Books

Going Home
The Right Path: The Autobiography of a Survivor
TESTIMONY : CONTMPRY WRTRS MAKE
Exploring the Thought of Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik
I Rest My Case
The Sun at Midday : Tales of a Mediterranean Family
Ruth's Journey: A Survivor's Memoir
Never to Be Forgotten: A Young Girl's Holocaust Memoir
Maybe Luck Isn't Just Chance (Jewish Lives-Memoir)
Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik: Man of Halacha, Man of Faith
Lucien's Story
Pack My Bag: A Self-Portrait
The Net of Dreams : A Family's Search for a Rightful Place
Until We Meet Again: A True Story of Love and War, Separation and Reunion
Captain of Innocence: France and the Dreyfus Affair
The Survivor
Martin Bubers Life and Work: The Later Years, 1945-1965 (Martin Buber's Life & Work)
The Last Selection: A Child's Journey Through the Holocaust
A REFUGE FROM DARKNESS
The Bible and Its Rewritings
The Israeli-American Connection: Its Roots in the Yishuv, 1914-1945 (America-Holy Land Monographs)
MAIMONIDES
AN INTERRUPTED LIFE
The Magic Worlds of Bernard Malamud (S U N Y Series in Modern Jewish Literature and Culture)
Love Carried Me Home : Women Surviving Auschwitz

Going Home: Jesus and Buddha as Brothers

Average customer rating:

The Essence of Divine
Parallels
Dissapointed
Just what I needed!
A conversation in book form.

Going Home: Jesus and Buddha as Brothers
Thich Nhat Hanh
Manufacturer: Riverhead Trade
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Living Buddha, Living Christ
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ASIN: 1573228303
Release Date: 2000-10-10

Amazon.com

Did you know that Jesus meditated? In Living Buddha, Living Christ, Thich Nhat Hanh delivered a powerhouse bestseller about the affinities of Buddhist and Christian ideals. In Going Home, he focuses on fundamental concepts that still drive a wedge between the two religions--such as rebirth vs. eternal life, God vs. nirvana, and so on. After praising the differences between Christianity and Buddhism, Nhat Hanh proceeds to dissolve them in virtuosic style. Not only did Jesus meditate, he says, but God is equivalent to nirvana. This effort to free us from limiting concepts is Nhat Hanh's way of paving a road back to Christianity for Christians who have been attracted to Buddhism but alienated from their original faith. In effect, Nhat Hanh is dressing up Christianity in the garb of philosophical Buddhism, which isn't too far off from what certain progressive Christian thinkers have themselves done in different terms. Mindfulness engenders concentration, concentration leads to understanding, understanding strengthens faith, and faith provides the energy to practice mindfulness. More conventional Christians may balk at this blending of traditions, but for many lost souls, it will be a beacon back to a warm hearth. --Brian Bruya

Book Description

Exiled from Vietnam over thirty years ago, Thich Nhat Hanh has become known as a healer of the heart, a monk who shows us how the everyday world can both enrich and endanger our spiritual lives. In Going Home he shows us the relationship between Buddha and Jesus by presenting a conversation between the two. In this unique way we learn how such concepts as resurrection and mindfulness converge. The brotherhood between Jesus and Buddha can teach us to "practice in such a way that Buddha is born every moment of our daily life, that Jesus Christ is born every moment of our daily life."

"[A] beautiful and inspiring gift to all seeking a more meaningful spirituality."-Library Journal

"His book speaks powerfully about the need for tolerance and love in overcoming differences."-Publishers Weekly

"Explores the connections between Buddhism and Christianity...a valuable addition to the growing literature on these two religious traditions."-Kirkus Reviews

Customer Reviews:

The Essence of Divine.......2007-03-17

Siddartha Gautana, a crown prince of ancient Nepal, conquered Mara (illusion) and became Buddha (enlightened one) after meditating under the Bodhi tree for 40 days.

Jesus of Nazareth, a carpenter, fasted and prayed in the desert for 40 days and was tempted by the dark One, after which he became Christ (the annointed one)

Whether you are fervant in your Christianity or immersed in your Buddhism ... the fundmantal intention of any legitimate world religion ... is to evolve the soul and character of a person.

This is a dialogue that forges forward a holistic view of comparative religion. Jesus taught forgiveness and compassion. Buddha taught detachment and compassion. Many of their lessons were not written down until centuries after they were gone from Earth. By their fruits you shall know them .... for while many cults have vanished upon the death of a founder ... both Christianity and Buddhism flourished even more as time unfolded. Despite an oral tradition these two world religions became dominant in the world.

There is much mystery still on the origins of religon. However, Buddha and Christ would probably get along if they were in a room together. So why shouldn't their followers. True faith is love and healthy fear born of respect not fear born of ignorance.

Thich Nhat Hanh has a wonder here.

Parallels.......2006-08-24

Like many other readers of this book, I have been exploring the parallels between Christianity and Buddhism for many years. While many in Western Culture immediately shun this idea, the parallels between the two faiths exist. Thomas Merton's work in this area opened many doors of dialogue in Western Culture on this front. In more recent times, Thich Nhat Hanh has offered to continue the exploration.

Much to my disappointment, I found this book to be slanted to the audience that is already Buddhist and struggling with reconciling an affiliation toward Christianity. Viewing the book from an opposite perspective made me feel somewhat isolated. The book is essentially a series of discussions led by Thich Nhat Hanh in which Christianity and the life of Jesus is placed in a Buddhist perspective. Heavily laced with discussion of Dharma, the dialogue frequently loses sight of Christianity or gives an explanation is much too simplistic.

Parts of the book are really worth reading. However, the flaws I found in the book may create a feeling of isolation with some readers. Yet the flaws I find in this books may allow this book to be of greater use to other readers. As an alternative, I would suggest "The Good Heart" written by the Dalai Lama.

Dissapointed.......2005-01-28

I was raised Christian, but very recently have been actively pracicing Buddhism. Although I have rejected many of the belifs from Christian church, I am still trying to reconcile my Christian upbringing with Buddhism. I read Living Buddha, Living Christ a while ago and although the message was simplistic, I enjoyed the book. I was expecting further discussion of Christianity and Buddhism in Going Home, but was dissapointed that it was a disjointed series of dharma talks with the difficult to understand, circular language that many Buddhism books contain and little real content on Christianity and Buddhism.

Just what I needed!.......2004-01-05

The celebrated Vietnamese Buddhist monk writes (speaks) to all those who feel it necessary to abandon the Christianity of their childhood. Hanh explains the similarities between Jesus/Buddha and Christianity/Buddhism, hoping to convince Westerners that it is possible to bring the two traditions together in one's life.

This book is recommended for any spiritualist, but mostly for the Buddhist struggling with his/her innate sense of Christianity, or for the Christian who wishes to incorporate Buddhism into his/her life.

A conversation in book form........2003-12-10

Going Home is not so much a well thought out book as an informal conversation between the reader and Thich Nhat Hanh. It is as if we were on retreat with master Hanh and had a chance to speak with him about our roots and our values and what they mean to us in our life. It doesn't matter whether we are Christian or Buddhist. We are able to find our way home with either set of teachings or preferably, both.

