I read this book in I think it was the 7th grade, and it's pretty good. It's about a book kids have at school and you pass it around to everyone and write annonymous good or bad comments about each other, it's a pretty cool book.

this is a wonderful book showing how the pressure of being popular can lead to real life tradegies and mishaps. ann martin shows that all teens have problems not just the poor ugly ones but the rich pretty ones also.

I loved the fact that finally Hank's death had been touched apon. And that we did get answers about the abductions. It's just that we already knew "The Royal Four" were created from other people. So not many questions were answered. If you're a Roswell fan I would say read it anyway. You do get a few answers.

Not the best of the series, but a worthy addition. It reads like one of the better-than-average episodes of the show.

Michael - as usual - is in trouble with the law over his delinquent past, this time in more hot water than ever: he's suspected of murdering his brutal stepfather. Sheriff Valenti is up to his neck as well, since - as usual - he knows who the old man's killer must have been: Nasedo, the now-deceased shapeshifting alien who watched over Michael and his equally alien friends. Valenti's covering-up has come to the attention of the man who took Valenti's job away from him, spotlighting the number of times Valenti has performed in like fashion in the past. In the meantime, Michael's fellow aliens, Max and Isabel, are hot on the trail of one of the gene-donors their alien parents abducted and used to create their human appearance and nature - a genetic scientist who is the spitting image of the alien kids' personal Judas (and mother of Max's son), Tess.

The real problem with this particular entry isn't a lack of knowledge of the show and its characters, but an overabundance of it. The authors plainly know all the multiple soap-opera ins and outs, and reference so many of them that a newcomer to the Roswell stories - or even someone only partly aware of them - will quickly become lost, if they're not careful. However, the characters are wonderfully written, and the action and the plot remain steady. Numerous delightful inside-joke touches are added, such as Isabel's noticing her hair style is similar to that of a nameless WB (the station that aired the show) actress, and Max and Isabel's personal song being the series' theme by Dido.

You could do better, but not much. Well worth reading. It will be more comprehensible to real series fans, but even if you're not, you can keep up with it - if you try.

I'm so excited to see that Andy Mangels and Michael A. Martin are writing another novel for this series due out in June.

This was the best Roswell book in the YA series. It certainly captures the flavor of the series - all the characters certainly ring true! Kyle is his dry, loveable self! Very funny! Max just wants to get back with Liz! Valenti helps the kids out! Liz figures out the scientific stuff. Micheal and Maria are constantly at each other! The authors even quote "Here With Me" during one scene. And, of course, Sheriff Hanson is a major dork and the parents are clueless!

If you are a huge Roswell fan, you are certain to enjoy it. There's a nice balance of sci-fi and relationships. I enjoyed the intrigue of the sci-fi storyline. And there are so many homages to the show - it's obvious these authors either did their homework or are major fans!

I'm so, so, so happy these authors are working on another Roswell book! I'll be first in line to get it!

It is no doubt MLK's speeches are great and did alot
to shape American thinking. Unfortunately, I can only
play the first 2 CDs on my CD player. I have a friend
who has a CD player that can play all of them. Apparently
it has something to do with the index numbering on each
CD. Instead of each CD starting at 1 it starts where the previous CD left off. I wouldn't take a chance that this
product won't play in your CD player. I think it is very
unfortunate that I paid so much for the complete set of speeches
and I can't listen to most of it.
I WOULD WAIT UNTIL THE NEXT VERSION COMES OUT THAT CORRECTS THIS
FLAW.
It would have been also nice to have some text to accompany the
audio CDs.

An outstanding history of the Civil Rights movement through the most famous speeches of MLK. I particularly enjoyed his final speech which we hear words from but was full of inspiration and foresight as to what would become of America and its black citizens and their victory in the struggle for freedom.
A must for every buddding philosopher, peace activist and politician.

Reviewer: Mark Lamendola,... author of over 3500 articles.

Inspiring, informative, and soul-stirring, this tape brings to life the original recordings of Martin Luther King, Jr.

Having grown up in the era of the Vietnam war and civil rights demonstrations, I got this tape thinking it would help me remember some of the key issues of the time and compare them to where we are now.

What I was not expecting was the emotional and spiritual journey this tape took me on--it was a journey at a speed that made me look for my seat belt.

