I bought and read this book while visiting New Orleans which made the book a very enjoyable read. Remini starts with Jackson's early War in the South. A forgotten American war hero, Jackson manages to win decisive victories in the Creek war, repulse the British at Mobile, and capture Pensacola from the Spaniards before scurrying over to New Orleans to save the city from an ignominious fate at the hands of the Duke of Wellington's army.
The story itself is fantastic - Jackson's few regulars and Tennessee, Mississippi, and Kentucky militiamen, allied with New Orleans society men, free blacks, and Lafitte's pirates wind up outfighting the finest and most disciplined army in the world (who defeated Napoleon, by the way). The book includes helpful campaign maps and is well written even if some of the author's claims are a bit overblown (?America's first military victory?).

I tend to agree with all the previous reviews of this book, both the good and the bad. That may sound a bit strange, as this is a well told historical account of the Battle for New Orleans. The book's narrative is fast and snappy, the story is well told and presented in a way that it reads like a novel. The author, Robert V. Remini certainly loves this period of history and has a deep respect for Andrew Jackson, which shows throughout the book, maybe too much so. One of the previous reviewers mentioned the fact that the story was a bit too much like "good versus evil".

I found on occasions that the American forces could do no wrong while the British were blunderers. For example, the chapter 'The Night Attack' shows Jackson throwing his troops, inferior in numbers and without full knowledge of the British forces in a spoiling attack against the advance guard of the British forces. Certainly the spoiling attack is a sound military move and paid good dividends in this instance. Jackson is shown as a daring commander however when the British forces do something very similar against the American positions they are made to sound like bumbling fools. Why is one commander a daring master and the other an idiot?

On a similar note, when Jackson showed caution on a number of occasions throughout this battle he was commended but when the British leadership showed this same caution they were castigated. I agree with the author that the British leadership was ineffectual at times but that is making a judgement in hindsight. The author made mention of Jackson's burning hatred of the British and their contempt for the American forces, maybe a little of this has rubbed off on the author?

Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed this book, it's a great story and my own country's history has no love of the British but I don't like it to show so one sided in any book I read. Beside that, the maps supplied (3) were of a high quality and a pleasant change but once again even the maps seemed to be one sided. The map showing the positions of the opposing forces for the attack on January 8, 1815 (page 135) show in great detail the American positions with the units indicated but nothing as detailed for the attacking British forces.

Having said all that, it was pleasing to note that the author paid tribute to the brave soldiers on both sides of this terrible battle. Overall this is an excellent story, told with verve and passion and it's a great book to read. I hope that the remarks above do not offend anyone, they are not made with that intention. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys history and would like to learn about this turning point in America's history.

Remini has filled a gap for lovers of American history. The War of 1812, which the Battle of New Orleans ended convincingly (allowing the previously negotiated Treaty of Ghent to be accepted by both the British and our side as negotiated), has had too few treatments in recent years.

Yet the Battle of New Orleans, as the author argues, perhaps was the event that convinced hostile Europeans that America was here to stay as a free nation. I would not completely agree with Remini's contention that the Battle of New Orleans was America's first major victory over European arms (he dismisses Yorktown and Saratoga as mere surrenders doing in my opinion a disservice to the aggressive American commanders and troops who did fight and convincingly beat the British at Saratoga). The author makes a case that this neglected Battle of a forgotten war earned our country the grudging respect it would need to grow unmolested over the next few decades.

That having been said, the book is a very well written account of a stirring and fascinating story. General Andrew Jackson, after defeating the Creek Indians and punishing Spanish Florida for aiding that foe as well as the British, leads his American volunteers to Louisianna to defend against the expected British move on New Orleans.

The British proceed to the bayous of the Mississippi delta and engage in another European style campaign against wiley American back country fighters. One wonders why the English high command did not learn the lessons of Gen. Braddock's defeat in the French and Indian War or numerous defeats during the American Revolution. Doctrinaire plans and rigid troop handling along the lines of European war were not very successful against citizen soldiers who know how to use their weapons with skill and fight from behind cover.

