My granddaughter (11) and I have enjoyed this book emmensely and are re-reading it often. She loves tales of Japan and the beautiful illustrations. My husband and I lived in Japan for 2 years. This book's story has good moral principles and is an easy way to teach kind thoughtful behavior and the benefits of love and responsibility.

I think I wore out my library's copy of this book 20 years ago.

I just finished "At Dawn We Slept" and was very impressed with it. I then saw the movie "Pearl Harbor". On a coffee stop at the bookstore, I saw this book, and bought it on the good impression of a similar volume about D-Day by the same editors. The coffee was just OK, but the book is tremendous.

This book, as did the D-Day issue (see my review if you're interested), presents original photos tied together with a fairly simple narrative that tells the story of the Pearl Harbor attack. You'll get to see photos of all the major players, Kimmel, Short, Yamamoto, et al. Some of the attack photos are pretty amazing. The original Japanese photos are stunning and good for hardware fans. The Japanese ariel photos lend great detail to the story. The superimposed flight patterns are very instructive. As I implied above, after Prange's book and the movie, this book was the crowning glory to my Pearl Harbor reading.

This book will catch you off-guard. At first it looks very simple, which it is, almost for children, but when you dive into it, it gets surprisingly detailed. All the US planes that were involved are present in photographs, even a B-18! The text presents facts and occurances, and no politics. 90% of the ship photos are spectacular.

So, go out and buy this book. You really should have it, then read one of the many books about Pearl Harbor. The photos will make the story live. Well done Mr. Goldstein and Ms Dillon.

Mr Shingo was the technical man behind Mr Ohno who was the manager in the implementation of the Toyota production system. He defined the how to methods of SMED and 0 defects Quality that support the non stock production system. This book is of the type for the hands on engineer who wants to understand and implement the concepts, directly from their creator.

This is only the second book of comics I've ever read (Preacher, book 1 was the first), but this is great stuff.

In this second collection from Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon, we get to play a little catch-up after all the fast and furious medias res action of the first book.

That isn't to say that there isn't plenty going on in these stories. We get to meet Jesse's weird, weird family (have you ever seen "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre"?)

There's also a resolution to Jesse and Tulip's knotty love problems. And we get to travel with Cassidy, our favorite bloodsucker from the British Isles, into the belly of the beast, where we learn more about the mysterious agency that is persuing Jesse. After you've finished this second book of Preacher comics, you'll still have many unanswered questions, but you'll have a little surer footing in Jesse Custer's strange world, and you'll have no choice but to go buy the third book.

This, the second Preacher collection is vile, depraved, revolting, disgusting and morally dubious. Up to the usual Ennis standards, then. The general plot, for those who don't know, is this: Jesse Custer, a small town Texas Preacher, has his soul bonded with Genesis, a creature born of a demon and an angel, giving him the power to command people to do his bidding. He meets up with his hit-woman ex-girlfriend, Tulip and an Irish (that's IRISH, not AUSTRALIAN) alcoholic vampire called Cassidy. Soon, this trio find themselves on the run from the FBI, the Texas state police, a super-secret conspiracy known as the Grail, an immortal cowboy and a hideously disfigured (yet strangely upbeat) teenager. If you thought that Reservoir Dogs needed a bit more blood and that Pulp Fiction was wholesome family entertainment, then you really need to buy this book, I can't reccommend it enough. Don't be fooled into thinking this is a brainless shoot-em-up suerhero comic,however, - it is a carefully characterised well written story which deserves to be read from start to finish and then over again. In it's time, Preacher has presented moral stories on alcoholism, drug-abuse, child-abuse, love, friendship and what to do when everything you belive in has fallen down around you. BE WARNED, though - this comic don't pull any punches.

I first read Preacher while I was doing my military service and immediately got hooked. Although I read the books in a pretty out-of-order fashion, I still followed the plot and found it interesting. Happily in reserve now and money to buy the albums and read them with more thought. Until the end of the World is probably the biggest shocker in the series. First you see Custer's disgusting family and you can only guess how many times I went "Oww gross, what next!?". I also found it pretty interesting that IMO the story in Vol.2 seemed to get a bit lighter in mood as the story progressed. Cassidy and the cat, Starr getting more he bargained for and the strange orgy at the end. I was rolling on the floor laughing as I watched this bizarre story unfold. I'll get my head examined next... Anyway, the story is as solid you can expect from Ennis with plenty of story driven bloodshed and some nice 'slaps on the cheek' in the form of some unexpected headshots. Unfortunately, the Saint of Killers is seen only once in the this book, but expect to catch this menacing figure in the next book doing what he does best ;->

Lily's Crossing was a good book.It was a good book because it described things well.This is what Lily's Crossing was about.

