I sometimes wonder just what led me to this book; whatever it was I am thankful. While I can't speak for everyone, I can say that this book reswonated with me in a way I've never found before. Mason is the voice of the overlooked, the unnoticed. I often feel that way myself.

I've bought several copies of this book; the first lost when it was loaned to a friend, one to replace it, and two to give away -- one as a gift, one to be loaned. I won't lose another copy again.

What a fantastic little book this was! I never read ANYTHING that agreed with my views on music as much as this book did. I can't say that I went through everything that the main character went through, but music was his life. Music is my life as well.

I just put down this book and had to drop a few lines. Jamie is one of those rare writers able to bring truly original definition to characters and their relationships. You don't observe his world, you enter it, walk its streets, TASTE its dimensions (and boy are there a lot of 'em). It felt as though I was stealing conversations from the characters, rather than reading them.

By all means, pick up 'Cut My Hair'. You won't be disappointed. Jamie is a rare talent. Bravo.

I have a autographed copy of this book and it's one of my most treasured books. It is a wonderful follow up to "God is My Co-Pilot". I have read it at least 10 times in the year that I have had it. It is a very compelling book... I just don't know how to desribe it. Every library that I know of has it, as well as God is My Co-Pilot. It's really not all that hard to find. If you are even the slightest remoteness interested in what it was like in China between 1942 and 1945 this is a exellent book. I don't know how to put it into words... I just love his books. I'm sorry to say that I've never been able to read any of the others (Flying Tiger: Chennault of China, Boring a Hole through the Sky, God is Still My Co-Pilot, just to name a few). He's now over 90 I know that he flew a F-15 Eagle at age 89. Your really not supposed to.. but somehow he convinced them he could. Most everyone I've told says that there must be another seat for the navigator that somebody else went sat in. But, I garrenty you that there is only ONE seat in a F-15 Eagle. In short he is a incredible man, and has a incredible life. And I quote:

"Claire Lee Chennault was a indivialist, and some of that indiviualty must have rubbed off on me because I to have been a indiviaulast.. a mavrick general, in my carrer. But first I had to meet him, and that took some doing. I had to lie cheat and surely steal. There is a saying "never steal anything small" well what I stole was a B-17E FLying Fortress. Right or wrong, under the surrcumstances I did it. It is a long story and I have to Start at the beginning."

This book is the Generals best by far because it chronicles pretty much everything about the man himself. His story is proof of what happens if you persist. If you want to get the whole snapshot of my hero, Gen Bob Scott- then this is the book you need to read!! Trust me.

Robert Lee Scott is one of the heros of our century who faded from our collective memory long ago. His 1943 best-seller, God is my Co-pilot, made him famous during WWII, and The Day I Owned the Sky brings the reader up-to-date (Well, up to 1988, anyway) on the further adventures of this magnificent Flying Tiger. This book will take the reader from his humble beginnings in Georgia, to his wartime exploits, and into his fun-filled retirement. If you love books like Yeager and Press On! you'll love this one, too!

"Distant Fires" was published in 1990 and is the true account of a summer canoe trip from Duluth Minnesota to Hudson Bay Canada by two men in their early 20's. More than anything else, this book speaks to the modern charisma and abilities of the author, who planned and accomplished the journey, then, wrote such a wonderful and humorous account of it. Chapter by chapter, the reader is taken to the water, along the route, and into the perspective of the adventure. This book is testomony to what's in the future and beyond the horizon. It cannot be over-recommended for young and old. Thank you Scott Anderson for sharing your uncommon knowledge and insight of "Distant Fires" on earth and in our lives.

I think this book was great. It was so great because it told a true story of courage. I recommend it to anyone who wants adventure.

This is an astonishing book about two young men who want so much to have a great adventure experience before they get too old and can't go. So, they set out in their canoe to recreate an adventure 50 years ago, by Eric Sevareid, to canoe 2000 miles, from Duluth, Minn. to the Hudson's Bay. Every step along the way they encounter adversity, bugs, hardship, danger- yet they press on with a determination and will to complete this task, and win. They do so with much humor and dry wit. I found myself laughing out loud in many places. Where else can you read about two young men moving at the speed of a canoe paddle, going upstream, battling headwinds, eight foot waves that could easily swamp their canoe, rapids, portages through dense growth, beaver dams, and of course, mosquitos, mosquitos and more....?

