith.

Like Job he gradually loses that faith, not denying, by reviling god. His child-like trust and dependence on the beneficence of the state are shattered as his permit, his right to exist, is taken. Chapter 7 and 8 of the book in particular capture how easily our lives can change by a simple encounter with others whom we do not know. Herr Arnold enters the tale in chapter 7, totally from the blue and in only a few pages, Roth captures as well as any author the psychology or rage and its transference onto others - road rage without the automobiles. Rebellion, though little known or read, belongs in the same exclusive club as the The Good Soldier Svejk by Jaroslav Hasek and Kafka's The Trial. Each is unique, but they have in common protagonists who face a world that cares little for them, or more accurately is unaware of them. Svejk bumbles through and unwittingly overcomes in spite of everything; K struggles against the injustice of it all, and Andreas faith in god and state gradually dissolve and his life with it.

But for the grace of god (or luck) there go I echo's throughout the pages of this marvelous little work. Few writers capture the paradox of man's need for others and man as alone from others as well as Joseph Roth. Andrea's cry, when all is literally gone, "I don't want Your mercy! I want to go to Hell," brings him life in death. A man of perpetual concessions, he rises in rebellion. Fortunately for us, Roth's works have not been thrown into the Inferno, but only have been mired in publication limbo, and nearly all his novels, short stories, and his marvelous book of essays, The Wandering Jews, have been resurrected. There is much despair in Rebellion, but in its humanity, it is not a despairing work. As good a place as any to begin reading the cannon of Joseph Roth!

there's a lot of interesting content in this book. it opens your mind to a lot of new personalities.

Hawthorne was, of course, one of (if not *the*) most important writers of 19th Century America and this edition demonstrates why. The level of engagement Hawthorne had with early America, the level of detail in his texts, and the level of scholarship advanced by the editor, demonstrate why Hawthorne is, inded, one of our contemporaries. Nobody can consider him- or herself "knowledgeable" about American literary history or American literature without reading "Young Goodman Brown," "My Kinsaman, Major Molineux," "The Minister's Black Veil," or "The May-Pole of Merry-Mount": these tales engage, variously, in themes of religiosity, national identity or formation, and the desire to re-write American-ness. indeed, these tales, which later influenced writers as disparate as Herman Melville, Henry James and Gertrude Stein, provide the very fabric of "American" literature. Although we have all been beaten over the head by Hawthorne in High School (if not college), an errand into his wilderness is, nonetheless, rewarding, fascinating, and enlightening: Colacurcio's editing and attention to detail (much like the subject of the book!) makes the volume accessible and rewarding.

Although it is suggested for children ages 4-8, I often use this book for projects about countries around the world. The stories are descriptive with wonderful illustrations. Whoopi Goldberg is not the illustrator, but wrote the introduction for the book. The illustrations were done by many different people.

I took this out from the library and it was great! I liked the illustrations too. They were nice and colorful. I like hearing stories from around the world.

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz The Kansas Centennial Edition By L. Frank Baum Illustrations by Michael McCurdy Foreword by Ray Bradbury ISBN 0-7006-0985-7, 600 Words

Dorothy and Toto are home again thanks to the University Press of Kansas' publication of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz: Kansas Centennial Edition. The wizards at the Press conceived of the edition after discovering that L. Frank Baum's book, first published in 1900, was in the public domain. The original print story about a little girl and her dog may be a surprise to Kansans familiar only with the classic 1939 film version of the Wizard of Oz. Even Judy Garland might be shocked by the new edition's black-and-white drawings by acclaimed children's book illustrator Michael McCurdy.

As a child during the 1960s, I remember watching the annual television broadcast of the Wizard of Oz. The scenes when the Wicked Witch sent the Winged Monkeys against Dorothy and her friends were so frightening that I would hide behind a chair. Now as an adult, I find some of McCurdy's illustrations equally unsettling, but rather than hide from them, the drawings compel me to examine and reflect upon Dorothy's journey, a journey that may be interpreted as one from innocence to knowledge.