Lily is a little girl who lives in Saint Alban's. She is 12 years old. In the summer she goes to live with her grandma in Rockaway, NY.She has to play the the piano because her dad bought her a piano to play. She doesn't like the piano. Right now her dad is in the World War 2. He is an engineer. He is not going to be home until the war is over. Lily really misses her poppy. Her best friend Margaret has to move because of the war. She has to go with her father and her family because her dad got transferred with his job. In the book, Lily meets a kid named Albert.

In order to find out what happens next, you will have to read the book. I would recommend this book to you, because it is really good and exciting.

Laura Conroy
May 27, 2003
LA 02

Lily's Crossing

The book that I read was called Lily's Crossing. It was 1944, and World War 2 has brought chaos to a family who lives in Rockaway New York. Lily, the main character, father is going to the war and everyone is very anxious for him to come back. Will father come back? The author Patricia Reilly Giff gives the reader suspense with lots of questions. Will father get back okay? Read the book and find out.
In this book, the theme maybe be " Friends consist of love, care, and kindness" My evidence to this theme is Lily met a friend Albert which she thought she would hate but she really met him and he was one of the best friends she ever had.
Put aside all the suspense and post-its your going to have. The one thing I noticed when I looked at the book was the "Newberry Honor Award" This award was given to these books in 1921 and has come to represent the beset in children's literature. So there's no way this can be a good book for the soul.
Giffs well writing and imagination makes these characters have had. Personally, I had so many connections with this book that it made me feel like Lily was my very own sister. For example, Lily has a hard time meeting friends and so do I. This book teaches you a good lesson how to get to know people in their own special ways.
Patricia Reilly Giff, started out wanting to write stories by just picking up a book for the first time. She says, " I thought it must be a marvelous thing to just print the pages." You can tell she had a dream from the very start. Patricia's education includes a B.A degree from Marymount Collect, an MA from St.Johns University, and a Diploma in Reading and Doctorate of Humane Letters from Hofstra. All of Patricia writing comes from her experiences or stories she has heard. When Patricia was young her favorite books included Little Women, The Secret Garden, the Black Sue Barton books, and finally the Nancy Drew Books. Hopefully Patricia books will b
e one of your favorite series. In order it to be you have to read it first!

Lily's Crossing is a story of friendship. It is World War II and times are difficult. Lily and her grandmother are going to Rockaway Beach for the summer, but little does Lily know that her "Poppy" will not accompany them. He has been asked to help rebuild France. Lily meets a new friend and they go on adventures together. This is an excellent story for historical fiction readers. For teachers, this would be a wonderful story to read when the topic of WWII is being discussed. The language is rich and inviting. Giff keeps you hooked until the end.

The critically acclaimed Preacher series by co-creators Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon is one [messed] up strange trip. As described in the foreword by Joe R. Lansdale, Preacher is "part Western, part Crime story, part Horror story, and partly just [messed]-up strange. Well, a lot [messed] up strange actually." Preacher, like the best of literature, is an experience. Ennis and Dillon are able to draw you into the Western atmosphere that dominates this book immediately and you'll find yourself unable to put it down(I read the entire book in one sitting). Preacher Vol.1: Gone To Texas is the introduction to the three main protagonists of the Preacher series, Jesse Custer- a man who has lost his faith who is endowed with the power of the word of God, Cassidy- a hard-drinking Irish vampire, and Tulip- a strong-willed woman who can hold her own with any man. From Texas to New York, Preacher: Gone To Texas is one big trip that will not disappoint. And who wouldn't love a series with a character named Arseface?

