5 comments about A Brother's Journey: Surviving a Childhood of Abuse.

1. Excellent perspective form the brothers point of view & how child abuse does not stop at one child



2. Thanks for the fast delivery and great book - it was in excellent condition. I will definitely purchase from you again. Thanks.



3. good book! i like the part where richard's mom makes him eat garbage, and tabasco sauce! read it if you like richard pelzer as much as me!



4. Excellent book! I loved hearing from the brother's point of view. I couldn't get enough of learning about this amazing story!



5. I loves Dave Pelzer story from his childhood i enjoyed both " A child called It" and " The lost boy". But when i found out that his brother richard was abused also i found the book and had to read it. It is a great book. If you like Davids books you will surely love his brother. Its definitly sad but its reality.

5 comments about There's a Boy in Here.

1. I found this book very helpful. I could really relate to Judy's situation and saw many facets of my son's behavior in that of Sean's. It helped me to see that I am not the only one facing this same situation. Maybe my son will mature out of a lot of this too.



2. I read this book when my son was diagnosed with autism. The concept looked interesting and what I read opened up the world of autism to me. Sean gave me the idea that I had to get into my son's world and not make him come to mine! And 4 years later, my son is a very high functioning autistic child - it wouldn't have been possible without what I learned from this book!



3. This book is a must read for parents or relatives of Autistic children. I now understand why my 5 year old son does some of the things he does - it makes him feel good, and he does not understand why mom & dad say no. Sean tells you what went through his mind. Read this book, it will help you understand. Pray for a cure......



4. I absolutely LOVE this book!!! This is a very personable book that draws you into the Barron story as they share their family struggles and successes, hardships and joys. I love that Judy tells how she interpreted her son's behavior and how that is contrasted by Sean explaining what he was really thinking in his mind. The differences of thought show the confusion that easily happens between parent and child. Of course, each child is different but this does give excellent examples of the complexity of each personality within the autism spectrum. It is extremely important to communicate and try to understand what your child is thinking so that you can help him. It is equally important to be consistent to work through each issue. I love the honesty of Judy's frustration in the circumstance. And I love that Sean trusted his mom enough to share his life with the world. This book also proves the closeness between parent and child, even when their life is in upheaval. I have a nice collection of books on Autism, Fragile X Syndrome, OCD, OD, Asperger's, temperament problems, anger, and other such helps which were written by world-renown doctors and others but this simple book is, by far, the book I most relate to. Did I say that I love this book? It was the only book to give me hope. Whenever I felt I was going to give up, I'd think of this story. I credit this book for my son doing so well and being nearly normal so that people can't tell he is within the autistic/asperger's realm. :-)



5. Having reading essentially all memoirs of mothers with kids of the spectrum, I have to say this is the one that really "tells it like it is." Judy Barron pulls no punches on the difficulties of managing her son. Sean, her adult son, provides wonderful insight into what his often maddening behavior meant. Mother and son find tremendous respect for each other's strengths and weaknesses. Truly an inspiring book.

5 comments about Daddy's Apprentice: Incest, Corruption, and Betrayal-A Survivor's Story.

1. Before I begin this review in full, let me just state for anyone who may not have noticed... this autobiographical book is 124 pages long. Had I recognized this prior to purchase, I could have avoided a literary journey I wish I had not taken. The length of the book alone suggests there are problems with completeness, explanation, and insight.
   
   Sandy Wilson, an incest survivor, with the help of a published author tells the sordid, pathetic story of her childhood beginnings. It is a sometimes graphic, sometimes evasive account of just how ugly, dirty, cruel, and dangerous life can be for a child. The product of an incestuous relationship between a biological brother and sister, Sandy Wilson is raised primarily by her grandparents. Although her grandmother and grandfather clearly commit insurance fraud by torching the shacks and trailers they have outgrown, her life remains fairly stable... until her father is released from prison.
   
   Even while her father is clearly viewed as a predator by the author's grandfather, her grandmother appears to feel obligated to her only son and he moves in and quickly takes over the household. Sandy Wilson is forcibly raped for the first time when she is six years old.
   
   There are many, many unanswered questions for the reader.
   
   1. If her father was a convicted sex offender, why did her grandmother allow him almost unrestricted access to a young child? No precautions were taken.
   
   2. In chapter 9, when the author is 9 years of age, she finally tells her grandmother what her father is doing to her. She later hears her grandmother and her biological father arguing about the repeated molestations. (Great! Now we are getting somewhere, right? Wrong!) Throughout the remainder of the book, there is NEVER any mention of this again! What happened? We know the father continues to rape the child, buy why? How?
   
