I am always on the lookout for up-and-coming Asian-American writers and searched high and low for Andrea's first novel after hearing about it from a friend. After reading the book, I thought it was worth every effort in my search for this well written novel. Andrea Louie has the potential to be one of the finest authors in this century if she continues to explore her writing technique and style. I hope to see her blossom in her career and look forward to her future writings.

I first read Moon Cakes several years ago and found it to be a genuine and fascinating novel about a young woman trying to make sence of her own life. This particular young woman was of Chinese decent, I am not, but found that in many ways that the feelings about sense of place and sense of self that permeate this delicate novel are applicable to a wide range of young adults. I agree with the reviewer who wrote that the book helped her through some tough times, because I am finding myself looking for it now when my own life is in transition. It is a wonderfully crafted story whose tone reminds me of Lydia Minatoya's "Talking to High Monks in the Snow". Its one weakenss, I thought, was its "surprise" ending--although perhaps I wasn';t as careful a reader as I should have been. It should still be in print. I look forward to reading more by Andrea Louie.

I really enjoyed reading this book. I found it refreshing from the stereotypical Asian American novels. The characters were so complex, yet simple in description. A must read for someone looking for a different Asian Anerican experience.

My Heart, CHrist's Home is an excellent booklet, so easy to read and so convicting. It helped me get my focus back on track.

Outstanding way to reach the new Christian. This small little booklet enables you to do a self examination of the different parts of your heart. This will help you to live a more Christ like life. Once again Outstanding!!!!!!!

One of the best books that I had to read for class. I would read it all over again and again. It is a must read for Christians and those who are thinking about becoming a Christian. A great use of examples of different rooms. I totally agree with the closet example.

From the point of a young high school aged aspiring filmaker- this book is a total success! It is perfect for any girl looking for fun on a rainy day or a film career in her future. Its full of creative, colorful, and informative pages that are bound to inspire any young Girl Director!!

Andrea does a great job of simplifiying the world of film making. A+!

FILLED with information and presented in a fun and entertaining book. Great interviews and profiles on women directors. The most interesting part to me is how much women were involved in the early days of film. As a filmmaker myself, I appreciate the "how to" details which are presented in an easy to understand manner. Great descriptions of all the basics of how to make your first film - or your second film. Photos and illustrations will help the kids enjoy it....

This book of Jean Young's lessons is a tribute to all mothers. They are valuable life lessons for any woman. These may not be the exact lessons your mother taught, but if you add them to your mother's loving lessons of life, you are sure to have a great map to follow.

March 5, 2000 On reading this book, I reconnected with the tremendous love felt for my mother and the rich experiences she provided me and my siblings. Throughout, I smiled on recognizing the churchgoing experiences and other events also present in my childhood and the southern expressions incorporated in my speech. Thank you for a book that not only celebrates Ms. Young's outstanding African-American mother, but also, my mother and many other unsung mothers who shared special, loving relationships with us, their daughters.

I always like to read about the lives of other people. Especially one as famous as Jean Young. Her daughter has written a lovely biography as well as life lessons that were taught to her by her mother. A wonderful gem of a book to be read by young and old alike.

The most down-to-earth and honest book for pre-teens and teens ever written. The publishers should re-release it, although I heard Eagan's daughters may be updating the book for a new edition.

I read this book when I hit puberty and it was the guidebook for my young life. I probably would not have made it through adolescence without Ms. Boroff-Eagan's wise words and empathetic tone. The book's style lends itself to use as a guidebook or as a straight through read. I am now at age 37 on the Net surfing for a copy of this book to give to my own teenage daughter. I know that Ms. Eagan's writing style, which it seems was designed to touch the heart, will touch her as deeply as it did me. I only hope I'm able to find a copy of the book!

When I was a teen this was my place to run for answers to all the questions that I was afraid to ask. I don't know what I would have done without this book. I would say that every young woman needs to read this book, it has answers to everything you could ever want to know. The reason that I even found this book today....nearly 17 years after I originaly read it was to refer a friend to it for her daughter. :-)

The book starts out with a mood of pure sadness. Andrea's boyfriend, Neil, dies in an accident. Andrea begins to fall for his brother, Grady, but not because of love, but because she sees so much of Neil in him. She even says that she only loves him because he is the next best thing. Andrea has to learn to get through her tough times and depend on God for everthing because he is the only thing that truly matters. I thought that this book was a great, inspiring book that teens should read. It reminds us that God should be the center of our lives. This book portrays the reality of love in good times as well as in bad. It shows that though it isn't perfect, love has beauty in itself.

As a future teacher in an ethnically diverse society, I am very concerned about presenting positive views of other cultures. I stress "positive" because too many books present a negative, stereotyped view of others who fill our world. My search for the perfect "good" book to present a positive message about a black child who did not speak English incorrectly was not easy. I finally did find a book which turned out to be better than I expected.