The most provocative of McCurdy's twenty-five scratch board illustrations is the one in which Dorothy confronts the Witch. The witch has the pointed chin and bony fingers we expect from fairy tale witches, but her eye patch makes McCurdy's witch especially sinister. The Witch tricks Dorothy into giving her one of her Silver Shoes, (they are ruby slippers in the film version). With one foot bare, the angry Dorothy grabs the nearest object, a bucket of water, and throws it on the Witch. "...I never thought a little girl like you would ever be able to melt me and end my wicked deeds," wails the Witch.

W.W. Denslow illustrated the first Wizard of Oz book and his illustrations have remained popular. While Denslow's illustrations are charming and whimsical, they have none of the psychological interest of McCurdy's. As unusual as McCurdy's artwork, is the new edition's forward by science fiction and fantasy author Ray Bradbury. Bradbury contrasts the Wonderful Wizard of Oz with Lewis Carrol's Alice in Wonderland.

Bradbury writes, "...Lewis Carroll's cast of characters would have died here of saccharine or run back to hide behind the cold Glass. Baum settled in, delighted with bright nothings. If the Wicked Witch is truly dead it is because L. Frank Baum landed on her with his Boy's-Life-Forever-Sunkist philosophy. No witch could survive Baum, even today when witches beam themselves up."

A criterion for literature to be considered classic is its ability to be reinterpreted over time. In 1964, Henry Littlefield wrote an article in the American Quarterly entitled, "The Wizard of Oz: Parable on Populism." Littlefield suggests Baum's book is an allegory for the Populist politics of the 1890s in which "led by naïve innocence and goodwill, the farmer, laborer and the politician approach the mystic holder of national power and ask for personal fulfillment."

Baum was aware that a story holds different meanings for different ages. In the forward to the original Oz, Baum notes that most horrible characters and disagreeable incidents have been eliminated from modern fairy tales. "Having this thought in mind, the story... was written solely to please children of today. It aspires to be a modernized fairy tale, in which wonderment and joy are retained and the heartaches and nightmares are left out."

One-hundred years after its initial publication, the children's classic The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum remains worthy of reading by every Kansan regardless of age. However, in Michael McCurdy's illustrations, adults may find new meaning for an old children's story.

Paul Hawkins is regional librarian for the South Central Kansas Library System.

I enjoyed this book very much. It takes one on an exciting journey through magical lands that come alive in this fantasy book. The characters in this book make it a delight. This book is a treasure, and anyone of any age would enjoy it.

Dostoyevsky is, of course, the greatest novelist, and this great book is no let down. Though it was slow for me initially (I feared that I would be bogged down in Russian society) it soon picked up and became absolutely engrossing. Here is a continuation of Dotoyevsky's attack on the "disease" of modernism that he hints at in Raskolnokov's Siberian Dreams (from Crime and Punishment). This novel is valuble not only for it's humanity in the face of dehumanizing ideology, but also as an eye into the Russian conscience. It provides a fascinating look at how Russian intellectuals were primed for Communism. Heart Rending, fascinating, informative. The greatest!! (P.S. Given the respect given to Judiaism at one point in the novel, the 'Yid' comments are colloquial and part of a portrait. I don't believe they can be taken as genuine anti-semitic commments)!

This is an amazing book. Pervaded by Dostoevsky's usual characterization, the author reaches into the souls of his numerous characters as only he and very few others can. This story has Dostoevsky's favorite existential philosophic undercurrents. The story is an account of how the budding socialist revolutionary movement affects one small Russian town. Dostoevsky gives this phenomenon the treatment it deserves - a mocking condescension with an amusing portrayal or people who are drawn to radical movements. The result is a novel filled with humor. The tragedy is is presented as a natural consequence of people who are making mistakes at every step, confusing sensibility for absurdity. That is what their "possession" really is. It is about a whole generation caught up in the materialization and nihilism of the 19th century resulting from the scientific revolution. To me, this book is on par or surpasses The Brothers Karamazov. It may be viewed as either an atheistic challenge taken up in the latter book or as a repudiation of atheism manifested in one level of the latter. Whatever it is, it's more proof that Dostoevsky is the greatest writer who ever lived.