As in most conversations, we are likely to find ourself going over ground we have already covered, but each time with the master to guide us, some new element is added for us to think about. The master does not judge us, but accepts us as we are and, in fact, teaches us to move away from making judgments to a genuine attempt to understand the unique importance of the family and background of each individual. This is the rock on which to build our life. For some whose family background is part of their problem of finding balance and wholeness in their life, the challenge of accepting what can't be changed and understanding the suffering of those who have come before us may be too great a task without help from thoughtful and caring friends.

This conversation with the master will also be difficult for those people who come to the discussion with an absolute conviction of the truth value of their religion. Clearly, the master sees himself as both a follower of Jesus and the Buddha and he sees no contradiction in his position. For the master, Jesus and the Buddha are truly brothers. They both loved others unconditionally and wanted only the best for everyone. Their lives were perfect examples of death to a self that had any concern for personal gain. They owned nothing and lived on the charity of others. What little material possessions they acquired, they freely shared with others. The only thing that was truly theirs was their life which they freely gave for the good of the world. Also, Jesus and the Buddha were brothers in suffering. They did not avoid the legitimate suffering of their lives and used their suffering to grow into the most complete human beings the world has ever known.

These conversations with the master have less to do with religion than with right living in the present moment. For the master yesterday is a memory and tommorow a dream. Now is the time to live with Jesus and the Buddha as our brothers. We are one family and the master encourages us to rejoin our family if, like the prodigal son, we find ourself lost and alone.

Average customer rating:

A great look at the "good old days."
At Long Last...
Going home to the Fifties with Madison Avenue.

Going Home to the Fifties
Bill Yenne
Manufacturer: Last Gasp
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0867196432

Book Description

With the postwar economic boom, a vast middle class emerged. Suburbs exploded across the country, and the new industrial complex cranked out cars, appliances, and home furnishings in record numbers. Here is an idealized neighborhood of the period, with schools, roads, and commuter trains to the homes, kitchens, and backyards — all drawn from the fantasy worlds created by advertising. Color photos and illustrations are featured in this presentation of the ideal of 1950s suburban living. From houses to cars, to individual rooms and lawns, an entire industry was created to instruct a newlycreated middle class on what ideal living should be.

Customer Reviews:

A great look at the "good old days.".......2005-02-08

I've been fascinated with the 50's since I was a child. Almost everything I've read on the 50's has been clouded with cynicism. While reading this book, I really felt like I was transported back in time and into the minds of people who were living in this time. I felt it did a great job of explaining "materialism" and "housewives" (that had normally gotten such a bad reputation). I just don't think I can say enough good things about this book. I'm glad I bought it, and will hopefully share it with others who share my fascination and enthusiasm.

At Long Last..........2004-07-12

a book that celebrates that wonderful decade known as the 1950's and does so without irreverance, parody, or sarcasm. I came across the wonderful gem of a book quite by accident. For years, I had wished that someone would write a book that highlighted this time in American history and Bill Yenne does a SUPERB job.

Not only is the text informative, but the wonderful pictures and illustrations, along with real advertisements, make this book a must-have for the serious afficianado. Unfortunately, you can find books out there about the fifties, but they are written by those who want to make fun of that time and use intellectual sophistication to castigate this era in America. How do I know it was such a good time?

Well, I don't recall high school students shooting and knifing other students. Teen pregnancy numbers were quite low, movies had a point to them, drug abuse wasn't rampant, and some things were still honored and revered, such as church, country, and family. (No, I am not a Falwell/Robetrtson/Dobson right-wing fundamentalist.) But I am a moderate and I guess one of the many things I love about that time was its moderation and its optimism.

Here we were right after a world war, eager to achieve and enjoy the promise of America and full of boundless optimism about our future. President Eisenhower led with a fatherly hand, and people grew and flourished. The malcontent and sociopath were the exception rather than what seems like the rule today. People seemed to have some reference to the whole rather than just an apathetic, "I don't give a damn" attitude. There were no violent gangsta rap songs flooding the airwaves with hate, and wonder of wonders, the music was really good-now considered classic.

Yes, those halcyon days are gone now and we've "grown up." Just about anything goes and you don't have to look very far to find a social or psychic cesspool to wallow in. Being born in the late fifties, I know that my generation is the last to have enjoyed the fruitage of that great decade. But for a time, it was ours and it was sparkling, and it was the real deal.

So get this book and spend an afternoon savoring each delicious memory and picture. You can't help but feel better after you put the book down and in fact, will find yourself returning there again and again.

Going home to the Fifties with Madison Avenue........2003-12-17

I was intrigued when I first saw this pop up on Amazon while looking for another book about the Fifties and I placed an order. Now having read and looked through it a more apt title would be 'Going Home to the White Middle Class Suburban Fifties'. The author covers the period with a rather narrow focus, concentrating mainly on home life in the newly built suburbs and the reason for this is because nearly all the interesting illustrations (paintings and photos) are images taken from ads of the time. There are chapters about The Living Room, In the Kitchen, The Bed and Bath, Watching Television, all areas where pictures from ads would be available but no chapter, for instance, about suburban shopping, supermarkets and malls were not heavy advertisers in mass-market magazines back then. It does seem odd to allow the availability of ad images to dictate the contents of a book about the recent past.

This does create some odd situations, page thirty-seven shows a Saturday Little League game with an Oldsmobile taking most of the space, page forty has a painting to show a village theater but it is dominated by a 1957 Oldsmobile, on pages forty-one and forty-two the five-day-a-week trek to collect commuter hubby from the train station uses a painting with six Chevrolets taking more space than the train.

The author covers the period in a straightforward way and I get the impression that it is the pictures that count rather than the words (set in a rather large type size) which just fill out the space between the two, three or four pictures on each spread. The captions are redundant as they only describe what can be seen in the pictures. There is a good index but no bibliography.

'Going Home to the Fifties does capture some of the feel of this wonderful period for the white middle classes and it was a neat idea to use the very images that helped to create this feeling but I think another book does a better job, the stunning 'All-American Ads: 50s' by Jim Heimann, 960 pages of color ads including many that had the pictures used in Bill Yenne's book but now you can see and read the whole ad. Two other books I've enjoyed are Thomas Hines's 'Populuxe' and Time/Life books 'The American Dream: the 50s' both have interesting text and plenty of photos to capture the period.

***FOR AN INSIDE LOOK click on 'customer images' under the cover.

Average customer rating:

Beautiful book for children and adults
Eve Bunting and David Diaz do it again!
Excellent book!
Good story/GREAT illustrations
beutiful story and Illustration

Going Home (Trophy Picture Books)
Eve Bunting
Manufacturer: HarperTrophy
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0064435091

Amazon.com

With its remarkable illustrations and its affectionate portrait of a migrant family, Eve Bunting's latest book is a jewel. Carlos, his parents, and his sisters visit the family village in Mexico. Mama and Papa are very excited, but the kids don't know what all the fuss is about. If they really love Mexico, what could be the point of leaving for America just for "opportunities"?

