George Ella Lyon has been inspiring writers and teachers for years. Her writing exercises and her lyrical way of talking about writing keep her in demand as a workshop leader and speaker at schools. At last we have this book! I have used her exercises for years in my writing workshops, always with results that far exceed the writing that students have have done up to that point. Those same exercises have led me into writing poems I didn't know were waiting to be written. No one is better at evoking the voices of real people or helping a new writer really see what she is trying to get on paper than Lyon. The exercises in this book are wonderful, but a close reading of Lyon's poems is perhaps the most rewarding part of Where I'm From writers and teachers alike. Highly recommended.

Community Playhouse in Long Beach did the show this August. As it played, the plot didn't come through, but the wit of Shaw did. The playhouse didn't have the costumes of the military men, nor the actors to carry-off the pomp and bravado of these would-be heroes. In a time when G.W. Bush is fighting his own phantasmic enemies this play should have lapooned the whole spectre of military madness. George Bernard Shaw gave us the theme it will take some imagination and talent to make it contemporary and equal to the madness of our times. Anon

George Bernard Shaw takes the title for this play from the opening life of Virgil's epic poem the "Aeneid," which begins "Of arms and the man I sing." Virgil glorified war and the heroic feats of Aeneas on the battlefield. However, Shaw's purpose in this play is to attack the romantic notion of war by presenting a more realistic depiction of war, devoid of the idea that such death and destruction speaks to nobility. Still, "Arms and the Man" is not an anti-war drama, but rather a satirical assault on those who would glorify the horrors or war.

Shaw develops an ironic contrast between two central characters. The play begins with accounts of the glorious exploits of Major Sergius Saranoff, a handsome young Bulgarian officer, in a daring cavalry raid, which turned the war in favor of the Bulgarians over the Serbs. In contrast, Captain Bluntschil, a professional soldier from Switzerland, acts like a coward. He climbs up to a balcony to escape capture, he threatens a woman with a gun, and he carries chocolates rather than cartridges because he claims the sweets are more useful on the battlefield.

In the eyes of Raina Petkoff, the young romantic idealist who has bought into the stories of battlefield heroism, Saranoff is her ideal hero. However, as the play proceeds, we learn more about this raid and that despite its success, it was a suicidal gesture that should have failed. Eventually Saranoff is going to end up dead if he continues to engage in such ridiculous heroics. Meanwhile, we realize that Bluntshcil has no misconceptions about the stupidity of war and that his actions have kept him alive.

"Arms and the Man" is an early play by Shaw, first performed in 1894, the same year he wrote "Mrs. Warren's Profession." The ending is rather tradition for comedies of the time, with all the confusion between the lovers finally getting cleared up and everybody paired up to live happily ever after. The choice of a young woman as the main character, who ultimately rejects her romantic ideals to live in the real world, is perhaps significant because serving in the army and going to war is not going to happen. Consequently, her views are not going to be colored by questions of courage in terms of going to war herself. I also find it interesting that this play understands the horrors of war given that it was the horrors of World War I that generally killed the romantic notion of war in Britain.

A starving, exhausted soldier running for his life bursts into a young woman's room, finds outrage, criticism, solace, chocolate creams, and unexpected love -and that's just the opening scene. This clever, witty, subtle, and surprising treat from the author of Pygmalion still holds up well more than 100 years after its writing. Shaw fashions the subjects of false ideals, heroism, romanticism, and the fake glories of war into a well-constructed farce which sustains through the very last line. Can't wait to see a new production of the play, and a great read meanwhile....