This ia a great book with many plotlines, truly entertaining and intellectually stimulating. Despite a characteristic criminal underpinnings, the novel is dedicated to another question which was very important to Dostoyevsky: Are individuals responsible for the ideas they produce. The main character, Stavrogin, is awash with doctrines he recycled from the old toothless liberal tradition. His personal charisma is so great that people around burn up with his ideas and turn into blind fanatics of a particular intellectual fad. The novel's got them all: religious nationalism, self-deifying egotism, revolutionary nihilism, totalitarian elitism. The advent of all these ill-conceived personal philosophies was ignited by the man who has absolutely no faith. While the self-styled anarchists wreak the havoc on a small provincial town, the protagonist has to decide whether he is responsible for people's serious interpretations of the theories he made up as a means of avoiding intellectual ennui. The novel is centered around the final encounter of the passive, aloof, and faithless "intellectual father" and vigorously fanatic "children". Truly captivating and probably the most easily readable of Dostoyevsky's books.

I spent a whole term going over this book in freshmen English class. It is an overall good book, full of interpritations. There are many symbolisms and allusions. However, it is important to remember that this book was originally a serialization, as it came out every week in the paper. There are some parts when Dickens drawls on with his plans, events, ect. However, there are scenes that are very fast paced and action filled. The overall plot is a young, naive boy of about ten lives with his sister and her simple husband named Joe. However, Pip is given a secret benefactor and is thrust in the life of nobility. Pip is tangled in his probelems of leaving Joe behind and his encouters with the shallow (and I mean SHALLOW) Estella and the wicked Miss Havisham. Dickens is a master with characters and the languege, but he doesn't describe any everyday events. For example, Pip goes to study law, but thats all we know. In my opinion, it gives the characters this higher than life importance, and less real. But, if you take this book slowely, maybe a chapter a night (instead of the five I had to do), you will definately enjoy this book.

I've never read any Dickens of my own free will. I was forced to read "A Tale of Two Cities" in high school and I thought that was enough for me. However, one day, on a whim, I bought a copy of Great Expectations. I'm not sure what I expected, but I certainly didn't expect to love it as much as I did.

Dickens is not a writer to read at a swift pace. Indeed, this novel was written in weekly episodes from December 1860 to August 1861 and, as it was created to be a serial, each installment is full of varied characters, great descriptions and a lot of action which moves the plot along and leaves the reader yearning for more. Therefore, unlike some books which are easily forgotten if I put them down for a few days, Great Expectations seemed to stick around, absorbing my thoughts in a way that I looked forward to picking it up again. It took me more than a month to read and I savored every morsel.

Basically the story is of the self-development of Pip, an orphan boy being raised by his sister and her blacksmith husband in the marshlands of England in 1820.

Every one of the characters were so deeply developed that I felt I was personally acquainted with each one of them. There was Pip's roommate, Herbert Pocket, the lawyer, Mr. Jaggers, and his clerk, Mr. Wemmick. And then there was the wicked Orlick. The dialogues were wonderful. The characters often didn't actually say what they meant but spoke in a way that even though the words might be obtuse, there was no mistaking their meaning. I found myself smiling at all these verbal contortions.

Dickens' work is richly detailed and he explores the nuances of human behavior. I enjoyed wallowing in the long sentences and letting myself travel backwards in time to a different world. However, even with the footnotes, I found myself sometimes confused by the British slang of 150 years ago, and there were several passages I had to read over several times in order to get the true meaning. Of course I was not in a particular rush. I didn't have to make a report to a class or take a exam about the book. This is certainly a pleasure.

I heartily recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good read.ting from the secret wealth of Magwitch, who made a fortune in Australia after being transported. Moreover, Magwitch's unlawful return to England puts him and Pip in danger. Meanwhile, Estella has married another, a horrible man who Pip despises. Eventually, with Magwitch's recapture and death in prison and with his fortune gone, Pip ends up in debtors prison, but Joe redeems his debts and brings him home. Pip realizes that Magwitch was a more devoted friend to him than he ever was to Joe and with this realization Pip becomes, finally, a whole and decent human being.

Originally, Dickens wrote a conclusion that made it clear that Pip and Estella will never be together, that Estella is finally too devoid of heart to love. But at the urging of others, he changed the ending and left it more open ended, with the possibility that Estella too has learned and grown from her experiences and her wretched marriages.