Using first person sources to illustrate the events in December 1814 to January of 1815, Remini gives voice to the events and people who helped make New Orleans a stirring American victory. Unsurprisingly, this biographer of Jackson paints a good portrait of the man whose talents and traits were sorely needed by our side in facing British regiments who had recently faced down Napolean's best troops. The hodge-podge of defenders are given colorful treatment. The pirate Laffite brothers and their outlaw band who manned our artillery, backwoodsmen in buckskin (giving the name the British used for our troops -- 'dirty shirts'), freed blacks, Creols and New Orleans first citizens all manned the barracades to await the onslaught.

The British, with their straight ahead determination, poor avenue of attack and lack of planning aided the American cause. But Jackson earned much of the glory that surrounded his victory. He cajoled troops and supplies, built a well fortified line, attacked before the British were all up and ready and worked to keep together an army that in reality was more like today's UN peacekeeping forces than a coherent American corps.

The battle scenes are well told, particularly the Jan. 8th main assualt in front of New Orleans. Remini's writing is good enough that the unfamiliar (to most) details of an unknown battlefield come alive in the reader's mind. So do the personalities on both sides. His descriptions are aided by three very good maps that allow one to fully picture the terrain.

This book is a quick read. The author tells just enough of the main charactors to separate them from one another in the story without bogging it down with a lot of background. The battles themselves come alive and are given a full description and dramatic rendering. You'll enjoy this book.

This is the first Lisa Jackson book that I've read. I did enjoy the book up until say the last 50-60 pages. It seemed that the ending was rushed. What bothered me the most was the fact that a certain character was repetively mentioned but not entirely brought into the story line. Peter was Samantha's long lost brother. The author mentioned him at least 10 times but was a no show. I guess I just wondered what the point was? Other than that, I thought the storyline was excellent and it certainly was a suspense. Even though at times I thought Samantha needed someone to grab a hold of her and shake some sense into her. For a psychologist she was pretty stunned. I was a bit skeptical with her relationship with Ty also in the beginning...but things apparently worked themselves out.I'm not totally convinced enough however to run out and buy Cold Blooded when it hits the stores.

I was stuck on a long transatlantic flight recently and had this book in my carry-on. Boy, am I glad I did. I am an avid romance reader, and had heard good things about this novel, but had let it linger on my 'to be read' pile because I wasn't sure I was in the mood for suspense and gore. Big mistake!

Lisa Jackson's smooth writing style hooked me from page one. She's created a vicious, enthralling killer, and from the very beginning you're dying to figure out who he could be. The main character, New Orleans radio psychologist Dr. Sam, has secrets, and the killer knows them. But working backward from who knows her secret to who the killer could be isn't easy, and Jackson peppers the story with potential suspects. Dr. Sam is a sympathetic character, and as a reader, you feel every bit of terror right along with her (in a good way!) Between the flight and the car ride home, I finished this book in one sitting, and can't wait to pick up COLD BLOODED, the sequel.

HOT BLOODED is a not-to-be-missed read from a terrific author.

Dr. Samantha Leeds is the host of Midnight Confessions, a popular New Orleans radio talk show. She begins getting calls at home and at work from a man named "John" who tells her that he knows her and asks her to repent for her past sins. While the ratings at WSLJ climb, Samantha begins to get very scared as one of her callers is "Annie", a woman claiming to be a teenager who committed suicide after calling in to Sam's radio show in Houston nine years ago.

Coincidentally, perhaps, Ty Wheeler moves into Samantha's neighborhood. Though he is incredibly attractive and very attentive when "John" increases his focus on Samantha, Ty isn't very forthcoming about himself. Could he somehow be involved with the threatening calls?

Are the brutal murders being committed in New Orleans linked somehow to Samantha? And whom can she trust when someone close to her just may prove to be "John"?

