I read this book the first time almost 20 years ago and it is still one of my favourite. I finish it in one day, while in the classroom! I borrowed it from my friend in the morning and by the school finished I already read the whole book (and cried many times). After school, I rush out to buy one. The one I own is in Thai and I am looking for the English version. I'm so disappointed that it is out of print. I wish it will be back soon. I really recommend everyone to read it. This book will remind you of the childhood imagination and innocence but also the painful reality.

this is one of the greatest books ever written. i almost just cried remembering it as i read these reviews. i read it for the first time in spanish [also in peru!] when i was 4 or 5, and several times after that. i was so excited that zeze also learned to read on his own! i wanted nothing more than my very own tree. i absolutely believe zeze's story had an impact in my life. it is a wonderful lesson in humanity and humility. whenever i'm depressed or feeling like life is being unfair, i think of zeze and i get over it quickly. i was really hoping to buy this book for my boyfriend, i'm so upset that it's out of print... this book should be required reading!!!

I have a few books which I call my all time favorites and this book is one of them. It is the most special, different and 'human' account of childhood, inner world, creativity, intelligence, love, pride and honour. I read it in Turkish at least 6 or 7 times and it never failed to lift my spirits up and give me this hopeful attitude towars life- which is surprising since I don't believe any feeling person can avoid crying their eyes out reading that book. 'My sweet orange tree' makes you smile, laugh and cry all at the same time, you just want to hold Zeze in your arms, and hold on to your own sweet, innocent childhood as well. I make a habit of giving that kind of 'priceless' books to my friends but I realized it is impossible to find the english version. If anyone has any ideas where I can find it, please help as this is very important to me, thank you.

I just finished Orange Laughter. I can't explain why, but something abut the book edified my soul, haunted me, made me want to write, made what I know seem real ... If that makes sense...

I hadn't heard of Orange Laughter or its' author Leone Ross prior to reading this novel. But I promise you that after reading this delightful novel you will never forget the book nor its' author. Orange laughter totally surprised me, by the depth to which it was written and the way it navigated from the rural South during the turbulent Civil Rights movement to the present conditions of life under the tunnels of New York. It also managed to provide total insight into the mind of a mentally disturbed individual and how easy it is to go from above average intelligence to insanity. Orange Laughter is brillantly written in a style like none other. A totally enjoyable read.

What a great book. Small, but packs a punch.This is on my top ten best reads.

this piece of history is cleary written , with factual items as well as tales handed down from generations. it is an entertaining read with an important theme

As a black female living in Orange County I was very touched and inspired by this true masterpiece.I would have rated it TEN STARS if I could. I urge all Americans,Black,White,Hispanic,Asain etc to buy and read how great things are accomplished when the races work together.The heroes are the black runaway slaves and their white friends who helped them at risk to themselves. God Bless Roger King who wrote what could have been lost to history.Those of us who live in Orange County know Mr.King and are lucky to attend his lectures.Keep up the good work Rog. Stacey McKeon.

As a resident of Orange County I was lucky to attend one of Prof.Kings lectures. I was awstruck by this great mans wit and powerful intellect.This thoughtful and informative book is a MUST read for the young people because it tells the story of of Orange Counties past,Americas past and the struggle of the African Americans in the 1850 era.If you get your child one book this year,make this one it.Where can I attend another Roger King lecture?

Solange is a woman with everything--or so it would seem. A second look tells us she's a woman with everything money can buy...and no one with whom to share it. Her quest for the perfect lover and the perfect love form the premise of this wise and witty book. My only regret is that Durand never gave us a sequel.

I first read this book in High School over ten years ago, and still think it is one of the best love stories I have read to date. This book shows us that it is a difficult yet rewarding experience to keep searching for our perfect soul mate. I wish I could find another copy!

I picked up this book at a garage sale in the 80's. I consider it the best bargain I ever found! This book is truly timeless. From the very first page to the last, Solange takes you on a journey that you don't want to end. This book moves very smooth and snappy. Read it once, and it's bound to become a well-read favorite!

This is the first of John Shannon's Jack Liffey mysteries I've read, though I see it's the fourth book in the series. It gave me a fascinating glimpse into the Vietnamese community of Orange County, LA, as well as introducing me to a central character I immediately want to more about. Jack Liffey is no super-hero, but a decent sort of guy trying to do his best in a crazy world (and some aspects of Liffey's LA are definitely crazy!). John Shannon is a great writer who keeps the reader interested throughout, and I can't understand why he isn't much better known. 'The Orange Curtain' is highly recommended.

