Never have I been prouder to be a graduate of Stuyvesant High School. On the morning of September 11th, when hijackers were flying the first plane into the WTC, I was shopping in the Cortlandt street Borders. I immediately left the store and sought comfort in my school, making it to the bridge just in time to see the second plane hook around and plow into the tower. I witnessed September 11th with the writers of the book; I was fortunate enough to work with Annie Thoms on my senior production of SING, months after the tragedy. While the stories are much more touching when heard in the people's own words...or at least performed on stage, as they were last year, the book touches you just the same. You don't have to know the ones telling their stories to feel what they did. The children are universal; their pain was all of New York's pain, was all of America's pain. And they have all prevailed since then, which gives the book such a happy ending. I am not a sappy person. I did not cry the day of the attacks. But I cried when I read this book. Even if only because it provides a sense of closure.

This is absolutely the best book I have seen this year. This nonfiction book really, and I mean really, tells the stories of what it was like to not only go to school their but also to work there. Stuyvesant high school is ranked number one in the country for a reason! These children, especially the ones who haven't been there for long, really got involved and brought out the best in this play which makes such a great book! I was fortunate enough to see this play both days and I was fortunate enough to witness a wonderful performance from all ten actors, and witness the producing and promotion talents of both producers, and a most special direction by both directors! Buy This Book! What's This Called you ask? IT'S WITH THEIR EYES!!!!

This book is amazing. Everyone living in New York on September 11th has their own 9/11 story. . .This book tells students and teachers from Stuy's stories about 9/11 and its aftermath. The book tells the untold stories of the students and teaches.. . .At first I though this book was just going to be 10 different accounts of planes hitting the WTC. . .but it is not that at all. Instead it is personal accouts of how 9/11 touched their lives. I recomend this book to everyone, especially people not from New York who want to comprehend how September 11th affected and changed lives

I would have expected such a book to be very dry, but much to my pleasant surprise it was interesting. Ms. Dow did a good job looking through Anna's sensationalized accounts of her life to find the real truth. I liked the enclosed photos of Anna and her family, and Prince Chulalongkorn. A very good biography this was.

As a young child I was enthralled with the popular musical, The King and I. The story had all the makings of a perfect fairy tale, with Anna captivating the heart of the King of Siam. Now, with a new film version of The King and I about to be released I wanted to find out more about the real woman behind the well known legend.

Through extensive research and detective work, author Leslie Smith Dow has successfully peeled back the layers of myth to reveal a very different, but equally extraordinary Anna. Through her research she debunks some of the details of Anna's early life revealing a very unromantic childhood of poverty and squalor. This book took me right into the heart of this extraordinary woman as she struggled to survive as a young widow with two small children. Her life as a Governess at the Saimese Court was fascinating, but equally impressive was the life she led after leaving Siam. I was very interested to read of her many accomplishments in Canada after moving to Halifax Nova Scotia with her daughter and son-in-law. She worked very hard to make her mark on both Halifax and Montreal leaving a lasting legacy of work that remains to this day.

Leslie Smith Dow has done a remarkable job of giving us a true portrait of Anna Leonowens and I highly recommend this book.

"Anna's Gift" is a great historical fiction book. I loved it death. The characters are real people, and you can relate to them. The plot is believable and it takes real events from Church history. I laughed, I cried, I cheered, and I can bet you will too. This book is usually for younger readers, but anyone at any age, especially girls, will find a place for this book (and others in the series) in their heart. I guarantee that this book is worth your money.

This is perhaps the sine qua non of trail guides. You will be able to explore the Big South Fork with comfort and ease using Deavers book. If you want day hikes or more challenging distance hikes, this book will help you make your plans. Trail sections are thouroughly explained. Interesting information about the geology and cultural history abound.

Julia Kristeva: Readings of Exile and Estrangement Anna Smith MacMillan Press. 1996. I picked up this book with some interest as I had had the pleasure of hearing Dr. Smith lecture on Kristeva whilst I was at Canterbury. This review is going to be fairly general given that the books editor has warned me not to be too 'technical.' When I was reading the book I felt that it was important for two main reasons. It seems to me that one of the things one's time at university should do (and this seems to happen rarely) is to open the minds of its students, to make them ask questions, both about themselves and their relationship with society. Questioning the system is something which I fear does not happen enough in the post-rogernomic age of blah. This book (through the writings of Kristeva) questions the relationship of the individual to the language(s) that they use. For Kristeva, Smith, and many other writers this is an important beginning when analysing scoiety; especially when one is looking at those not as priviliged as the majority of us here at Victoria. For it is through language that we gain the framework that we use to build up our perception of the world. Smith's reading of Kristeva is aimed at giving us a new way of seeing our relationship to language; specifically the ways in which women are constructed within our (primarily) male language. Secondly I find it heartening that a New Zealander is interacting at an intellectual level with one of the major philosophers of the late twentieth century. But then what is there to stop us? We, as a nation have a great many problems and it is only by dealing with the essentials, by engaging people, that we are going to make this country a better place. That is why I think that YOU should read this book.