It seems that they must have never been dry or warm over this journey that took them over three months to complete. But they never lost their sense of humor and never gave up, even though the odds were immense.

I greatly reccommend this book. It reads easily, and will be an excellent choice for young as well as older readers who enjoy a good travel adventure. It is a wonderful inspiration to all who read the book.

Look out Shakespeare, here comes Semler. His use of the language is a nice throw-back to the Shakespearian era. His imagination comes through as he describes the characters in vivid detail and builds the plot to have us begging for more. I can't say enough positives about this book. A must read and a must buy for anyone who loves adventure.

Not usually a reader of medieval tales, I was surprised at how quickly I escaped into the world of Merlin, & his interaction with the young twins, Tasia & Fortuna. Lots of intrigue, interesting characters, & insightful observations. Now I'm dying to know what happens next ... please publish book 2! This was a thoroughly enjoyable read!

This book is inspirational. Whenever I'm feeling unsure of something, I just think to myself....What would Tasia do?

This book captures small towm America in the 50s and is almost poetic in its descriptions of people and places. The suspense kept me turning pages even though this is not a mystery. You will love some of the people and squirm when faced with others.
The end still has me thinking about what could have been if only a few decisions would have been made differently.

A sensitive portrait of a more innocent time in America. Gertner creates an array of funny and lovable characters, seen through the eyes of young Hal Moffat. Heart-wrenching dialogue. Elegant prose. A deeply moving work of fiction.

A Drowning In Swanson Lake is a nostalgic, but often painful, look back at a child's growing up in upstate New York during the 1950's and 60's. Through the narrator's insightful and often humorous descriptions, and the book's quirky characters, the reader is totaly drawn into the story. What is particularly interesting to me is that the novel is more about self-discovery and self-realization than about any particular dramatic event. That is not to say that there are no dramatic events, but the real story is about the choices that the main character, Hal, makes and the consequences that follow.

The sudden death of Tutankhamen stuns the nation of Egypt and the question is whether the boy king died of natural causes or whether there was indeed foul play. "Boy King Murdered?" is the banner headline for "The Egyptian News," a creative way of tricking students age 9 and up into learning about Ancient Egypt from 3000 to 1100 B.C. Other exciting stories included "A Soaring Success!" as Zoser's pyramid sets a new tomb trend, "Wrapping It Up!" an in-depth interview with the royal mummy maker, and "Let's Party!" a beginner's guide to fashionable feasting with the chariot set. You will find all the traditional forms of journalism, from news stories and interviews to editorials and advice columns, all of which provide young readers with information about the history of ancient Egypt. Chief Scribe Scott Steedman also includes dozens of ads for Egyptians who need to have a boat built, buy a new wig or new Senet set, or want a job as a district governor or lady's maid. Other volumes in the History News series include editions on the Romans, Greeks, Vikings and Aztecs, as well as news of the Stone Age, Medicine and Explorers. Of course, once students see how creatively "The Egyptian News" has been put together, they will probably want to undertake a project like this for some other period of history. The combination of information and creativity is certainly irresistible.

This book presented some events from Egypt's history in the form of newspaper articles. It was a very creative way to give children an introduction to Egyptian history. It presented lots of interesting informationa, and also some neat pictures. This book is good at sparking a greater interest in history in children while entertaining them at the same time.

As a homeschooling mom, I highly value books that inform my child about historical facts, while captivating them with exciting stories. I highly recommend this book as a supplement to any Egyptian studies. Written in "newspaper format", it is a joy to read aloud to my children. Using imaginative headlines and wonderful illustrations and photos, this book has definitely captured my child's attention. The plethora of historical facts presented are accurate and entertaining. I would recommend this book for children between the ages of 5-12.

This book, drawing on current research findings and the authors' extensive clinical experience, reminds us that it's not the hottest new techniques or the therapist's theoretical orientation that makes for effective therapy. When satisfied clients are asked what made the the difference, their most frequent answer is a meaningful encounter with a caring, responsive human being whom the client felt understood his concerns and validated his strengths and resources. Many of us in the helping professsions seem to need this reminder. Phillip Ziegler, co-author of Recreating Partnership: A Solution-Oriented, Collaborative Approach to Couples Therapy.