As they watch their parents with the family, and sneak a peek at the two of them dancing in the moonlight to a song only they can hear, Carlos understands. "They love it here because it's home. They have left home for us." With clarity, warmth, and very few words, Bunting has explained those ever-new American dreamers to yet another generation.

Book Description

Christmas is coming and Carlos and his family are going home-driving south across the border to Mexico. But Mexico doesn't seem like home to Carlos, even though he and his sisters were born there. Can home be a place you don't really remember?

At first, La Perla doesn't seem very different from the other villages they pass through. But then Carlos is swept into the festivities by Grandfather, Aunt Ana, and the whole village. Finally, Carlos begins to understand Mama and Papa's love for the place they left behind, and realizes that home can be anywhere, because it stays in the hearts of the people who love you.

Eve Bunting and David Diaz-the Caldecott Medal-winning team behind Smoky Night- collaborated once again to create a dazzling picture book that glows with holiday joy and the spirit of Mexico.

Customer Reviews:

Beautiful book for children and adults.......2006-11-28

Eve Bunting's books have a wisdom that transcends their simple stories. As an ESL teacher and a teacher in classes with immigrant students, I have often shared this book with middle school students and adults. In a brief and poetic narrative, it tells the universal story of parents sacrificing so their children will have a better life, through the eyes of a child. The adults in my ESL classes love it and take it home to read to their children.

Eve Bunting and David Diaz do it again!.......2001-07-07

Eve Bunting takes her readers on journey with a Mexican family going home for Christmas. The text she uses is elegantly written. Through the feelings expressed by Carlos and his family you get a real sense of the Mexican culture and the importance of family. David Diaz's illustrations lead you into the journey with Carlos and his family. With the use of collaged background and inset illustrations the pages come alive. The text of Bunting and the illustrations of Diaz give you the sense of being there. This is a book that a child of any age would enjoy.

Excellent book!.......2000-06-22

This book is very touching...it sensitively portrays the sacrafices Mexican immigrants have to make to move to America for their children to have a better life. Very well done themes of parental love, long car trips, the sadness of leaving one's home country, sibling realtionships, husband and wife being romantic (tasteful and age-appropriate), and a child's growing understanding of the complexities of life. Buy and read it to every child (and adult) you know.

Good story/GREAT illustrations.......1999-02-26

This story is well told, with a nice pace and sense of language. Diaz is up to his usual standards, creating a colorful world that you just want to hop right into. Judge this book by its cover - it's beautiful!

beutiful story and Illustration.......1997-08-24

The story will keep the attention of any child with the vivid illustrations of Diaz's technique

Average customer rating:

"Tell me when he gets to Long Beach."
You need to read Waldrop
More from "the resident Weird Mind of his generation!"
Complicated But Well-Written Stories
I don't get it.

Going Home Again
Howard Waldrop
Manufacturer: St Martins Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0312185898

Customer Reviews:

"Tell me when he gets to Long Beach.".......2006-05-07

Years ago, back when Howard Waldrop and I both lived in the middle of Texas, I made it a point never to miss ArmadilloCon in Austin. All the Texas science fiction writers were there, plus writers from Oklahoma and New Mexico and Louisiana (there were, and are, more of them than you might think), and the climax of the weekend was always The Howard Waldrop Show. Howard would read a recently-completed story (which might have taken a decade to write) to an SRO audience, complete with costumes and visual aids. In addition to always being great fun, you could absolutely count on hearing a story that was never less than superior. It has been argued by folks who ought to know -- many of them other writers -- that Howard Waldrop, the Trout-Hunter, is among the very best science fiction writers of his generation. The problem is, most fans of hack writers like Robert Jordan have never heard of him. The problem is, Howard's rate of production makes a glacier look like an Olympic sprinter. He's written one novel and co-authored another in the past thirty years (he has two more he's been working on for several decades), but his forte is the short story, of which this volume is the fifth collection. All the nine stories here are well worth reading, though my favorites are "Scientifiction" and (especially) "Flat Feet!," which combines Hollywood, Attorney General Palmer, and Oswald Spengler. Waldrop is droll, arcane, erudite, and extremely inventive, and his stories require some knowledge and participation on the part of the reader; maybe that's why today's younger sf readers don't appreciate them. But they don't get much better than this. Long may he wave.

You need to read Waldrop.......2005-11-08

Howard Waldrop's output is extremely limited. In fact, the appearance of more than three Waldrop stories in a single year is considered by many to be one of the signs of Armageddon. Waldrop is a craftsman, sometimes nurturing ideas for years before he sits down to write. He is a genre unto himself--each story is unique.

This collection is proof positive of all the statements made above--his craft and painstaking attention to detail are evident in every sentence. Over the course of nine stories, Waldrop entertains and enlightens, casting a spell over readers. You don't read a Waldrop story, you experience it. As James Blaylock states, "...most of them keep resonating as memories of experiences lived rather than read."

Four of the nine stories in this volume deal with alternate histories. "You Could Go Home Again," finds author Thomas Wolfe and musician Fats Waller returning to the US after attending the 1940 Olympics in Japan. "Household Words; Or, The Powers-That-Be," describes Charles Dickens at a public reading of "The Christmas Garland," an alternate version of "The Christmas Carol." Accompanying these tales are "The Effects of Alienation," a story Waldrop wrote "to find out what effect Hitler winning World War II would have had on Peter Lorre", and "Flatfeet!," a tale which, among other things, explores the theories of German philosopher Oswald Spengler, who argued that civilizations are subject to the same cycle of growth and decay as human beings. Each reads as though Waldrop is recounting actual events, convincing the reader that even if these things didn't happen, they certainly could have.

Other stories include "The Sawing Boys" (a reworking of "The Brementown Musicians"), "Occam's Ducks" (a look at black American film actors of the 1920s), "El Castillo de la Perseverancia" (an "SF wrasslin' story"), "Scientifiction" (wherein a member of a race of intelligent insects visits our reality), and "Why Did?," (featuring Benjamin Compson, Lenny Small, Rhoda Penmark and Holden Caufield as inmates of a unique asylum). Whether dealing with fairy tale writers who speak perfect Runyonese, paying tribute to his favorite character actors, or working with emotionally and mentally disturbed characters from American literature, Waldrop writes with authority and panache--his creativity is a true marvel (this is the reason the story descriptions are minimal, since part of the pleasure in reading these stories is watching the plots unfurl). Combining seemingly disparate elements into a cohesive whole, he extracts every drop of story value from his subject matter.

In his introduction, Waldrop says that "the stories, contrary to the popular notion, have gotten harder, not easier to do as time goes on." He obviously sweats the details, which explains both the quality and paucity of his output. It's also clear he feels compelled to write, despite the fact that "You absolutely cannot make a living writing short stories..." Be of good cheer, though, because Waldrop promises to keep writing as long as editors keep buying and readers keep reading. I'm not worried about readers, because Waldrop makes fans easily. Editors, however, should take heed--it would be a crime to let a natural resource like this go to waste.

