Most of us associate the beginning of World War II with the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Actually, Pearl Harbor was only one of numerous attacks carried out by the Japanese that day. Their true objectives were the mines of Malaya and the oil fields of Borneo--Pearl Harbor was a side-show which was necessary to keep the United States from interfering.

In this book Donald J. Young vividly describes the other events of December 7, 1941, giving minute by minute details seldom found elsewhere. He describes the inept responses of our (U.S. and British) military forces to attacks which should not have come as any surprise, but did. In the last chapter, he fills us in on the reaction in Washington, where the Japanese attacks may actually have solved a problem for President Roosevelt.

For the serious WW II historian this is a valuable book. For the casual reader this is an interesting and entertaining book, particularly if you are already aware of some of the controversy surrounding the events of the day.

Military historian Donald J. Young takes the reader to eleven Pacific sites where war is about to change everything. He puts us on doomed Wake Island where Major Devereaux is ordering his Marine bugler to sound "Call to Arms" as an invasion force looms offshore and bombs devestate. We are with more marines in North China, embassy guards, who must surrender or die on the spot. The bugler sounds "Retreat" for one last time and then breaks his bugle across his knee and hurls it away. We are aboard the PanAm flying boat "China Clipper" as it desperately tries to flee Wake Island already under attack. We are on indefensible Guam when an ill-equipped handful of American Marines, mindful that no U.S. Marine unit has ever gone down without a fight, march off to make a stand agasinst an invasion force of 5000. The Marines are armed with 1903 Springfield rifles, two .30 caliber machine guns, and a few.45 sidearms. They are assisted by Insular Guards, native Chamorros who also carry ought three Springfields but theirs are stamped ""Do not shoot. For training purposes only." We are at Clark Field in the Phillipines where B-17s are caught on the ground by aerial raiders. We are abandoning the ill-fated 2100 ton lumber schooner "Cynthia Olsen" torpedoed and sinking off Hawaii, the first U.S. merchantman to be sunk in World War Two but not the last. Reading this book will remind you how lucky we are there can never be another be another Pearl Harbor. Oh, sure! (review taken from my review in"Vapor Trails", news letter of the Mass. Chapter of the 8th Air Force Historical Society of which I am editor and publisher.)

From the time I was a child, these books awakened a love for reading in me. They teach kids to be inquisitive, thoughtful, and also to have character. I am now working to become an English teacher and highly recommend this book.

more two minute mysteries is a great book . I have read this book, and I know it is a wonderful book because it is a magnificent book that will give kids the chance to be part of the book and feel like the are there.our schools are doing more and more of theese because they teach kids how to be a detective.

This book is all about animals. This book contains facts about how much
Animals weigh and there height.
This book also tells were animals live. The reason why I like this book
Is because of the amazing animal pictures!

Tom's War debuts a new poet to the attention of the reading public. Donald Young draws upon his experiences of war time battlefields to produce a remarkable volume of story poems deserving as wide a readership as possible. The Russian Prisoners: In the ancient barn/the GI's had taken/from the enemy,/its walls still marked/by a swastika,/like the hex sign on/his barn at home,/Tom came upon/a room of "sleepers,"--/Russian bodies/in the loft/their heads still vis-/bile above the straw./The German guards, they said,/allotted just one loaf/for seven men,/whose hunger was so/fierce that when a Russian died,/his friend would cover the body/up to the neck;/then tell the guards/that he was sleeping,--/yet should be counted for bread./"There's three of us."/a Russian spokesman/would tell the guard,/"but count Old Ivan there/now snoring like a horn;/and count Dmitri/sleeping on his cash;/don't miss/our Alyosha too,/in prayer;/and Smerdyakov,/now cringing in the straw."/The Russian added, "That's/the Karamazov crew,/so give us bread/for seven men."/And anxious to flee/the odor of death,/the guards agreed./Their deal once struck,/the dead divided up/their food/with the living,/until the Ruskies all/were dead,/ positioned one on top of the other/like logs of a cabin./Seeing them Tom thought/of the bible tale/where Christ had split/the loaves to feed/the masses--/the faithful ones who/later would be laid/to rest with Him/(but in the Colosseum lofts)--/at which time, it was said,/their bodies/free of the/tortured flesh/arose to a heavenly space.

Witness to The Young Republic: A Yankee's Journal, 1828-1870 By Benjamin Brown French and Edited by Donald B. Cole and John J. McDonough is a marvelous journal that time-capsules life in Washington,D.C. from 1828 - 1870. Brown was a political officeholder and knew and became personally aquainted with every president from John Quincy Adams through Ulysses S. Grant.