i need the book cntain every thing about organic chemistey and broplem and its solvent

Dubbed by Newsweek magazine as "the most exciting individual in the American theater," actress/playwright Anna Deavere Smith gives empathetic reading to this landmark narrative. Known for her portrayal of Nancy McNally on the popular TV show "The West Wing," Smith has also written and performed two one-woman plays pertaining to racial issues in America.

It is one thing to read about the injustices of slavery from a historical or even an observer's point of view. It is quite something else to learn of the daily life of a slave in the indentured person's own voice. Such is the case with "The Bondwoman's Narrative" penned by a female slave in the 1850s.

According to the editor this manuscript has existed for 140 years, and is quite probably the "earliest known novel by a female African-American slave and the earliest known novel by a black woman anywhere." Also according to Mr. Gates a slave escaped from a North Carolina plantation in 1857 and was able to reach New Jersey. It is his contention that she is the author of this book.

Whether one wishes to question the authenticity of his identification or not is quite immaterial considering the compelling material within "The Bondwoman's Narrative." The relationship between ladies' maids and their mistresses is revealed in sharp detail, as are the offensive overtures by a relentless master. The slave and narrator is presented not as a human being but as chattel, valued only for what she might bring on the block.

- Gail Cooke

"The Bondwoman's Narrative" is perhaps the earliest work of fiction by a black woman. The novel details the journey of Hannah Crafts through slavery to her eventual escape to freedom. The story is engaging, suspenseful, humorous and tragic all at once. Yet, given the subject matter, I was rarely saddened by the events depicted in the novel. During the most emotionally difficult parts of the story, where mistreatment, death, and extreme cruelty are revealed, the author provides soothing relief for the reader through her faith in a loving, protecting God. I found it quite refreshing to read a slave narrative where the slaves' faith in God is used to elevate and encourage them to freedom as opposed to placate and conform them to slavery.

The book is beautifully written; authentic in tone, language and setting. Gate's decision to leave the author's original editing marks as part of the published novel provided a peep into Crafts' writing process and choices while at the same time drawing me even closer to the author. I suggest that you read the novel prior to reading the Introduction. I stopped a few pages into the Introduction for fear that I wold learn something through Gate's analysis that I would have picked up from the narrative on my own. Having saved the Introduction and Textual Annotations for last, I return to the book in anticipation of the story about the story of Hannah Crafts.

I highly recommend this novel. It should be welcomed into the American literary cannon. Its content and style are deserving of the honor. An excellent teaching and learning tool (an alternative to "Uncle Tom's Cabin" for sure!), that resonates with the spirit of love. There is something beyond strength throughout the pages of Hannah Crafts' story and Gates deserves kudos for making it available to the world. I can imagine Crafts at her writing desk above smiling down with gratitude.

It is one thing to read about the injustices of slavery from a historical or even an observer's point of view. It is quite something else to learn of the daily life of a slave in the indentured person's own voice. Such is the case with "The Bondwoman's Narrative" penned by a female slave in the 1850s.

According to the editor this manuscript has existed for 140 years, and is quite probably the "earliest known novel by a female African-American slave and the earliest known novel by a black woman anywhere." Also according to Mr. Gates a slave escaped from a North Carolina plantation in 1857 and was able to reach New Jersey. It is his contention that she is the author of this book.

Whether one wishes to question the authenticity of his identification or not is quite immaterial considering the compelling material within "The Bondwoman's Narrative." The relationship between ladies' maids and their mistresses is revealed in sharp detail, as are the offensive overtures by a relentless master. The slave and narrator is presented not as a human being but as chattel, valued only for what she might bring on the block.

Ms. Craft has ably evoked pictures of the old South as well as the horrific conditions imposed by bondage. It is a miracle that these people could even hope for freedom. It is a wonder that this manuscript was brought to light at last.

- Gail Cooke

Felix Smith is a gifted writer, who is able to describe a scene or an incident with carefully selected, compact, beautiful prose. There are plenty of flying stories for the aviation enthusiast in this book, but the writing is never too technical to confuse the uninitiated. His story of China in turmoil, and a shoestring airline staffed with unusual characters, is compelling indeed, and is thoroughly recommended.

