I went to Washington College in Maryland, a school founded by a financial donation from George in 1782. I have a special spot in my heart for this man now made more special by this book.

The book focuses primarily on Washington's life up until the time he became President. The book does cover his entire life, but his years as President are skimpy by comparison to the rest of his life. The author's interest is more on who Washington was as a man than on his public accomplishments. Focusing on his formative years provides more insight into his character.

Nevertheless, the novel demonstrates the truly great accomplishments Washington made to American history. Without Washington, we would not have won the Revolutionary War: he provided the military strategy, the determination, and the leadership needed to win. Without Washington, we would not have become a country: he provided the leadership the 13 colonies needed to come together as a union. Without Washington, we would not have become a democracy: he resisted efforts to anoint him king, and he voluntarily relinquished power--first as commanding general who won the War of Independence, and later as the nation's first President.

Washington was an admirable person, and deserves the adulation the nation gave him then and since. But of course he had his flaws, and Citizen Washington conveys them, particularly via the characters in the novel who did not idolize him. Such was Washington's force of personality, though, that even his detractors were in awe of him.

This novel is particularly valuable as an adjunct to a nonfiction account of Washington's life, the best of which is James Thomas Flexner's Washington: The Indispensable Man.

Set mostly in Camas, Washington, Duncan's poignant novel follows the memorable Chance family through three decades, the 1950s through the 1970s, and around the world to Vietnam, Canada, and India. Along the way, the Chance siblings (four precocious brothers and their twin sisters) establish their independence from their parents, Papa Hugh, a talented bush-league pitcher with a toe for a thumb, and Mama Laura, a devout Adventist with a painful secret in her past. Through Kincaid Chance's narrative, we also follow the lives of his brothers, Everett, a draft dodger, Peter, "a scholar monk" (p. 414), and Irwin, a gentle, Christian foot soldier. At one point in the novel, Kincaid finds his family rallying together, "headed for an insane asylum in California. We looked more as if we'd escaped from one. But in the pouring gray rain, I felt clarity. With the war still raging, I felt at peace. With Papa in despair, Everett in prison and Irwin in the asylum, I felt release. I didn't understand my feelings, didn't even desire them, really, but they kept filling me so full that my eyes began to well" (p. 564). THE BROTHERS K is a novel about crash landing in a good place (p. 398), and a novel you won't soon forget.

G. Merritt

Still, somewhere out there is the rare reader who likes the challenge an epic presents, loves to get lost in fascinating, multi-layered characterizations and plots that expand over decades.

For those readers, there is David James Duncan's 1992 offering, "The Brothers K." It excels on all those fronts I just mentioned, and on several more.

But when a friend recently handed it over to me, suggesting that I take a look, I too balked at its size:

"Look at it! Are you trying to kill any semblance of a social life I may have? This thing is mammoth and unwieldy!"

But my friend was persistent and so I went home and took a look. And soon became lost in the words, the story, the characters.

"Brothers K" is about the Chance family. Father Hugh is a mill worker who used to be the most promising baseball player around, until an accident at the mill cost him his dream. Mother Laura clings obsessively to her Adventist religion, since it once protected her from the darkest hour of her past.

Together, they have four boys and two twin girls. Everett is the oldest, a charming, witty rogue who doesn't share Laura's faith. Peter is next, and is a fellow cynic. Irwin is the large and innocent third child. Kincaid is a blank slate, who serves as the readers' eyes in the guise of the book's narrator.

The twin girls, Bet and Freddy, come later and more or less fulfill the role of younger sisters to the four brothers and little else, although they have a heartbreaking scene involving their grandmother's death that paves the way for the story to come full circle later.

Those are the characters. There is a plot, but Duncan takes it so lackadaisically and slow across the sands of time that in essence it can all be summed up in one word: Lifetime. For this is very much the saga of the Chance family, and all of their adventures therein.

We literally see the Chance boys grow up before our very eyes, watch as their characters age and grow, or regress, experience life and flirt with death.