The Orange Curtain was my introduction to John Shannon. I am now going to read the previous titles. Here is a writer with remarkable skills, both in narrative and in characterization. As well, his hero Jack Liffey is a man of such thoughtful intelligence that he stands well above the usual macho-jock types who play leading roles in so many series. The creation of Billy Gudger is something rare: a fully rounded view of loneliness personified and of how cruelty and isolation can shape a killer. Unlike the two-dimensional bad guys with incoherent rationales who kill people from some warped sense of personal satisfaction, Shannon has, in Gudger, drawn a portrait of a sad, even forgivable, young man with no social skills, and a deep and terrible thirst for knowledge and for friendship. It is to the author's credit that the exchanges between Liffey and Gudger are sadly revealing of the souls of both men; and the final section of the book is a fine example of how tension can be tightened, then tightened some more, then more, before something finally snaps.

Here is an author to watch; he is an extraordinary writer, with insight, wisdom, and great feeling for his characters.

Jack Liffey finds missing children and, in THE ORANGE CURTAIN, he must look into the strange (to him at least) culture of Orange County (formerly a bedroom community to Los Angeles but now a major center in its own right). The Orange County culture he investigates includes the ultra-rich, Vietnamese merchants and gangs, and an insane young man who flirts with genius.

It is the characters that make THE ORANGE CURTAIN stand out although certainly author John Shannon handles adventure well enough (with both physical and psychological challenges to Liffey). Both Liffey and insane Billy Gudger have their own challenges in dealing with others, rendering Liffey the one man who may be able to communicate effectively with Billy.

Shannon's touch for characters also applies to minor characters. Liffey's daughter Maeve, for example, is a delightful 13 going on 30.

THE ORANGE CURTAIN is less a mystery to be solved than it is a set of observations into human nature, the intermingled but distinct societies of Southern California, and the challenges a man must face to stand himself in the morning. Does that sound heavy? In this case, it isn't. The novel is a fast read with several great a-ha moments.

Highly Recommended.

The Big Orange Splot is, according to me, the best children's book I have ever read. It shows children (as well as adults) that being yourself is the right thing to be. Creativity is sometimes stifled in this world, and this book shows that it is a wonderful thing to be creative. This book helps the reader to grow as an individual, and to heighten their level of self-esteem.

Our copy of The Big Orange Splot is dog-eared from reading. Mr. Plumbean, whose house is splotted upon by a paint-wielding seagull, expands himself by creating the home of his imagination. He causes a revolution on his neat street, not combatively, but persuasively, by living his dreams and inspiring his neighbors to do the same. This book takes the band from around the conformist's heart and allows it to expand to fill one's personal space. Please read this to your children often.

This was the first Pinkwater book I encountered. In fact, it was the only Pinkwater book I had as a child. I loved it then, I love it now. I've read and enjoyed many other Pinkwater books as an adult, but this one is still my favorite because of its sheer nonsense in the pursuit of happiness. I am overcome with giddy joy every time I read The Big Orange Splot.

Not only does this book take you in to the mind of Dutch soccer geniuses like Cruyff, Michels, etc. it gets into the mindset of the Dutch themselves. I also loved the stuff on the 1978 World Cup Dutch team which is probably my fave, even more than 1974., for making it to the Final without Cruyff, Krol and other top stars who boycotted the tourny.

For anyone who wants to understand what makes the Dutch tick on and off the soccer field.

A great book on so many levels. More than just a book about soccer, but the whole philosophy behind the culture around it in the Netherlands. Could be interesting to those not so passionate about soccer, but without my interest in the game I would never have looked into it. A super book for any fan. I read Hornby's Fever Pitch immediately after Brilliant Orange. Talk about different philosophies! Highly recommended.

this was the best book i have read about soccer. the only books i can usually find about soccer have to do with coaching and drills. if you are interested in soccer beyond this level, this is the book for you. i have always compared playing soccer to "playing" life. and this book connects the too. but in a brilliant dutch way.
as a young soccer coach, this book gave me ideas about how to teach my players and make them understand the beauty of soccer.
i have travelled to the netherlands and even have a dutch girlfriend. this book explains there behavior just the way they explain it to the rest of the world. and when i am there i can see how they value space and take advantage of all that they have in an organized and effecient manner. this is then translated to the soccer field in a totalfootball explosion.

"Bright Orange for the Shroud" is the first novel by John D. MacDonald I've read. It certainly will not be the last. This is a thoroughly enjoyable story. Written almost forty years ago, MacDonald was ahead of his time concerning the observations he made about booming Florida and America. If you are looking for a good thriller that is probably better than 90% of what's being written today, don't hesitate to pick this one up. I'll be getting the first novel in the Travis McGee series shortly. BTW, this book has one of the hottest sex scenes I've ever read, written before the days of sexually explicit language. Believe it.

Travis McGee promised himself a trouble-free summer. But when the local nice guy turned up after having been nearly destroyed by a professional black widow, McGee reluctantly agrees to help. A tennis-playing brunette with a slightly shifty husband turns out to be more bait than anyone expected, and McGee goes hunting for True Evil in the form of this book's villain.

