Recipes can (and often are) timeless culinary messages of family meal-time bonding as well as community-oriented celebatory traditions. From Generation To Generation is a perfect example of this. From Hot Artichoke Dip; Brandied Cranberries; and Honey Ritz Chicken; to Apricot Pound Cake; Ice Cream Strudel; and Chicken Soup with Matzo Balls, From Generation To Generation offers up recipes that would grace any table and satisfy any appetite!

This is the rare cookbook that is as much fun to read as it is to cook from. The stories that accompany the recipes give each one special depth and flavor. And readers are certain to love the combination of traditional Jewish recipes with Southern cooking! I just received my copy, and I'm already hungry for more!

Southerners just know how to cook! Within each community in the South, there are signature dishes specific to individuals and cherished by family and friends. In the newly released cookbook, FROM GENERATION TO GENERATION, the authors have gathered the signature recipes from members of Temple Emanu-El, in Birmingham, Alabama. Recipes range from "Grandma's Chicken Soup" to "Smoked Salmon and Dill Quesadillas" and all of the traditional Holiday and Passover dishes. The desserts are "to die for", including a cookie aptly named, "To Die For Cookies", "Molten Chocolate Cake", and "Grandma Bresler Brownies". Many of the recipes are named in honor of the Mother, Grandmother or Aunt, whose name was synonymous with the dish. These are the recipes of families, the recipes of sharing, the recipes of remembrance, and the recipes made with love. As a collector of "local cookbooks" from across the country, I found this hardback cookbook to be well researched and beautifully designed. I also found the recipes to be exceptional. Highly recommended!

I decided to read this book for purely personal motives. Having been raised in California by a father who grew up in Birmingham in the early twenties and thirties, I had a desire to understand this man, my father, who seemed at times to have such radical world views. Reading Paul Hemphill's story, specifically the retelling of details of growing up in a working class family, including the bigoted views his father held, helped me to understand the world that molded many whites prior to the civil rights movement. When chosing this book, I wasn't looking for a dry detailed history but rather an insiders view of what this world of "Birmingham, Alabama" must have been like growing up. Why it created such biogtry? And How can we continue to change? Paul Hemphill, through this book, helped me to understand, what kind of a world Birmingham was, and how it shaped and molded the people who grew up there.

This book was required reading for my Civil Rights class. Although at times a bit too detailed and tangent prone, Hemphill's style is very gripping and kept my attention. The way in which the formation and development of Birmingham is disussed, enterpreted, and explained is superb. Hemphill does an excellent job of juxtaposing the racial, economic, and social climate that evolved and gripped the city of Birmingham throughout the years. I would consider this autobiography of sorts a must read for any person interested in issues pertaining to the Civil Rights Movement. Just get through the few dry parts, the rest is well worth the read!

In 1963 Alabama was the site of racial violence: native Hemphill decides here to return to his hometown, to come to terms with his family and life. Leaving Birmingham probes the ethnic relationships in Birmingham past and present, providing an intriguing analysis of the tensions and present-day life.

This is the greatest book - full of wonderful flavors, with easy to prepare recipes that are great to serve to guests or your family. Santa Fe Soup, Mexican Cheesecake, Shrimp and Grits, Praline Brownies, Snapper with Parmesan Butter are just a few that you'll enjoy. I use it every week - and I have over 100 cookbooks. Makes a great gift!

My mother collects Junior League cookbooks, so I am always on the look out for good ones. Needless to say, I have seen quite a few and this one is wonderful. I have made many of the recipes and ALL of them are delicious. Also, most are doable by even a novice cook. A great book all around. I have given several as gifts and friends have said the same.

It isn't often that you find a cookbook that you can use for entertaining without having tried the recipe in advance. This cookbook is one such book. All the recipes have easy instructions and everything I've ever made has been wonderful!

This is a fascinating descent into the lives of people who share houses. Most of the people have different ideas about cleanliness, or ownership, of relationships. Many of the stories are hilarious and disturbing at the same time. I don't recommend eating while reading (parts of) this book though.

This has been made into a stage show and movie (which is being released soon). The book has a sequel called The Tasmanian Babes Fiasco.

It's very light reading, very revealing and funny, and not for those easily shocked (if you get to the end and you're not just a LITTLE bit shocked, I'd worry though). Highly recommended

The title says it all really. If it wasn't for "Felafel" my housemate might have ended up in a shallow grave in my backyard. It has to be one of the coolest books on share house living ever written. Some of Johns other titles include "Tasmanian Babes Fiasco" and "Leviathan: The Unauthorised Biography". Personally I'm hanging out for his new book "Dopeland" and you'll have to work out what thats about by yourself. Although I can say that we did have the pleasure of assisting the author with his research into microbreweries when he came to Perth. "Felafel" is well worth a read and I highly recommend it.