Around halfway through the book, the four brothers (the "K" is an allusion to "The Brothers Karamazov," by Fyodor Dostoyevsky) each go off in search of their own way; Everett becomes a draft-dodger, Peter a philosopher, Kincaid a hippie, and Irwin goes to fight in Vietnam.

There is no rush on Duncan's part to tell the story, and so there can be no rush from the reader to finish it.

For this is a book in which the getting there is very much the draw, and readers are rewarded their patience by Duncan's sense of humor, sometimes gentle, other times abrasive, many times subtle and always hilarious.

But if you're the sort who seeks immediate gratification and "lite" escape from your reading, "Brothers K" is told in a series of broken up chapters and chapters-within-chapters, making it easier to simply pick it up, read a section or two and then return to whatever else you were doing.

If you can, that is. It's a hypnotic, intoxicating read, which will make putting the book down difficult.

And when you finally do finish, if you're like me, you will be so moved from the whole experience you will have to leave the room and walk the book off. It's that good.

Upon returning to your room, of course, there will be the brand-new temptation to pick it up and start all over again.

I've always enjoyed a carnival/magical type atmosphere in a novel so I just knew I was going to love this one. I wasn't disappointed. What I liked most about this book was the way the author developed the hero and heroine. We get to see them as little brats and are allowed to grow up with them. I typically don't enjoy *saga* type books and prefer to get to the action right away but these two kids and their story were so interesting and the characters so very well developed that I became attached to these two and couldn't wait to see what happened next.

The hero starts life as a wounded little boy and develops into a strong, secure, sensitive man thanks to the loving attention of his *adopted* family. The heroine is independent and headstrong but still has a vulnerable side. All of the secondary characters are wonderful and add depth and emotion to the story. The love scenes ain't bad either. This one put me thru the emotional wringer and I loved every word

Gayle Saunders and Patricia Reid have been friends since childhood. They chose each other for their best friend. They are completely opposite. Gayle is beautiful and well loved by her parents. Her only ambition is to marry a man who has money and is someone with high standing in the community. Pat on the other hand comes from an unstable home. She is smart and determined to work her way to the top. Circumstances change for Pat and Gayle's parents adopt her. They grow up together like sisters. Pat is accepted into a prep school and their lives take different paths. Gayle marries Ramsey, a gambler who almost destroys her life. She does not have a clue about her husband's secret life. He is very controlling and Gayle lives to be the dutiful wife. Needless to say Pat graduated from college with honors. Her determination and hard work took her to top of her career in Advertising. After reaching the top Pat was not satisfied. She was still trying to find a place that she could call home. After years of separation and many trials and tribulations Pat and Gayle find the meaning of true friendship.

Marcus Carter who is a childhood friend of Pat and Gayle is troubled. He is being haunted by a tragic accident that occurred during his childhood. The details of the accident are a well-kept secret. Pat and Gayle share this secret with him.

The new chapter is an expansion of the original storyline and is well written. There is more about how you sleep in that bed you made. You are in for a surprise.

DeBerry and Grant have written a novel that is filled with so much honesty in their characterizations. The writing is clear and easy to follow. They have succeeded in making the characters feel like real people.

I was really touched by this book. It made me think about my friendships with other women. There is many twist and turns in this book but you are never confused about what really happens. This is a good book one that I could not put down until I finished.
I would recommend this book to all women.

Reviewed by Dorothy Cooperwood

This was definitely one of the best books I've read this summer, and I would even read it again. And I don't usually read books more than once, no matter how much I like them! I would also love to see this book made into a movie. For some reason, I see Vanessa L. Williams as the perfect Gayle. But enough of my raving about the book. If you haven't read it, you should! Believe me, you'll be glad you did!

Patricia Elam did a wonderful job writing this story of friendship, growing up and forgiveness. I'm looking forward to her next novel.

I enjoyed the realism of the story that Patricia Elam tells. This is truly a story of friendship and letting go of the past. I look forward to more from Patricia Elam and wish her continued success and blessings. Peace.