   3. Throughout her childhood, Sandy Wilson is also taught the finer points of breaking and entering, theft, and fencing. As an adolescent girl, she becomes aware that her father probably raped and murdered two teenaged hitchhikers. In the epilogue of the book (a mere 1/2 page), the author states her father managed to evade the police and any further legal consequences until his death in 1989. As an adult, why did Sandy Wilson not report her father to the authorities? (I do not really care whether she did or did not as I am not passing moral judgment, but I would have appreciated some explanation about the choices she made.)
   
   4. Sandy Wilson moved out of her father's home several times once she reached the age of 16. Each time her father managed to find her. Why did she go back? There is no explanation given about why the author made many of the choices she did. Again, I am not passing judgment, I just want to know something of the author's thought processes.
   
   5. After firing a shotgun at her father and blasting a hole in the wall above his head, the author indicates the sexual abuse stopped. What happened thereafter? There is not one single word about the author's life as an adult survivor of incest. NOTHING! Was her life forever scarred by the abuse to which she was subjected or did she overcome great tragedy to live an empowered existence? Your guess is as good as mine because the author never tells us.
   
   While it was apparent that the author wanted to impart some sense that her grandparents were, even if poor and misguided, decent people who cared for her... why was her grandmother so willing to throw her under the bus? A child is raped almost daily for 3 years in the same house but the grandmother feigns lack of knowledge? Lord help us all! If the author's grandparents were concerned individuals somewhat capable of caring for a child and providing minimum stability, how and why did the author's father become such a psychopath? I could never decide if I should regard the grandmother with comtempt, pity, outrage, or all of the above. Unfortunately, the author tells us nothing about how SHE views her grandmother, so I have no way of knowing what to think or feel.
   
   In the afterword of the book, it is stated that "Sandy Wilson shares her childhood experiences so that others may have a better understanding of sexual abuse and child exploitation." This is a lofty goal for a book full of sexual abuse "war stories" with no explanation or exploration to help define them. If the reader is interested in well written books about the issue, I strongly suggest you look elsewhere. If I could have given this book a rating of No Stars, I would have.



2. When I first started reading it, I couldn't put it down. The struggles of a young girl are heatwrenching. I do wish the book had more details of her life. I felt like I missed some bits and pieces here and there.



3. Though meaning well, this book couldn't keep me wanting more. The story is riddled with poor grammar, minuscule chapters, and frequent mentioning of "the sickness." I swear, by the end of the second chapter, "the sickness" was mentioned so many times that "the sickness" lost all meaning to me, as she also tried to make "the sickness" sound overtly ominous. Whatever. And don't get me started on the somewhat open-ended finale. So how does she cope with her past and find a way to move on? Good question.



4. I picked up this book, and could not put it down. I was riveted by the courage of this girl, who endured so much for so long. It is amazing to me that these things can happen, and in many instances right under our noses. This girl was at the mercy of her father, and the only person who could have helped her, was too being abused. I admire this woman, because she has come so far from where she began, she learned to let go of the resentment and hate that her father deserves. In letting go, she set herself free. I commend her for this, because now she has taken control of her life, and chosen not to let anything bring her down. I can only hope i would have half her courage.



5. I had to read this book for a class in college.
   Not only did the author make you feel like you were actually there, but I honestly could not put it down. (And I am sorry to say, I hate reading what my teachers assign me) It was an eye opening account of what many children endure behind closed door. I recommend this book esp. to Psychology and Education students, faculty, or even someone in the profession already.

5 comments about Rocket Boys: A Memoir.

1. Was purchased due to a requirement by my childs school. He has informed me it is a good book.



2. Homer Hickam grew up in a rural isolated mountain town but went on to win the National Science Fair.
   
   This book is his story and how he was successful.
   
   I bought 24 copies of this book to inspire my advanced 6th grade Reading class. They loved the book. In our discussions they mentioned never giving up. Homer and his friends kept trying until they had success.
   
   Thank you for sharing your life with us, Mr. Hickam.



3. ... "On June 4, 1960, the Big Creek Missile Agency, fresh from its medal winning performance at the National Science Fair, is sponsoring a day of rocket launches at its Cape Coalwood range. Everyone reading these words is invited..." This quote can be found on page 356-357 of a book called Rocket Boys; this statement showed me that the success of the main characters was a result of personal hard work and teamwork.
   