Let me interject a personal note here. I am not an African American. I am not black, but neither am I white. My family name is an "Americanized" version of a Sicilian name. While my family did not emerge from slavery on southern plantations, it did emerge from near slave conditions in Sicily. I would also like to note that Sicily was invaded by the African Moors, as is evident by the curly hair and nose structure of modern Sicilians--and by the fact we get sickle cell anemia (whites do not get this disease).

Italian-Americans, who make up 6% of the USA population also underwent an era of extreme prejudice and discrimination--as did African-Americans, who make up 13% of the American population.

Some people malign Dr. King as "that nigger who riled up all the niggers." Others said he was moving too fast. Others said he was asking for too much. And on and on. What these people fail to realize is Dr. King wasn't riling up anybody. He was not an agitator. He made a call to love. When you listen to his speeches, this all becomes very clear. I am not comparing King the Man to Christ the Lord, but to condemn his call to love does compare him to Christ and does condemn both King the man and Christ the Lord. To my mind, that is hypocritical and presumptuous.

In his speeches, Dr. King presented such concepts as:

*African-American slaves are not rightful property and never were. These people were kidnapped from their homes in the area of the Gold Coast.

*The Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 declared all men (grammatical convention makes the pronoun gender-neutral in this context) equal. Yet, 100 years later, American people of color had actually moved backwards in relation to "white people." King presented incontrovertible evidence of the nullification of the Emancipation Proclamation and the abandonment of law and order that allowed suppression and oppression of an entire race of people.

*The segregation movement was part of a "divide and conquer" strategy to keep poor whites--especially poor Southern whites in their place by creating an even lower class.

*As a unit, African-Americans have more wealth than most countries--including France!

*No violent uprising has ever succeeded, unless it had the support of the general population. African-Americans did not have, and could not possibly have, such support in the USA.

*A violent uprising by African-Americans could never come to any possible good. At the outset, it would increase fear and mistrust. The government would be duty-bound to squash it, and had the power to do so. Violent uprisers would have to defeat the local police, then the county police, then the state police, then the state militia, then the National Guard, then the US Armed Forces--not exactly the recipe for success.
But non-violent action could succeed. This is what Dr. King espoused.

Dr. King said two conditions existed:
1. Power without love--this characterized the white system .
2. Love without power--this characterized the black community.

His goal was to combine power with love--not for black people, but for the brotherhood of mankind. His vision was that people would be judged by their character, not by the color of their skin.

This tape concludes with an incredibly moving speech, given to an audience of 10,000 in Tennessee. ...

It was Dr. King's last speech, given the day before a killer stopped Dr. King's campaign of love and brotherhood by severing Dr. King's spine just below his chin.

When Baron Soontir Fel, the greatest pilot of the Imperial forces, is captured by the Rebels, he tells all in the confines of an interrogation cell to Wedge Antilles, the greatest pilot of the Rebellion - also his brother-in-law.

Stackpole brilliantly shows the past carrer of Fel in the Imperial Navy, how he met Syal Antilles, Wedge's sister, and how it comes to be that Fel defects to the Rebels.

The story falls short in the cofusing final third, however. Not much happens and what does happen is very jumbled and not thought through. Then again, Stackpole isn't exactly the Master of the Hidden Plot. But it is well worth its cost in dollars in the first two-thirds; after all, I bought it.

'Blood & Honor' is basically two stories in one, including dramatically different art teams, so I'll do my best.

The first part, 'The Making of Baron Fel', is definitely one of the most unique pieces of SW ever assembled. Picking up right where 'In the Empire's Service' ended, Baron Fel is in Rebel hands and through the interrogation chair reveals his life in service to the Empire in a mix of narration and flashbacks that could only be achieved in comic book format. Fel's story is indeed a compelling one and does the rare feat of presenting a clear philosophical case against the Empire.

It has also been both praised and criticized for its extensive use of cameos. I, for one, will do some praising, as it does help to tie the SW galaxy together. Appearances by people such as Tarkin, Thrawn, Derricote, Isard, and so forth are key to the story, while people like Post ('Family Ties')and Turr Phennir ('In the Empire's Service') serve to tie together pieces of Fel's life and the over all XWRS story.

