5 comments about Black Ice.

1. This book is interesting, and the author actually spoke at my school (Temple University) which was awesome. She goes into detail within the book and leaves you guessing.



2. This book is horrible. The writing is badly done, and it is so drawn out and boring. It felt like one hour to read one chapter it was so bad.



3. 
   This review is for the students. The title of the book is Black Ice and the author of the book is Lorene Cary. To me I say this book was very interesting. The reason why was interesting, because it talked about how blacks and whites used to be segregated. They were both segregated and both races were treated differently. For example, the whites had better facilities then the blacks. That is why I thought the novel was interesting, but others who might have read this book over the summer maybe they did not think this book was as interesting. Therefore, I say this book is not made for everyone to read the masterpiece, just because one person may like the book does not mean that everyone likes the story. If someone who has not yet read the novel but would like to it would be better if they asked someone who has already read the book if the text would be a good novel for them to read or not to read. The student who has not yet read the publication would need to know what the text is about so they can determine if they would like to read the novel or not read it.
   The students who may like to read about how people different races are treated differently. They might like to read this novel to learn more about all of their backgrounds.



4. Dear peer,
   The first thing that you need to know about Black Ice is the author which is Lorene Gary. I liked this book because I learned that you can make mistakes of doing drugs, but you can quit just in time to have a better future.
   This book is about a girl named Libby; she went to a boarding school at St. Paul's High
   School. She once went to a forest to smoke weed and pot with a group of friends. Also in this text Libby was forced to have relationship with this boy. He gave Libby a necklace of engagement, because he really liked her a lot. But Libby did not like him, so she threw the necklace away and Libby's mom picked it up and she wore it on her neck.
   This story is short in length, but difficult to read. It was difficult because, a lot of event happens in every chapter and you have to read it carefully so that you could know what is happening.
   My opinion about this text is that it is very interesting and it kept me entertained while I was reading the story. That is my opinion and the reason I think this book is very interesting because, I like reading Auto-Biographies. I really enjoyed reading this publication about Libby life.
   Thank you peer for taking your time and reading this essay. I hope you make your decision and read this book. So that you could know everything that happens in this master pieace.



5. The author of Black Ice is Lorene Cary. This book is mostly about racism, and a young girl named Lorene being highly educated] and working with whites in a restaurant. I think anybody older than twelve and up will enjoy this text; Black Ice was mostly talking about Lorene's childhood.
   This book was quiet interesting. In order to see if a book is going to be good, read the reference page. If its interesting then read the first page. If you not, ask for assistance.
   This novel will be a good book for fifth graders. It will help them know more about the past between blacks, and whites. It will help increase your vocabulary, and give you more history out of the story. By a chance, you will probably enjoy reading Lorene Cary's autobiography of her childhood life.

5 comments about Hallelujah! The Welcome Table: A Lifetime of Memories with Recipes.

1. None comes better. The recipes are honest and measure up to the quality of the author! Props to Sister Angelou !



2. A wonderful mix of story and recipe.
   As I try these wonderful southern dishes I recall her stories and I can sense the history of the dish.
   the caramel cake is worth 10x the price of the book alone.



3. I love this cookbook. I have already tried some recipes from it. Almost three weeks passed, however, before I received it. I am very satisfied with it.



4. My daughter reproduced the same Caramel Cake that Maya made as a guest on Martha Stewart's show, for my birthday last fall...oh my gosh, it was so good!
   
   So good that I gave her Hallelujah! The Welcome Table, for Christmas.
   
   It is a warm and wonderful book, chock full of memories and yummy recipes...including the Caramel Cake.



5. The book is great, I also bought the cd which is great and expected recipes to be read on it and there were none except for a few on recipe cards. Good that I bought the book because I was really looking for the recipes.

5 comments about Gall: Lakota War Chief.

1. Gall. Lakota war chief.
   I want to thank Robert W. Larson for his contribution to one of the most important hunkpapa war chiefs: Gall.
   I think Robert M. Utley said it right: "Robert Larson has rescued from obscurity one of the most prominent leaders of the Lakota Sioux".
   I am from the Netherlands, Europe, and I read for several years now about the history of the sioux peoples, especcialy 2 tribes: the Mdewakantons and the Hunkpapas.
   The book "Gall. Lakota war chief" is for me a beautiful contribution to the Sioux history.
   If somebody wants to react, do not hesitate and mail me please.
   I am looking for more information of the Mdewakantons chief Little Crow.
   In my opinion the most important chief of the Dakota tribes.



2. The life of Gall of the Hunkpapa Lakota (Sioux) who lived from 1840 to 1894 has long been a footnote of history, someone who shows up alongside Custer, Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse but never comes to the fore to offer his own story. With so many first class biographies of his contemporaries such as Crazy Horse and Custer and Sitting Bull: The Life and Times of an American Patriot there was always a need for a biography of Gall.
   
   Born in 1840 he was a famed warrior in his twenties and served under Sitting Bull during the Battle of the Little Bighorn in 1876, and later fled to Canada with him until his surrender. Gall settled in the Dakotas as a farmer and Judge of the Court of Indian Affairs on the Standing Rock Indian Reservation and apparently became friendly with local white settlers in his later years. He turned against Sitting Bull when the older chief become involved with the Ghost Dance movement.
   
   Gall lived on the Standing Rock Agency until his death December 5, 1895.
   
   This is a wonderful contribution to scholarish on the American West and on the American Indian and finally provides a chapter in the life of one of the greatest warriors of the American West,
   
   Seth J. Frantzman



3. I just finished reading this "first ever" biography of the Lakota (Hunkpapa) Indian leader Gall (Pizi) by Robert W. Larson, retired Professor of History (from the University of Northern Colorado, Greeley) and writer, and found it very informative. I want to recommend it to all serious Indian Wars students and frontier history buffs.
   
   It is, doubtless by necessity, somewhat speculative regarding Gall's exact whereabouts and activities during certain phases of his life, as sufficient biographical source material is sometimes lacking. That is to be expected and is quite understandable -- there are obvious gaps in the record. Further, Gall certainly lived in the shadows of more renowned Lakota chiefs such as Sitting Bull (for many years, Gall was one of his loyal lieutenants) and Crazy Horse.
   