I picked up this hilarious book while travelling in Australia and it made a truly wonderful literary companion to the trip. Birmingham's comically detailed and slightly skewed vignettes from his days as a "flatmate" are a riot to read regardless of their basis in fiction. The book begins with a story of a mysterious drug addict flatmate that was found dead with a falafel in hand and it just gets funnier from there. Birmingham's tone and joie de vivre makes for an enjoyable read. Because of the nature of the vignettes, reading this book in small doses is a great way to pass the time while waiting for the plane, or bus, or ferry, or just killing time between adventures. If you've ever lived with someone that was a less than desirable roomate/flatmate, you will undoubtedly enjoy Birmingham's twisted experiences and witty prose.

I liked the story because it's a really good book and it's the best story I read. It's a really loving story. It has a very happy ending.

This is a story of unconditional love - a tiny lost kitten who needs it and a mother and daughter eager to give it.

Charlotte loves to hear her mother tell the story of how they found their kitten, named "Moonlight." As the mother recounts the tale of going to the sea's edge on a blustery winter night, children will relate to the trust they place in their parents.

Moreover, it is the tale of a mother and daughter, the love implicit in their relationship as the mother goes forward when the daughter insists that "There's something down there by the sea. I know that there is."

Luminous moonswept illustrations by Christian Birmingham, a talented young British artist, heighten the impact of this warmly reassuring tale. It's a feel-good story for all.

This is a lovely book written with delicacy and tenderness. It's a story about a story as told by a little girl and her mommy. Charlotte and her mother are taking a few moments in a quiet afternoon to tell each other their favorite story: the story of how they came to "adopt" a cold, wet, and hungry kitten late one night on a stormy beach near their house. As Charlotte and her mommy discuss how their story goes, it is told with such tender emotion that it tugs at the heartstrings. Waddell has captured the innocence and delicacy of the four year old child and the strong bond between mother and child. Paintings by Christian Birmingham are soft and painterly in muted colors that recall early impressionism and are a fine accompaniament for this story.

I was also born and lived a long time in Birmingham. The author has captured beautifully the soul of the times, and his detailed descriptions of some of the places and sights in Birmingham brought fond recollections. More than that, he tells a touching story, with much humor where appropriate, and much pain sometimes too. I recommend the book for those looking for insight into those times and that place.

I approached this book with some trepidation, wondering how a novel that had a Baptist minister as its main character could tell me anything I wanted to know about integration in the 1960s. I was pleasantly surprised to find that Jarrard has done quite well in capturing and explaining the positions of the different elements in the Birmingham community as it struggled with the issue of integration. While the main thrust of the novel is quite serious, Jarrard injects elements of humor throughout which help carry the story well. The central position of the churches within the integration struggle legitimizes the approach Jarrard has taken to tell this story. I would recommend this book to anyone who has a serious interest in civil rights and integration as it provides a wealth of information while telling a delightful story along the way.

This is a terrific series and the latest installment didn't disappoint. Sunny is a very likeable heroine and her adventures make for good reading.

However, there are so many errors in this book -- spelling, grammar, punctuation -- that it gets to be distracting about halfway through. I hope the author and her publisher find a new editor before the next installment comes out.

People don't often write puzzle/closed-room mysteries any more, but Birmingham ventures into that style with the opening murder -- if the person standing with a gun next to the dead body isn't the killer, who is?

As a former Atlanta resident, I recognized the setting and noticed that the author was true to life.

This is an enjoyable, surprising read.

Bill Watkin's book is a charismatic blend of personal history, Celtic spirituality, and humor. While it resonates with the almost mythical beauty (and hardships) of growing up in post-war Ireland, it avoids the mistake of becoming maudlin. Watkin's coming-of-age tales are lessons for us all in the "joy of life." It's use of Galic history provides a strong base for a brilliant book. What a good read!

I was given a loan of this book while I was working my way through Frank McCourt's 'Angela's Ashes', which I found quite dour, on the other hand I found this book to be one of the most entertaining books I have read in many years, I virtually read the whole book in one sitting. As a Scotsman living in Dublin, there is a strong resonance of Celtic familiarity which made the book very endearing to me. Bill Watkins gift of the gab, sharp wit and his ability to make the reader feel that they are right along with him during his story telling makes for a grand rip-roaring adventure. An essential book for the new Millenium!