From Jean Craighead George, best-loved author of more than eighty nature books for young readers, comes another marvelous story about a complex culture, family importance, and the vast relationship between humans and the natural world. This is one of her best, along the same line as the provocative WATER SKY--the story of a young man who learns about the whales of Arctic Alaska--and THE TALKING EARTH, about a girl who rows through the Everglades, befriending animals along the way. Although Ms. George is best-known for her classics, MY SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN and the Newbery Medal-winning JULIE OF THE WOLVES, her other novels are great adventures, too. SHARK BENEATH THE REEF is the story of Tomas Torres, who, at fourteen, is learning about his changing home and trying to cope with the new decisions he must face, the most important being his choice to become a fisherman or a marine biologist. A great shark only complicates this decision, as Tomas's dream is to kill the shark and carry it into his small Mexican town above his head, with the bells of the mission tower ringing in praise. However, it is when Tomas comes face-to-face with the shark that he realizes how vital it is to his family's well-being, and he forgets his dream and thinks, more sensibly, like a man. The ending is one of the best parts about the story, when Tomas and his teacher discuss the varying faces of nature and how it cannot be controlled, although humans may think they'd like to and can. The entire story sparkles with details about the teeming life of the seaside environment, interesting, well-described characters, and the importance of legends and heroes to many cultures. Nature and animal lovers will enjoy reading about the different creatures and birds found in this part of the world, although not much is given to the shark to allay fears about its legendary ferocity.

The book, Shark Beneath the Reef, by Jean Craighead George is a wonderfully intriguing story and a magic to read. The tale of an adolescent Mexican boy growing into manhood and his dreams of becoming a fisherman is all a wonderful story in itself. But put together with his family's downfall, the price of growing up, and best of all, his epic adventures in the reefs, it is phenomenal. It is a delightful and emotional way of getting a dose of a dream, let alone a truly wonderful work of art. It is a masterpiece. Shark Beneath the Reef is an excellent book to read, especially for young adults because it is very detailed and full of adventure. It is detailed and has the reader turning pages constantly. The amount of detail is so great that it gives the reader an idea of what it is like to live in another world, whether an improvement or not from the average American teen's life today. For instance, Tomás, the main character's adventures in the coral reefs make you feel like you are really there. The detail leads you to wonder what the main character's mind tells him to do, and what he will do with his unusual talents. Besides containing great detail, the book is just plain capturing! Risking lives, a family's struggle, and strong friendships spice up the story and conclude the book making you hungry for more each time. For example, when Tomás is in a life-threatening situation with a huge shark, you can feel what he must be thinking, facing the shark. This book is a wonderful way of spending your reading time. Although this book is incredibly fun and inspiring to read, there was one part of it that might not appeal to everyone. The majority of the book is to the point and a wonderful experience, but the beginning of it is just a little bit vague and difficult to understand. It may not appeal to people who don't enjoy adventure stories or nature, but it will be a dream come true to those who do. It just requires patience because in the end the whole plot ties together. Don't let the beginning discourage you to finish the book, because you will be missing out on a wonderful tale of a boy who just wanted to dream, but whose dream became reality. Shark Beneath the Reef is a "must read" book.

Shark Beneath the Reef is an excellent book about a Mexican boy who lives near the Sea of Cortez. His family catches and sells sharks for a living. He heard about an enormous shark who lives under the coral shelf. He dreams of catching the shark and holding it above his head in the plaza as a hero. He is also making his mind on whether he is going to school or becoming a shark fisherman. Meanwhile, his family is suffering because the sharks have gone out of the area and they have very little to sell. The government officials also wants to begin taxing the fishermen because they are making the beach a tourist site. The family camp is on that beach, so they try to avoid the the officials as much as they can. I liked this book was because of the plot. It was action sometimes and drama at another. The positions of the plot sections were completely mixed up, but exactly in order. The moral was also astounding. I am still amazed at how the story ended out. I thought it would be a simple decision, but it turned out to be completely different. Absoluteley excellent literature. You have got to read it!

I enjoyed this book very much. The morals and lessons it teaches you are very important. It is the story of a lonely man, who because he was falsely accused of stealing and because this cost him all his relationships with people, he secluded himself in his lonely house along with all his gold that he saved up. He never spent his money because he enjoyed its company. His gold was his only companion for several years of his life. Then one day, he was robbed, and he no longer had anything worth living for.
Silas was slowly dying of misery and depression. He had no reason to live. Then one day a little girl walked into his house and into his life. Her mother died, leaving the baby girl as an orphan. So, Silas adopted her and took her into his home. She grew up a poor, hard-working girl who loved her new father Silas and vice-versa. Because of this new daughter of his, Silas changed for the better. He became more caring and devoted to someone else besides himself. He started to go to church again and changed his views on what really was important in life. And one day when his treasure was found and returned to him, he didn't even care for it. He had something even more precious than gold: someone to love and receive love from.