Writer Garth Ennis and artist Steve Dillon bring to life one of the most twisted, offensive, action packed, and unrelenting comic sagas that you'll ever read. This first chapter in the Preacher saga introduces us to Jesse Custer, a former preacher who teams up with his gun toting ex-girlfriend Tulip, and a hard drinking Irish vampire punk named Cassidy. Jesse is on a mission to find God, but not for the usual philosophical reasons one might expect. The action is graphic and very violent, and Ennis' dialogue can be chilling in one scene, and laugh out loud absurdly hilarious in the next (Cassidy's antics will have you busting a gut laughing). All in all, those looking for a different kind of comic and have unique tastes should definitely give the entire Preacher series a look, and they should start here.

I had to quote Kevin Smith on the back cover when describing this book. It was one heckuva good read that seems to capture you from the first page to the last. Garth Ennis works his magic on one ofhis earliest works to create character that are so out of this world, it's real. Steve Dillon provides the visual afterworks for a story that is well laid out and planned from day 1. These guys were having fun with this book and they just didn't care who they were offending while doing just that.

The story begins like any good story. In a bar. Here everyone starts telling how things came to be. Ennis portrays this aspect beautifully, creating a marginal line between the insane and what is to be of reality. The Preacher, the main character, gets his main share of the pie. The others still remain a mystery to the reader which only makes you want to read more and more about their backgrounds. Ennis seems to be telling his readers: "Look, I'll get to this, just hold on a sec and enjoy the ride." And boy is the book a rollercoaster.

The Preacher's spirit is a product of an angel from heaven who mated with a demon from hell and whose spirit sought a mortal soul, to find the true meaning of life??? Heck, you maybe surprised at first, but that is the smartest way any author has tackled the prospect of what life is all about and how creatures relate to God. Ennis wants to know the answer and wants you all to know that answer, but he'll make it out so that everyone can enjoy his or her time with this. This is not just a piece of fiction, but a piece of theology. It may provoke a lot of debate. I was offended at first and still am, but you have to give credit where it's due. Ennis, brilliant evil British genius that he is, uncovers all the horrors of the heavens. I had thought his work on Punisher was smart and sassy, but his work on Preacher just blows that away completely. Here we have smartness, ingenuity and let put some sexy in it too. Did I forget to say funny? Even his depiction of some horrors, like a boy who has his face blown and lived to see the next day has the funniest way of talking and speech. Is that funny? Yes, but you WILL feel guilty for laughing to such real horror.

Dillon's work is gruesome!!! Very graphic depiction of violence. Is it a bother? Hell NO!!! This just provides the scheme of things. It plays out like a good horror movie. Lots of gore, lots of blood and lots of faces getting blown up and brains spilling. Steve is not here to lush you with bleed art on every page like comics these days. He'll stick to his regular rectancles and squares, but he'll make your eyes glued to them the whole time. His work is like a 35mm Scorcese movie, not an MTV video clip. Only downside with his art, however, is that the faces just look too damn alike. They look that everyone is somehow related to the other in some sense.

Great work by this fabulous duo. DC Comics fails to tell Warner Bros about this gem of a book. It would make a good movie if ever was made. You don't even have to change the script to fit in with the screen, because reading this collection is waaaaay better than going to the movies.