   "Rocket Boys" by Homer H. Hickam, Jr. is a nonfiction account of a group of friends from Coalwood, West Virginia in the early 1960's who have a fetish for making rockets. Homer and his friends have a dream to shoot a rocket up into the clouds. This story gives the reader a message that dreams really can come true.
   
   Rocket Boys is one of the strongest books I have ever read. The author accomplished his goals to tell people that team work is one of the most important things to know in your life. This book is recommended for people that like space and rockets and who want a hopeful book to read. Reading Rocket Boys really gets you thinking about team work and how far you can get with it.



4. I was a little disappointed by the ending and the fact that Homer Hickam gave John Kennedy the idea to go to the Moon but other than that I couldn't help but root for the band of misfits.



5. I bought this book and the audio tapes and my son and I listened and read this amazing book together. Our plan was to read for 30 minutes a night...however it was sooooooo good we listened and read for 5 hours!
   
   We are now going to rent the movie that was made from the film! All systems go....we enjoyed the adventure!

5 comments about Good Old Boy: A Delta Boyhood.

1. Anyone who grew up in a small town in the 40's and 50's will enjoy this book, especially if that small town was in the South. Willie Morris was a brilliant wordsmith. I have read several of his books and this one may be my favorite.



2. I am from Yazoo City so this book has always been one of my favorites. I saw Willie Morris at a car wash in Jackson, MS not long before his death. I was shy and didn't want to bother him, so I didn't introduce myself and have a chat. I would have loved to have spoken with him. Now I regret my shyness - should've taken the chance. Yazoo City has an enduring quality and charm that shows in all his books and stories. No matter where I live, it will always be home. There is a great feeling of safety and warmth whenever I drive into the city limits. It is a feeling of home. Not many people have that sense of home these days. I feel blessed to have grown up there.



3. I was born 2 years after Mr. Morris. My childhood was not at all like Mr. Morris'. I recognized some of the events of the times, but the adventures he told of going through came across to me as gross exaggerations; just think of the 8 foot+ tall Indians he mentions. And the story about the race - very, very unlikely. His tales remind me somewhat of the character in the movie "Bigfish". Even thinking about Tom Sawyer, the incidents in there were not as outlandish as those in "Good Old Boy". To me this book was entertaining and well-written, but not really enlightening regarding growing up in the 40's. I watched baseball in those days, I went into a haunted house, I had my run-ins with a teacher's pet, etc. but I enjoyed Salinger's writing about this stuff much more.



4. This was a great memoir about a "typical" southern boy's childhood. I wish Willie Morris had not died so young because I found his work so enjoyable, and it would have been wonderful to read even more of his writing.

   I would not put Mr. Morris up on the same level as Mark Twain (and he probably would not want it either), but this book reminds me in a lot of ways of Tom Sawyer--a young boy's life on the Mississippi Delta. Everyone should experience these memories, whether in real time or vicariously.

   He tells of his childhood in Yazoo City, Mississippi, with all his childhood friends, including Spit McGee (the forty's Huckleberry Finn). He recalls their baseball games, football games, hunting on the Delta with his father, practical jokes played on anyone and everyone. He recounts the story of the Witch of Yazoo and the broken chain. One of the best and most humorous of his stories is the tale of the haunted house and what the boys found in it one dark and stormy night.

   I best remember in this book the chapters of a typical day in the life of a boy his age in Yazoo City--a day in the summer and a day in the fall. These are great vignettes and very poignant pulling in the reader to want to recall his or her own childhood memories.

   This is a great memoir and can be enjoyed by all.




5. This is one of the best books that I have ever read.Mr. Morrishas a beautiful writing style, and captures the beauty of the southperfectly.

5 comments about An Hour Before Daylight : Memoirs of a Rural Boyhood.

1. This is a very enjoyable book. I love to read about the true
   South. Jimmy Carter is a man to be admired. He grew up learning
   to work for what he wanted. He shows great respect for others.
   A very good read.



2. AN HOUR BEFORE DAYLIGHT by Jimmy Carter
   October 29, 2007
   
   
   Rating: 4/5 Stars
   
   I've now read several books written by President Jimmy Carter and I've enjoyed them all. What I love about his books is his personal touch he lends to them. AN HOUR BEFORE DAYLIGHT however is the first full memoir that I've read by Jimmy Carter (the other books were books on Faith), and seeing the world of his childhood, depression era Georgia, has been insightful. This childhood he had is what shaped him into the giving person he is today.
   