This is the work of a mature novelist at the height of his powers. It has everything you could ask for in a novel: central characters who actually change and grow over the course of the story, becoming better people in the end; a plot laden with mystery and irony; amusing secondary characters; you name it, it's in here. I would rank it with A Tale of Two Cities, Oliver Twist and David Copperfield among the very best novels of the worlds greatest novelist.

GRADE: A+

Dickens, along with Dostoevsky, stands atop my list of novelists who could most accurately portray the subtleties of human emotion and passion. "Great Expectations" is simply a masterpiece of 19th-century fiction, and is pure Dickens. In this semi-autobiographical work (a trademark of Dickens' writings), the life of a poor young boy, Pip, is followed from his humble beginnings to his rise into the middle-class, due to the mysterious aid of an unknown benefactor. His pursuit of Estella, a beautiful young girl raised to break the hearts of men by her jilted caretaker, Ms. Havisham, is a classic of literature that has been repeated countless times since. The tragic, gradual break between Pip and his family (particularly the humble but caring Joe) is heartwrenching. Pip's eventual realization of the insincerity of the middle class, and his love for Joe, brought tears to my eyes.

"Great Expectations" is a wonderful, moving book that has been copied and satired again and again, from Mishima's "Forbidden Colors" to South Park. An important and unforgettable novel!

People always say, "You can't judge a book by its cover", and in the case of A Yellow Raft in Blue Water, this saying is defiantly true. The picture on the cover and the title might not leave you at the edge of your seat, dying to read the book, but it is the amazing and captivating story about three generations of women who are all struggling in life to find a reason that counts the most. This realistic fiction novel is intense and heart-wrenching, and lets you see that what happens in the past isn't always forgotten.
The book is told from the point of view of three women who all grew up in different times with different aspects on life. It shows how each choice they made throughout their lives affected each other in more ways then they will ever know, and tore apart their relationships with each other, when they really need each other the most. Rayona, a half black and half Indian girl who is around 15 years old, is suffering from her mother's poor choices in life when all she really wants is to find her place and reason in life. Christine, the mother of Rayona, is an excessive partier who never took life seriously, and who strived to be noticed and admired like her older brother Lee. Her motto was that you can never get to old to be a kid, and living by that left her unstable with many regrets from her foolish choices. Last but not least is Ida, the mother of Christine who has deep secrets of betrayal, and who never had the chance to live life. They are all in search of their selves, but need each other more than ever.
The book starts out in the present with Rayona and then gradually fades back to her mother Christine's life, told by Christine's point of view. After that, it even goes farther back into the life of Ida, which is told by her. Each of the woman have problems that keep them apart from each other, and as the book travels back in time, you see how each decision and action affected their futures and how their relationship turned out.
This book is touching, a very realistic story that can be related to in many ways. Will Rayona, Christine, and Ida ever set their differences aside so they can all be a family? Or will they all be lost forever without each other? Read A Yellow Raft In Blue Water to find out, you won't be disappointed.

I read this book, "Yellow Raft on Blue Water" by Michael Dorris, for my High School US Literature class. At first I was skeptical, I thought it would just be another one of those 'cultural struggle' books, that I've read enough of. I was wrong, this book is about understanding. The characters each go through life's journey to understand where their mothers and daughters are coming from. The book is uniquely formatted, going backward in time, retelling the same story from each character's point of view. You learn each character's past, the way they lived their lives and the way others saw them live it. "I never grew up, but I got old. I'm a woman who's lived for fifty-seven years and worn resentment like a medicine charm for forty. It hung heavier on my neck after each brief rest I took." p. 207. The language used in this book is beautiful, the story is touching, and the characters are amazing. I highly reccomend this book.

Michael Dorris weaves a tale of how three women have chosen their paths which affects their present and future going back into the past lives of Christina and Ida. The two women have secrets of their own that have affected each of them and how they treat their offspring.
I read this book in my senior year of high school thinking that it would be another boring read. Instead, I found myself immersed into the book wondering how each female has led her own life. Rayona doesn't know why she is going back home and Christina doesn't know what she has done to make her mother Ida feel inferior to her. We don't know why Ida dotes on her late son Lee. The reader has to be fully absorbed into the book to understand each woman's story.
We can't undue what has happened in our past but we can learn from it to make it a better future.