My one criticism is the lack of historical thread of the airline after its ejection from China. The book breaks down to a series of interesting anecdotes, but the background on how CAT evolved, how it acquired jets, how Smith himself transitioned to sophisticated jet transports, is missing. I found many of the later anecdotes, though well written and compelling, oddly out of context, and wondered how they fitted into the big picture. This wasn't helped by Smith's technique of sometimes mentioning a character, and only introducing him in later pages, which has you thumbing back through the book seeing if perhaps you'd missed a passage.

But these are small criticisms indeed, and the book is a very enjoyable read of a turbulent and, frankly, romantic era of aviation.

Having spent an appreciable amount of time in Asia myself, and being an admirer of the exploits of the famed Flying Tigers (AVG), I ordered four books at one time. I saved this book for last, since Mr. Smith was not an original member of the Flying Tigers. After reading, and enjoying the others, I began Mr. Smith's CHINA PILOT. I don't know what I thought I would get out of this book, but I loved it! Felix Smith was obviously one of the very best pilots working in an Asia in turmoil at that time. His narration of the many adventures he was involved in draw the reader right into the cockpit with him. I could SEE Earthquake Magoon! I could SMELL the warm night air through the open cockpit window while flying over some jungle in Vietnam or Laos. I wholeheartedly recommend this fine book to those interested in the Far East and the many roles the AVG-CAT-Air America played during those decades of turbulence. Mr. Smith, if you happen to read this: excellent job! Both on the book, and particularly your interesting life.

Mike McCaffrey
Department of State/Foreign Service - Retired

Claire Chennault's legend just keeps on growing. Here is a feast for readers who can't get enough of the man who led the Flying Tigers, the 14th Air Force, and the cargo line that became Air America.

Felix Smith isn't a historian. He's a pilot--a good one, since he survived 23 years with Civil Air Transport, organized to carry relief supplies around postwar China, only to become a paramilitary arm of Chiang Kai-shek's campaign against communism.

To our great good fortune, Smith also turns out to be a gifted reporter. Better than anyone else, he evokes the sights, smells, and sounds of China in 1945, along with an economy so weak that U.S. dollars were precious enough to be washed and ironed after use, and a government so depraved that it's a wonder it lasted until 1949.

China Pilot is a a wonderful book. It belongs on the shelf of every admirer of Chennault and his unorthodox air forces.

i thought this book was really good! it was the first avon true romance i had read and i really enjoyed it! It all starts when Ewan finds out he has to become the Duke of Brahm of England. WHen he's there he meets his brothers fiancee Anna, and they quickly fall in love. that part was my favorite because i thought i was really well described. then Anna figures out that richard (ewan's half brother) and her mother are plotting against ewan to make richard become duke, so she warns ewan! and richard even kidnapes ewan in order to force over the dukedom. while richard has to try to force anna to marry him.
to see what happens read the book! it's soooooooo good!

This is the first book I have read in Avon True Romance, and it has made a very good impression on the series. Anna has great spunk and humor, while the Duke is a romantic and a dreamer. This is one of the best in the series, and I recommend it with five stars. Enjoy!

This was the best Avan true romance book by far. Every page had excitment and true brilliance.Anna a young girl, who is to marry a man who she does not love,but then meets his brother the DUKE a VERY handsom man who took her breath away.......Ewen(the duke)has come from scottland to clam his tittle as the duke untill annas betrothed whants the tittle himself and Anna.How far will Richerd go to get his brothers tittle as duke? And is Annas and Ewen true love going to end or last a life time?????

This was a great book! Iwould recamend it to anyone who loves romance just as much as i do.Kathreyn Smith is a true genius and i HOPE that she will write many more avan true romance stories not only for me but all the others who have loved ANNA AND THE DUKE..........................

Anna Deavere Smith truly brought out what the LA riots of 1992 were about. She shows us how blind we can all be, how an action of one person can actually cause the suffering of another for the rest of their lives. It was scary to think that this could have happened anywhere, or anytime. She showed us that sometimes, we have to open out eyes and watch was is going on around us. It was a great experience. The characters touched me deeply. I recommend it to everyone.

I had the extreme pleasure of sitting in two classes with Ms. Smith as she talked about Twilight. It is a wonderful work with a documentary foundation that educates you on the happenings during the infamous Los Angeles riots, from Korean shopkeepers to Black gang members to White-male politicians--Smith has made sure every reader gets the full spectrum of views. Each monologue is actually an interview Smith personally conducted; each are placed in an order that somehow manages to flow together to tell a collective story of an unfortunate occurence in recent American history and justice. It will remind you that the passions of the event had personal roots for all involved.

Even though the reading of this book can't really capture all of the essence of seeing it staged, Anna Deveare Smith's Twilight is still something that should be bought. She takes interviews and performs the poeple exactly the way they are in order to reveal a truth. It's very moving.