   But regardless, Gall was quite a phenomenon in his own right. At the time, U.S. soldiers called him the "Fighting Cock of the Sioux", and Libbie Custer, even while continuing to grieve the loss of her husband at the Little Big Horn, upon first seeing his picture (which was taken in 1881 at Ft. Buford by David F. Barry), observed that he appeared to be one "fine specimen of a warrior". And so he was, according to all accounts. He wasn't notably tall, at least by modern day standards, but he was well-built, strong, athletic, and courageous. And, not unlike Custer, he apparently didn't mind being conspicuous on the battlefield, such as by wearing red.
   
   Larson's approach is scholarly (there are copious end notes) and, at times, though always reliably competent and straightforward, some readers might find his writing style to be a bit on the dry side. But, even so, for people of my ilk who are fascinated with this era of history, the subject matter will inevitably keep one turning the pages.
   
   This book is worthwhile, especially regarding information that it presents on lesser-known actions and incidents. While plenty of ink has been devoted to the Little Big Horn fight, Larson's book doesn't focus too much on the xs and os of that conflict, opting instead to bring out all kinds of interesting details regarding the lesser known parts of the Great Sioux War era, the sojourn of the "hostile" Lakotas in Canada prior to their ultimate surrender, reservation life at Standing Rock, etc. I personally appreciated reading and learning more about these things.



4. Gall was a Hunkpapa warrior and Lakota chief who resisted efforts by the U.S. government to annex the Black Hills - and led a charge to attack Custer's men on the other side of Little Bighorn. Despite his achievements there has been much controversy surrounding Gall's role and contribution to the conflict, and retired history professor Robert W. Larson here sorts through different reports, views and source materials to paint a new portrait of Gall's character. College-level holdings strong in Native American history will find it a scholarly survey that covers the known extent of Gall's life, using rare Standing Rock Reservation records, among others, to recreate and add depth to standard reports. It's a highly recommended library addition for any specialty collection.
   
   Diane C. Donovan
   California Bookwatch



5. It is fitting that Hunkpapa Sioux warrior Gall (Pizi) has his biography. Definitive biographies of Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse were written decades ago ("The Lance and the Shield" by Robert Utley and "Sitting Bull: Champion of the Sioux" by Stanley Vestal, "Crazy Horse: The Strange Man of the Oglalas" by Mari Sandoz). Oglala chief Red Cloud and the Brule Spotted Tail share a literary champion (George Hyde's "Red Cloud's Folk" and "Spotted Tail's Folk"). Generals George Custer, George Crook and Alfred Terry have received exhaustive treatments. Even Custer scout and Gall adversary, the Arikara Bloody Knife, has received attention.
   
   It bothered Robert Larson, a retired University of North Colorado history professor, that Gall's role in the decades-long Plains wars did not have the scholarly treatment it deserved. Further, his estrangement from his uncle, Sitting Bull, in the years afterward remained largely unexamined. Though not a visionary figure like Sitting Bull or Crazy Horse, Larson writes, "Gall was thought to be the equal of Crazy Horse if not superior when it came to warfare." For this he was known by the American troops as "the Fighting Cock of the Sioux". Tellingly, Gall's favorite Hunkpapa name was The Man That Goes in the Middle, as in "the man who leads the charge".
   
   Mr. Larson puts Gall's life into context: Born in 1840, Gall was present at almost every significant action in the Sioux wars (and the primary antagonist in many of those events). Gall may be found at the 1864 battles of Killdeer Mountain and the Badlands, and the Fort Rice attacks of 1865. In December 1865, upon Bloody Knife's identification, soldiers bayoneted Gall while he lay in his tipi outside Fort Berthold. He barely survived. He was reported to be at Fort Buford (1866), and likely other forts along the Bozeman Trail during Red Cloud's War (1866-1868). As Sitting Bull's delegate, Gall attended a July 1868 peace conference at Fort Rice to discuss the Fort Laramie Treaty. He bared his scars and spoke against the treaty, then unexpectedly endorsed it (now believed for the post-conference gifts only). Red Cloud would not sign it until November of that year. Agency life in the Dakotas' Great Sioux Reservation thus began for many, while others remained in the unceded lands of Montana and northern Wyoming. The independent Gall straddled both worlds, coming and going as he pleased.
   
   The early 1870s were relatively quiet years, interrupted by unwelcome US expeditions into Yellowstone valley in 1871 and 1872. These intrusions triggered the Battle of Arrow Creek (Baker's Battle) and the harassment of other soldier-escorted survey parties (i.e. the skirmish at O'Fallon Creek). Custer led an expedition into the Yellowstone country in 1873. He was fired upon by Rain-in-the-Face and later by Gall's men. Not long after the Battle of the Yellowstone, Custer led an 1874 expedition into the Black Hills. The gold rush that followed triggered more clashes between non-treaty Lakota's and white intruders. An attempt to buy the sacred Paha Sapa was made by the US government and rejected by Red Cloud. In late 1875 President Grant signed off on an ultimatum to the roaming peoples: come into the reservation lands by January 31, 1876 or be considered "hostile".
   
   General's Sherman and Sheridan made plans for a winter campaign to force Sitting Bull, Gall, Crazy Horse and others' bands in. The campaign would result in the June 17, 1876 Battle of the Rosebud and Custer's June 25, 1876 "massacre" at the Little Bighorn. Gall does not appear to have been at the Rosebud, a battle in which Crazy Horse figured prominently and a sun dance-weakened Sitting Bull attended to provide inspiration. Larson's speculation that Gall was also suffering from the effects of the sun dance ceremony seems generous. Likely he was elsewhere, having gone off to Fort Berthold or some other trading post, or simply arrived late to the battle and was content to watch the younger combatants.
   