How to Transcend the Present and Record the Past for the Future Or, Prange's Present toPosterity Seth Hieronymus History of PearlHarbor Abroad November 22, 1997 Principia College, Elsah, IL, 62028 At Dawn We Slept: The Untold Story of Pearl Harbor, by Gordon W. Prange, manages to break new ground in history writing. Although the manuscript in this form was authored primarily by two of Prange's ex-students Dr. Donald Goldstein and CWO (USAF Ret.) Katherine V. Dillon, due to Prange's enormous contribution, At Dawn We Slept is truly his tale. Prange endeavored to write the most complete work on the subject extant, an inside look from both the Japanese and American points of view. In his own words, "I [Prange's italics] am the only individual who has come to grips with the entire Pearl Harbor problem and conducted extensive research and interviews on both sides of the Pacific." Prange, through his research and his use of both the Japanese and American perspectives, has succeeded brilliantly in writing this unbiased look at Japanese / American relations leading up to, and immediately following the December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor. Prange's story starts in Japan, New Year's Day, 1941, with its 2601st birthday, and ends in 1946, with the conclusion of the Joint Congressional Committee Investigation into the attack at Pearl Harbor. , , Even though At Dawn We Slept contains several historical references outside this timeframe; for instance, Commodore Mathew Perry's expedition in 1895 that normalized Japanese-American relations, they serve mainly as background information that support the main story. Similarly, although the book briefly mentions the Atlantic theatre and events in Washington, it does not try to expand its focus beyond its original purpose, the Pacific, from Japan to Pearl Harbor. What makes this book great are not the dry facts about who was involved, and where or when it happened, but rather how it tells the events. It is arranged much like two trains, one Japanese and one American, that stop every so often to trade passengers, but inexorably race on to a truculent collision on December 7, 1941, at Pearl Harbor. The language of the book lets the reader look through the eyes of the characters, lets him feel their emotions, and gives him a first-hand look at the events. For instance, speaking of Japanese ships, "[Abukuma] led nine of the newest and best destroyers under the Rising Sun flag... Nagumo's trouble-shooters... could spring to battle at a moment's notice," and later: On Nagumo's shoulders rested a responsibility and a burden such as few commanders had ever borne in the history of naval warfare. The venture ripped out all the pages of Japanese naval tradition, violated their basic rules of strategy, and tossed into the classified waste the plans which Japan had long formulated to fight the U. S. Navy. , The word pictures that At Dawn We Slept paint personalize the history, and make it more accessible and enjoyable. Furthermore, the pictures, although rather sparse, give a visual perspective that speaks out from the past, for instance Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto's stately demeanor and Lt. Commander Shigekazu Shimazaki's smug confidence. As with any historical work, research forms its backbone and determines its credibility. The contribution of Prange's own history should not be forgotten, because his background determines the skills and opportunities that he brought to the investigation. Born in Iowa, on July 16, 1910, Prange taught history at the University of Maryland from 1937 to 1980, when he died. Beyond that, he was Douglas MacArthur's chief historian from 1946 to 1951, and had a chance to talk to the participants first-hand. How often are people in the right places at the right times that they are able to record the events of history for posterity? Prange was. Because he spent 37 years of his life gathering first- hand, eye-witness accounts for this book, Prange forces us not only to trust him, but to actually relive the events, as they happened. His hundreds of interviews consisted of individuals who actually participated in the history, from the lowest ranks of the military to the highest, and many of the civilians. The sheer magnitude of his work is an essential element in this book's appeal. For example, Prange met with Commander Minoru Genda -- the main author of the Japanese attack -- a total of 72 times, and Commander Mitsuo Fuchida, the flight leader, 50 times. , Prange's original plan was to write a book solely from the Japanese perspective. Consequently, a bias could have been introduced as Prange did not interview many of the American participants until much later. In one case, the commander of the Hawaiian Department, Lt. General Walter C. Short, whom the Inquiry Board found partially responsible for the attack, died on September 3, 1949, before Prange even had a chance to interrogate him. However, the magnitude of Prange's research and interviews enabled him to find the germane facts in people's otherwise embellished tellings. In this way, Prange minimized distortion of the actual events, and thereby minimized any bias introduced. This is not to say the book falls short of placing both blame and praise for the attack. Of Short, and Admiral Husband E. Kimmel, "Both Kimmel and Short exercised poor judgment in this crisis." And about Genda, and Commander Mitsuo Fuchida: From the moment Genda explained his assignment, Fuchida brought a new dimension to the Pearl Harbor picture. Henceforth he and Genda formed a unique team - Genda the creative genius supplying the original ideas, Fuchida the aggressive activist hammering them into reality. At Dawn We Slept essentially becomes Prange's thesis about the how historical events leading up to Pearl Harbor occurred - on both sides of the Atlantic. However, the book does more: It goes beyond dates and places, and instead brings the history alive. This book, in doing so, becomes a model for its contemporaries and a benchmark for the future. End Notes Gaddis Smith, "Remembering Pearl Harbor," The New York Times Book Review 29 November 1981: 3. Donald Goldstein, Telephone Interview, November 20, 1997. Goldstein Interview. Gordon W. Prange, Donald Goldstein and Katherine Dillon, ed. At Dawn We Slept: The Untold Story of Pearl Harbor (New York: Penguin, 1991) 814. Prange 3. Prange 722. Prange 842. Prange 392. Prange 395. Prange 1st Picture Set. Prange Cover. Goldstein Interview. Prange 821-825. Prange 827. Prange 829. Prange 728-729. Prange 410. END

While science is my area of expertise, I have a continuing interest in history. That interest lead me to pick up Prange's book. Gordon Prange has devoted years to accumulating information about the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. That information includes interviews and military and government information from the USA and Japan. That accumulated information was then boiled down into this final work -- completed after Prange's death.