This book was edited from over four thousand pages that were part of his personal diary... and what a diary it was. French had a flair for writing and he makes a splendid treatment of the events on the political scene of his day, keeping the readers well entertained with fascinating annotations and gossip. French's eventful life is recorded here with a delightful mix of the ordinary and extraordinary characters only an observer with a keen eye can bring to paper.

French kept watch and recorded some very interesting events in American history: as his journal gives us a shrewd but lively entertaining trip through American life; a magnificent sweep across American history, we see comments on personalities, events, manners and political ideology, penetrating observations on the people and events of that time.

One of the most tearful events, as described by French, was his account of Lincoln, as he was at Lincoln's bedside when he died. One of the best accounts in the book is French's description of the events leading to and including Lincoln's Gettysburg address. All in all, this book is very interesting and gives a rare look into events, life and times of that time period and is well worth your time to read. This book is full of information about the leaders of this great country and how they really felt at that time.

There is information about all of the prominent personalities found in this book from that time... making it a treasure trove from which we can get a better picture of how life was, not only public, but private as well.

In "Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Two Spies" there are some brain twisting investigations. And the answers are very elusive. I think that Donald J. Sobol has very good ideas and knows how to make them into mind bendng stories. I think it is a very good book.

The Two Spies Two spies are exchanging top secret information- but how? They never see each other! It's up to Encyclopedia Brown to solve this case! The Stolen Coin A very valubale 19th Century coin has been stolen. And the man who owns it has been drugged! And also, the lights went out. Who did this? Encyclopedia Brown will figure it out! The Kidnapped Dog Someone has stolen Royal Blackie, a dog! And it's almost time for the dog show! And the theif wants ransom money! Who's doing this? Encycloepdia will figure it out!

Don't worry, that's only three of the ten cases! Look back at this book and find more reviews!

Encyclopedia Brown is a ten-year-old detective, for those of you who don't know that. He solves cases for his police chief dad, as well as the kids around his city. There's also Bugs Meany, the big, tough leader of the Tigers. And Wilford Wiggins, the high school dropout who tries to cheat little kids from their savings. And, of course, Encyclopedia's junior partner, Sally Kimball. She isn't just the prettiest girl in the fifth grade and the best athlete, she can beat up Bugs Meany! By the way, with Encyclopedia on a case, none of these "seemingly cool" older kids (not counting Sally) can ever succeed on even one thing they want to do bad (as in the good, bad type of bad). My opinion on this book is that it's great, but since any Encyclopedia Brown book would be the same to me, all of them are truely terrific.

Most people know of only one book by Thackeray: his witty and savage masterpiece VANITY FAIR. PENDENNIS, perhaps his second-best book, is certainly no slouch itself: a funny, rollicking Bildungsroman, PENDENNIS chronicles the adventures of a loveable young man who almost always manages to get himself into trouble, and his tribulations with the several attractive women in his life (including his young mother). There are some definite slow patches to the work, but for the most part it moves almnost at a rip-roaring pace, and it has none of the overseriousness that mars Thackeray's later works (such as the fascinating, but slowpaced THE NEWCOMES). This is Victorian reading at its most pleasurable, if not its most intellectually challenging.

This is without a doubt one of the funniest and enjoyable novels I have ever read! Do not let the length of the book scare you, Thackeray's brilliant and unique style makes it an easy joy to read. I admit there are some lulls but overall PENDENNIS will earn an honored place on any bookshelf.

"Encyclopedia Brown, Boy Detective" is a wonderful book for kids from about six years to about 12 or so. Published in 1963, it has a sweet tone reminiscent of 1950's TV shows. The fun, though, lies in tracing and anticipating young Brown's using logic, a little science, and keen observation to solve minor crimes and mysteries. Sometimes, he's helping his police chief father; other times kids bring the mysteries directly to him.

Your child may successfully solve the mystery on his or her own (each of the 10 cases ends with a question, e.g., "HOW DID ENCYCLOPEDIA BROWN KNOW THIS?," or, after trying to find the culprit, they can turn to the back for the brief answers. There's no tricks, though at least one story assumes a little more knowledge than might be expected from the average grade schooler. For example, one hint is that "Bull Run" was the Northern name for the Civil War battle, not the Southern name (although this solution has an easier clue as well).

A wonderful, captivating series of vignettes (ten cases covering 78 pages, not including solutions), I recommend this very highly. It's also a great book for readers from about grades two through about six.

Encyclopedia Brown was one of my favorites when I was a boy. The mysteries are pretty challenging for an 11 year old but that just makes getting them correct all the sweeter. I gave my first Encyclopedia Brown book to my 11 year old a few weeks ago, hoping beyond hope that they hadn't lost their magic over the years. He devoured it! The stories are written in an easy to read style that makes the process fun. Each story also stands on its own, which makes the book easy to pick up and put down (and perfect for chewing up a daily bus ride). It is great stuff and if your kid likes it, there are tons books for him (or her) to read through.