   He was at Little Bighorn, however, and lost five family members there. After hearing the first shots Gall ran to gather his horses, saw Crazy Horse taking action to repel Reno's charge at the south end of the village, and went to find his family (whom he assumed had gone running with others in the opposite direction). After searching for a time and finally reaching his village again, Gall found his two wives and three children all killed. He picked up a hatchet, remounted his horse and rode for the river where he'd earlier seen troops searching for a northern crossing. Late to the fight and admittedly following Crazy Horse, Crow King and others, he fell in with those repelling the attackers from that end of the camp. Gall and his fellow warriors reportedly ended the soldiers' brief struggle on Calhoun Hill, overwhelming them with shots and charges. Gall then proceeded to Custer Hill and participated as hoards of angry tribesmen "charged them with our ponies," ending the assault on their families.
   
   Shortly after this fight the assembled bands split apart, well aware that this "victory" would only lead to more soldiers and more misery. After a couple more desultory battles (Slim Buttes and Cedar Creek), in May 1877 Gall followed Sitting Bull north into Canada - the same month in which Crazy Horse led his people into Red Cloud Agency and his own murder.
   
   After four difficult, near-starving years in Grandmother's Land, in January 1881 Gall broke with Sitting Bull in making the decision to return to the US. An angry Sitting Bull would return that fall. Gall made an effort to adjust to reservation life, trying his hand as a district farmer and serving as a judge on the Court of Indian Affairs at Standing Rock. Indian Agent James McLaughlin's promotion of Gall and other "progressives" at the expense of "traditionalists" such as Sitting Bull damaged some tribesmen's perception of Gall, but the manipulation of various Indian factions was McLaughlin's doing not Gall's. (Resentment among Sitting Bull's allies was such that Kicking Bear's famous pictograph of the Little Bighorn battle highlights Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse, Rain-in-the-Face and Kicking Bear himself - omitting Gall's presence altogether!)
   
   Ever a man of action, Gall survived. He evaluated his people's predicament and "assimilated" to the extent he felt it necessary and culturally comfortable, permitting his children to attend a reservation school while ignoring Episcopal preaching against keeping more than one wife. Gall is described as a good farmer and a conscientious judge, a man of integrity, hardworking and loyal, and "constructive" in contrast to the intractable Sitting Bull. Having been a successful warrior and hunter, it is not surprising that Gall prospered while others withered. And he remained tough as nails and greatly respected, as Larson illustrates in an 1882 incident: "When two large groups of Indians became involved in a fight in which guns were displayed, Gall intervened, seized the guns, and refused to return them until the two parties reconciled."
   
   As with all human beings however, age, rich food, and sedentary life took its toll. Gall died in December 1894, having lived long enough to bear the wretched disappointment of the disastrous Dawes Act and Sioux Act of 1889, and witness the rise of the Ghost Dance and Sitting Bull's subsequent murder and the culminating evil of Wounded Knee.
   
   Several decades ago, late Sixties and early Seventies activists employed a potent mix of history and mythology to raise public awareness and renew tribal consciousness. It is not surprising that they chose to use the powerful images of Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse, warriors to the end. But it is fitting too that our memory of Gall, the warrior who survived longer than they - and arguably fought better, is revived. Wicoh `a ("good deed"), Robert Larson.

5 comments about A Chant to Soothe Wild Elephants.

1. Jaed Coffin grew up in Maine, the son of a Thai mother and a white American soldier. His parents divorced when he was an infant and until her father died, his mother brought him and his sister on several visits to her ancestral home town. Growing up with roots in two cultures, he felt--as young people often do--rooted in neither.
   
   While at Middlebury College Coffin studied philosophy and, he writes, "had become obsessed with Buddhist thought and secretly imagined that my cultural background entitled me to privileged insight into ancient sutras." The reader might have preferred more on his spiritual path as a prelude to Coffin's decision to go to Thailand and be ordained as a monk. It may have been a question of family or cultural responsibility, like compulsory military service, but that is not conveyed in Coffin's writing.
   
   A Chant to Soothe Wild Elephants: A Memoir is Coffin's story of life in the temple as a chanting monk. He writes in an observational fashion and the details of this culture shock are vivid. He spoke very little Thai when he immersed himself in temple life, nor was his understanding of Buddhism extensive. And, it must be said, his commitment to the celibate life was not deep.
   
   The writing is crisp and descriptive but the main character of this memoir remains something of an unknown. Coffin writes of his "not sure heart" and after ten weeks, decides to go back to the U.S. and finish college; or maybe that was always his intention? There's a further decision to be made, about a Thai girl named Lek, and again the decision process is not explored for us.
   
   I give this book four stars for the lucid language and the wonderful story of Thai village and temple life. The fifth star will be added when Jaed Coffin digs more deeply into the motivations behind his characters. I hope he does that in a future work, so I can enjoy more from him.
   
   Linda Bulger, 2008



2. This blend of memoir, cultural observation and travelogue follows the journey of a half-Thai American man who left his privileged New England college to become an ordained Buddhist monk in his mother's native Thai village. His spiritual and social journey comes to life in this account of a young man caught between two cultures and very different worlds. To call it a 'memoir' is too simple: to limit it to travel sections of libraries is too confined. It's an involving gem of a read.
   
   Diane C. Donovan
   California Bookwatch



3. Jaed recounts some fascinating experiences succinctly and artfully, some you would never expect of a Buddhist monk. What I found lacking was the dropping of some important motifs, specifically whether he pursued his Buddhist practice to any degree after he returned from Thailand, and how he ultimately regarded his romantic interest in Lek. For someone who belittled American culture so much (and I'm not criticizing him for that), Jaed was very American in pursuing an idealized quest abroad, abandoning it within a season, and going on to describe his next projects as though the pipe dream never happened. If the experiences were so fascinating and important, what were the ultimate impacts of them on his life and why?



4. Jaed Coffin brings the reader along while he is at a pivitol point in his life. He gives a full access account of his thoughts, passions, and even doubts about his place in this world. The honesty and raw emotion that Coffin writes with pulls you in this well written first novel. I was amazed that this author has been through so much at such a young age. He is truly going to be one to watch.



5. Excellent! A well written and high engrossing read. Part autobiographical, part travelogue, and a highly adventerous recollection of Jaed Coffin's experience as a Buddhist monk. Jaed writes with pure honesty and an exacting recollection of his thoughts while undergoing his explorations. Required reading for anyone interested in better understanding Southeast Asian culture and ways! Highly recommended.