Silas Marner became a bitter, lonely miser after he was accused of stealing church money. Declared guilty even though he wasn't, Marner lost his relationships with friends and loved ones. He moved away to a small town and secluded himself from any social activities or events. The people in this new town didn't bother him, but they thought he was strange and evil. Silas found his security in his gold which he stored up in his house. His treasure became his only companion. But when his gold was stolen one night, Silas thought he would die right then and there. He had no reason to live. Then one day, a little girl walked into his home and into his life. Her mother had died, leaving her as an orphan. So Silas adopted her and raised her in a poor hard-working sort of way. But, she loved him and he loved her. The treasure that Silas had lost had returned to him in a new form. He began to socialize with the people in his town, and no longer did they think he was weird or possessed. This girl brought about changes in Silas' life. He discovered that there are some things more precious than gold.

There are few great novels about people who are basically good and who are, in the end, rewarded for it. I can think of only three others I have read in this genre that had any literary merit: Eliot's ADAM BEDE; Elizabeth Gaskell's CRANFORD; and Oliver Goldsmith's THE VICAR OF WAKEFIELD. I can see why SILAS MARNER is usually regarded as a novel to be read by the young, if only because it reinforces values that most of us see as desirable.

Granted that Marner starts out as a miser, if only because he is so isolated from the rural community in which he lives. When Marner's small fortune is stolen, a strange thing happens: His neighbors gather closer to him and help him, drawing him out of himself and illuminating the goodness that was always inside of him. Marner's neighbor, Dolly Winthrop -- a poor, inarticulate wheelwight's wife who does everything she can to make Silas a part of the village of Raveloe -- particularly shines through in an excellent supporting role, one of many in the book.

When a toddler whose mother dies crawls into Marner's house, the process begins to accelerate as he adopts her. The weaver now has someone to live for; and the love between him and the little Eppie begins to flower.

Good seems such undynamic a quality in literature. George Eliot is one of the few writers who can make the tribulations of a good person worthwhile reading. In weaver and his neighbors, Eliot has created an entire community that strives for the greatest good (with the sole exception of Dunsey Cass, who steals Marner's fortune). The best books always make you wonder what happens next; and SILAS MARNER kept me turning the pages, marvelling at my own reactions to what I would once have thought was too simple and flimsy to engage my attention.

George Eliot is a writer of many surprises and many surprising strengths. I had approached this book only because I was filling in a gap in my reading. Having read it, I urge anyone to pick up this book if you are young and hope for the best in life -- or come to it, like myself, an adult who has been "nicked by the scythe," who has forgotten some simple truths about which he needed reminding.

As far as it goes, Born Royal is an interesting view into the lives of George V's children. The problem is that it doesn't go far enough.

The author spends far too much time on David (the Duke of Windsor) and his younger brother Bertie (George VI), who have already been the subjects of numerous biographies, and gives George V's other children short shrift. It's unfortunate, given that there isn't much written about them. Hough apparently referred mainly to research he undertook while writing his books on the Mountbattens; since Mary, George, Henry and John didn't figure much in those books, they don't figure much here.

OVERALL THIS BOOK IS QUITE NICE, GIVES A GLIMPSE OF THE CHILDHOODS OF THE CHILDREN OF GEORGE V AND QUEEN MARY. I WOULD HAVE LIKED MORE INFORMATION ON THE PRINCESS MARY AND HER YOUNGER BROTHERS. THE BOOK TENDS TO DWELL ON THE DUKE OF WINDSOR AND GEORGE VI.

It's too bad this book is out of print because it's a tale relevant to the current British Royal Family. Richard Hough wrote this easy-to-read book on the six children of King George V and Queen Mary out of the notes he took for his books on the Mountbatten family. King George (and Prince Philip) was a rigid martinet who could only criticize his children so they grew up to fear him. George (and Prince Philip) adored his daughter Mary (Princess Anne) who grew up self-righteous. Queen Mary (Queen Elizabeth II) was not a warm and loving mother. She put her duty to the monarchy above her duties as a mother and neglected her children. Her eldest son Edward VIII (Prince Charles) sought love with a married woman who became a mother-figure for him, a necessary balm for his immaturities. Her son George was the Randy Andy of his era and a bisexual (Prince Edward), too. Among the Windsors, it can be said that history truly repeats itself.