I read Men Cry in the Dark this summer, and I passed it on to several friends. I haven't had it in my possesion since I finished reading it because everytime one person returns it to me, another takes it! After reading other reviews of the book, I had to put my two cents in. I think some of the critisms of the book were valid, but the personal attacks on the author were way out of line and unnecessary. I must admit, that as a person who does a lot of reading, this was far from one of the better books I've read. However, in spite of the grammatical errors and jump from first to third person, I thought it was a good story that needed to be told.

As a 26 year old married woman who has been with the same man since I was 20, I'm not at all familiar with the "dating game" and the issues the characters faced in their quest to find a good mate. Maybe that's why I found the story interesting. Everybody has not had the same experiences, and when reading, you should be prepared to find perspectives that are different from your own.

That said, I noticed that a lot of the reviews from the ladies were full of hostility and criticism about Mr. Baisden's characters, both the men and the women. Points about the men's bad judgements in selecting (or choosing not to select) women based on their education, amount of money they had, their bodies, age and skin complexion were addressed. Many ladies were quite upset about this. However, if Mr. Baisden is telling a story from a male perspective, then could it be that he is addressing the fact that, right or wrong, men make stupid choices based on trivial aspects of a woman's make-up the same way women do with men (i.e., his job, whether or not he's been to college, his physical appearance, how much money he makes, etc.)? None of these tell you the true worth of a person, or whether or not that person will make a suitable life partner. Perhaps that is why these men were in their thirties, had been with many women, and still hadn't found one to spend the rest of their lives with (except Tony)?

In regards to the female characters, men have dated some real losers the same way women have. I didn't hear any women disagreeing with Terry McMillan when she wrote about some of the jerks the characters in Waiting to Exhale came across. I know you women who had such harsh critism for Men Cry in the Dark can't be naive enough to believe that men don't ever come across some real chicken heads in their quest for Ms. Right.

I really couldn't relate to the experiences of the characters in Men Cry in the Dark, but I thought it was an interesting story that should make men and women take a look at their own responsibility for making wise decisions in selecting a mate and doing the work necessary to keep one once they've found them. I've already read Never Satisfied: How and Why Men Cheat (it's another one my friends keep "stealing" from me) and I look forward to reading Maintenance Man. I also plan to buy the Love, Lust and Lies video. Keep up the good work, Mr. Baisden. In spite of the negative reviews, you definitely have an audience who appreciates your work!

I thought this book was good in terms of revealing what men go through and think when it comes to relationships with women. As a black man, it's good to see another brother come out with our side of the story. I liked the characters and how he gave them their own individual identity. Mark's character was rather irritating, but not to the point of overshadowing the rest. I've had my won personal encounter with a Valerie myself, so that story line blows another myth out of the water. Good call, man. The ending was a definite eye opener. Something a lot of us brothers need to experience. Good work Mike! I've read some of the other reviews and all I have to say is it's rather contradictory for those who don't like the book speak of how too much emphasis is placed on color, material things, body size, education, etc., and then turn around and attack the writer personally as if what you've written was directed at them. It's one thing to say you don't agree with what the brother has written, but when you turn around and attack him in regards to child support and writing ability, maybe you need to check yourselves to see how YOU really feel about yourselves. Let's critique the content of the book; not that of the writer's personal life! Looking forward to the 'Maintenance Man', Mike. Keep doing what you're doing.

This is the first book I read from Michael Baisden and it was a page turner. I always love to read about relationship coming from the mans point of view cause you get to read what goes on thier mine throughout the story. Derrick had a learning experince when it came to his relationship with Angela which he thought he had control over but of course things twisted in another direction, it was kind of like getting his own medicine. Troy I admire for being loving and protecting father and lover towards his daughter and his relationship. Ben is a great and loving person also, but he had to learned the hard way when it comes rocking the craddle. Mark is also a great guy who you hate in the begining for loving one particular race (white females) but grow warm with understanding when it came to his needs and his life. This has been a great book and all four of the them has learn and become better man in the future, I look forward on reading his third book.