5 comments about Maya Angelou: A Glorious Celebration.

1. This is indeed a glorious coffee table book. At present I've got a copy on my night table, on my kitchen counter, one in each of my bathrooms, and one for my patio table. The book store has ordered me a copy of the new water proof dust jacket so I can keep a copy down by the pool. I had been looking for a good picture book of my other favorite poets, Ezra Pound, Wallace Stevens, T.S. Eliot, and William Carlos Williams, but theirs were all out of print. I would keep my newest copy on my living room coffee table were it not for my copies of Hillary and Bill Clinton's autobiographies. This is really as extraordinary a book as one could wish for. Happy birthday, Maya. I hope to see you you at Barack's inauguration, again behind the podium, reciting another beautiful poem in that mellifluous voice.



2. A Glorious Celebration makes a wonderful coffee table book. Everyone who comes to my house gravitates to the book. Also makes a great gift for book lovers. May Angelou is just phenomenal in her writings. I recommend this book wholeheartedly.



3. I assumed that this book would include some of Maya Angelou's writings. It didn't. I enjoyed looking at the photos and reading about her, but I intended this as a gift to someone who had never read her writings.



4. I've never read anything about or by Maya Angelou that I didn't love.
   This book is the feature on my bookshelf.... I need another copy to keep next to my nightstand!



5. The latest testimony to the life of a gifted writer. Includes many historic pictures.

5 comments about Shakedown: Exposing the Real Jesse Jackson.

1. It's hard to miss how Timmerman is serving powerful interests by going after a very effective advocate for all working class people, not just African Americans. I hear Jesse Jackson's excellent radio show (Keep Hope Alive Radio) each weekend, and he is doing even more good work than most people could imagine. Jackson is there on picket lines when people are striking for better wages, or better working conditions. He is there when it comes to unjust sentencing regarding the death penalty, or the harsh penalties for drugs that pharmaceutical companies don't have a patent on. Jesse was there in Libya negotiating the release of a U.S. air force pilot who was being held there. Jesse is going all around the world promoting mutual respect and multicultural celebrations.
   And the list of Jackson's positive contributions goes on and on.
   What has Timmerman done with his life? Well, he has been paid to be a character assassin of the right-wing elite. Sometimes he'll go after individuals, sometimes he'll go after entire groups of people - like Muslim imams.
   I'm sure it pays well to protect multi-billion dollar corporations from the "shakedowns" of activists like Jackson.
   In an earlier period, America's right-wing would've killed Jackson, but they try to avoid creating martyrs, so they go with smear campaigns instead. Other members of the media lynch mob give Timmerman all kinds of publicity on America's airwaves, people like Sean Hannity and Limbaugh who also get paid to bear false witness in the interests of Big Business which hates activists, environmentalists, feminists, labor advocates, and anyone else who may reveal the insatiable greed of the corporate matrix.
   
   How sad that so many fall for it; or, so many choose to be deceived by shameless preachers of hate like Timmerman.
   Jesse: The Life and Pilgrimage of Jesse Jackson



2. I've always known that Jesse Jackson was an opportunist and a liar. Now
   I see him as much more than that! He is a danger to our Country and our way of life, and should be put UNDER the jail! The poor and uneducated who listen to him don't have a prayer of getting out of poverty until this man is off the scene. Let's hope he'll take to his rocking chair soon.
   
   I don't get it.....bright and promising young men get sent to prison for having a marajuana cigarette .....and a man like Jesse remains free! Go figure!! He was called a 'poverty pimp' and a 'race baiter' by acquaintances in the book. I couldn't agree more. It literally makes me sick to see him BLAME instead of TEACH. And if I see him 'marching' for anything at all, I become suspicious and head the other way. How sad that he takes advantage of the poorest and least educated among us.
   
   Jesse Jackson.... A PATHETIC EXCUSE FOR A HUMAN BEING!



3. The research that Mr Timmerman did is astounding. I heard rumors years ago about how his version of the assassination of Dr Martin Luther King Jr. was different from those who were present. Let every lie be reveal and the truth be exposed.



4. Thanks so much for this book about Jesse Jackson. Jesse Jackson is for himself. He has exploited Black people and used them for his own good. Where ever there is a cause he's present. Not so much for the sake of those involved, but more or less for his own benefit. It's ashame that he has to speak for the common good of man for a fee. Before he speaks he wants to come to a payment agreement. He uses Black people. A Black problem is his gain. Black people please get hip. Jesse Jackson is a pimp in the worse way. He pimps and profits from Black problems.
   
   What if he had won the presidential election? You talking about a mess. He would have sold the country out. Jesse came to the town that I live in to help a candidate get elected. He tried to steal the spotlight. Jesse Jackson out talked and over talked the person running for election. He uses every chance that he can get to promote Jesse Jackson.
   
   Jesse has no shame. It's all about him. Please stop paying him to speak. There is self gain in everything he does. He is a user. Racial problems and issues are his gain. He is glad when things go wrong. THINK ABOUT IT.



5. I've always had a thought about "REVERAND" Jackson, and this book proves it! Jesse jackson isn't black - He's just a white man that's so full of s**t tha his body long ago lost the ability to absorb it!

5 comments about All Rivers Run to the Sea: Memoirs.

1. Elie Wiesel may be best known as the author of "Night", his harrowing and sparse account of his time spent in the concentration camps. His literary works have focused around the events that shaped Holocaust survivors and the questions those survivors had about their faith afterwards. His life's work is heavily imbued by those events early in his life, his novels vast testaments to making sure the world never forgets the atrocities man inflicted upon man.
   
   Yet there are many sides to this amazing man, which can often be forgotten when one dwells solely on his literary works. The first volume of Wiesel's memoirs, "All Rivers Run to the Sea", is a brilliant introduction and elucidation of the author. He relates quickly his early childhood and his time in the camps, but moves onto and focuses on his path after those events. As he forges a career as a journalist, meeting statesmen and celebrities, he finds himself and what causes he is willing to fight for. As a stateless person, his life is often difficult as he arouses suspicion, and he struggles constantly to make ends meet. Reading about his personal adventures, the reader sees how he is passionate, full of empathy, timid and captivating, a brilliant man with many stories to tell.
   