More from "the resident Weird Mind of his generation!".......2003-10-30

What do the following have in common?

Keystone Kops, vampires, werewolves, mummies, and Oswald Spengler! ("Flatfeet!")

Three masked Mexican wrestling heroes must save the world from El CARNE Xipe, El MUNDO Grosero, and El DIABLO Peligroso in a "FREE-FOR-ALL WRESTLING/STYLO TEJAS DEATH-MATCH/ con Barbed Wire!" match! ("El Castillo de la Perseverancia")

Charles Dickens reads his classic story, "The Christmas Garland," featuring Eben Mizer, Giant Timmy, and the Ghosts of Christmases Past, Current, & Yet to Come! ("Household Words; Or, The Powers-That-Be")

The Bremen Town Musicians, Damon Runyon, and the ever-popular art of the musical saw! "Zex! Bleaso! Shut your goozle or you'll have to do a minute! ("The Sawing Boys")

Thomas Wolfe listens to Fats Waller in the passenger lounge of the dirigible, TICONDEROGA, on his way home from the Tokyo Olympics of 1940! ("You Could Go Home Again")

All of these stories and more appear in this outstanding collection by one of my favorite writers. Dubbed "the resident Weird Mind of his generation" by THE WASHINGTON POST BOOK WORLD, this book got the following review from LIBRARY JOURNAL: "Clever, humorous, idiosyncratic, oddball, personal, wild, and crazy...Recommended."

"Wowee!" said Fats. "Talk about a rumpus! My old heart can't take much of that."

Complicated But Well-Written Stories.......2001-12-28

I'm another dyed-in-the-wool Waldrop fan. If you search elsewhere, you'll see that I've reviewed another of his books with very high praise. But this one has troubled me somewhat. Some of the stories are utterly remarkable, with some truly outstanding writing. Well, *all* of them are quite well-written, researched to the hilt, and then laid out for the reader to grapple with. And grapple we do.

I can't help but compare this Waldrop with the one I met in 1988. This one is far more cynical. This one has withdrawn into his own interests completely. This one is much harder to relate to. If anything, he's an even better writer than he was before. (When you do get what he's writing about, it's a knock-out blow!) Perhaps I should say, he's more eccentric?

But, I think I agree with another reviewer here, in that I wondered several times...WHY was this story written? Does it stand alone, if one is unfamiliar with the research? Some of them do, yes! Others maybe do, maybe don't. Still, his senarios remain completely convincing, and one feels compelled to see them through. Overall, well worth the read (definitely!), but not as classic as his earlier stuff.

I don't get it........1999-02-15

Since this is the 4th Waldrop collection I've read, one might think praise would be effusing from me. Yet, I confess I don't get it. His stories are well-written, if lacking in narrative tug. The are well-researched and he pays readers the compliment of assuming they are intelligent, yet none of this doesn't matter since he changes the facts to suit his alternative-reality urges. Of all I've read in the past, only one story - "The Ugly Chickens" - has the feel of a classic. Anybody can rearrange the past (including the literary/mythic past) - in Waldrop the point that's missing is "Why?"

Going Home Again: Roy Williams, the North Carolina Tar Heels, and a Season to Remember

Average customer rating:

A Champion Is Born
Molding Individuals into a Team

Going Home Again: Roy Williams, the North Carolina Tar Heels, and a Season to Remember
Adam Lucas
Manufacturer: The Lyons Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1592287840

Book Description

As he traveled across the state of North Carolina in the summer of 2003, Roy Williams delivered a repetitive refrain to the thousands of University of North Carolina basketball fans who packed his public appearances: "Ol' Roy ain't that good."

Carolina fans didn't care to hear it, because they firmly believed that ol' Roy was, indeed, more than good-he was great. He was the prodigal son who served as Dean Smith's assistant coach, turned down the Carolina job in 2000, and finally accepted it in April of 2003. Williams became the Tar Heels' head coach after fifteen spectacular years at Kansas, and the immediate expectation was that he would find similar success in Chapel Hill, a once-proud program that had stumbled under former head coach Matt Doherty. But Williams knew something that it would take casual fans months to realize: Teaching the team of moody basketball players to play winning basketball would be about much more than simply what happened on the court. Williams had established a successful program at Kansas by connecting with the players he recruited over their four-year careers. At Carolina, he had less than twelve months to turn a group of talented individuals into a basketball team that could function at the highest level of NCAA competition, the Atlantic Coast Conference.

In the tradition of John Feinstein's A Season on the Brink comes GOING HOME AGAIN, the story of Roy Williams's first season as North Carolina's head basketball coach. Author Adam Lucas takes you inside the locker room and behind the scenes with the nation's most revered basketball program, in a rare glimpse into the inner workings of one of the country's most secretive college sports dynasties.

Customer Reviews:

A Champion Is Born.......2006-03-14

I read this book after UNC won the 2005 NCAA basketball tournament, and to me the most fascinating part was seeing how the foundation for that championship was established during the 2004 season chronicled here. We see the players begin to "buy in" to Roy Williams' coaching philosophy (some more quickly than others) and forge themselves into a real team, as opposed a collection of highly talented players, each with his own agenda. There are a lot of books celebrating winning seasons and championship runs (including one about the 2005 Tar Heels), but this is a rarity - a book about how a championship team became a championship team. I recommend it for UNC fans, of course, but also for college basketball fans in general. And for young sports fans who'd like to read about what it takes to be a champion.

Molding Individuals into a Team.......2004-11-18

Straight from the Tar Heel Monthly, the nation's most widely read magazine devoted to University of North Carolina athletics. Adam Lucas, the publisher, has written this book on a remarkable man having a remarkable year.

This is the story of Roy Williams leaving a very successful stint at Kansas and returning to UNC. He was faced with a group of very talented but moody individuals into a winning team that could compete at the highest level of NCAA competition - the Atlantic Coast Conference.

No one player is good enough to win at that level, it takes team effort. And building that team effort is what it's all about. It's something that only the very best coaches can do. And he did it. Here's the detail.

Going Home: Unfinished Business/ Island of Flowers/ Mind Over Matter

Average customer rating:

I love Nora, but these are far below her usual standard
I liked them all
Interesting set of stories.
2 out of 3 are really good
An Outstanding Nora Roberts Anthology!

Going Home: Unfinished Business/ Island of Flowers/ Mind Over Matter
Nora Roberts
Manufacturer: Silhouette
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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From the Heart: Tonight and Always/A Matter of Choice/Endings and Beginnings
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ASIN: 0373218486

Book Description

Three women must rediscover the love of family before they can give their hearts to others. . . .

Unfinished Business --

She wanted answers from her estranged mother and went home to find them. But Vanessa Sexton also found Brady Tucker, the man who'd once broken her heart . . . and still left her breathless.

Island of Flowers --

Innocent Laine Simmons hardly expected the father she barely knew to welcome her. However, she was completely unprepared for the suspicion of her father's sexy partner Dillon O'Brian -- or for his intense passion.