The art by Steve Crespo is good, with well-done people and a good amount of realism. The spacecraft, while reasonably detailed, are nowhere near those of John Nadeau and his wizardry with technology. The whole thing, for better or for worse, has a rather crisp look to it, as opposed to the very dirty style of Gary Erksine.

The slightly longer second part, 'Family Ties' is a little of a letdown. The art has little detail and the movement isn't very fluid either. The story itself is alright, a bit of a nice breakaway after 'In the Empire's Service'. It opens in the aftermath of the Brentaal Campaign, where General Salm gives a little eulogy for the dead Aggressors and Rogues. Following is Fel's introduction to the rogues and greeting that is not too kind. Then Wedge send Plourr, Hobbie, and Janson to Corellia on a mission that takes up the rest of the story. The appearance by Kirtan Loor was a nice touch, enhanced even more so when Corran Horn and Iella Wessiri from Stackpole's novels take on roles as co-stars.

'Family Ties' was colored by Perry McNamee instead of the usual David Nestelle, and, call me spoiled, but it shows. One particular scene, if you read the dialogue, takes place at night, but you couldn't tell that by simply looking at it.

Overall, its is a key link to the rest of the series and is recommended for that and because of the very interesting look into the Empire provided by 'The Making of Baron Fel.'

Blood and Honor, the follow-up story to "In the Empire's Service," is comprised actually of two stories, not just one. The first, "The Making of Baron Fel," is quite possibly the best X-wing comic ever. It was released on the stands as a special 48-page issue, and is quite outstanding. The second story is the 2-issue "Family Ties," which often vies for a position as the worst of the Rogue Squadron stories. Although these stories conclude some of the plots from the previous comic, they incidentally also pretty much completely drop the "Rise of Isard" story, leaving that to continue in the next Rogue Squadron story.

The Making of Baron Fel is simply an outstanding comic. Basically it is, as the cover implies, the life story of the Empire's greatest pilot. It is told by Fel as he sits in a Rebel interrogation room, and really takes the guy from "Imperial pilot extraordinaire" to one of the most sympathetic characters to show up in the Star Wars mythos. The art suits the story perfectly, and we get to see a ton of familiar faces. There are cameos by Isard, Derricote, Thrawn, and Hal Horn, as well as a bunch of Rebels before they defected from the Empire. This comic also gives us a good look at how truly corrupted the Empire was, and why so many people were so willing to serve under it. There are also several surprises, including the identity of Fel's wife, as well as Fel's offer to the Rebels. This comic alone is worth the cover price of Blood and Honor.

Unfortunately, Family Ties does not fare so well. Janson, Hobbie and Plourr (shouldn't she be back on Eiattu by now?) go on a mission to Corellia to ensure the safety of Baron Fel's family. Along the way they bump into a few familiar faces (including Corran Horn and Iella Wessiri in their CorSec days, as well as their Imperial liaison and nemesis, Kirtan Loor), as well as a few old enemies of Fel's. I didn't mind the art style, except that the characters were changed. Plourr was never before a buxom, spandex-wearing type, and Horn's X-wing as well as Horn himself and several other characters were also somewhat butchered. There were a couple funny running jokes, but no particularly wonderful dialogue, and there was only one space battle, thrown in at the end almost obligatorily, and then only to show off Corran's skills in a fighter so that the Rogue could make some jokes about how he'd never be a Rogue.

The Making of Baron Fel was exceedingly good and definitely worth reading. Family Ties was not. I definitely recommend this comic for the one, if not the other.

this book was a very good book, but it made dawn seem very immature in my opinion. she pretty much sees things from her point pf veiw and doesn't even try to understand sunny and why she runs away. other than that, this book is very good. it is kind of sad that her and sunny aren't friends anymore after all those years. I really think it's neat that the new baby looked like dawn, and that dawn liked the baby when she thought she might not like her alot. I recomend this book to people who like this series or the dawn and sunny books especially.

I love this series! I have read all of them!

This particular one was weird because Dawn was being stupid. It is not all her fault but she is still mean to Sunny! When Sunny came over to give Carol the flowers she should have said something besides that Carol wasn't there. She should have told Sunny she wanted to talk. But I guess Ann M. Martin just wanted to make the book interesting. But Dawn was a real BRAT!!!!!!!!!!