   For anyone who has read Wiesel's writings, the style of "All Rivers Run to the Sea" will be just as familiar: while it is divided into sections, his reminiscenses are as tangential as his fictional stories. Learning about his real-life adventures, readers can easily see how Wiesel has woven his experiences into all of his fictional works. The praises and accolades he has received are more than well deserved, for as long as he writes, his people will have a testimony to their past and to their faith.



2. This spectacular memoir of Elie Wiesel, the great author and voice of conscience, begins with his boyhood in the small Transylvanian village of Sighet.
   
   A pious child, with a great thirst for Jewish knowledge, a student of Torah and Talmud, and fascinated with the Kabbalah. Elie is swept into the Nazi ghetto and then death cams where he loses his parents and his beautiful little blond sister Tzipora, all of whom perished in the Nazi furnaces.
   
   He writes in memory of his losses:
   
   "If only I could recapture my father's wisdom, my little sister's innocent grace. If only I could recapture the rage of the resistance fighter, the suffering of the mystic dreamer, the solitude of the orphan in a sealed cattle car, the death of each and every one of them. If only I could step out of myself and merge with them".
   
   Wiesel writes of the prophecy told to his mother by the Wizhnitz Rabbi that her son would become a gadol b'Israel (a great man in Israel) but that she would not live to see it.
   
   Wiesel records some of the horrors he witnessed in the death camps such as live children being thrown into furnaces by the Nazis, and laments the inaction by the Allies to do anything about the extermination they knew was taking place of the Jews- saving Jews was not a priority for the Allies either.
   
   He mentions that most of the Jews who collaborated with the Nazis were intellectuals- not surprising in light of the fact hat most Jews who have thrown themselves into the campaign of hate against their fellow Jews in Israel.
   
   He writes about the liberation of the death camps by the Allies after the war, and how one of the youngest child survivors of Buchenwald was eight year old Israel Meir Lau, later to be the Chief Ashkenazic Rabbi of Israel. In his section of his travels around the world as a young man during the early 1950s he writes of his great compassion at the plight of poverty-stricken children in India.
   
   Wiesel records his life in a youth home for Jewish refugees in Paris and the fate of displaced Jews after World War II, his life as a journalist for Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronot for whom he covered the Eichmann trial, civil rights struggles, the Six Day War, the 1968 Student insurrections in France, and other world events.
   
   He has always been greatly interested in philosophy and parapsychology and writes of his discussions with such great leaders as Golda Meir and David
   Ben-Gurion, as well as the greatest thinkers of the day. He writes of his great love for Israel and it's people for which he has been attacked by the hate-filled bigots of the International Left. He also took a strong stand for persecuted Soviet Jewry during the 1960s and 1970s. Elie Wiesel also writes of his great compassion for humanity as a whole, such as his pain at seeing the suffering of destitute children during his travels in India. But unlike certain Jews of the Left, he does not see a contradiction between this and his great love of Israel and the Jewish people- Ahavat Israel.
   
   He writes with great compassion, passion, anger, sadness and hope.
   In a plea for the plight of his own people today, especially the youth and children of Israel today targeted by terror and forces of genocide (such as Hamas, Hezbollah and the Ahmadinejad regime- as well as all who are sympathetic to these anti-Jewish elements) he penned an open letter to President Bush stating: "Please remember that the maps on Arafat's uniform and in Palestinian children's textbooks show a Palestine encompassing not only all of the West Bank but all of Israel, while Palestinian leaders loudly proclaim that 'Palestine extends from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea, from Rosh Hanikra (in the North) to Rafah (in Gaza). Please remember Danielle Shefi, a little girl in Israel. Danielle was five. When the murderers came, she hid under her bed. Palestinian gunmen found and killed her anyway. Think of all the other victims of terror in the Holy Land. With rare exceptions, the targets were young people, children and families. Please remember that Israel--having lost too many sons and daughters, mothers and fathers--desperately wants peace. It has learned to trust its enemies' threats more than the empty promises of 'neutral' governments".
   Elie Wiesel is a true voice of truth and conscience.



3. I found this a very compelling read, lasting over several readings. It's true the author did not stick tightly to chronological order, but anyone who has read his fiction knows his style tends to be very esoteric and rather free-floating (I personally do not care for his fiction, which I admit I do find to go over my head). However, as a reader, I certainly got a feel for emotions he felt throughout different experiences in his life. I found the last scene describing his emotions before and during his wedding to be really profound. It's true that there is a lot of Jewish content in this book, which may cause some of his analogies etc. to be less accessible to someone from a different background. However, for someone who wants to read a first-hand Holocaust experience without very strong graphic details, I do recommend it. (As a side note, just last week I actually attended a speech by Mr. Wiesel, and he is really a personable, funny, self-effacing and sweet man, not the really sad and somber person you might expect from his writings. I was surprised by this, pleasantly so!)



4. I would strongly recommend that all readers on Amazon read the review whose title caption is ' Remember'. It is far more extensive and far better than the small remarks I am about to post.
   Elie Weisel is the one human being who more than any other has helped the world understand the horror of the Shoah , the Holocaust the Nazi destruction of one - third of the Jewish people six million human beings.
   For this he should always have a place in the historical consciousness of both the Jewish people and mankind.
   His memoir is at times very moving .For those who know his other work and his masterpiece ' Night' there will be much familiar here, though here the story is enriched by greater detail.
   I find myself whenever I am reading Weisel unable to really judge in abstract or purely literary terms. His significance as a human being, as a witness as one who has spoken to me in my own life is so great that my feeling is closer to reverence than anything else.
   I read this book with the idea that any additional detail about his life and work, any additional understanding of his thought about Man's relation to G-d would be worthwhile. I read this work as I will read all his future works as an admiring student of a great teacher.
   May he be blessed by many more years of great creative work.