Mind over Matter --

Protecting her mother's interests pitted no-nonsense agent Aurora Fields against ruthlessly determined David Brady. But there were few David couldn't charm if he set his mind to it -- and this time it really mattered.

Customer Reviews:

I love Nora, but these are far below her usual standard.......2005-07-12

Unfinished Business is a cute 200-page story about a classical pianist who left home as a teenager to pursue her career under the overbearingly high-pressure of her father/tutor/manager. Now, 8 years later, after the death of her father, she decides to return home to Western Maryland to rest and recover from an ulcer and severe burn-out, and to reconcile with her mother and childhood sweetheart. From her new adult prospective, and out from under the misguided influence of her father, she realizes that the misunderstandings that to her estrangement from both of them wasn't what she had been lead to believe. A nicely presented story about repairing mother-daughter bonds that seemed damaged forever, and about reconnecting with one's soulmate. This was the only story in the collection I found to be worthwhile reading.

I could tell right away that Island of Flowers was written very early in Nora Roberts career (copyright 1982) because it is not up to the well-polished and skillfully written standards we've come to expect from her. There are flashes of Nora Roberts brilliance in the detailed descriptions of the beautiful Hawaiian scenery, in particular when Laine and Dillon are snorkling in the reefs. However, the story is very weak. The dynamics of Laine's troubled relationship and subsequent reconciliation with her father is poorly developed. Dillon is so abrasively hostile towards Laine that it is impossible to believe that she ever falls in love with him - there is nothing at all likable about him except maybe his brooding good looks. The dialogue between them is painfully unbearable to read because it flows so unnaturally and unrealistically. Even the housekeeper, who is supposed to be a ally, isn't presented in a favorable manner. Thankfully this story is only 100 pages, otherwise I'd never have been able to finish it - it was that bad.

Mind Over Matter is a pure escapist reading that cannot be taken seriously or realistically. I found it difficult to get through, mostly because it wasn't believeable and the dialogue was so unnatural. I had a hard time looking at it superficially. A clairvoyant mother-daughter duo hooks up with a documentary producer who wishes to portray them in the most positive light possible. The mother is very likable, but the daughter is so prickly and hostile that it is hard to imagine the sympathetic producer becoming interested in her. I have to admit to skimming through the last half of the story because I couldn't bear reading it any further that I already had but I needed to satisfy my curiosity as to whether the story got any better and my need to know how it ended. The subject matter was interesting and unique enough that the story had great potential if only it had been better developed and was well-written.

I liked them all.......2003-08-02

I really enjoyed all three of these earlier Nora Roberts stories, I read this book in one day. All three stories are well-written and will pull you right in. The characters are charming, sassy and sometimes frustrating - totally human all of them. The romantic tension between the main characters is perfection. Nora Roberts writes about the lives of a concert pianist, a doctor, a bush pilot, a schoolteacher, a documentary producer and a Hollywood agent as if she has worn all of these hats herself, the stories flow well.

I really cannot say a bad thing about this collection of stories. Find a sunny porch or patio, a comfy chair and lose yourself in this wonderful book.

Interesting set of stories........2003-05-15

Well actually I would give it 3 1/2 stars only because of one of the stories I could not warm up to. The first story was excellent,Vaness and Brady Tucker were easy to like characters I gave it 4 stars. The second one with Lainie and Dillon only 2,why, because they were not easy to like characters. I had a difficult time warming up to them, and also a complete reversal to the first story. The final story Mind over Matter was to me the best of the three I can see an early begining to her witch series and the Donavon Series. All an all a better group of stories than her last Dangerous series. I still think that she is great and you should give this book a try.

2 out of 3 are really good.......2002-10-25

This is a collection of 3 early Nora Roberts stories. Unfinished Business and Mind over Matter were both good stories. Fans of Nora Roberts' work will recogonize her trademark style, and though they didn't have the suspense her later work has, the plot was still entertaining. I didn't like the middle story Island of Flowers. It was very short, and in my opinion, none of the characters were very fleshed out. I also didn't like how naive the heroine was in that one. Nora's stories usually have strong, daring women. That is one of my favorite things about her work. I didn't like this heroine. Buy it because of the first and third stories.

An Outstanding Nora Roberts Anthology!.......2002-10-17

"Going Home" is a delightful omnibus of three older Nora Roberts novels, repackaged into one fabulous collection. The three tales that make up this book are wonderfully matched and I loved each and every one. I can't even choose a favourite; each one was unique, compelling, and fun to read! I was utterly charmed and satisfied by this Silhouette reprint and I'm sure you will be too.

"Unfinished Business" introduces Vanessa Sexton, a hugely successful but strung-out concert pianist, who is returning to her small home town for the first time in 12 years to get some answers from her estranged mother. But the one thing Vanessa never expected to find was her high school sweetheart Brady Tucker, who broke her heart on the night of his senior prom. Brady had his reasons for what happened that night, but after only minutes in Vanessa's company this bad boy turned doctor realizes there's a lot of unfinished business between them, and that Vanessa can still turn him inside out with one of her pouty looks!
Vanessa slowly begins rebuilding a tentative relationship with her mother, while trying to sort out the powerful emotions Brady stirs up in her. Vanessa knows that she's still intensely drawn to Brady, despite her lingering hurt from what happened 12 years ago. Confused and in emotional turmoil about her life, Vanessa finds that Brady is the best person to turn to. And the more time they spend together, the more Brady and Vanessa come to see that they never stopped loving each other.
But Vanessa is feeling lost and uncertain as to what her future holds for her. Though her music is a vital part of who she is, she's not sure she wants to continue with the stressful life she's been leading. Vanessa is afraid that what she and Brady feel for each other is only an echo of remembered love, and her insecurities about herself lead her to start pushing Brady away. Will Vanessa see through her self-doubt to the truth and find love and happiness in Brady's arms? Or will she turn her back on the only man she'll ever love?

"Island of Flowers" tells the story of Laine Simmons, a young boarding school teacher from France who has traveled to Hawaii on a whim in hopes of finding her father. Laine is awed by the paradise in which her father lives, and Roberts' brilliant descriptions make the island of Kauai come alive.
And though Laine didn't expect her estranged father to greet her with open arms, she was totally unprepared for his sexy, and hostile, business partner, Dillon O'Brian. Dillon believes Laine has ulterior motives for this reunion with her father, and a misunderstanding regarding years of unreceived gifts and correspondence leaves Laine without a way to clear her name. So she simply goes about trying to get to know the father she never had, but while he's busy with work at his airport, Laine spends a lot of time with Dillon.
And despite his suspicions about Laine's intentions, Dillon just can't stop thinking about her. As they get to know each other, Dillon falls hard for the unbelievably innocent and sweet Laine. And the lovely young Laine finds herself caught up in a storm of unfamiliar and intense emotions, as the passion between her and Dillon grows. But even though they have both fallen in love, they won't admit it to each other. Afraid of Dillon accusing her of being a gold-digger, Laine stubbornly keeps her true feelings to herself. So when a terrible misunderstanding sends Dillon into a hurt rage, it prompts Laine to take her broken heart and leave. Is there any way to overcome the pain and misery that Dillon's mistrust has caused? Or will they be denied the lifetime of love and happiness they could have found together?