I noticed that the reviews that bashed Ultron Unlimited were rated low in terms of helpfulness. It may be from people who never read this yawn-machine.

Kurt Busiek's down to earth dialogue worked in AstroCity because those were characters of his own creation. But it just doesn't work w/ icons like Thor & Cap. I don't think Busiek really learned to get their dialogue down. It just gets really wordy.

So here goes: Ultron destroys a small Eastern European nation and kills everybody w/ no survivors. We see it as it's televised on CNN. I don't know if that's the problem, but Busiek never quite conveys what an attrocious act that is. Even the Avengers just react sort of moodily, and not w/ rage or sorrow or another more appropriate emotion.

Busiek attempts to deal w/ Hank Pym's guilt over the creation of Ultron and Pym's mistreatment of the Wasp. However, it's hard to feel sympathy for either of them because they're so whiny.

The love triangle between Scarlet Witch, the Vision, and Wonder Man is both quite awkward and boring. This subplot just feels like a throw-in.

The development w/ Justice (this is this character's third name - he's Vance Law in Guardians of the Galaxy, and I forgot what his name was in the New Warriors - it's like he's in the witness protection program) is pretty derivative.

And of course the action. There are hundreds of Ultrons and the Avengers are huddled together throwing punches for 20 pages. It gets pretty repetetive.

I won't give away the ending. It's actually pretty good, but the reading up to the point was so painful that u can't really appreciate it.

I don't think I'm exaggerating when I say that this is the best Avengers story ever written! What is wrong with Busiek's writing? Nothing! His plot and script are not simplistic at all. Some other writers have handled Thor, Cap, Iron Man, et. al. in a simplistic way, but this shows them at their most complex: With an ever-changing force of evil in the world, they must find an unconventional way to tackle it. Add Justice's hero-worship problems, the Scarlet Witch leaving the Vision for Wonder Man, and, of course, Dr. Pym. This is the best he's ever been written! This trade paperback could easily be all you need to read about this character, the man who was and was not Ultron.
I haven't even gotten to Ultron yet! He is at his most evil and most powerful here, doing something that many readers thought him incapable of doing: wiping out a country. No, it was not "rushed and glossed over". You could clearly see the shock, horror, and anguish on everyone's face, thanks to Mr. Perez, the glue that holds this together. I have always been a fan of George's artwork, which tells a story unto itself, and he is sorely missed on the book now. I hope he is doing better. Busiek and Perez never failed during their run on Avengers, and if you want the best example, this is it.

Over the years Perez's art has grown much better than when he started back on the Fantastic Four in 1976. Even if Perez's work remained the way it was back then I still feel that he is one of the best artists in the comic industry. This one has everything. Battles with the ultimate villian, Ultron are one of the best I have seen. I am what you call an older comics fan. I still have a sense of wonder that I once had. Spectacular battle scenes only done justice by George Perez. I rememer once how John Byrne once ridiculed Perez's art as simplistic...he can eat his words now. Perez's style has grown to surpass Byrne's by light years. While Byrne's art remains stagnant Perez is always evolving and growing into a much better artist than a lot of the current crop at Marvel.