Lisa Jackson has written an intense thriller, one that will knock your socks off and keep you up until the wee hours of the morning. With well-developed characters, steamy romance, and captivating intrigue, HOT BLOODED is a must read.

I agree that this, number 16 in the series, may not be the best. It was strange in places and Koko's abilities went a little too far. But it was still a good book. I had paused in my reading of the series and I have to say I missed Qwill, Koko, and Yum Yum. If you are new to the series, don't start here. Start with the first, The Cat Who Could Read Backwards.

Before purchasing this book, I read the other reviews, some of which were less than flattering. I almost didn't buy it based on those reviews. Contrary to other written comments, I felt this edition is one of the best in the series. The plot was intriguing and the mystery a well-kept secret which unfolds at the end. But you don't have to take my word for it--read it for yourself.

I thought that the book was excellent. I never knew thatmystery books would ever be so refreshing. I was just sitting in thelibrary and was looking aroud for something to read. I picked up the cat who came to breakfast and read it . I really enjoyed what I read. After I finished reading the book I read all of the other books that was in the library that was written by Lilian Jackson Braun. I have just asked the librarian to order other books that I have not yet read by you. Thank you for writing something that is really enjoyable and yet calming to me. I hope that you keep writing more books about the threesome. Your books are amazing!

Thank you, Ann Jackson

This book has been around for 10 years, though maybe not in the U.S. The author openly summarises (well, re-writes) Jean Liedhoff's The Continuum Concept, just putting it in a contemporary British context. Most useful sections are on touching (eg. on why swaddling is always a poor substitute for a mother's skin), breast-feeding "failures" (women having lost so much confidence in their ability to feed their baby, a peculiarly western condition) and practical advice on how to avoid cracked nipples, engorgemnt etc - i.e. constant feeding, most importantly, night feeding. All chapters point to one given, that you must have your baby in bed with you at night. She even changes her doctor's mind on the subject, so beware, she'll probably change yours if you are a sceptic or have never tried it!

If you are afraid that "wearing" your baby will give you a bad back and will make you a martyr, read this book. The author states that her baby felt lighter at 8 months than at 8 days!!

The best sections are at the end, Practically Speaking (common questions answered) and Yes, but... (common accusaitons of co-sleeping rebutted).

Really good present for any new parent who is not getting a decent night's sleep.

As a childbirth educator in training, I want this book available for all of my students/ all parents-to-be as a counter to all of the "sleep through the night" books out there. Almost every mother I've spoken with "admits" to the "bad habit" of sometimes giving in" and keeping her baby in bed with her. Now there is strong evidence demonstrating that not only that this is safe, but also beneficial for both infant and parents alike.

I particularly like the chapter on quick responses to typical objections. We never used the crib or smaller cradle give to us as gifts by extended family members. What is amazing to me is the response I get when another mother asks for advice for solving sleep deprivation and wakeful baby problems and I explain why we can't commiserate. They inevitably try to convince me that we should get our child out of our bed! So we CAN commiserate, I suppose?

My daughter was maybe a day old when I brought her to bed with me in the hospital because she wouldn't stop crying. The nurse came in and said, "they learn that 'trick' right away." I can't tell you how many health care professionals told me that my several-day-old infant was manipulating me or playing tricks on me and how I was the parent and had to take control before it got out of hand. How rediculous was that?

I wish I'd read this book when I was pregnant. May daughter is 19 months old now and when she was an infant, I made sure she didn't get into the "bad habit" of sleeping with us. I even got her out of our bedroom and into her own by the time she was two months old so as not to get her too used to being even in the same room with us. I was very proud of myself for doing the "right thing." While I read this book I couldn't help but feel guilty because I'd given into to advice from well-meaning doctors, family members and friends even though it went against my own instincts. I even cried.