5. This is one of the times when I think we should be able to go higher than 5 stars. Elie Wiesel's All Rivers Run to the Sea gave us a more in-depth look to the concentration camp survivor. He really gives us a rich experience in weaving together the threads of his past, from his days in school to the horror in the concentration camps, right up to his days of being a journalist, and ending with him as a groom. You really get a feel for the type of person he is as well - a wonderful, compassionate, and intelligent man. If you've read Night already, you're definitely going to want to check this out.

5 comments about Cuando era puertorriqueña.

1. En este excelente libro Esmeralda Santiago nos introduce a sus recuerdos de la infancia en Puerto Rico como se desarrolla hasta su adultes. Utilizando su especial manera de escribir Santiago relata la dura vida que sufrieron miles de puertoriquenos a mediados de siglo, y los eventuales cambios y transformaciones sociales que le precedieron a este periodo. Cualquiera que lea este libro podra imaginarse a Negui y su familia en sus que haceres y ocurrencias. Puerto Rican or not you can read this book. It's excellent. A must read.



2. This is the Spanish text edition of "When I was Puerto Rican", a rich and evocative memoir of the author's chaotic childhood. Growing up in rural Puerto Rico, while often living in primitive conditions, the author's lush and lyrical prose paints a vivid picture her early life. The flavor and rythms of her island home come alive under her expert hand, creating an unforgettable picture of her early childhood.
   
   The author grew up in a poor family. During her childhood, she lived in Puerto Rico with her unmarried parents, who were always at war with each other, as her father was a somewhat irresponsible philanderer. It was her mother who centered the family and who always sought a better life for all of her children. When an irrevocable break occurred between her parents, her mother moved to New York during the nineteen sixties, eventually settling with her seven children in the mean streets of Williamsburg, Brooklyn in New York City.
   
   The author details her life's journey from rural Puerto Rico to Brooklyn. The author was transplanted to Brooklyn at the age of thirteen, and her description of her life in Brooklyn is every bit as interesting as that of her life in Puerto Rico. Her oftentimes bewildering transition from her native, Spanish speaking Puerto Rico to an English speaking environment is engagingly chronicled. The author takes the reader on her journey through Brooklyn's public school system to the prestigious High School of Performing Arts, where she graduated and went on to attend Harvard University on a scholarship.
   
   This coming of age memoir is so engagingly written that I was left with the desire of wanting to know more about the life of this remarkable woman. I was also very taken with her writing style. So, I went ahead and bought every book that this author has ever written and look forward to reading each and every one.



3. I bought this book at a fair. There was a "Spanish Only" book stand and I started a conversation with the lady about how homesick I was and she said this is what I needed to read. I'm a younger generation, but I loved it because my Grandmother was not from the city so I read a lof of things that reminded me of her. But there were even some expressions and cultural aspects that have obviously remained the same. The book was extremely interesting and I cried and laughed (and I tend to read in public so I got a couple of weird looks). It really hits home and gives a very accurate view of life in "el campo" in Puerto Rico during the times of depression, but does it in a way that still allows you to notice the beauty of our culture, our people. I am reading the sequel right now and already ordered the last of the three. She's an amazing narrator. Enjoy!
   
   [...]



4. este libro esta escrito en una sinplesa que cualquiera lo puede leer lo que esta muy bien, me gusto mucho este libro lo compre en espanol y lo lei en una semana, me parecio un libro muy entretenido y lo recomiendo



5. I give 5 stars, not because I was necessarily challenged in weighty intellectual "profundities" (as one of the critics above states), but simply because the quality of story-telling (at least in the Spanish version) is insurpassable. I was able to see right into the heart of Esmeralda's thinking. She was almost always eloquent beyond her years; at first I thought that this wasn't accurate for a girl of her age; but in retrospect, I think that the author knew this beforehand and realizes that her character is indeed representative of the many children or tíneyers who are absolutely brilliant but are perceived to be not so bright because of a spoken language. I would like to find out if this was a subtility that she wanted to communicate.
   With that said, my favorite aspect of Esmeralda's eloquent subtilities is her honest, authentic anger towards haughty and egotistical people. I believe that E. Santiago was intending also to disfrazel the machista haughtiness that existed in Po'rico. I wanted to reach into the story and punch her Papi in the face. What a pig! I grieves me to think that such a man really existed! Another thing, the move to New York, wonderfully contrasted with Macún - and the innocence of perceiving the jews, italians and blacks throught the eyes of a sweet girl with no prejudices - a brilliant girl indeed! How was she able to dislodge herself from all of the enticements of having prejudices so quickly formed? The best part of the entire novel - a definite tear-jerker - is the rapid dénouement punched at me (the first sentence of the epilogue). I didn't expect it; it had sort of a Great Expectations twist there at the end; if there were ever a movie based on this story, I think that that would be the brilliant finish of the story. The human spirit inside of each of us hopes and believes: "Un día de estos, un día de estos." We all relate so well with Esmeralda that I strongly suggest that this book be included in ethnic-american/hispanoamerican classes and reading circles. This is a must. It's already been successful at Pittsburg State University (KS) with Greg Brown and Dr. Edmée Fernández; try it.

5 comments about Brown: The Last Discovery of America.

1. Richard Rodriguez is a very provocative thinker from a well thought out perspective that should be shared and understood. It works well in contrast to older writings by Robert Ardrey. We are a visual species who categorizes, and will always categorize the people, places, things, and ideas we encounter based upon their literal and figurative appearance. Mr. Rodriguez brings to question some of those things we define, and some of those things we mis-define. After over 100 years of scientific research on exactly what makes a breed of man and a society there is no longer any excuse for questionaires which attempt to undermine inequality by mixing culture and race. As he points out, Hispanic is not a race - but a culure, and should not appear in a list to be checked next to white, black, or American Indian - which again are inaccurate. The entire system of boxing into said categories fails both in accuracy and only reinforces the divisions of modern prejudices.



2. I made the mistake of buying this book because the introduction intrigued me. His word play and analogies seemed interesting, but it quickly grew annoying.
   
   He rarely makes any sense, and it seems like he's making one inside joke after another with himself or with people his age. I don't 'get' his obscure cultural references from the 60s. I'm not kidding, read through a few pages and you'll see that it sounds like he was high off his a$$ when he wrote it. His writing style is literary masturbation, like he's getting himself off by coming across as an intellectual making a good point, instead of making a good point with a solid argument. The use of 'fluff' words and unecessary prose will be the first thing you'll notice ruining this book.
   