   Living in the South during this time meant that blacks were separate from whites, and whites were superior to blacks. And while some of these attitudes may have prevailed even in the Carter household, he was also taught to treat blacks with respect, and most of his childhood friends were the black children of the hired hands they had on their farm. The Carters, compared to many of their neighbors at the time, did well in farming and were very resourceful in all they endeavored. Hard work was the ethic they lived by, but Jimmy Carter also had stories to tell about childhood antics and enjoying life on the farm. Carter also talks about his siblings, mostly referring to his sisters Ruth and Gloria (Billy came along much later, but he is mentioned in the book, in particular in regards to his tragic early death). He looked up to his father, and greatly admired his mother, a woman who did so much in her later years and became famous in her own right (some of the stories Jimmy relates are quite humorous, including her love of the Brooklyn Dodgers, later the LA dodgers and her friendship with the team).
   
   AN HOUR BEFORE DAYLIGHT is not the perfect book. I found a lot of it to be rather dry reading, but I still enjoyed the anecdotes and stories that Jimmy Carter wrote about his growing up years. He's seen a lot in his life and has used what he learned to enrich others and help those who need it. I am slowly going through Carter's library of books and look forward to the next one.



3. I've been wanting to read one or more of President Carter's books for a long time and decided to begin with this one. While I agree that it is well-executed in the main, it doesn't score higher with me on a few grounds.
   
   One: I felt there was a need for more fastidious editing. The book was by no means too long, but there was repetition and disordered content.
   
   Two: Way too much detail in some of the more mundane and unpleasant sections, in particular discussions of minutiae of small-town agribusiness dealings as well as graphic detail of livestock issues including slaughtering and castrating. TMI.
   
   Three: This is a half-hearted complaint, for I realize this isn't the book where these matters would likely be discussed considering the author has several other memoirs addressing other periods of his life (doesn't he?) In any case, I felt like the President did not discuss enough how his upbringing resulted in his being the man he is today as far as race relations are concerned. Lots of discussion about the relatively tolerant household in which he was raised, but lots of apology at the same time about how racism was ubiquitous at the time and not really perceived by his family or by others as a wrong to be righted. I don't know, I guess I'm rambling here, but I would have liked to have read content along the lines of "and these boyhood experiences shaped my perceptions in such a way that I wanted to make a difference in my public service career" and also I woulda liked to have read about how he connects his religious beliefs with his liberal leanings. Flesh out that relationship a bit more.
   
   Just my 2 cents.
   
   In any event, the book was a quick read and I am very glad I got around to reading it.



4. After reading this book it is easy to understand why Jimmy Carter was denigrated as a weak Leader who let America's enemies walk all over him. As he looks back with affection & describes his childhood in a strict, hardworking, but loving family on a farm in back country Depression-Era Georgia, Mr Carter comes across as a genuinely kind and good man who respects his fellow-men & women - regardless of color or creed; who is tolerant of - though not entirely blind to -- the shortcomings & foibles of others, and truly incapable of seeing evil in anyone. In short, he is the Ideal Christian. This also goes a long way to explain why subsequently he became so widely respected on the International stage in his second career as Humanitarian & Fixer of the World's Problems.
   
   Mr Carter paints a colourful word-picture of his boyhood home, the close-knit community, the Carter farm, the livestock, the hunting dogs, his family, and his neighbours, the black tenant farmers and their children with whom he worked and played. There is nostalgia for a time and way of life that largely disappeared from this continent half a century ago, when children worked harder & shouldered more responsibility than today's young people can even imagine, but which was the making of them as responsible adults. Yet his writing style is innocent & light-hearted, and occasionally down-right laughable as, for example, when he gives us some examples of his rural childhood diction. It is hard to imagine the urbane, educated Mr Carter uttering the words "We et a bait of plums" or, having travelled 30 miles to see the flooding Flint River, "Wheh de ribber, Daddy? Is it down in dat creek?"
   
   This book touched me on a more personal level as well. I was not far into it before I realised it reminded me so much of the spell-binding stories my mother used to tell us children around the dinner table, stories of her life growing up on a 240 acre Clay Belt farm as one of 15 children of Ukrainian immigrants. The climate, the geography and the neighbours' ethnicity may have been worlds away from the Carters, but her life and her experiences could just as well have happened down the dusty road from Plains, Georgia.
   
   Attention Jimmy Carter: If you read this - I asked my mother about the sound made by the metal clicker on the handle of the milk separator. She is an expert: one of her chores was to operate the milk separator; and afterward to disassemble, clean & reassemble all its the component parts, which she could perform as rapidly as a soldier does with his rifle.
   Mother says you have to turn the handle faster & faster until it reaches the speed necessary for the cream to separate from the milk inside the machine. The change in the tone of the "clicker" is determined by the speed of the turning handle & occurs when the required speed has been reached for the separation to occur.
   
