Because West Nile virus disease is an emerging
concern in my area, I was really interested to
find out more about the virus and the disease.
West Nile - Outbreak in New York City was just
what I needed. Not only was the book informative,
but the writing style pulls the reader into the
plot very quickly. O'Brien presents an exceptional
narrative voice, and this novel is likely to become
a movie!

West Nile is a compelling read. All the action and plot of a Patricia Cornwell novel, but a heck of a lot more interesting!
Can't wait for the next novel.

O'Brien has followed up on his previous work, THE TATA-BOX VIRUS, with an amazing book. This is an exceptionally interesting, fast-paced medical thriller. O'Brien's plots are gripping and the characters are fully developed. This is one of those books that is hard to put down once you've started it, and I am waiting for his next novel! It is a great read!

Sharon O'brian replaced the juicy radical language of most books written on American Indian-US government relations such as Custer Died For Your Sins with the text of acts of congress, Supreme Court decisions, and presidential administration policies. Included also is a chapter on European land claims and conflicts that arose between them and the Indians and amongst themselves. It is none of it controversial, all of it educational. It's an excellent guide for anyone claiming to be a U.S. historian.

There is much to say in favor of this book. Its main focus is the operation of tribal governments. Because there is so much variety, the author looks at five representative governments in some detail--the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois League), the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, the Teton Sioux, the Pueblos, and the Yakimas (who since the publication of this book have revised the official spelling, using the name that appears in the treaty of 1855, Yakama). O'Brien wrote this book with the cooperation and assistance of those she was writing about.

In addition to this focus, the book has the best brief overview of Federal Indian policy I've seen anywhere (about 70 pages). Unlike most books on the subject, the book is amply illustrated with photographs and other images, as well as maps, graphs, and abundant sidebars.

I always use one or more texts on Federal Indian law and policy in my American Indian history courses. Students often call these books dry. When I have used O'Brien's book, students have praised the book and said they enjoy reading it.

...

The editors give a series of brief vignettes shared by priests who minister to those who are preparing for, conducting, or recovering from one of man's greatest inhumanities to man. You will find people who have been transformed by something positive which shines forth just when you think things are at their worst.

I have to tell you this book reminds me of the Nurses' sculpture at the Vietnam Memorial in D.C. The nurses are holding an injured soldier and caring for him, while one of them is looking up for the airevac to arrive. I was greatly moved by this sculpture, which seems to beautifully portray the fact that in the middle of this depraved, frightening, almost hopeless environment, human beings still have the courage and the dignity to care for one another.

This book should brighten your day and give you hope.

With an introduction and chapter by Archbishop Edwin O'Brien of the Archdiocese for Military Services for the US, this collection of concise first-hand accounts of military chaplains and those they serve provides a glimpse into real lives of real heroes. This little book takes but an hour to read and will fill you with indelible images of men of faith. Chaplains on the front lines, serving Mass at a makeshift 'chapel', the sound of explosives being ignored while distributing Communion. Servicemen requesting a chaplain to find them in the jungle so they can receive the sacraments. Spiritually edifying and truly patriotic, this book is literally about faith in action, about meeting Christ- even when hell breaks out all around you. There is no other book like it in print today. Highly recommended for those considering a call to the military chaplaincy, to service in the US Armed Forces, or the family members of such persons. Real hope. Real courage. Real heroes. Read it!

Patricia O'Brien Parker writes from her heart... a heart that endures much suffering yet aspires to express her zany humor and love of ordinary people. She is at once erudite and yet the girl next door you love to have over for coffee. You'll find yourself remembering lost moments of your own and re-thinking how you express yourself. 'Captured Moments' is a worthy read for even those of us who rarely have time to read for pleasure. Carolyn Winter

Honesty, simplicity, warmth radiate from this chap book. It takes us back to a simpler time, days in the childhood of the author when fireflies, butterflies and misty skies filled up hours with mysterious flights of fantasy. Ms. Parker's poems guide us down the pathways of her life, first through a little girl's eyes and then through the eyes of a wife and mother with children of her own. It is a rich trip into and out of a myriad of life's textures. It is a "must have" for those of us who still marvel at this thing called life. My copy waits on my nightstand for yet another reading. Great for gift giving!

My favorite of the "Just So Stories" explains how the Cat, the "wildest of the wild animals" came to share the home and hearth of Man. Of course, the Cat resisted the Magic which the Woman made to enslave the Dog, the Horse, and the Cow. He tricked the Woman into accepting him on his own terms. And to this day, he walks by himself, by his wild lone, waving his wild tail. And all places are alike to him. I've read Kipling's classic a bazillion times in the past 45 years, and this is easily the most beautiful rendition of it I've ever seen. The large type and attractive font make reading easy for children -- and delightful for adults! The illustrations are simply exquisite! The "Just So Stories" have withstood the test of time -- more than a century -- and political correctness But I beg to differ with Kipling's contention that "three proper Men out of five will always throw things at a Cat." *Real* proper men love cats!

This has always been my favorite "Just So Story." It is good to see it in an individual book, as it is a little unwieldy as part of a group. This is the story of how woman domesticated various animals, yet had to deal on equal terms with the cat. We all know this is true yet it is good to find the origin of this truth. The pictures add a dimension and do not distract from the words. Rudyard Kipling is a master at this telling.

I've been collecting American toy soldiers all of my life, and this is by far the best guide that I've ever found. It works as a good overall history of the subject, as well as, a specific historical guide to the companies and individuals involved. It is also superb as an identification guide and for approximate pricing.
Whether you are into cast metal figures like Maniol, Barclay, or Grey Iron, or the classic Marx, Ideal, MPC, or Lido plastics, this is one great guide. It even covers comic book flats, paper soldiers, cerial premiums, and the original G.I. Joe. You can spend hours just flipping though this hefty book and reminiscing, even if you don't currently collect.