My toddler now sleeps on a mattress on the floor in our room and climbs into bed with us whenever she wishes. No more spending and hour and a half in the middle of the night trying to get her back to sleep after a nightmare and no more being frightened and alone in the dark for her. I'm selling the cradle and crib and the next child will sleep with us from the start. I'm going to buy one of these books for every expecting parent I know!

The life-changing message for me was to trust my instincts and do what feels right. Nevermind what everyone else says you should do.

A fascinating subject and book. My problem with it dates back to when I read excerpts of the original diaries of Dennis Stockton in the Virginian-Pilot, not long after the escape. Frankly, Stockton is a better, more forceful, less breathless writer than Jackson and Burke, but the authors have seen fit to rewrite and summarize his journals, and to claim authorship. They are good reporters, but they were given a gift when Stockton decided to hand over his fantastic, intelligent journals.

I'm deeply troubled by the fact that Stockton is _not_ given co-authorship credit on the jacket or on the title page, even though the best passages of the book are his writing, and most of the "inside" accounts of death row life are lifted and rewritten from his journals. It's disturbing that the true author of this story has been made into a mere exhibit by these authors. It's troubling to me that the book, based largely on the work of a dead man (and featuring big chunks of that dead man's writing) is copyrighted by these two authors, and that they're probably enjoying a full cut of the royalties. (I'd be happy to find out that they were sharing royalties with Stockton's family, but I'm not holding my breath.)

This is an important, essential book in the literature of death row. I just wish Dennis Stockton had gotten more credit for being the man he had longed to be -- a writer.

"Dead Run" is the best prison drama I have ever read, made more gripping by the fact that it is ALL TRUE. The bookd recounts the final prison term of Dennis Stockton, who was probably innocent and spent over a decade on Death Row. The first part of the book deals with the only successful mass escape from Death Row in American history, but the drama does not end there. Following that, by following Stockton through the system and finally to his execution, one becomes acquainted with the grim, crushing reality of the brutality and neglect of the American prison system.

On top of being a gripping tale of prison life, the book is a damning account of capital punishment and our prison system in general. By picking Stockton as a subject, a probably innocent man singled out by the UN as an example of a case of capital punishment that did not meet up with the standards expected of international law, the authors make a ringing statement against death penalty laws and procedures in the United States. Only the most rabid pro-death penalty advocate could read this book and not come away questioning their support for the execution of criminals.

A further feature that permeates the story is just how seedy and corrupt everyone and everything in the book are. The courts, the cops, the guards, the prisoners, the politicians - they are all part of the same basically corrupt world. Only (not coincidentally) the reporters and some of the witnesses come off as being white in a very grey and black world.

The book is a magnificent, cannot-put-it-down peice of work that I heartily recommend to any lover of a good non-fiction tale!

DEAD RUN is the best work of crime journalism I've read since THE EXECUTIONER'S SONG. It transcends the increasingly shabby true-crime genre. It is a superb study of life on Death Row. It is the latest proof that the land of the free continues to execute the innocent. It is a jailbreak story that rivals PAPILLON. It is crime history at its most elevated, and yet there's not a stodgy line. Social context is never forgotten, but the narrative line chugs ahead like a runaway locomotive. I will re-read this book many times and recommend it to all who enjoy a great yarn and responsible journalism.

Sunshine is a substance of transparency, yet when it touches the soft mist and shines through the concrete droplets, the arc of color manifests and dazzles the human yes. In many ways, this is the journey of man as the essence of living is filtered through the mist of love. D.H. Lawrence's controversial Rainbow makes few reference to the natural phenomenon as rainbow, yet through out the lines, readers feel the "unbearable lightness of being" sipping through to cinch the yearning hearts. Countless twenty-century writers dedicated their finest works to capture this evanescence, and surviving through scandals and suppression is this ambitious piece.