   I'm not one to put down a book and stop reading it, but this is the first one in years. As a Chicano, I cannot identify with this man. Aside from the front he's putting on by trying to come off as an 'educated man', he makes several references that he should be on the same shelf as great 'white authors'. That he does not want to be "The Hispanic" on the shelf. What's wrong with that? Is he not proud of what he is? I don't hear black authors complaining like this, because they have self acceptance. What does it matter if he's the Hispanic on the shelf? Is it a negative connotation to the word that he has on the back of his mind that bothers him? Is he afraid he'll be judged by whites by label alone? It's almost like he's trying to prove that he 'can do it too' and it's the first proof in a long list of evidence that Richard Rodriguez desperately wants to fit in within white circles and is begging to be accepted. Someone on here commented that it seems like he has an inferiority complex, and I would have to say that hit the nail on the head. The vibe I get from this guy is that his "brownness" is the only thing holding him back from receiving full acceptance, and he's out to prove that he shouldn't be judged by that. It's almost like a self serving agenda he has, instead of showing the virtues and accomplishments of "brown people".
   
   I will not finish reading this book, and I have now crossed his other books off of my "to read" list.



3. That inconvenient truth or understanding that America is more than what some would like to still believe. We are not black or white (or Hispanic - a nice made up word). We are brown. Black and white both imply voids that either absorb everything (like black) or contrast completely (like white). The truth is in America we are all mixed up. I know that's an ugly truth for many. The reason that it becomes a hang-up here and not so much as in Catholic countries (like Mexico) is that Protestant/Puritan values still live on strong. Be who you want, but don't try to blend lines or anything. Keep to your true pure self! Listen only to "your" type of music. Only eat "your" type of food (none of us is guilty of this one as obese as the country is). Only wear "your" type of clothes. Yes, you can have freedom in America, as long as you fit into your little niche. "You're African-American! You're supposed to listen to Hip-Hop. What are you doing liking Classical music?" Beethoven was the stuff! But anyway the only "race" that in America is tolerated to "cross the lines" in terms of cultural identity is whites (Is it because white pigment blends with other colors without the colors losing their essence?). And this whole "race" thing! Skin has only one color! "Shock"....I'm not speaking blasphemy. It's true. The color is called MELINAN. Actually it's a pigment. The difference in people is the amount you have. Young people today don't have the hang-ups about "race" like the older generations have. It takes a while to get rid of deeply entrenched ideas. This book had my mind spinning. Very insightful and complex. It's dense like others mentioned, but hey life is dense. Americans would like to think of life as uncomplicated with our little categories to put things. But as life (and history) shows us time and time again nothing is really black and white except divinity. And even that isn't as straightforward as some believe. Consider the fact that Jesus Christ, Gautama Buddha, the Prophet Moses, the Prophet Muhammad, Adam and Eve were brown. Think about it!
   
   The human world (Europe, Asia, Africa, America, and etc.) is brown.
   
   Post-Note: According to the Rodriguez, Brown also means complexity not just the color itself.



4. Rodriguez has written an ambitious book: who else would be willing to take on the idea of "brown" and all it involves, from the many perspectives from which this writer sees? I teach a university course on Biography and Memoir and his is one of my favorite books to include. I love his attention to the role of the public library, schools, how religion divides and unites us. Increasingly we all live in a "brown" world and Rodriguez shows us how books and culture help us explore that world in its origins and awesome potential for good and for ill. His riffs are right-on target: Malcolm X as latter-day Puritan, Frederick Douglass on the same shelf with Benjamin Franklin in terms of writing memoirs that tell us how to live honestly in This America of Ours. The poetry of Rodriguez's language is not at all what we might come to expect from an analytical writer. His work is closer to poetry that looks back to the multiple historical origins of these Americas, asks about the originary moments of various races, cultures, religions coming together, and what has happened since. By writing evocatively, rather than cut-and-dry rants or analyses, Rodriguez does much to explore the structures that pervade and are promised in present-day America. Rodriguez is worth, will pay back in insights every bit of time you put into reading him. Maybe his identity isn't yours, maybe you will want to dismiss him, but if you read through, stay with this book, I promise - he will get under your skin.



5. This guy is full of it and full of himself. Wants to sound sooooooooooooooooo educated. Comes off sounding like a pretentious overcompensating guy with a real inferiority complex. Obviously has not come to a point of self-acceptance. It is a pity. I got the book in hopes of finding some help with my own Mexican-American son's struggles to fit in to either the Mexican or the "white" sides of his heritage. This book is NOT one I will leave around for him to read. I wonder how he got published.

5 comments about John Coltrane: His Life and Music (The Michigan American Music Series).

1. An excellent book that includes thorough analysis and scores from Trane's solos (imagine that, a book about a musician that actually focuses on the guy's music). Chasin' the Trane was full of trite, silly speculation in some places and clearly was not written by someone with a working knowledge of music. THIS book deals with many facts about Trane's music. Porter carefully breaks down Coltrane's "methodology" and shows how, even though the aesthetic of the music changed drastically after 1965, he was actually adhering to the pentatonic scales in thirds approach (albeit without steady rhythm and harmonic anchors). Include many transcripts of pieces ranging from Fifth House (early) to Venus (late). If you are a musician who wants a serious study of Coltrane then THIS is the book to buy.



2. It's unfortunate for John Coltrane that such a poor writer decided to take up the pen to sketch out his life. The writing of Lewis Porter is incredibly stilted, weak, and generally poor. There is absolutely no style to his treatment and the detailing of Coltrane's life is thin at best. While the book appears to have the guise of a linear arc, it meanders, it flails, it fails.
   