I am especially glad to have stumbled upon Escape From Babel sooner rather than later in my career. In a most straightforward way it cuts to the chase about what it means to be a part of effective therapy; it reminds that clients (and their experiences) are nothing less than extraordinary when given the opportunity to have a role in their therapy; and it will encourage you to look again at the role of ethics in the profession. I encourage new and experienced therapists and therapists-in-training to absorb the messages in this book. Don't spend money on all the different "latest and greatest" technique books; this is a far more valuable investment!

This excellent text for counselors, social workers and psychologists covers the rationale, value and techniques of highly effective brief therapies. It is full of interesting and useful case examples that make the challenge of brief therapy dialog easy to learn and implement. I not only use it myself, but have insisted that the entry level counselors that I supervise buy a copy and become familiar with the techniques it describes. Jonathan Williamson, MA, LPC

"The author laces pathos with humor in family vignettes...of soul searching which soar."

"Whitney Scott has written a deeply moving and finely wrought novel about the true voices families use amongst themselves; in silence, in pain, in joy, and in the smallest mercies shared. Hoer characters become our own mother, father, brother, sister. Searingly honest, and yet full of immense compassion...DANCING TO THE END OF THE SHINING BAR is about the continual, all-encompassing journey to an understanding of who we are and what our deepest graces in life are - courage, endurance and love. Whitney Scott's novel nourishes us, our deepest roots in this passionate work full of rollicking humor and almost unbearable pathos. So memorable is this family in the throes of uneasy transformation that we liken it to our own."

"Scott writes with honesty and deep affection for life's ragged edges....With no trace of polemic or bombast, but with a full range of sound, sense and emotion, DANCING TO THE END OF THE SHINING BAR is a spare,funny, searing story."

The book explains how the show got it's start. You read about how the actors were choosen and about them personally. There is a section about what each actor has done since the show ended. An episode guide gives a brief summary about all 1245 shows. There are several pictures throughout the book. Stories are told about the writing, set designs,and funny things that happened during the run of the show. This is a very interesting book.

Exellent Book.If your wanting to know anything about Dark Shadows or are a fan this is the book for you.I have had mine since its first printing.I still take it out and read it.Wonderful pictures,and a complete episode guide.A Must Have!!!

I thought this book gave tons of interesting information and i enjoyed it. I read it over and over because I have DS club online and give my members trivia information. Great book! I would recommend it to any Dark Shadows fan.

The four volumes of the Raj Quartet overlap and complement one another, while at the same time forwarding the main storyline of the slow twilight of the British ascendancy in India, always with the rape of a white girl by Indian men as the central lodestone everpresent in the background, the nightmare which is seldom mentioned but which none can drive from their minds. Events occur, are discussed, witnessed as newspaper reports, court documents, interviews, vague recollections from years later, or perceived directly by the main characters. Then the next volume will take two or three steps back into previous events, and these same events will be perceived from another angle, perhaps only as a vague report heard far away across the Indian plain, or witnessed directly by another character, or discussed in detail long after their occurrence over drinks on a verandah. This may at times seem like rehashing, indeed as one reads the four volumes one will be subjected to the account of the rape in the Bibighar Gardens many times over; but what will also become apparent is that additional details, sometimes minor variations in interpretation and sometimes crucial facts, are being added slowly to the events discussed, as though the window to the past were being progressively wiped cleaner and cleaner with successive strokes of Scott's pen. In this way he draws the picture of the last days of the Raj not in a conventional linear fashion, but recursively, and from multiple angles. One gets the clear impression of life in India during the first half of the 20th century as similar in nature: Fragmented, multifaceted, largely dependent upon perspective and experience and never perceived whole or all at once.