One of the unique faces of The Rainbow is its treatment of characters; instead of expanding from individuals, D.H. Lawrence reverses focus and lets the plot drift along. It's impossible to determine which character is the true protagonist because individuality is simply abashed in this banned work. In place of emphasis on characters, Lawrence traces a circuitous journey through three generations-alternating voices of three generations of Brangwen women. Despite the complexity of this novel however, each of these three women are given their space to dictate the path of their own rainbow. The word "journey" itself is repeated frequently enough, and the torch of change is constantly being passed along. The journey traces from the Polish widow to her Brangwen husband, her daughter to another Brangwen, and eventually the "heiress" of Brangwen memories-Ursula. The mother-daughter loop itself is a symbolic journey as the understanding of love is inherited.

As a novel focusing on the very nature of relationships and their connection to love, to sex, and to God, The Rainbow captures the pain and anguish of each woman as they come to possess the fruit of union with a man. And as the daughter gains voice over the ailing mother, the readers come to see how much time leads the mind towards something new. All characters seek illumination of love, and different from conventional romance novels, The Rainbow traces not the journey of one person, but the journey of an understanding. Anna Brangwen, the daughter of Lydia Lensky, finds a lover with whom she develops "a sensuality violent and extreme as death" (280), a relationship that ends in great fecundity. As her fresh and wishful perspective fades, her eldest daughter, Ursula commands the pace as she comes to possession of passion. Through her youthful flirtation with Anton Skrebensky, Ursula grows to be an emotional teacher eager to share her passion, only finding herself shut down by reality into "a hard, insentient thing" (445). Her meager knowledge of love leads her to a physical and emotional affair with Skrebensky as both grope for the truth behind relationships. But this truth is too grand for both of them as they yield to the tempting nature of passion, and let love pass by. But does the journey stop there?

"The primeval darkness falsified to a social mechanism" (499) is indeed the chimera that propels all characters towards the light of human affections. During a time of great changes, men and women cannot help but clang to one thing that seems unscathed-this primordial sense of protection in the bodies of opposite sex. But this need fades so fast as they probe deeper into the soul in search of the amorphous answer that leaves them sleepless. Just as the sun penetrates through the seductive veil of mist, the characters reach a point where physical relationships is a concrete something that does not satisfy. But while they reach in the darkness of lust for the light of emotional union, all falter just as the beautiful array of colors fade away. The sunshine never fails to reach earth, but it never fails to trick wild hearts into the trap of a surreal realm of love-the paradise beyond the rainbow.

I successively declare each Lawrence novel I encounter to be the best I've read, but in my opinion, "The Rainbow" is especially brilliant in its painstaking and accurate depiction of the universal experience of adolescence...and especially noteworthy in its spot-on description of the evolving feelings and thoughts of adolescent girls. Lawrence's feeling for and understanding of his female characters is astounding, particularly when compared with that of other writers of his time.

This work is sometimes criticized because of "repetitiveness" in the writing, but I find the repeated phrases add to, not detract from, the power of the novel. As in Lady Chatterley, he also manages to work in many brilliant and cutting observations of the price of progress in an industrial society, and document in careful, keen-eyed accuracy the varying responses of his characters--and, through them, archetypal human responses--to that society.

Lawrence's fame (or notoriety) rests on his sexual frankness, but what a lot of readers overlook is how well he wrote about parent-child relationships and family dynamics. The beginning of this novel is absolutely brilliant: Tom Brangwen and the Polish widow marry in haste, then find that they still haven't worked out their relationship. Her young daughter is an uneasy third party, and the child's sensitivity to the unease in their household is beautifully described, as well as her stepfather's gentle efforts to befriend her. As Lawrence continues the family history, his usual obsessions surface. But in general, it's a good story: sex is an organic part of his characters' lives rather than the mainspring of the whole plot (as in some of his other novels). And the characters come across as multi-dimensional human beings rather than talking heads (or other organs) for Lawrence's comments on life. A good novel for people who "don't like D.H. Lawrence."