"Mind Over Matter" introduces Aurora "A.J." Fields, a tough and respected Hollywood agent. When her mother, known psychic Clarissa de Basse is approached by renowned documentary producer David Brady, A.J. is determined to protect her mother. David wants Clarissa to be a large part of his newest documentary on psychic phenomena, but A.J. isn't sure it's a good idea. A.J. and David spend a lot of time negotiating a deal, and the more time he spends with her, the more David becomes intrigued by A.J.
A.J. too feels a strong pull towards David, and she tries to fight the attraction at first. As time passes, David gets to know Aurora, the soft, vulnerable and unsure side of A.J.'s personality, totally at odds with her prickly agent persona. No woman has ever made David feel the way A.J. does, and he doesn't know what to do about it.
But A.J. has what she considers a terrible secret burden. She's inherited her mother's psychic abilities, and even a lifetime of burying them as deep as possible can't close them off. A.J.'s first and only love rejected her because of her abilities, labelling her a freak, and A.J's terrified that now David knows of her talents, he'll either abandon her or want to dissect her mind. David's not sure how he feels about A.J.'s gift, but he knows he wants to break through the wall she keeps firmly between them, and show her how he feels about her. Will David be able to accept A.J. for who she is, and convince her that he means it? Or will A.J.'s fear of rejection ultimately destroy their love?

"Going Home" is an excellent read, containing three stories that will amuse, entertain, and satisfy the romantic in all of us. Each of the three tales is beautifully written and though they are all quite old, none of them seem dated. "Going Home" is an undeniably terrific anthology and you don't want to miss it. So buy this book today, I very highly recommend it!

Average customer rating:

An Honorable Man
Interesting
Better Than Most.
A Vietnam memoir that details the work of war
INSPIRING READ

Not Going Home Alone: A Marine's Story
James Kirschke
Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0345440935
Release Date: 2001-08-07

Book Description

Experience the pain, the pride, and the triumph of the Marine Corps

All the members of 1st Lt. James J. Kirschke’s mortar platoon and then rifle platoon knew the stakes: the Marines are America’s military elite, expected to train harder, fight longer, sacrifice more. Kirschke led by example in the hotly contested zone just south of the DMZ and in the dangerous AnHoa region southwest of DaNang. There Kirschke’s units, with resources stretched to the limit, saw combat almost daily in some of the fiercest fighting of 1966.

Sustained through the toughest firefights and bloodiest ambushes, the men’s morale proved a testament to Kirschke’s leadership and his dedication to what the U.S. Marines stand for. Those beliefs, and the faith of his men, in turn helped Kirschke through his long recovery after he was wounded by the triple explosion of a box mine rigged to an anti-tank rocket round and a frag grenade.

The Marines’ legend and reputation are based on the blood, courage, and discipline of warriors like Jim Kirschke. Sparing no one, he has written a powerful chronicle of the deadly war his Marines fought with valor.

Customer Reviews:

An Honorable Man.......2006-08-21

I have read many, many first-hand accounts by Vietnam vets and this is my favorite. Kirschke, though not a gifted writer, has such an incandescent personality that I retain him in my memory along with favorite fictional characters.

Interesting.......2006-08-03

I have had the pleasure of speaking to Mr. Kirschke on several occasions. He is exactly what he seems to be- upfront and honest, and a brave man.

While this isn't the best Vietnam memoir I've read, it's better than most and it is definitely worth reading.

Better Than Most........2005-02-14

I give it 4 stars because I never met any officer in Vietnam, or anywhere else, like Kirschke describes himself. And I certainly didnt meet any Kirschke's in Vietnam. So the book doesnt resonate with my experience. But, I suppose anything is possible. Still, the book is interesting and well-written; better than most of this genre. And that's the bottom-line.

A Vietnam memoir that details the work of war.......2002-06-14

Pedestrian writing can ruin any subject, even the ready-made drama of war. Vietnam memoirs are no exception. But such is not the case in James Kirschke's account of fighting in some of the bloodiest zones of the war in 1966-67. With a colorful, engaging style that does not shy from personal revelation, Kirschke weaves a compelling narrative made genuine by its generosity of spirit and plausible by its even hand. Kirschke's experience as both an English professor and a writer gives him an advantage over the competition, true. But potent material like this still needs adept storytelling, and in Kirschke, a retired Marine captain, it finds a capable craftsman. Casual and passionate reader alike will be touched as Kirschke relates the critical and formative aspects of his service: training and bonding with his mortar platoon at Camp Pendleton, exhausting daily combat in the area just south of the DMZ -- commanding first his mortar platoon and then a rifle platoon -- and his final battle of the war, the injury that left him near death for many months. The reader will also appreciate that Kirschke has steered clear of the kind of cynical self-confession and cloying apologia that too often mars Vietnam memoirs. Not Going Home Alone is about the work of war and the love and sorrow encountered along the way.

INSPIRING READ.......2001-11-06

Lt. James J. Kirschke demonstrated outstanding leadership skills stateside and in Vietnam. He loved his men, and they loved him. As an 81 mortars platoon commander, Kirschke drove his men to become the best of their kind in the USMC. The men he trained developed not only incredible proficiency and stamina, but also a deeply seated sense of pride in serving their country and the Corps. After Kirschke transfered to the 2nd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, he became the CO of a rifle platoon. At this juncture in the narrative, the action and tension in this finely written book heats up and never cools down. Kirschke was not a hell-raiser or macho warrior hyped up on testosterone. He was simply an excellent human being on whom God had generously bestowed such rich gifts as those of leadership ability, compassion, and sense of duty. It is incredible that Kirschke teaches literature in one of today's foremost universities, given the anti-white male and looney leftist fringe that rides herd over modern academia. When I put this book down, I thought of Kirschke the way Mark Antony thought of Brutus at the end of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar: "His life was gentle, and the elements so mixed in him that nature might stand up and say to all the world, this was a man." Thanks, Jim, for your unselfish service and for writing this book.

Going Back to Work: A Survival Guide for Comeback Moms

Average customer rating:

Hated it.
Wonderful Strategy Book
Going Back to Work....fabulous
Lots of creative ideas and practical tips
Going Back to Work: A Survival guide for Comeback Moms

Going Back to Work: A Survival Guide for Comeback Moms
Mary W. Quigley , and Loretta E. Kaufman
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Griffin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0312313217

Book Description

Women who left their careers to raise children-whether just for the toddler years or until the nest is empty-face economic and emotional challenges when deciding to return to work. How to explain that big gap on the resume? How to find work with flexibility? What if they've lost their edge? Going Back to Work offers a step-by-step game plan for comeback moms. The authors have pinpointed a typical woman's career and family track in today's society and provide information and resources to help her through the transition. The book is based on a national survey of 1,000 women and dozens of personal interviews. Topics covered include: -Timing: will it ever seem quite right -Recharging an abandoned career or starting anew -Starting your own business -How to face family challenges when mommy's role changes -How to say no to a new boss -How to negotiate everything from salary to flextime.