I was caught up in this first book by Bill immediately because of his warmth, humor, and the amazing way that his unsurpassed storytelling skills vividly draw you into the events of his childhood as though you were right there. A Celtic Childhood reveals the humor and heart and goodnatured view on life that Bill exudes today, in spite of any troubles and hard times. His perspective on life is very refreshing, and not at all bogged down by any self-pity or guilt as others have unfortunately exhibited in memoirs.

It's very difficult to put this book down. There are adventures around every corner which all turn out inevitably funny no matter how disastrous. These are told at an exciting and rapid pace similar to a child's energy and intake of experience. In particular, I love the language and the rhythm -- the ways that Bill questions in his early years the meanings behind common phrases, sayings, and words. His view of the adult lives around him are hysterical and apt!

His inclusion of a glossary and tune lyrics, as well as injection of many insights and facts of Celtic history, lore, and culture all serve to make this memoir an incredibly rich and vital read, that will leave an indelible imprint upon the heart and mind of all who read it.

Rarely have I read a book with such heart, and phenomenal wit and way with words. Bill's a grand storyteller, and a wonderful, generous and multi-talented human being. Looking very forward to reading "Scotland is Not for the Squeamish", and the 3rd book in this trilogy when it comes out next year!

In preparing our list of Christmas books to share with others, we had to search far and wide on amazon to find this particular book, a paperback edition of the classic Night Before Christmas.

This is the book I've used for years when reading this story to my own children, passing on Tasha Tudor and other illustrators. Why?

Although we can find the same poem and pay a lot more, with award winning illustrators, the illustrations provided by Douglas Gorsline are surely the best. They are quite colorful, and offer details little children love looking into...cats lie sleepily on the window sill, we see an overview of the town, the presents spilling from the open sack are intriguing and plentiful, and Jolly St. Nick is -- well, quite Jolly (as you can see by looking at the cover!)

The story is an "abridged version" - I'm not sure about other parents, but we read this on Christmas Eve, and we only have so much time and energy. Everything we remember from the classic poem by Clement Clarke Moore is in this version.

(From "'Twas the Night Before Christmas, and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse" to "He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle, And away they all flew like the down of a thistle. But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight,"HAPPY CHRISTMAS TO ALL, AND TO ALL A GOOD-NIGHT!" In between we have everything, from the names of the eight tiny reindeer, to a belly that shakes like a bowl full of jelly, including dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly, when they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky".

In other words, don't be scared off by 'abridged'!)

Perhaps a hardcover edition might be more appropriate if you're giving a gift (unless you're giving to more than one child), but this book is one of the best offers we've found!

A classic done simply and inexpensively!

We have an inexpensive paperback version (see our reviews) of this classic poem, and we said that's enough for us. That was before we looked through this beautifully illustrated (by Bruce Whatley) edition of The Night Before Christmas.

The lyrics are the same, from book to book, but the fanciful illustrations in this one are enough to engage adults and children as they read this book together.

The perfect gift for any family whose Christmas tradition includes reading this classic!

This beautiful book was in my family as a hard cover edition for many years and was a Christmas Eve tradition for my four sons when they were growing up. It's poor battered body disappeared some time after the last of my little ones went off into the adult world. I am so delighted to see it back again, though this time as a nicely affordable soft cover. Clement C. Moore's enchanting story poem already provides an atmosphere filled with warmth and joyful expectation and with the addition of Tasha Tudor's quaint, nostalgic water-colors from an antique New England the Christmas magic is complete!
The winter landscapes fill our senses and Tasha's own gray tabby cat and Welsh Corgi welcome us into this charming world.
Tasha's Santa that you will meet in this book has been portrayed as the poem describes him...a right jolly old elf. He's not that much larger than the corgi and his team really consists of eight "tiny" reindeer. His pointy ears and his Eskimo mukluks add to the delightful ambiance of the book. He dances with the toys and with the happy animals and we can truly believe it will be a happy Christmas for all.
I hope this book becomes a Christmas Eve tradition for many, many more families.

I just met and spoke to Professor Manis today at the Southern Festival of Books in Nashville. His presentation of the work made me run out and buy it. Though I have not yet finished it, I am already very impressed.

The story of Fred Shuttlesworth is a powerful, dramatic story that everyone interested in the black freedom movement should read. Manis' compelling portrayal captures the spirit and spirituality of a great unsung hero. The book has been honored by the Lillian Smith Book Award, the South's oldest literary prize, and deserves a wide reading.

A compelling portrait of a real unsung hero. Emerge Magazine says it well: "The greatest battles of the civil rights movement come alive in this biography of the man Martin Luther King Jr. called "one of the nation's most courage freedom fighters." Manis is to be congratulated for bringing us this powerful story.