In one surviving account, Joan of Arc was quoted as saying that her judges were merely putting her on trial because they were members of the pro-English faction and therefore her "capital enemies"; unfortunately, this play tries to claim otherwise. One of Shaw's primary themes is the notion that Pierre Cauchon and Joan's other judges were acting as "sincere" defenders of the Church in their prosecution of her, a view which is contradicted by document after document as well as the above quote from Joan herself. Cauchon and his cronies are well known to historians as having been long-term supporters of the English and Burgundian factions, and the eyewitnesses said repeatedly that they prosecuted Joan out of revenge for the defeats that their side had suffered at the hands of her army, rather than out of any genuine belief that she was guilty of heresy. Cauchon even allowed her to take final communion (which was never done in the case of heretics), indicating that even he didn't truly believe the charges against her. As Shaw was aware, these charges were soundly debunked when the case was appealed after the English were finally driven from Rouen in 1449; and the arguments put forward in this ruling have been confirmed as accurate by experts in medieval theology and canon law, whereas Cauchon's arguments can easily be refuted by consulting medieval theological works - his arguments are, at best, merely distortions of what the medieval Church actually taught. Here are some specific examples which factored prominently in Shaw's play:
- Shaw, like Cauchon, claimed that Joan was guilty of heresy for wearing male clothing allegedly as a personal preference, despite the fact that both of these men were aware of her own statements to the contrary. She was quoted as saying that she wore soldiers' clothing (of a type which had "laces and points" by which the pants and tunic could be securely tied together) primarily to protect herself, as her guards had tried to rape her on several occasions; this reason is also given in some of the 15th century chronicles, along with similar quotes from Joan herself on the need to protect her chastity while surrounded by the men in her army. The medieval Church allowed an exemption in such cases of necessity (read St. Thomas Aquinas' "Summa Theologica", or St. Hildegard's "Scivias", for example): the practice of so-called "cross-dressing" was only condemned if it was done as a preference. Shaw rejects all of the above based on the specious argument that the "other women" who accompanied armies in that era didn't wear such clothing, ignoring the fact that these "other women" were: 1) prostitutes, who wore provocative dresses because they were trying to encourage sexual encounters rather than the opposite; and 2) aristocratic women sometimes were given command of their family's armies in the absence of their husband or son, but these women did not bed down at night among the troops in the field, as Joan often did. Shaw chooses to ignore these circumstances.
- On a somewhat related subject, Shaw tries to portray her as a rebel against "gender norms", again ignoring her own statements and the circumstances of the era. She was quoted by one eyewitness as saying that, quote, "I would rather stay home with my poor mother and spin wool [rather than lead an army]", which hardly sounds like someone who is trying to reject traditional gender roles. When another woman, Catherine de la Rochelle, wanted to get involved, Joan told her to "go home to your husband and tend your household". At no point do we find her making any 'feminist' statements. She was given titular command of an army for the same reason other religious visionaries sometimes were given such a role in that era, not as part of a "feminist crusade".
- Shaw admits that Joan was a devout Catholic and yet claims her as "the first Protestant martyr" - in the same sentence. This seems to be a rather willful contradiction, and the claim of "Protestant tendencies" is merely based, once again, on the old business of accepting Cauchon's claims about her at face value while ignoring the circumstances. If you read the documents you will find that Joan never opposed the Church as a whole: she merely stated her objection to being tried by a panel of pro-English clergy, and repeatedly asked to be given a non-partisan group instead or to be brought before the Pope. It was a violation of Inquisitorial procedure to stack the panel of assessors with people who were pursuing a secular vendetta against the accused: what Cauchon and his cohorts were doing, as Inquisitor Brehal later pointed out during the appeal, was itself an act of heresy. The notion that the medieval Church viewed all Inquisitorial panels as "infallible" and therefore not open to question is just a stereotype, bluntly contradicted by actual medieval theological writings: St. Hildegard, in her 12th century book "Scivias", warns the clergy against judging someone in error or out of anger, as it would be the offending clergy who would be punished for it by God. Joan was perfectly within her rights, even under the rules of the medieval Church, to question her biased judges, and was declared a martyr for Catholicism by Inquisitor Brehal when her execution was declared invalid in 1456. Shaw ignores this. The claim that his play is somehow vindicated by the fact that it was "vetted" by one Catholic (out of the hundreds of millions of Catholics worldwide) is a pointless argument: there are "Catholics" who claim that Joan was having adulterous sex, and all sorts of defamatory allegations. The bottom line is: this play does little more than repeat the slander leveled at Joan by the men who cruelly put her to death, despite the work of generations of scholars to bring a more accurate picture of the issue to light.

when i read this play for my junior AP english class, i truly enjoyed it and thought that while joan is rather naive and intolerant, she is a feminist icon--rebellious and unconventional. she is portrayed as being brave, unlike the romantic fluff-chick that various publications make her out to be. while i did enjoy the informative preface, there were sections in which shaw sounded like a typical elitist male and that disappointed me very much.
all in all, i'd like to think that it was a decent play, and definitely worth reading.