This is truely a heartfelt story where I actually felt the love and the pain Nick endured for Jasmin ! A true case of a love so deep, such was the case with Nick ! He truely loved him some Jasmin ! After two years of loving Jasmin so much Nick decided to proposed to her. With Jasmin rejecting his proposal Nick felt he had to move on with his life !

The more he tried the harder it got ! I think he was trying to hard !

While I read this story I thought have you ever loved somebody..... and it hurt so bad! Such was the case for Nick this story actually lets you in on a secret some men actually do cry too ! Yes believe it ! I actually cried with him when he was in San Fransciso visiting Maya T !

I was begining to wondering if he would ever get over Jasmin, and if anybody could pull him out the hole Maya T could do it ?

For awhile I will admit I thought this book had been overrated but as I continue to read this story I found out it is a read that will touch your heart ! A romance story surely to touch your heart !

Ok, first things first...

Edwardo Jackson does a fantastic job telling a story that has long gone ignored; the story of the good black man who, while not perfect, loves his woman as best he can, only to somehow come up empty-handed and heartbroken. Yes ladies, heartbreak affects us mere-mortal black men as well. And yes, it hurts...badly!

I completely identified with Jackson's main character, Nick, and the period of self-discovery he undergoes in this debut novel. I even have the same type of occupation and side-interests as Nick. I went through the exact same situation myself, except my story didn't take place while travelling across four exciting, cosmopolitan, urban meccas. Basically, Nick loses the love of his life and during the healing process, he realizes that he doesn't truly know who he is or what he wants to be.

I will say that I did want more dialogue between the characters. I kind of read the book hoping to get to the "conflict". To Jackson's credit however, his use of scenery and description is supurb. He has great storytelling skills. However, I also feel that Jackson's characterizations could have been more complex. I want to love Nick and hate Jasmine, then I want to hate Nick and love Jasmine. Then in the end, whether I love them or hate them both, I want to understand them. But that is just me and what I want out of a book.

In the end, I don't think that there are any new plots in literature, it's the characters and how they deal with situations common to us all that ultimately draw readers in. I felt Nick became a worse person for Jasmine, not better. I found myself thinking "you can't take that kind of attitude Nick" throughout the story. Nick is upset with Jasmine (and with good reason) but Nick never takes a thorough examination of himself to see what things he did wrong during the relationship. Even if he never did anything wrong, something should have told this guy that this woman wasn't in the same place that he was. That right there is enough for self-reflection in and of itself. Also, Jasmine's character never changes much. We know that she is conflicted from the opening chapter. But, beyond the Halle Berry looks, what makes her so devastatingly loveable to Nick? What was so special about her? Where was the compassion between these two? I mean, true love must embody compassion. If it doesn't, well it's just a bad break-up then.

Despite the lack of characterization, this is a very good book. It's a timely book. It was very enjoyable to read. I hope it gets the attention it deserves because Edwardo Jackson has real talent. I definitely recommend it to anyone who knows what it feels like to be at that crossroad of following one's dreams, or following one's heart.

Let's say I gave it to him for a Valentine's day gift and he loved it! My boyfriend wanted to see what I was reading. He thumbed through the pages then he wouldn't give it back. If you're looking for a gift for yourself, a female friend or a man look no further. You have found just the thing. You'll get your dollar's worth. (I'm a poor student so I know what I'm talking.)

I had heard this new book by this new author is really good so I purchased a copy from Amazon a couple of weeks ago. I'd just put the school books down to crack Ever After the day before my boyfriend came to visit for Valentine's weekend. (I like nighttime reading that isn't academic but is still thoughtful and well written.) I was getting into the story, loving the characters, and flying through the pages to find out what Nick did next and what was Jasmine thinking. I was already hoping the sequel would be published soon. Then, while I was on a quick errand my man read a few pages as he waited. Much to my suprise he didn't want to give it back. He reads mostly law school books. I could not believe that he was in to a novel, especially a work that I enjoyed too. Then he started telling me that it was the best book he's read in years. (He likes Edwidge Danticat but other than that mostly non-fiction works.) This weekend, every time I turned around, he was reading it. I am the reader in this relationship (or at least I was) and he couldn't put it down. So despite wanting to finish the book myself I wrote an inscription on the inside cover and added it to his other gifts. Instead of doing reading assignments he read Ever After on the flight home. Unbelieveable! I picked the perfect V-day gift for a brotha and didn't even know it.