While there have been many books and theories proposed about why and how the debacle at Pearl Harbor took place, Prange's approach is well documented, and includes details of the pre-attack politics of the USA and of Japan. His book also includes detailed information about the attack itself, gleaned from interviews with those on both sides who actually participated in the event. But, even with that level of detail, I must admit that the most compelling part of the book for me is the section that follows the actual attack -- when the US government and the military were trying to figure out what actually happened, and who was to blame.

The final series of chapters of the book provide insight into the thoughts and tactics of Adm. Kimmell (CincPAC) and Gen Short (Commanding General of army at Hawaii), the two primary "interested parties" in the event.

Before reading the book, I had a tendency to believe that there may have been something of a conspiracy by the Roosevelt administration to get us into WWII, but after reading this account of Pearl Harbor, I am more likely to believe that the great success, including complete surprise by Japanese naval aviation was the result of a series of ill-advised decisions by the commanders at Hawaii rather than by any entity in Wash DC.

The sticky point in the whole affair was "magic" the US's code-breaking machine that allowed us to monitor coded diplomatic messages sent between Tokyo and some of its embassies. While "magic" was the source of a great deal of information that may have resulted in a different outcome at Pearl Harbor if the commanders there had access to it, we will never really know.

If you are interested in looking in repurcussions from the attack at Pearl Harbor, or if you have an interest in thinking about the whys and hows of the US entry into WWII, I urge you to read this book.

The writing is passable, though sometimes quite dry. The information is well documented, and is believable. This is not, however, a quick read -- there is a lot of meat in this book to be digested as you go along.

All in all an outstanding contribution to the telling of a sensitive piece of American history.

5 stars for content and believability.

Alan Holyoak

While there have been many books written on the story of Pearl Harbor, this is by far one of the most detailed accounts. The book portrays fair and accurate detail from all sides and all perspectives. Gordon Prange's analysis from pre-attack to aftermath is thorough and complete, leaving the reader with much to comtemplate and digest. I certainly found the book to be presented in an objective and analytic manner. The writing style is rather wordy and scattered; however, the content more than compensates for the lack of quality editing skills. If you are an avid war buff or have a personal interest in Pearl Harbour, you will want to read this book. It is, however, quite lengthy and thought-provoking; therefore, the type of book one wants to peruse and digest slowly.

I have many times viewed a good Jack Higgins novel as a Tom Clancy story written with less than half the words. I'll give it to Jack, he wastes no time getting to the plot and moves it along at a fast clip, too. What we have with 'Eye of the Storm' is a fictional re-telling of the botched bombing of #10 Downing Street in London in the 80's. How was the plot to attempt to assassinate Prime Minister Thatcher hatched? How was it to be executed? AND most importantly: WHO was behind the bombing? This novel gives us an entertaining fictional version of the hows, who's and the why's. Sean Dillon, who ultimately becomes a good guy in future Higgins stories is portrayed as a troubled but highly intelligent IRA strongman who is given the task of killing one of their biggest enemies. The authenticity with which this novel was written makes one wonder whether or not Mr. Higgins actually HAS IRA connections...or is just a very very good author. I'd like to think it was his talent.

This book HAS to be one of Jack Higgins' best! As the combined forces of British and French Security Services "set a thief to catch a thief", the adventure gets even more deadly and complicated. At one side there is an Irish-American Martin Brosnan who is an ex-IRA gunman trying to live a decent life and at the other hand there is a ruthless but honorable and charismatic villain, Sean Dillon, whom you can't resist loving. As the hunter becomes the hunted, the reader gets more and more sucked in this great Jack Higgins book which combines his old books (thorough the appearence of his Liam Devlin and mentioning of Frank Barry) to his new ones... And when you are finished, you can't shake the feeling that this WAS actually what REALLY happened during the mortar attack on Number Ten Downing Street on February 7, 1991...