I read the Encyclopedia Brown series in the early 1970s, when I was in elementary school. I learned about being humble and smart, analytical and tricky (in a good way!).

A lot about life can be learned from observation. The evidence was often in clear view of Leroy, and he noticed this evidence. Your children will learn that before their eyes is where the answer often is.

I still remember how Leroy determined the cuprit by realizing the length of a knife can't be known while stuck inside a watermelon.

I fully recommend this book.

Anthony Trendl

First things first, it is a very nice novel, but very hard to follow. Personally speaking, sometimes I couldn't get very exactly what Henry James was trying to say, but I could understand the situation as a whole and be able to move on.

As everybody knows, Hery James is not an easy writer. His appeal is very difficult and complex although it doesn't read very old-fashioned. The story is very interesting and timeless, because it deals with passion, money and betrayal. The books follows Kate Croy and her beloved Merton Densher when then both get involved - in different degrees and with different interests- with the beautiful rich and sick American heiress Milly Theale.

Most of the time, the book kept me wondering what would come next and its result and the grand finale. But, that doesn't mean I was fully understand its words. As I said, I was just feeling what was going on. As a result, i don't think I was able to get all the complexity of Henry James. Maybe, if I read this book again in the futures, it will be clearer.

There is a film version of this novel made in 1997, and starring Helena Bonham Carter, Allison Elliot and Linus Roach, directed by Iain Softley. Carter is amazing as always! Kate is a bit different from the book, she is not only a manipulative soul, but, actually, she is a woman trying to find happiness. One character says of Kate, "There's something going on behind those beautiful lashes", and that's true for most female leads created by James. Watching this movie helped me a lot, after finishing reading the novel.

Two responses to previous reviews: it was written one hundred years ago, so it would of course be somewhat dated. Second, you should perhaps READ THE ENTIRE BOOK before you attempt to review the text.

The text follows the fascinating development of a manipulation: Milly Theale, an American woman, enters the London scene, endowed with prodigious wealth, youth, and beauty, and several characters vie for her affection. It's a standard James plot in that way. Much like Portrait of a Lady, the wealthy American is exploited by her European acquaintances. Kate Croy convinces her lover Merton Densher to take advantage of Milly's interest in him, and to go so far as to attempt to marry the young American for her money. She is, after all, fatally and tragically ill. James brilliantly depicts the struggle between Densher, Kate Croy, her powerful Aunt Maud, the piquant Susan Shepherd, Sir Luke, and Lord Mark, and his characteristically enigmatic ending does not disappoint. James manages to breathe life into these odd characters in a way that so few writers can: his genius is for complex character, and this book embodies that genius at its height.

The trouble with the book, however, is that it does not qualify as a "light read." The pace is incredibly slow - deliberately slow, of course. It is a novel about decisions, and the development of those decisions constitutes the bulk of the novel. James's prose does lack the terseness of a Hemingway, but the latter writer often fails to capture the nuances that James so elaborately evokes in his careful prose.

James, like Faulkner, is not for the faint of heart. Some of his work is more accessible; readers in search of a more palatable James should look to Washington Square, What Maisie Knew, or his popular masterpiece, The Turn of the Screw. This novel does not fit easily into a category, and its principal interest is that very quality of inscrutability. It's not really a "British" or an "American" novel but contains elements of both. It's not "Modern" or "Victorian" but both. Originally published in 1902, it's also not easy to include him in either the 19th or the 20th century. He appears to be writing in both.

In short, then, it's not a light-hearted novel and the prose can be challenging at times. But I believe that the effort of reading this book is well rewarded.

I've carried on a love-hate affair with The Wings of the Dove for more than 20 years. In that period of time, I started the novel (the same beautiful little Signet paperback edition) at LEAST 15 times and could never get past page 30 or so. But it kept nagging at me to read it. Last summer, I plowed through its dense prose thicket, and I felt as though I were peering through a glass darkly. Several times I felt like tossing it aside. I've studied Enlish and literature all my life and yet I had one heckuva time with those daunting banks of prose. But I'm glad I read it. It's masterful. Worth all the effort. Those scintillating scenes in Venice. Nothing like them! I just read The Golden Bowl, another difficult but rewarding book. There are astonishing scenes in it, like when the husband of the busy-body watches her in a pensive mood as if she were in the middle of a lake, coming closer. It's just an extraordinary scene! I love early James too, like that perfect jewel of a book, Washington Square. Sometimes, great as the late books are, I really do think they lose something of the wonderful clarity James achieved earlier. There are still a few scenes in Wings and Bowl, for instance, in which I have NO IDEA what James was trying to express. Talk about super subtle! But do make the effort, folks, they're incredible books.