This book was very great and suspensful, but i have to admit that Dawn is a brat. She doesn't even care about Sunny and how she would feel if her mom was dying, and is a rotten friend. Even though i don't like her, i love reading from everyone's point of view. I also think they should come out with California Diaries of Alex (Ducky's friend), James (the guy in Amalia's Book), Jame's sister (Amalia's friend, whatever her name is. Either Cece or Marina), and of course, Jill.

A Review by James

When Jet, the dog, was in the army after his owner went to jail she was a great dog. She saved lives and helped the army. She got hurt once and awhile but immediately went back into active duty as a patrol dog. Soon Jet's owner that went to jail joined in the army and found jet. He didn't take over and was her patrol keeper but he did see her once in awhile. The book ended up the owner telling the class about jet and her heroism and her courage.
Well this book wasn't a joyful book for me but maybe for you. This book has dogs and also about war, how war is bad and such. It was hard to fallow, but I am a slow reader. This book was only a 133 pages but yet it took a long time for me. One thing that I did like about this book is that it set during the beginning of WW2. When the Americans weren't exactly in the war but had some Americans fight for the British army. The dog part of the book wasn't really a interesting thing for me, Boring.
If you really like dogs and like ww2 then this is the book for you, the book is WAR DOG and get it if you want, I give this book a 3 star rating.

If your like me and love dogs this book is an amazing book for you. The book is about an army that is going to war aginst Germany and there leting dogs be in it. This is how Jet, the dog, got in to the army. At the begening Jets origanal owner was a poacher, someone who hunts in a way that is aginst the law. One day when he was poaching with Jet the police caught him and took him to jail and Jet was put in a cage and Turnip was looking for a dog because he was in the army and he needed a dog and Jet had been turned down several times so Turnip took Jet and used her in the army. Turnip had'nt knoun Jet was a pouching dog so she was already trained. So one day when they were training the dogs the captian saw Jet and Turnip training and the captian was impressed so he said they were going to war. In war Jet and Turnip were both shot but they made it and Americ, after a long hard war, defeated Germany.

This novel was one of the best books I've read in a while. The main character is a black labrador named Jet who is seperated from her owner when he's arrested for poaching right before WWII. Jet is requisitioned by the Army and begins her adventure in Dunkirk where she and Turpin (her new handler) fight against the Germans. She is soon moved to England and then to Italy where she saves many lives and becomes a hero. There weren't any dull parts in the story, and I also learned a lot of history. I'd recommend this story to anyone, young or old, who loves animals and happy endings.

I purchased this book when I began a level 1 ASL course at my University. It was helpful for that course, but quite limiting for use beyond that level.

This is an excellent reference book for learning American Sign Language in a classroom or elsewhere. The descriptions of the signs are complete, and include an explanation of the sign's origin, making it easier to remember. I found the number of words to be absolutely sufficient for my purposes, which are elementary-to-intermediate study at NYU.

This book is truly the best sign language book I have ever come in counter with. It has more words than all my other dictionaries and it has complete, easy to understand illustrations.

When this novel is on it's as good as reading gets! Imagine if Dickens magically grew up in Chicago in the 30's, or if you haven't read him maybe if Tolstoy did, and actually had a sense of humor and didnt take himself so seriously.

Anyhow it doesnt matter who you can compare Bellow to. The point is he is phenomenal at capturing intimate details that breath so much life into a story. If trifles make the sum of life and the real spirit is in the details, then Bellow has hit the mark! When i would read about some of his characters, they came off the page so realisitically that i could HEAR them breathing in my room while i was reading about them. I could sense them shuffling uncomfortably in their clothes.

Also Bellow is subtle and true in his writing about different relationships. For me the most powerful and fully realized part was the troubled but loving relationship between Augie and his brother. But yes Bellow also writes wonderfully of Augie completely falling for various girls and being overwhelmed with his daydreamy passion. It's great to read if ever you have been sick to the stomach and shaking upon seeing the girl that for some reason you desire.

I confess that as a whole i found the novel artistically mishappen. If this novel were a human being it would be kind of ugly and probably have a lopsided limp. The whole Eagle in Mexico part i found not only boring but pointless to the novel as a whole. Any reader could easily skip those 80 odd pages and not miss a thing. Also the ending is a bit of a let down. It just sort of tapers off, like life does i guess; their rarely are climactic moments in life. Nevertheless this is art and i like endings that are strong and thorough, a last sentence that kills.