Book 2 introduces what is going to be the main storyline of the tetralogy, although the rape in the Bibighar Gardens will remain in the back of everyone's mind, and sometimes at the front, throughout. First of all there is Mohammed Ali Kasim, a respected Indian Congressman arrested by the British as a matter of course when Congress finalizes its "Quit India" resolution; and his son Ahmed, the dissolute intellectual who spends his time in one of the remaining Princely States of India. Second, the Layton family is introduced, a typical example of the British military in India. Sarah Layton, the elder of the two daughters, is exquisitely rendered and will become one of the series' most familiar and constant characters. Ronald Merrick, the police officer who victimized Hari Kumar during the Bibighar Gardens affair, slouches back into the story as the best man at Susan Layton's wedding, only to be made into an unlikely hero and martyr at the end of the novel.

I thought that this was an excellent sequel to "The Jewel in the Crown", continuing Scott's dissection of the dying days of the British Raj. As World War II rolls on, tensions within Britain's Indian Empire increase.

The repercussions of the rape of Daphne Manners in the Bibighar Gardens continues to have their effect on various people, and not just on those who were involved directly in the aftermath of that incident. Scott begins to let his characters slowly unravel the truth behind the rape, but also examines the attitudes of both the British and the Indians towards the demise of the Raj and forthcoming Indian independence.

The British characters exhibit a deep ambiguity and unease (even guilt) towards their rôle in India - the current (and past) raison d'être of the Raj is unclear. Just why were they there and what legacy will they leave? More pertinently, what does the future hold for them, especially in Britain itself - if they return home, will they be fish-out-of-water, anachronisms?

The Indian characters see the Raj as moribund, but are uncertain about what to replace it with. Do they owe the British their loyalty and cooperation in the face of imminent invasion by the Japanese, or should they throw in their lot with the Japanese to get rid of the British? What kind of India will rise from the ashes of the Raj when religious and racial tensions seem so deeply entrenched?

Scott's view of this period seemed to me to be that the end of the Raj was a stumbling forward into history rather than a managed withdrawal from empire - a messy affair for both sides. A thoroughly interesting and stimulating read.

THE DAY OF THE SCORPION continues Paul Scott's very long story (total of 2000 pages) of the last days of British colonial rule in India. SCORPION is book 2 in the so-called Raj Quartet. These books are not about the external events per se as much as they are about the effects of these external events on the lives of several individuals, most prominently, Hari Kumar, Sarah Layton, and later in book 4 Guy Perron. In SCORPION, several new characters are introduced to the series, including members of the Layton and Kasim families.

In book 1, JEWEL IN THE CROWN, Hari Kumar was wrongfully jailed by the wicked Ronald Merrick for the rape of Daphne Manners Hari's secret love. When Daphne refused to press charges Hari was detained as a political prisoner. In JEWEL, the story of Hari's life was told from the court proceedings and other second hand accounts. JEWEL covers a period of about fifty years.

In SCORPION, Hari tells the story of his life up to 1942. A large section of this 500 page volume reads like a court proceeding since Hari shares his story with Captain Rowan, who has been ordered by the Governor to interview Kumar in prison.

Lady Manners, Daphne aunt, is a secret witness to the interview. It is Lady Manners who has persuaded the British authorities to revisit the reasons for Hari's imprisonment. During the proceedings, Hari is told Daphne is dead. "Twin rivulets gleamed on his prison cheeks, and then the image became blurred and she felt a corresponding wetness on her own..."

I think it would be extremely hard to follow this book without having first read JEWEL IN THE CROWN. A large part of SCORPION is used to elaborate and further the plot introduced in JEWEL. Dipping into SCORPION without having first read JEWEL would be like trying to watch a serial after missing a few critical episodes.

In addition, the introduction of the Laytons and the Kasims might also seem disjointed unless one knows SCORPION is not a "stand alone" novel. In spite of these limitations, SCORPION is a wonderful book, and thus I have given it 5 stars.

In SCORPION, Sarah Layton takes on the central role. Sarah is the only Layton to have had contact with Lady Manners and be concerned about the events in Mayapore. Sarah has two long exchanges with Ronald Merrick, Hari Kumar's nemesis. Sarah meets Captain Rowan Hari's liberator. Sarah is struggling with her own issues surrounding the lives of the English in India. Sarah is the one to watch. And Sarah is an Aries. Her sister Susan is the Scorpio.