   One walks away wondering who John Coltrane was. The cursory attention given to the personal details of his life, especially his later life, is unforgivable. Yeah, he liked sweets, so what? We are given hardly any personal details of his life in the 60's when his fame was at its height. At one point Porter casually mentions a Sheila Coltrane, who apparently was an illegitimate child of John's, and then drops it. I mean, really? He couldn't do a little more research and fill the reader in? Towards the end of his narrative Porter scores the ultimate cheap trick and gives the reader a chapter containing only quotes by other people about Coltrane--I mean who does this? I'll tell you who--A lazy biographer who's looking for filler, and can't be bothered to do what legitimate biographers do and weave the quotes into the text.
   
   The real meat of the book is in the analysis of the music. Porter devotes countless pages to breaking down minute details of Coltrane's music, producing sheet music, charts, and yawns...
   
   I'm sure Porter's scrutiny of the music will appeal to some serious music fans, but don't buy this book if you are interested in learning alot about John Coltrane.
   
   The details say 448 pages, but the actual text is only 300 pages with the rest devoted to bibliography, notes, a timeline of his shows (???), and an index.



3. To fully appreciate this book the reader should certainly be able to read music. There are a multitude of scores that the reader should understand to be able to get the most out of this book. However even if you can't read music (As I can't) there is a lot to interest one in this book. Coltrane came from the Rocky Mount Section of NC. It seems ike he had an interesting, stable Family Life, though the Father does not seemed to have lived with him. Moved to Philly after High School, where he did Graduate. He was in the Service in the Mid 40s, and surprisingly was in an integrated Navy Band. I thought the services were segregated at that time.
   There are also details of his two marriages.
   If you can read music or at least understand scoring this book is highly recommended. If you are like me you will still probably enjoy it.



4. Porter's biography is a detailed exploration of Coltrane's musical development, consisting of extensive analyses of selected examples of Coltrane's music, together with what reads like a patchwork of biographical details (much of which is newly researched and not included in other Coltrane biographies). The latter dimension of the work was apparently an afterthought which Porter started working on in 1994 after having spent the previous fourteen years working on the musical analysis (he indicates this in his preface to the book). The analysis of the music is challenging and would probably be inaccessible for someone who does not have some knowledge of music theory.
   
   The biographical portion of the book seems to be well researched and explores parts of Coltrane's life which his other biographies have not delved into (although Porter does rely significantly on two previous biographies - one by J.C. Thomas, the other by C.O. Simpkins, to flesh out his own research). The first chapter, titled "Southern Roots," is an exploration of Coltrane's familial roots and the origins of the Coltrane name. A family geneology, photos of family marriage licenses, the 1920 census of High Point, North Carolina (where Coltrane grew up) and even Coltrane's birth certificate are included. The author then explores Coltrane's childhood through stories recounted by family members and friends who knew Coltrane as a boy. Included in this section is a remarkable photo of Coltrane's grade 3 class, in which the young Coltrane already has a look of concentrated seriousness.
   
   Porter then goes into a lengthy exploration of Coltrane's early musical development through a discussion of Coltrane's encounters with books and teachings the saxophonist used to develop his obviously vast musical knowledge. This section, which dominates the first third of the book, is highlighted by interviews with other musicians, particularly Jimmy Heath, who knew Coltrane during his musically formative years, and by Porter's insights into some of the sources of Coltrane's playing. This section is definitely one of the strengths of the book.
   
   During the second third, Porter makes the usual stops, touching on Coltrane's substance abuse, his membership in the Miles Davis Quintet and his apprenticeship with Thelonious Monk.
   
   The final third of the book begins with Coltrane's final split with Davis and ends at the present time with an examination of the saxophonist's influence on contemporary music. In between, the formation and eventual dissolution of Coltrane's classic quartet is outlined. Within this last third is Porter's most intense analysis of Coltrane's music, highlighted by a very detailed exploration of one of the peaks of his art, "A Love Supreme."
   
   Another chapter, called "The Man:'A Quiet, Shy Guy,'" in the final section presents quotes and interviews drawn from a variety of sources about aspects of Coltrane's personality along with his views on philosophy, religion, race and politics. This chapter, although useful, is somewhat awkward and might better have been integrated into the other chapters. As it is, it highlights one of the problems with Porter's book - it tries to be too many things and does not integrate them into an organic whole.
   
   A particularly valuable part of the book is a forty page chronology which documents all of Coltrane's known performances and interviews. This section alone, might make the book worth purchasing for some readers.
   
   In summary, if you are looking for an analysis of Coltrane's music, this is the place to look. If it's the biography you are interested in, this book cannot be ignored because it presents details not mentioned elsewhere but it still falls short. Porter's writing is dry and academic, which is useful for presenting the facts of an artist's life or for analysing his work, but it fails to evoke a sense of the man and the world he lived in. For that, a writer with a warmer, more imaginative style is needed.
   
   The definitive Coltrane biography still remains to be written, but Porter's book is worth holding onto in the meantime.



5. This is a nearly perfect biography in every way. It is comprehensive, objective, and written with a good understanding and appreciation of Coltrane's music. The tone is scholarly without being too dry -- a difficult balance to achieve.
   The book is fairly long, providing in-depth coverage of Coltrane's life and music from his early development through his controversial late work. There is a good balance between discussion of his musical and personal development. There are lots of quotes included from people who knew him and worked with him.
   For non-musicians, the theory and analysis may be intimidating and un-necessary. For musicians, it is good reading, but non-musicians may not understand some parts that deal strictly with music theory. I don't really think there is any way to explain the significane of Contrane's music in any depth without going into this type of explanation, so I cannot count this as criticism. How can one explain the significance of Giant Steps, for example, without describing the innovative harmonic movement by thirds? How can you give a good discussion of Interstellar Space without analyzing specific examples of motivic development? For non-jazz musicians or non-musicians, these parts can probably be skipped when they go over their heads without significant loss to the value of the book, but perhaps they should at least skim through them to get an idea of why Coltrane is such an important figure in jazz history.
   There is adequate criticism and praise for Coltrane's music from many different, reliable sources included throughout. For example, McCoy Tyner's displeasure with the direction Coltrane took with his groups in the mid-60's is included, along with quotes from people who loved playing with him at that time.
   Overall, this biography is objective, comprehensive, and enlightening to anyone interested in jazz or in the development of a remarkable talent in general. Very much recommended.