Hold Fast to Dreams, by Andrea Pinkney, is about a 12-year-old black girl and her family; her sister, mother and father. The family moves from an all black neighborhood in Baltimore, Maryland, to an all white neighborhood in Wexford, Connecticut. Deirdre, the main character, is very nervous about going to a school where she will be the only black person in the entire school. She is a very smart girl and loves photography and the poetry of Langston Hughes, a poet whom no white student knows anything about. The book focuses on the dreams of each character and how those dreams were affected by changes in life's situations. The book touches on racism, blind prejudices, and stereotyping while teaching acceptance, friendship, trust, and recognition.

Here is a brief synopsis of the book, Hold Fast to Dreams. Deirdre Willis, the main character, seems to want to remain resistant to the strangeness of her new situation. Her sister, Lindsay, chooses to force her acceptance by the white students by "acting white." She is a good athlete and so tries to prove herself the best at the new game of lacrosse, which neither of the girls knew how to play; in fact, they had never heard of lacrosse. The girls' father's dream was to provide the very best for his family. His promotion to vice president of the new company was the beginning of his dream. Their mother actually gave up her dream of being a second grade teacher in support of her husband's dream. Deirdre, Lindsay and their father all come up against some serious racism issues. Everyone at Deirdre's school is afraid of Deirdre because she is black. One very popular girl, Stacy Sneed, is especially afraid of her. One girl, whose nickname is Web, however, sought out Deirdre's friendship. Web always felt different from the other girls in her school because she is a redhead. Lindsay, because of trying to "act white," came up against a group of girls who challenged her in an unfriendly manner. This challenge, in which Lindsay was completely embarrassed, forced her to lie to her mother. She did not want to go back to school and she lied and pretended to be "sick." Mr. Willis had to deal with a racist guard at his company who forced Mr. Willis into a corner and demanded to see his company id. The guard knew that Mr. Willis worked for the company. He was simply showing his racism. Mr. Willis told his daughters that it felt like that guard had taken a piece of his integrity. (This is an obvious deep rupture of emotion that a thoughtless act of prejudice can cause.) I liked the book because it presented these very serious issues and then worked each issue out in a realistic manner. In the end, Deirdre won second place in a school contest and she realized that she only needed to please herself. Her sister, Lindsay, also realized that she did not have to change her behavior in order to be accepted. Mr. Willis was no longer challenged by the guard. Mrs. Willis relaxed a little each day knowing her family would be okay.

The language of the book is beautiful. The author uses a plethora of figurative language which clearly paints a picture in your mind of the scene. She spoke of "the half-circle moon glowing into the kitchen, casting a creamy haze over the room" (1). "The rickety noise was part of my room's rhythm, along with the steady ticking of my alarm clock" (27). "The sun's glare lighted the dew on the leaves, making the trees in the distance twinkle like a forest of crystal-drop chandeliers" (63). "The moon hung high and full in the blue-black sky. Its pearly, glistening light followed us along the road" (106). Simply exquisite language from the beginning of the book until the very end!

This is the best romance I've read in a long while. It has everything, lightheartedness, tenderness, humour, and, best of all, a wonderful writing style. If you want a long, leisurely read that will keep you smiling, buy this one!

I am studying American poetry and have always felt shaky about analyzing poets and their works. I like this book because it's more in depth than Cliff Notes and more sophisticated. It also pointed me toward more stuff than the net did. The biography of Frost was really helpful.

Ms. Breggie is an excellent writer. This is good book just like the first book, "Sister Secrets". The story line was just awesome as well as the characters. The character Debra or Della whichever one she really is was off the hook, she was a bad mama. I know Ms. Breggie is gonna have a sequel to this one, she can't keep a sistah hanging. I want to know who Lisa father really is.

Will there be a third part? I truely enjoyed the story lines in both Ms. James' books. "Beyond" explored the girls' as adults several years after college. It answered the question of the rift between Barb, Debra, Catherine and Marilyn. It also explored the backround of their male counterparts. It was amazing to me that Debran and Della were Ms. Mattie's children. Excellent writing! We still do not know who Lisa's father is and at this point it does not matter. Maybe I missed who Lisa's mother was (Debra or Della). But I do have one question for Ms. James-who was Caleb Arvell? In "Secrets" Ms. Mattie was on target. In "Beyond" it was Debra. She was a BAD woman. She made sure that all sinners paid their dues. GREAT JOB!

This books was absolutely interesting. There was some very interesting characters. I finished reading it in 24 hours. I always wanted to be a soror but never did. It made me laugh, cry, get mad and try to get even. I would recommend this to any and everyone that likes a good read.