   Mr Carter is one of only a handful of public figures with whom I would care to be acquainted. Such an interesting Life; such an interesting man!



5. Why is it that ex-presidents make poor writers? Is it that they have had to hide their feeing so long they are afraid to loosen up afterward because we might think less of them? I was looking forward to reading about a boy growing up in Georgia while I was growing up in Iowa, but his writing is so stiff and lifeless that I quit halfway through.

5 comments about Abandoned and Forgotten: An Orphan Girl's Tale of Survival During World War II.

1. Wow, a real surprise. This is a VERY good book. I am really enjoying it.



2. Very good book. Provided enough in the way of historical facts, maps etc to be informative but not dull. I cared about the main character and was always wondering what was going to happen next. I thought I was generally aware of the horrors of WWII but this was an education of how the victimizing and victimazation was dealt and endured back and forth by many different people of many different nationalities and how scary it is that under certain circumstance all human beings are capable of the very best and very worst treatment of one another. Makes me think twice about when I think I'm having a "bad day."



3. Abandoned and Forgotten is an amazing tale of survival during the last years of WWII in East Prussia. Told through a child's eyes, the author Evelyn Tannehill takes us on a journey showing us the horrors of war and the absolute cruelty that humans are capable of doing to fellow human beings, yet the compassion that we're capable of, as well. This book totally gripped me and broke my heart to read what this poor girl went through and survived. I met the author at a book signing and found her to be a lovely, gracious woman, so open to sharing her experiences.......no self-pity here. This book is a gift to us all and I highly recommend it



4. I bought this book having no idea how engaging it would be. I received the book yesterday afternoon, and today, the next day, I have finished it! I could not put this book down. This is an interesting book on a relatively unknown subject for most people. This is a part of history that many don't want to believe and have tried to sweep under the carpet. I would highly recommend this to anyone!



5. This is a captivating story about WWII told by an adult as she lived through it as a nine year old child in East Prussia, Germany. The author gives vivid pictures of the horrors of war on the innocent. It also gives a history of how countries get involved with demonstrating inhumane behavior. You will become totally enthralled and have a hard time putting the book down.

5 comments about Still Alive: A Holocaust Girlhood Remembered (The Helen Rose Scheuer Jewish Women's Series).

1. I found this book extremely tedious, poorly edited, full of boring speculations and philosophical self centerdness. Am shocked at myself being able to say this about any survivor, but there you have it. I kept thinking, "OK, now when are you going to get on with the actual story", before realizing that it just droned on in this way. A much better book that I just read is 'A Jump for Life', a far more moving account and likeable woman.



2. There are many excellent memoirs describing the Nazi death camps, but this one touched me in a way that no other book has.
   
   My fiancé died in the World Trade Center, and this is really the only book that resonates with the deep, bitter grief I felt in that disaster's aftermath. I don't mean to compare 9/11 to the Shoah at all, but Kluger articulates many of the contradictory feelings and beliefs I myself have struggled with, including my frustration at being shaped by something that everyone knows about, but almost no one understands. I felt a shock of recognition when she complained about people visiting Auschwitz as a sentimental gesture, because I feel that same (totally irrational) discomfort about people visiting "Ground Zero". Though I have lived my life as an intellectual, Kluger spoke to the savage in me that still rails and howls at my loss.
   
   This is oftentimes an angry, bitter book, but she mentions in passing that she has grandchildren, so I believe she found some measure of joy in her life after her internment. After my tragedy, I was forced to ask myself how someone who doesn't believe in life after death can go on in the face of the gruesome injustice of existence. I never really found an answer, but I kept on living, and I don't intend to stop anytime soon. I heard a lot of my journey in Kluger's voice as well, and I am exceedingly grateful that she wrote this book.



3. Ruth Kluger gives a remarkably lucid and thoughtful account of her experiences as WWII Austria, and eventually the concentration and forced labor camps of Germany. Even though English is not her first language, Kluger writes remarkably succinct and cogent English prose, and she confronts the moral and emotional complexity of the holocaust in her memory. "Still Alive" is loosely structured, as Kluger prefers to record the events as she recalls them as opposed to adhering to strict chronology, but the result is very interesting, she superimposes her thoughts and secrets as the horrible events unfold. She paints a vivid and, at times unusual portrait of the Nazi holocaust, often ruminating on the pain and humiliation (she wonders if her father trampled children when sentenced to the gas chamber), but also the sheer enormity of the camps as an historical event, she recalls that when she received her tattoo she felt glee because she realized that she was a part of something that was much larger than herself, something "worth witnessing." A third of the memoir is post-holocaust, Kluger recounts her experiences in New York after the war as she and her mother struggle to regain control of their lives, and look for possible meaning and redemption in their past-suffering.