Anyhow this novel was a joy to read; it will make you call in sick to work and skip your classes. It will seem more real than your own life (maybe). And i dont think it was a satire on America; no judgements are made and if anything there is a wide-eyed awe and wonder at all the madness that is swirling around Augie. If he satirizes anything it is the shortcomings he finds in himself, his vanity, ulterior motives etc. This is an intimate, personal novel, and all of the observations and judgements stem from the immediate detail of now.

Saul Bellow writing is very poetic and beautifully scripted - it's not straightforward to read, but then again since Bellow is examining the purposes of our lives, I wouldn't expect the novel and writing style to oversimplify our predicament. Augie is a poor Jewish boy growing up in Chicago - "that somber city" - in a broken home with his dictatorial Grandmother, abandoned mother, and two diametrically opposed brothers (Simon and George.) He finds his brother Simon obsessed with material facts and riches that he cannot possess. Whereas Augie maintains a carefree life experimenting and dabbling with various encounters with different people and places in Chicago, Mexico, and Europe - never quite satisfied or convinced of the importance of each situation. Augie resists the Machiavellian pursuits of his older brother Simon, and is willing to live as a pauper, and as a result, not be controlled by money, wives, children, and especially responsibilities.

Augie's plight is like any other introspective journey. What is my purpose? Why am I here? Bellow, I believe tries to not necessarily answer this question, but rather appreciates the quandary that many of us find ourselves in. At one point Augie's epiphany - the essential and natural course and purpose of life is each person's axial lines. Freedom of thought and emotions - and love our what keeps Augie in line with his purpose.

This is not an easy book to read, but a fascinating and poetic journey that requires time and patience from the reader. I am considering reading it again to soak in all of the details I missed. I wholeheartedly recommend this book; despite the ruminations of other reviewers that took offense to the existential tract of Saul Bellow, I believe that whether you believe in a chaotic or an ordered loving universe - either way you'll find the book interesting and the dilemma facing humans an interesting mess. The book took me 5 weeks to read - I have a voracious appetite for books and usually read them in much less time - so those of you considering reading this book - make sure you are in it for the long haul!

As an author with my debut novel in its initial release, I am a great admirer of Saul Bellow. I think highly of all of his works, and I consider his ADVENTURES OF AUGIE MARCH among his finest novels. To some degree, I suppose because of its title, I've always considered this book Bellow's 20th Century version of Mark Twain's 19th Century THE ADVENTURES OF HUCKLEBERRY FINN. Augie March has also consistently reminded me of Tom Jones (the Fielding character, not the Welsh singer). Bellow's novel follows the picaresque adventures of a young man searching for a worthwhile fate. His adventures are believable, honest, and often hilarious. THE ADVENTRUES OF AUGIE MARCH is a landmark of 20th Century American literature.

I am one of those who was really ticked off when first they killed chewy, then they kill Anakin. I was hoping for more from this comic about chewy. I did not review this before because I was disappointed that they decided to kill chewy. Then I read Star by Star and was staggered by the mind set that would set up us for this kill the way they did. Now, I have re-read Chewbacca.

CHEWY. Some of it was warm and wonderful. But you can't get past the mediocre stories that were written. MASTADGE is no Lucas studge but he gives this 5 stars? What were you looking at? McInerney gets it about right. Handofthrawn must be an heir to the dark horse fortune. He often gives 5 stars to mediocre comic book works.

The stories are closer to mediocre, bad, choppy or stupid than to call them clever or well crafted. To bad. There was a lot of potential that was wasted here.

After Chewie's death in Vector Prime, it's nice to see that he receives a fitting eulogy. Quite a few famous SW characters take some time to remember Chewbacca as the fierce warrior, loyal family member, and lifelong friend that he was. Good artwork (poor Luke looks absolutely haggard) lends to the idea that while Chewie may be gone, the war against the Vong continues with no abatement. It's kinda pricy for its size, but again, it's a nice rememberance of our favorite Wookie.