Customer Reviews:

Hated it........2006-12-21

I might not be entirely fair for me to rate it because I didn't even finish it, but I couldn't manage to drag myself through this tedious book. I felt like I was wasting time and grey matter. Filled with inane jokes about dieting/being fat/being old, this book is like sitting in a room full of middle-aged women and having them giggle out platitudes like "Remeber: Dessert is stressed backward!" (yes this is actually in the book). If you like that kind of thing, you might love this book. I'm not one of those people.

The tips given in this book are about as obvious as they get (volunteer, work part time, do what interests you, etc.) and if you need a book to tell you these things you're gonna need a lot more help than just this book alone. The anecdotal bits are an interesting enough read, though IMO not enough to carry the book through its plethera of regurgitated advice. There are better books out there, and this might be a decent enough read if this is your first exposure to such topics, and if you don't mind the trite comments (to be fair, it was only a few per chapter), but I personally thought it was a waste of time and money. You'll be finding my copy in the used section.

Wonderful Strategy Book.......2005-06-01

I have just finished this book. I wished that I could have given it more stars. The book helped me to map out a strategy for going back to work. It is very inspirational.

Going Back to Work....fabulous.......2005-04-16

I recently checked this book out of the library and am I ever glad I did! As a stay-at-home mom and business owner, I think about what it will be like when my three kids are off in college and it's just me and my husband again. I tell my friends to "get a life now because our kids will be gone one day," this book will definitely be read and reread as I go through this complex decision process. I'm now 40 years old and wondering what I want to do when I grow up, Going Back to Work will be a wonderful help with real life examples from all walks of life. It's an intelligent look at the real issues we all wrestle with as wives and mothers about our importance to our families and our contribution to our communities. I loved it and am recommending it to my friends and acquaintences.

Lots of creative ideas and practical tips.......2004-08-25

I really enjoyed this book and got lots of useful ideas from it. My toddler will be ready for preschool soon and I am faced with the usual dilemma of how to resume my career while balancing family responsibilities. I know I don't want to return the corporate hamster wheel, but I need to do something interesting and stimulating.

Quigley and Kaufman give plenty of examples of creative solutions to this dilemma and some very practical tips on how to get there. They start with how to make the decision to go back to work, how to decide what to do and how to win your family's support. They even cover resume writing, interviewing and handling difficult bosses.

I highly recommend this well-written book to anyone who is thinking about going back to work after having kids. I also think it should be required reading for HR managers.

Going Back to Work: A Survival guide for Comeback Moms.......2004-08-06

Quigly and Kaufman's "Going Back to Work" was just what I needed to complete the "re-invention" of myself!
I was not a "stay at home mom". I had climbed the ladder to the top of my career of over 25 years while juggling a son, husband, and home. One week before 9/11 I was downsized from my job of over 16 years. After 9/11 I realized that working 50-60 hour weeks and making good money was not as important as my having time with my family, home and personal happiness.
I went back to school for technical skills on the computer and just graduated with honors. I am re-trained for a new career.....but now what?
In reading "Going Back to Work" I see that I am no different than someone who has stayed home many years raising her family.
We all share emotions of fear and anxiety starting a new career path from the bottom. We also share dreams and goals for personal growth, challenges, worth and satisfaction.I also do not necessarily want to have a fulltime job and Quigley and Kaufman have given me the knowledge and tools to get that flextime position!
As a 48 year old who does not know who I will be when I grow up, I recommend "Going Back to Work" as a great resource and confidence builder for your first step back into the work force. Read this book and good luck in your new job!

Feel Like Going Home: Portraits in Blues and Rock 'n' Roll

Average customer rating:

Sitting down at home
Engaging Portraits Of Music Pioneers
Great within its limits
Wonderful Portraits of Musical Giants
A beautiful book by one of popular music's best critics.

Feel Like Going Home: Portraits in Blues and Rock 'n' Roll
Peter Guralnick
Manufacturer: Back Bay Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0316332720

Amazon.com

Peter Guralnick pledges in the epilogue to Feel Like Going Home that his writing will henceforth be "younger, less self-conscious and critical." Don't dwell too much on the author's oath, however: the prose here is hardly jaded and awkward. Initially published in 1971, Feel Like Going Home consists of 11 chapters, most of which are single-subject studies of American roots-music artists. Guralnick openly reveres his interview subjects, which isn't to imply that he fawns over them. The likes of bluesmen Howlin' Wolf and Johnny Shines, incorrigible rock & roller Jerry Lee Lewis, and, in particular, moody man-without-a-genre talent Charlie Rich (who was inspired to write a song called "Feel Like Going Home" based on this book--it's the final song on his final album) come across as knotty, vivid, complex characters. Published in tandem with Guralnick's similarly organized Lost Highway and his superb history of southern soul, Sweet Soul Music, Feel Like Going Home provides an early-stage perspective on a music historian who's truly arrived. --Steven Stolder

Customer Reviews:

Sitting down at home.......2006-07-27

Peter Guralnick comes over as a fan to the houses of the men he is going to interview. Sometimes an apartment, sometimes a house in Louisiana, but usually in their own homes. They watch tv, some books are on the shelves, a color tv, some records, a wife that also wants to add something.

In this manner you read the chapters about some great bluesmen. And they still remain legends and heroes, but legends and heroes that we can touch, that we can talk to, what we can see as normal men. And isn't that what blues is about? a music-style about and for normal men, who have trouble enough getting on in life?

This was Guralnicks first real book from 1971. The people he talks about were then mostly still alive and still performing. Also a good way to see them as they once were.

Don't expect a comprehensive history, it's more a portrait. Another great Guralnick read.

Engaging Portraits Of Music Pioneers.......2004-04-13

As someone who doesn't know a lot about blues music except to run and hide when someone begins to comment on "the cadential modalities of Muddy Waters's early Chess period" over cocktails, I approached this book with trepidation, unnecessarily. It's a very enveloping and informative look at some of the compelling personalities who helped shape two key forms of American popular music, the blues and rock 'n' roll.

It's not a comprehensive history; Guralnick instead offers some individual, detailed portraits. You can understand him choosing Waters, Howlin' Wolf, and Jerry Lee Lewis, because they were all giant figures in the creation of these genres. But other choices are more idiosyncratic, like Johnny Shines, described as "a run-of-the-mill blues singer" by the co-founder of landmark label Chess Records; and Robert Pete Williams, who seems to merge blues with free associative verse and would never be more than a footnote character in most histories. And what's with including Charlie Rich, who had a brief association with rock's founding via Sun Records but never really established himself as either a blues or rock performer?

Guralnick never does tie any of this in; his pieces, however intended to cohere, feel like collected articles written for music magazines. I don't know that they have to be read in order and one after the other, like chapters of a book.