Second of two large soft cover books by Richard O'Brien, specifically aimed at the identification and fair value of American Made Toy Soldiers. Includes brief history of each manufacturer pre and post WWII styles of soldiers. Top quality materials, mine has traveled thousands of miles in suitcases, back packs and the backseat. Opened and closed hundreds of times, it is still in great shape. Crisp and clear photos of most of the listed items have helped avoid confusion and misidentification.

With on-line auctions setting the pace in the toy soldier collecting world. An identification guide of this quality is a must in establishing a BEGINNING bid, while desirability sets how high the actual cost will go. Hopefully, an update of this book is in work as in my opinion the on-line auctions have driven the price of many of the toys to often double their listed price.

Masterfully done by a man (photographer Michael James O'Brien) & a woman (Holly Brubach), who share a real appreciation of the fine art of cross- dressing & its trials & triumphs, this is the best, most caring analysis of drag & its artists I've ever read & the empathy & depth of perception caught by the photos (some color, some b/w) is alone more than worth the full price of admission (which I was glad to pay in the bookstore!)

As the proprietor of a drag performance club in New York, I eagerly awaited the release of this book, which had been rumoured about for almost a decade on the scene. Well, this book was worth the wait!

Brubach does a workmanlike treatment of the material, including some outstanding documentation of Parisian icon J. Alexander, but it's O'Brien's photos that make this book a must for anyone interested in transvestism, drag or late 20th century glamour. This former student of Walker Evans certainly carries on the documentary tradition brilliantly here, with this non-cliched, deeply sensitive portraiture.

"How I became a human being" is a great read. It is one of those books that I had trouble putting down, once I had begun reading it. Mark O'Brien is a truely inspirational person, who proves that if you set your mind to something, you can achieve whatever you want to in life despite, in his case, extraordinary obstacles. I simply can't imagine being paralysed from the neck down. What amazed me while reading the book, was that at times, I forgot that Mark had such a profound disabilty, with his humour, personality and love coming through in his writing.
My only criticism of this book is that there was no mention at any point of Mark's realization that he would never walk again, that he would forever be reliant on others and indeed be reliant on an iron lung. When was he first told he would never walk again? How did he and his parents react to this news? Did he live in hope that by some miracle, he would walk again or did he accept that this was the way he was going to be for the rest of his life? After finishing the book, I felt that these questions were left largely unanswered.
Also, as Mark O'Brien died in 1999, I felt that it would have been good for the co-writer to have written an epilogue regarding the circumstances of his death. Throughout the book Mark comes close to death on several occasions and he talks about death in quite some detail, but the reader is left with no details of the actual circumstances in which he died.
Despite these criticisms, I recommend this book highly. It is an amazingly inspirational read.

September 1955. Six-year-old Mark O'Brien moved his arms and legs for the last time. He came out of a thirty-day coma to find himself enclosed from the neck down in an iron lung, the machine in which he would live for much of the rest of his life.

How I Became a Human Being is Mark O'Brien's account of his struggles to lead an independent life despite a lifelong disability. In 1955, he contracted polio and became permanently paralyzed from the neck down. O'Brien describes growing up without the use of his limbs, his adolescence struggling with physical rehabilitation and suffering the bureaucracy of hospitals and institutions, and his adult life as an independent student and writer. Despite his weak physical state, O'Brien attended graduate school, explored his sexuality, fell in love, published poetry, and worked as a journalist. A determined writer, O'Brien used a mouthstick to type each word.

O'Brien's story does not beg for sympathy. It is rather a day-to-day account of his reality?the life he crafted and maintained with a good mind, hired attendants, decent legislation for disabled people in California, and support from the University of California at Berkeley. He describes the ways in which a paralyzed person takes care of the body, mind, and heart. What mattered most was his writing, the people he loved, his belief in God, and his belief in himself.

Mark O'Brien was the subject of the 1997 Academy Award?winning documentary Breathing Lessons. He was a published poet and cofounder of the Lemonade Factory, a California press that published poetry by people with disabilities. O'Brien died in 1999 at the age of forty-nine after completing a draft of How I Became a Human Being . Gillian Kendall is a writer. She has contributed to both Outright Radio and Sun magazine; one of her short stories appeared in The Student Body, also published by the University of Wisconsin Press.

To change someone's mind or life, there is the head-butting way and the "walk with me" way, and Dr. O'Brien takes the latter. His stories all contain something we are familiar with, jog a memory we had lost-- and then take us someplace maybe we didn't expect to go today. Take them as funny stories or parables, but either way you will find yourself retelling them. The best use for this book: Read it on a porch on a warm evening, a fan slowly rotating overhead, then leave it gently on the bedstand of someone you love.

Randall O'Brien is a pastor, a college professor, and an exceptionally gifted communicator. In this book he displays a remarkable ability to find the teaching moment in the events of everyday life. The book is collection of stories in which O'Brien calls upon events in his own pilgrimage to become storytellers for the Gospel. The book is full of richness and warmth, southern grace and uncommon insight. The short story nature of the book makes it ideal for occasional reading (i.e. a chapter before bedtime), since there are no plot elements which must be maintained from chapter to chapter. It is a fun book, and I'll bet you won't be able to read it without at least one giggle, one tear, and one moment of, "I have to tell so-and-so about this."

Does anyone have a used copy that I might purchase from them? I would need it by April 2001 preferably. Condition unimportant as long as it's readable. Contact: ilikerobots@hotmail.com

Tim O'Brien follows familiar patterns in most of his stories, long and short. It is these patterns that are explored here in regard to communication amongst and between foot soldiers in Vietnam. This is a well-researched book, and one that I recommend highly for all afficianados of Tim O'Brien and the craft of writing in general.