Thank you Edwardo Jackson! You certainly know how to write a story that brothas and sistas want to read! Buy it. You'll be so happy!

I found this book to be a very enjoyable book to read and if helped fill in a few spaces left about the great names of the Civil War before they became Generals. I have always enjoy reading accounts of the war with Mexico and seeing how the future enemies of the American Civil War fought together, saved each others lives on occassions and learnt the common lessons of war. This is a very interesting and well presented account although I found the battle scenes lacking in depth but I would suppose that was not the authors main focus but more on the people involved. I think it may have helped to have added a few maps of the fighting in Mexico and the Valley as if you have no prior knowledge of these areas you really do not appreciate the efforts involved in moving from one point to another. Overall this is a decent book and most people should enjoy immersing themselves in this bit of history.

This is one of the best Civil War books, I've ever read. John Waugh brings so many of our Civil war Generals, both North and South, back to life. We learn so many interesting details about their lives at West Point. This book had me laughing, with their antics at West Point, it rather reminded me of my own "boot Camp" life in the military 25 years ago. I can still see Thomas J. "StoneWall" Jackson, sweating at the blackboard, to try and solve problems,walking at the same pace, even when the others hurry to get out of the rain. The Fight that almost broke out, in the Church at West Point, between two future leaders.

One of the things, John Waugh does, is very emotionally grab you by the throat, as he describes StoneWall Jacksons dying, his wifes and Lee's reaction, and the funeral. I literally, had to put the book down and wipe the tears from my eyes. I've read about this incident, many times before, but Waughs version, really got to me.
McClellan, A.P.Hill, Pickett, Wilcox, Stoneman, Darius Couch, Sturgis and many others are brought to life.

I have so many Civil War books to read, but I certainly want to read this book again, in the future.

If you're a real Civil War Buff, you owe it to yourself to read this. To me, it was as good as Shelby Foote.

I've been immersed in my Civil War studies for about 2 years, and Waugh/Mc Pherson's effort is an absolute joy. The life and times of key (and minor) personalities of this particular graduating class are spotlighted through their studies at West Point, Mexican/Indian War exploits and sorrowfully, to the final conflict of America's Civil War. One of the true instances where one "cannot put the book down". Highly recommended, indeed.

This was my first real journey into reading books on history. I credit it with opening my eyes to how wonderful knowing about the past is. It launched me into a path that has lead to other good books by various authors.
My one compliant is that it often reads a little too much like a textbook, which may be good if you're writing a paper for school, but it tasks the pleasure reader.
I found I could skip a few places that didn't call me and still get a mountian of information from this. As an artist I really was interested in some of the stories regarding the early painters. Whether you love art, literature or music you'll find things in this book you never knew and you'll be glad you picked it up.
One other thing I found fun to do with this book, I had just finished watching a movie about a famous musician and I wanted to see whether they were presenting a certain view from hard fact or if they were just guessing. A quick look in the index and a couple of paragraphs later I had my answer.

The trouble with making lists is you always wind up missing things. As Boorstin runs through his list of influential artists, there are gaps that show the impossibility of doing his subject complete justice.

Essentially a collection of short biographies, Boorstin does a fine job introducing the reader to the writers, painters, musicians and others he has chosen as principal creators in art. Each biography not only gives details of the artists but also describes the artists' major works and why they are so important. This is not a quick read, but it is both entertaining and educational.