But individually they are good, in most cases very good. Guralnick is an unusual departure from rock writers. He writes with singular care; with craft, honesty, and an engaging sense of humility that draws the reader in. He doesn't make broad claims for anyone's greatness, or dismiss others out of hand. He takes himself out of the picture, and makes it feel like you are the one in the room listening to Shines talking about traveling moonlit country roads with Robert Johnson, looking for a barrelhouse or gin joint to make a few bucks in.

Or Williams, sitting in his country home alongside a dirt road, portraits of the Kennedys and Martin Luther King over his head, drinking away the afternoon and wondering if his inability to pick out a tune at times is because maybe "blues is evil."

"God is warning me, I've got to get myself straight," Williams tells Guralnick. "And yet still and all I don't know, something hits me and I feel peculiar, I might be riding along, say now you get in your car and ride, well the ideas just come to me out of the air. Why is that? What made me think of that?"

Traditional blues music was in trouble by the time of this book's publication, in 1971. Guralnick visits Chess Records and finds a record company about to collapse. It's perhaps symbolic that when Guralnick introduces us to Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf, both men are laid up sick in bed. Perhaps an earlier look would have offers a more vibrant take. But Guralnick gets the most out of what he finds.

The best essays are on Wolf, who relishes comments about his "gargantuan" onstage theatricality but exposes a thin skin on other fronts; and Rich, who seems so out-of-water here except for the engaging candor from him and his wife. Rich's drinking problems and lonely sadness are the main focus of his essay, yet Rich not only cooperated with the author, he ended up inspired enough by it to write a song using the book's title. It's the best essay in that you feel for the guy; then again, they're all like that.

I don't know that much more about Skip James or Muddy Waters from reading this book, but I know enough now not to duck off in the other direction when I hear their names spoken of. Good music, like all things in life, knows no boundaries.

Great within its limits.......2000-08-15

Guralnick's classic book has great persuasive power, particularly among young or less knowledgeable readers, for Guralnick writes from the heart and pulls the reader along with sheer enthusiasm for the subject matter. The book is most valuable for its chapters on some characters who aren't often written about in depth - Johnny Shines, Skip James, Robert Pete Williams. Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf also get their own chapters, but they're already popular and Guralnick probably isn't going to introduce too many readers to these monoliths. It's fun to read about music and performers we like - that is the key to this book's success, I think.

Where it falls short is in the area of hard fact and objective analysis. There are no footnotes, and Guralnick's prejudices result in some bizarre and some blatantly wrong statements. For example, Guralnick asserts that, as of 1971, the Rolling Stones were the one major rock and roll band who always played rock and roll music, while the Beatles never really did that (p. 35) -- a statement ripe with Stones media hype of the Sticky Fingers era. Granted, the Beatles were more influenced by "rockabilly" and less Chicago-blues-based than the Stones, but they easily fall within the parameters of Guralnick's what-is-rock-and-roll thesis. In fact, Guralnick is eager to show how contemporary rock music -- even the bulk of the Beatles' music -- owes much of its content and structure to The Blues, whether the musicians know it or not. Guralnick also insists that the Beatles never paid tribute to, or publicized, their musical influences, while the Stones recorded songs by their favorite bluesmen and appeared onstage with them. Again, Guralnick overlooks Beatles for Sale (half cover versions) and Please Please Me and With the Beatles... and the fact that the Beatles were prolific songwriters, while the early Stones recorded cover versions for lack of good original material.

The crux of the issue, unstated by Guralnick but implicit in his comparisons, is that the Beatles did not try to sound Black, and thus failed to meet his subjective standard of what "rock and roll" should be. This prejudice hampers Guralnick's central argument -- that nearly all pop music derives from The Blues -- by suggesting that blues-based music is more rare and less popular than we think. The book's thesis would be improved if Guralnick were to broaden his survey to include jazz music & its blues origins, then the influence of jazz on popular music (e.g., Frank Sinatra) and so on. Then we'd see how Mel Torme and the Beatles and Ella Fitzgerald can all fit together in that big bed we call "the blues."

The book doesn't pretend to be a scholarly study of blues & rock and roll, however. It's more like a series of magazine pieces, to be read on planes, trains and busses. It's a fine introduction to the 50s roots of modern "rock" music.

Wonderful Portraits of Musical Giants.......2000-02-15

Peter Guralnick begins this book with a tribute to early rock and roll and his adoration of it and then has chapters on mainly blues performers and then Sun Records and finally the final days of Chess Records. Guralnick gives us personal insights on artists, some famous (Jerry Lee Lewis), some more obscure (Robert Pete Williams). Even if you have read every item of information on Howlin Wolf or Charlie Rich this still displays a perspective on them from a different angle. Overall a wonderful glimpse into the world of the performers from a human level.

A beautiful book by one of popular music's best critics........1999-01-19

Peter Guralnick writes so beautifully about blues, treating it with the seriousness it deserves without making it carry more than it can bear. His writing is so understated and his insights so subtle that you find yourself thinking about his profiles of these artists as you listen to them later. He brings enough scholarly bearing to them to make you realize that what makes blues so special are the things it has in common with all great art--beauty and depth of feeling.

Average customer rating:

A Good Read!
Not too helpful
Easy to read, wonderful planning guide

Going Solo
William J. Bond
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0070066426

Book Description

The author's popular Home-Base Business series has shown thousands how to successfully operate mail order, catalog and newsletter businesses from hom. With Going Solo, he adds a timely new area to this series--home-based consulting. This comprehensive, step-by-step guide show you how to take your specialized knowledge--gathered from a job, career, education, or life experience--and turn it into a profitable, thriving home business. It takes you step-by-step through the entire process--from what you need in your home office, to how to target and reach your market, how to create proposals that sell, and how to turn a completed work assignment into additional business, and more. It's essential reading for anyone considering or preparing for a home-based consulting business. from

Customer Reviews:

A Good Read!.......2001-03-20

William J. Bond presents a guide for people who want to become home-based consultants. His manual covers every aspect of freelance consulting, from finding, landing, and keeping clients, to maintaining records and understanding the marketplace. This common-sense book is part narrative and part workbook, including questionnaires and fill-in list forms. It is detailed, but if you have any experience as a solo practitioner, the elementary basic business practices outlined may cover material you already know. We at getAbstract recommend this book as a primer for anyone who wants to become a consultant working from a home-office and to those who are already doing exactly that and would like a few more tips about how to make a better living at it.

Not too helpful.......2000-06-24

If you really are just starting out and have no clue what you're doing then this book might be helpful. Might. For me, most of the book was too vague to be useful. Comments to the effect of "choose the best possible system [or arrangement] for X" drove me crazy. What, in his opinion, is the best system, and why? Also, the sentences were so short and basic that I felt like I was in grammar school. This book might serve as a useful checklist for things to think about, but I didn't find many answers or very good advice. Skim it at the library.

Easy to read, wonderful planning guide.......1999-11-29

I just finished reading Going Solo, and by the time I was finished, I had a fairly complete business plan already completed. Not only did this book contain valuable information, it also stimulated pages of ideas and things to do. I definitely recommend reading this book with a pen and notebook handy.

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