This kind of makes up for the terrible way Chewie dies in Vector Prime, but not quite. the only thing I personally HATE about this comic book is the way the author makes Princess Leia sound like a selfish brat.

Oliver Stone, meet your nemesis, Gerald Posner.

As the director of "JFK" may well know, Posner has made his reputation debunking fashionable conspiracy theories. His previous book "Case Closed" proved definitively that, Stone's fanciful drivel aside, lone lunatic Lee Harvey Oswald killed John F. Kennedy, aided only by chance and a U.S. Marine's sharpshooting skill.

Not one to shy from controversy, Posner now turns his attention to another 60s hero laid low tragically young by another assassin's bullet. Conspiracy theories about MLK's death have long been fashionable among the African American community; of late even King's family have bought into the notion that James Earl Ray was innocent. Posner once again sifts through the facts and speculation and concludes that Ray was the lone assassin.

In reviewing the case, Posner brings to light a surprisingly complete picture of the assassin's life. Ray grew up in a dirt poor family of criminals and cut his teeth on petty crimes before settling into his life's calling as a robber. His increasing tendency toward violence and continued brushed with the law finally resulted in a long prison sentence. Ray escaped prison and set his sights on one more criminal goal, one guaranteed to make him a hero amongst the underworld--the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.

Posner takes the reader through the events of that terrible day in 1968, weaving a masterful tragedy made more tragic by those unwilling to lay the blame for this hideous crime where it belongs: squarely on the shoulders of James Earl Ray.

Posner delivers yet again, and in so doing shines the light of truth on an incident almost submerged in the murk of paranoia and denial. I only hope that Coretta Scott King and the rest of her family take time to read this book. While nothing can dim their sorrow, they could at least gain some measure of comfort in knowing that King's murderer was brought to justice.

After more than 30 years the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and possible conspiracy still weigh heavily on our collective national consciousness. Enter journalist Gerald Posner and his book, Killing the Dream: James Earl Ray and the Assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. published by Random House. Posner, author of the controversial best seller Case Closed which found Lee Harvey Oswald to be the lone assassin of JFK, sets out to close the book on the King case as well. Readers familiar with Case Closed will recognize the layout, style, and conclusions in Posner's new book, although he does leave the door to conspiracy open this time around. Another similarity is Posner's ability to gain access to information. In Case Closed, he was able to study of the files of Edward Wagmann, an attorney for Clay Shaw. This time around, Posner and his wife were the first researchers to examine the archives of George McMillan, who gained the trust of the Ray family during research for his book, The Making of an Assassin. ...

So does the book "close the case" on the assassination of Martin Luther King? As in Case Closed, conspiracy theorists should find plenty of material in the book that can be disputed. One such issue is Ray's purchase of expensive camera equipment, which Posner contends that he planned to use in a porn venture. His source for the porn statement is Ray's brother, Jerry, who is hardly a Gibraltar of truth.

Aside from a few issues that may never be resolved, Posner has done an admirable job of showing motive, means, and opportunity for James Earl Ray to kill Dr. King. He has demonstrated again his ability to find new information and gain access to sources that others can not. This book will probably not do much to help Posner vacate the title of "The man conspiracy buffs love to hate". It will, if readers keep an open mind, answer the question, "Who killed Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.?"

I haven't ever given a lot of thought to James Earl Ray as Martin Luther King's lone assassin, despite the press that has been given to it over the past few months. I assumed, like many others, that the truth about his death was locked up in some government vault somewhere. Only in the future, would we know the truth.

I saw Mr. Posner on one of the early morning talk shows, and found him to be one of the most articulate and straightforward guests I had seen in a while, who offered some thought provoking views on the current conspiracy theories relating to King's death. I was so intrigued by this short interview that I purchased the book. I was not disappointed. I soon learned that the truth about the King Assassination was complex, but available to those who had an open mind.

Posner's clear, efficient writing style, and straight ahead delivery of the facts, as he has discovered them, were facinating. What I appreciated most about his work was the balanced and objective manner in which the facts in this case were presented. In an era when conspiracy theories abound, it is refreshing to read something where rational thought, common sense and exemplary research are found on every page.

I think Posner has done our country a valuable service by setting the record straight on such an important social issue.

Not only has this book contributed to clarifying history, once started, I couldn't set it down.

Bill Cronin