The main flaw in this work is some noticeable errors that injure Boorstin's credibility in presenting other information. Although it is hard to fault Boorstin for neglecting certain people or subjects (I am sure space was a consideration), there were certain things I wish he would have dwelt on more, such as cinema (and to a lesser extent, television) and modern music forms such as jazz and rock.

Flaws aside, this is a good book and a good way to be introduced to a lot of the influences in the world of art.

I am totally dissatisfied with most reviews of this book. I think most of that people did not understand what the book is all about. Boorstin traces, wonderfully, in my opinion, the history of the individual as a creator of original and personal ways to see and interpret the world. Of course, he had to focus on the Western culture. I am amazed to read politically correct people enraged about Boorstin's supposed "trashing" of non-Western cultures, something I definitely didn't find in the book. He describes exactly why it was the Western culture the one that allowed the individual to become a real creator, not just a fine artisan. He never says Western culture is "better", only different in that it produced the only way to be an artist: be an individual (for good and bad). And he is right. The book is fascinating in the way it describes the rise of the individual. Of course, the path he chose could have been different. But it's very illustrative. The book can not be boring. It shows exactly the kind of geniuses that created art. Most of them, by the way, lived difficult and often tragic lives. I recommend it to every one interested in finding out how and why modern art was born and developed. Besides, it is full of interesting, even funny, anecdotes about the lives of the creators. If you read it, it will be the best stimulus to see, read, and listen to some of the most important creations of humankind.

The main plot of the book is much the same as the previous title that used Rick Bentz as a secondary character, (Hot Blooded), but that wasn't what I find disturbing about it. My main concern was the fact the author seems to have very little knowledge or done very little research on exactly what the practice of voodoo and reading tarot cards are. She uses the terms interchangably. This is just plain wrong, by any stretch of the imagination. You don't have to practice voodoo to read tarot cards. One really has nothing to do with the other. She then has most of the characters so ignorant of what ESP and psychic visions are that she has them all assuming that that too is an offshoot of voodoo. If you are going to have some characters not know the difference, fine, but at least have one intelligent person to explain exactly what it all means and what it all is about, or you are just propetuating "Hollywood" myth, that has very little basis in fact.

This is my second Lisa Jackson novel, my first being Hot Blooded. I have to say that I enjoyed Hot Blooded more than Cold Blooded, although I did love the character of Bentz.

I had a few problems with this book. First, it was too typical to have the killer be who it was. I don't know how anyone that read it couldn't have figured it out. There was one character that I couldn't stand. KRISTI. She was a total spoiled brat. Nothing was good enough for her and she constantly acted like a bratty kid to Bentz. I understood why she would have issues, but I think she really needed to have a session or two with Dr. Sam. The last thing that bothered me was how the character of Dr. Leeds kept being brought up. Everyone though something was off with him, but we never did find out what it was.

I really did like Olivia although she isn't one of my favorite heroines. I liked the fact that Jackson had her interested in more than one man. That happens in the real world, but not very often in the world of fiction.

My last comment is that the Epilogue was AWFUL.

Olivia Benchet returns to New Orleans when her grandmother dies.
She had inherited her Grandmother's house, but more importantly she had also inherited her ability to "see" things. Olivia's dreams become filled with visions of a young woman being tortured and murdered. After the first dream the police rebuff her attempts to report a possible murder. When a second, even more disturbing dream occurs she returns to the New Orleans Police Department and tells her story to Rick Bentz and Reuben Montoya. Both men are skeptical, but Bentz finds himself returning to her story and believing her as the first victim is discovered just as Olivia had described.

A serial killer calling himself the Chosen One has a time table that he has devised for killing more women. Bentz is a driven cop who's wife betrayed him with his half brother; Olivia is alone and tortured by a past that includes an alcoholic mother and a father who is a felon. Father James is a priest. The characters are fascinating and ultimately all connected to each other. Cold Blooded is a little "far fetched" but then it is fiction, and it made for a good read.