Breathing Room is an emotionally rich and powerfully written story about two middle-age, middle income, professional women coming to terms with self and struggling with the consequences of their actions. Norma & Moxie have been friends since college and have always been there for one another no matter the circumstances. Although parenthood, marriage and professional careers might sometimes be more than they can bare, their love and respect for each other has always weathered the storm, until Norma decides to stray and embark on an illicit path. Moxie, full of self-pride and self-righteousness can't seem to control her judgement or impression of others when they dare to be different from her. As a result, she finds herself at odds with best friend, Norma, as well as, her teenage daughter, Zadi.

Breathing Room is a story that grows on you quickly as you experience the sub-plots and twist and turns. The beginning was a little slow until I reached a comfort zone with Ms. Elam's writing style; however, the more I read the more engrossed and caught up I became. I liked that Breathing Room captured the essence of so many middle-aged, middle-income, professional women who're striving to do it all but sometimes fall short. One of Ms. Elam's greatest strength and sometimes weakness was the character development; at times I did not feel the main characters were created equally. While Moxie often got on my nerves, as I thought she took everything to the extreme, I felt like I personally knew her and that she was a sista I could kick it with. On the other hand, after I finished the book, I didn't quite feel that I really knew who Norma was. I knew her professionally and I knew her as a wife...sort of...but I didn't understand her feelings as a mother. I didn't really know much about her earlier background or her emotional makeup. I really wanted to know more about her childhood. I wanted to know what made her tick. Instead, I walked away slightly disappointed and not completely satisfied. Now the character who really captured my heart...and I felt should have been a main character...was Moxie's daughter, Zadi. I loved living vicariously through her via her sistagirl diary.

Breathing Room sometimes appears to be hard to follow and unfocused, however, real life is often like this and Ms. Elam's does an outstanding job of capturing what women in this target segment (i.e. the mature AA female) often go through. The storyline is a refreshing change of pace and will capture your attention. I finished the book in one sitting and felt like I had lost my best friends when I got to the end. Breathing Room made me think and wonder what I would do if I were in Moxie, Norma or Zadi's shoes. I felt Breathing Room...I lived Breathing Room...and I felt like I had lost my best friends when I got to the end. I really enjoyed Ms. Elam's debut novel and she's a writer that I hope will be around for a long time to come.

There were no small characters, no small roles in this story. Every piece a valuable connection to the puzzle. ENCORE!!!
Will be looking for more from Alexander Parsons

BOOKLIST AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION Fans of the classic British television series The Avengers and The Saint may recognize the author',s name: as Ray Austin, he directed episodes-of-those serve; as well as many other British and American shows, This is his first novel, and it's ideally suited for the small screen. An armored car is hijacked, seemingly snatched out of thin air, and Virginia's Beauford Sloan, retired-cop-turned-private-detective, is hired to find out whodunit. Sloan, who closely resembles the actor Wilford Brimley, is a remarkably likable character. (The resemblance is no coincidence: Brimley and the author are friends, and Brimley has expressed his desire to play the detective in the anticipated television movie based on the novel. He has also written an introduction to the book.) In fact, everything about the novel is remarkably likable; perhaps because he spent decades in the world of moving pictures, Austin knows how to create detailed characters, dialogue that is both memorable and realistic, and an exciting plot. An excellent debut and a real find.

David Pitt

Incidents is an excellent reading selection for a bookgroup and a book that I highly recommend to everyone. Remember the story and share the story so that history doesn't repeat itself.

Incidents follows the "true story" (its authenticity is doubted in some places) of Linda [Jacobs uses a pseudonym] who is born into the shackles of slavery and yearns for freedom. She lives with a depraved slave master who dehumanizes her, and a mistress who mistreats her. As the novel progresses, Linda becomes increasingly starved of freedom and resolves to escape, but Linda finds that even escaping presents its problems.

But Incidents is more than just a gripping narration of one woman's crusade for freedom, and is rather an organized attack on Slavery, intended to convince even the most apathetic of northerners. And in this too, Incidents succeeds. The writing is clear, and Jacobs' use of rhetorical strategy to preserve integrity is astonishing.

Well written, convincing, entertaining, Incidents is an amazing book.