A must-read!! This was the first Higgin's book I've ever read and it made me wanna read all of his novels. I think it's one of his best. Sean Dillon, the ruthless but charming and smart hero, is planing the coup of his life: Blowing up Downing Street 10! The book is pretty exciting and it will fascinate you from the first to the last page!!! "Eye of the storm" is a very gripping novel with a very satisfying and unusual ending!!

OK, young fool falls in love with married girl. Becomes friend of the couple. Husband starts to get annoyed. Hero declares his love and then commits suicide. You can read that in the paper once in a while. So, why is this a great novel and a landmark of Romantic literature? Because it has a lot to make us think. A famous fact related to this book is that, short after it was published, a series of suicides took place in Europe, mostly by young guys in the same situation as Werther. That should set clear the influence and strenght of the novel. It is extremely well written; the scenery is gorgeous -rural, upper class Germany in the Eighteenth century. The book is written as a secret diary addressed to a trusted friend, and to any readers, young or old, it will strike a chord in their hearts. Tell me, who is there that never experienced dreams of punishing that insensible beloved from school by committing suicide and then have her cry and repent at the funeral? But most of us are still here, with her or, most likely, with someone else or alone. We survived love's infatuation; Werther did not, and he is now a prototype of unlimited love (or lack of maturity, depending on your point of view). I prefer to see it as a great story written, at an early stage, by one of the greatest geniuses of all time. "Werther"

I always find it sad that more people do not read Goethe for pleasure alone. Yes, he was a "scholarly" writer but his works, although profound, are written in an easily understandable style. I think too many people have been needlessly scared off by Goethe's monumental intelligence and his philosophy. This is too bad. His books revolve around themes that are universal, subjects to which all of us can relate: romantic love, nature, God, beauty.

Eighteenth-century German literature was propelled by a revolution in romanticism, and writers such as Goethe celebrated their most cherished ideals in as ornate and eloquent a manner as possible. While the tendency of American and British writers to ignore the sublime and the romantic in favor of stark realism does have its place, that does not mean that the sublime and the romantic should be casually tossed aside.

The Sorrows of Young Werther is not Goethe at this best (you need to read Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship for that) but it the best introduction to Goethe anyone could find and a lovely novella in its own right. The Sorrows of Young Werther opens more amazingly than any book I have ever read and it is not overstating things a bit to say that Goethe gives us something profound and beautiful on each and every page.

The Sorrows of Young Werther is comprised, for the most part, of letters written by a hopelessly romantic young man named Werther to a friend named Wilhelm. These letters not only detail Werther's doomed love for the beautiful Charlotte, they also contain the most beautiful meditations on just about everything important in life: love, beauty, nature, philosophy, art, religion.

In Werther, Goethe clearly shows us the problems inherent in loving and idealizing something a bit too much. I think many readers will have a problem with the character of Werther. He is simply too romantic to be real. And then there will be those who will wonder how a man who is capable of uttering the most gorgeous and flowing words about beauty, art and nature can fall so hopelessly in love with one woman that he seems to forget all else that he holds dear. Well, Werther, in the best romantic tradition, has invested all the emotion he feels for art, beauty, religion, etc. in Charlotte. Once readers realize this, I think the ending of this novella will make sense to them. Yes, Werther is an extreme but once you come to understand him, he does make perfect sense.

As I said, this isn't Goethe at this best or his most sublime or even, believe it not, his most romantic, but this is certainly the best place to begin if you are just beginning your study of this monumental author or of German romanticism in general.

The Sorrows of Werther is a book, that doesn't really need any introduction. However, in addition to the other reviews I would like to point out that Goethe's book is not be seemn only as a great love story (as such I, at least, find it rather commonsome), but a deep, accurate and insightful study of the mechanisms of love. Despite the sentimentalism and the emotional turmoils of the narrator, its language and composition are of the utmost clarity. Reading the book often - passage or two at the time - I find it most amusing. Many are the pleasures it brings to the disentangled and ironic reader. A great companion to the book is Roland Barthes's Fragments däun discours amoreux. A book akin in spirit to Werther, but with a more interesting plot, is de Laclos's Dangerous Liasons.