Shaw was a close friend of a Benedictine Abbess, Dame Laurentia, who "vetted" his plays for fairness to the faith. This play is fun, takes lots of bites out of politicians and clergy, and says something beautiful about the imagination. This Joan is no dolt and had to be burnt at the stake. That is a complement to her faith.

"The Morgan Conquest" may not make you a convert, but any fan of Bronze Age Avengers should appreciate this all-out Avengers-fest. Not as smart as "Avengers Forever" and it does get a bit cramped, but most of the memebers get to strut their stuff and the ending should pull on the nostalgic heart strings of the hardcore fan.If you are of the Renaissance Fair-crowd, the plot (well, the setting really) is an added bonus. It is not spectacular, but it is fun if you happen to like straight ahead action from one of Marvel's premiere teams.

George Perez gives us definitive Avengers once again. The story incorporates every Avenger. This makes the tale a bit hard to follow and cluttered but it gives Perez a chance to strut his stuff. The story centers around what it means to be an Avenger and which to which heroes being an Avenger is a vital part of their being. With so many heroes in this book, it would have been nice to have added a roster or "roll call" to keep track of all of the heroes (some are very similar: Firestar, Firebird, Warbird, etc). Busiek got better later on with this series as he became more familiar with the characters and hopefully, Marvel will reprint some of the later Avengers stories (Ultron).

Laugh at Hawkeye's wisecracks, cry for a suffering Scarlet Witch, marvel at the resurrection of a wonderous hero(pun intended)... This book collects the first story arch of the new volume of Avengers comics. All the favorites are here; Iron Man, Thor, Cap, Hawkeye, Vision, Scarlet Witch, and about 30 others. In this story, the Avengers re-draft their team and shortly get thrust into a medieval alternate reality. Where they must do battle with the infamous Morgan to save themselves. Normally, I loathe alternate reality stories, but Busiek really pulls this one off. Perez's goegeous art doesn't hurt either.

I'm sure the editors and publishers of this book thought that this was such a unique idea for a photography book! Well, please let these young folks mature a bit and then see what kind of work they can be produced. What will they be doing at age 30? I'll bet most won't be photographers. For the most part there are few pleasant surprises and alot of perdictability. The sad truth is that there are many worthy photographers, with mature work, original ideas and a singular voice who will never have a book published. Why not "25 and Up"!

Great idea for a book, however... sometimes I wonder about what photography schools are teaching people these days.... It seems like people get so caught up with the "latest trick" in photography(ie: computer manipulation...etc..) that it's hard to tell if what they are creating is from the heart. After looking through 25 and Under, I felt a lack of authentic expression. I would love to see another version of the book published with some representation of artists whom have not neccissarily attended the best photo schools in America.

Anyone but everyone who is in advertising, design, editorial should have a copy of this book on their desk. Take a cool look and tell me youth and imagry is dead. How often do I see the same old names used in my agency. How often do we condem youth to doing crap?

I had to read this book for school, and it was retarded. I do not know why anybody would write this book or why anybody has even bought this book. Do not ever ever ever ever read this book. I would rather watch Barney or Telatubies than read this book and I am 11 years old, yes it really is that bad. There is no point to this book. Do not waste your money on tis retarded book

Dr. Alexander G. Bell, noted for his work with deaf persons (Dr. Bell's mother and wife were both deaf) served as a mentor for young Helen Keller. Both deaf and blind, she stirred an interest in Dr. Bell to further his work with the deaf. Charmed by the bright, vivacious child, Dr. Bell began corresponding with her regularly when she was still a child at the Perkins Institute for the Blind. A long term friendship developed and it was a real heartwarming treat to see how friendship rang out across their different generations.

Dr. Bell and Helen Keller were two of the most notable people living during the late 1800's and early 1900's. The depth of their friendship, and their encouragement of one another's life work, is a testimony to what two people can accomplish together. The author supplies many details about Dr. Bell and his work among the deaf. A recommended addition to any public or private library.