4. The author doesn't simply recount fact and opinion, she has truly analyzed her childhood growing up in Vienna and then through the Holocaust and concentration camp. What a treasure we have in this book to document one girl's life, living through a horrific time in history. It is a bonus that the author is such an outstanding writer. Kluger allows the reader to relate to her life through their own life experiences. She is certainly someone I'd like to know better. Highly recommend.



5. I really enjoyed reading this book. It was written in a way that went through Ruth's life during the Holocaust years. It starts at the very beginning and just talks about her whole experience. I like how Ruth mixed in experiences and comments from the future. This showed how the Holocaust still impacts her life and what she thinks about her surroundings. No one will ever be able to understand what Ruth had to suffer while in the concentration camps. But I feel that by reading her life story it makes it seem more of a reality and brings to life aspects of how the Jews were treated during this time period in American history. All the hardship and discrimination that Ruth had to endure shows the power and willingness she had to live. I liked how she never said it was strength that le ther live rather it was mostly luck. I thought that reading this book made me feel greatful for everything that I have. I would recommend reading this book if you want to realize what life during the Holocaust was like.

3 comments about A Place for Us: A Greek Immigrant Boy's Odyssey to a New Country and an Unknown Father.

1. I could not put this book down. I read the story of Eleni several years ago and wanted to know what happened to the family and thie story continues with this book. Nicholas Gage's mother would certainly be proud of her family and the sacrifice she made. A fantastic book, highly recommended



2. Gage writes his and his family's story with a wonderful combination of pathos and humour--an incredible perspective and a worthwhile read.



3. This is as an extraordinary book by one of our country's most important contemporary writers. Highly recommended!

5 comments about Not a Happy Camper: A Memoir.

1. This book is a humorous recollection of what many remember as bad days away at summer camp. The experiences had me wondering how she survived all of them and lived to tell the tale. Unlike most camps, the camp which Schneider attended had no solid rules making for some interesting experiences.
   I highly recommend this book to everyone who has ever attended a summer camp, and for those who haven't, I will assure you that this does not happen at all camps.



2. I looked forward to reading this book each night. Although I'm about 15 years younger than Ms. Schneider, my memories of Jewish summer camp are similar. Ms. Schneider remembers the feelings of young adolescence so well and captures the funny small moments that are so true! This is a story that I want to share with my sister and friends.



3. This book delivers what it promises---a camp story. There isn't much else here, just the story of one summer at a camp in Maine. The camp wasn't what was advertised, but it turned out to be a great summer for Mindy anyway, especially in retrospect. I think the book aims to mean a little more than that, and be about discovering character traits, learning about appearances vs. truth, etc, but I don't think it really does that. It just tells in a fairly amusing way what the summer was like.
   
   I am not a big camp person, having crawled home with homesickness after a few days both times I tried to go to overnight camp, but I read this book as it was set in Maine. However, it was only in a very small way about Maine. There are a lot of summer camps in Maine, and overall I think they aim to have as little contact with "the locals" as possible. This camp had a bit more than some, due to some property issues, but overall the locals are portrayed as fairly scary Deliverance types. One girl is shown not to be, but Mindy never even learns her name and seems a bit shocked that a local could be nearly human. I grew up in Maine during the time period of this book, and I don't think campers from other areas would really have any clue how different their lives were than most Mainers, and would have no idea how this could create resentment.
   
   From that perspective, it was interesting to get a look at Maine during that period from the other side! The writing is well done and enjoyable. If you went to a similar camp to the one Mindy did, you would probably really enjoy this book. Just don't look for a lot more.



4. A must read for anyone who ever went to camp in the Northeast in the seventies. Reminded me so much of Camp Matta Wacca in Bear Mtn, NY



5. This is one of the funniest books I have ever read, much in the style of David Sedaris. The author has bound together virtually every experience a child could have at a rustic, ramshackle Maine camp. Her perspectives are priceless. It is a must-read for anyone who has ever persevered through a summer that ends up feeling nothing like the sales pitch originally presented by the camp owner.