One of MacDonald's best McGee books, filled with the Florida detail and cynicism that are the series' trademarks. What makes it special is the almost unwilling belief in good that the main character nurtures in the face of so much human failing. One of those stories where nearly everything clicks.

All the ingredients of a great McGee tale are present here, including the essential South Florida locale. It's hard to believe these stories were penned almost thirty years ago, and the rare "tells" that crop up are pretty funny. The typical is a wardrobe description replete with dacron sailcloth slacks, white denim jackets with wooden buttons, and the omnipresent pale yellow ascot. Of course, money matters are a giveaway. Like a wealthy murder victims toney "$30,000 home".

That said, few authors nail a modern detective yarn quite like John D. Read this book, or any other in the series, and you'll see what I mean.

J. Michael Orange takes us back in time. It is a trip meticulously detailed, yet filled with raw emotion and wonder.

Orange brought me back to Madison, Wisconsin, 1969, my sophomore year in college. I had just gotten notice of my 1A Draft Status. And so for a time I faced what Michael Orange faced. The difference, thanks to the lottery and a high draft number, was that I did not have to choose as Orange did.

But this 19-year old kid made a pre-emptive choice by volunteering for the Marines and a stint in the war. It was behavior that ran in the family. We witness the young mortarman's strange mixture of repulsion and exhilaration as he discovers the terrors of war. He is at once detached and trapped in wonder. At times, you feel like a John Malkovich junkie, taken into a mind fighting wars on many fronts at once. War with his girl's parents and with his own. War with his priest. And, most of all, war with himself. Joining the Vietnam War at its peak was Orange's greatest battlefield manuever, but he got more than he bargained for.

Just staying alive is the real mission and Orange found this stark fact didn't change when he came home. What struck me most was an encounter in a junior high class Michael spoke to 15 years after returning home. What happens in that classroom tells a lasting story of a war those who lived it can never seem to forget. And, thanks to Michael Orange, we all can begin to understand why.

J. Michael Orange has made a work of stunning honesty. This book is well worth the read.

A lot continues to be written about the pros and cons of America;s most confusing overseas conflict. As Myra McPhearson pointed out in her seminal `Long Time Passing', none of us were untouched. Particularly for those of us who enetered our adulthood during those times this is painfully true. Mike Orange's book touched me to the core and helped me peel away another layer of pain from that time. Courage to `tell it like it was' with no varnish, an individual's soul searching viewpoint and the honesty of a personal spiritual quest is rare in literature about such experiences. Mike spares no one, especially himself, yet levies no charges. His conclusions are about his own life and as the reader, I'm allowed to bring the insights to my own moral cases. For those of us who are the `aging warriors' from that time, Mike has shared a gift from a soldier's heart. I'm grateful to him for his honesty, his courage and for the insight he lends to partiotism. I was fortunate to have him sign my copy of his book at a reading. He wrote simply, `Thank you for your service to our country'. That was the first time I have heard that since I came home from the Army in 1969.

Within the realm of Vietnam memoirs, Michael Orange's book really stands out. It's the tale of a young man who at one moment is entertaining the priesthood, and the next he's in Vietnam. The point of view is what makes this book so special. It's the perspective of the little man who finds himself the fodder in a battle of giants, in a war that has nothing to do with him. Orange brings to this a thoughtfulness and sensitivity. His is not so much the voice of rage, but the voice of the deeply screwed, trying to figure out why this all came about. Best of all, it's intensely personal. Few books on Vietnam -- or any other war, for that matter -- offer such a clear and vivid portrait of what it was like to be reluctantly pulled from America and forced to shed blood on a foreign shore. It's just plain powerful.

If you like John Mcphee, you'll like this book as much as his others. If you are about to vacation in Florida - BRING THIS BOOK.

Every time someone asks me about John McPhee (I am, I admit a total fan) I find myself saying "Look, Here is a guy who can take a subject like, say ORANGES, and make it fascinating." This is the book where he does just that. I gather that ORANGES started out as a short magazine piece & like so many of McPhee's books became an obsession. Here we can get the history, the ecology, the landscape of orange groves along with discussions of the effects of oranges and orange growing on both the culture and the surroundings, all in McPhee's eminently readable prose. This is a fast read about a subject that you probably haven't though much about, but you will walk away from this book not only better informed about the fruit but also taken with the infinite possibility of the wonder that can be found in what seem to be every-day things.

Be sure to take advantage of Amazons Inside function to see how good this book can be.
John McPhee, born and raised in Princeton, once again intrigues us with his tales of "citrus." He took what was supposed to be an article on oranges and expanded it into a book. He covers everything you want to know and then some. Under history he will remind you not to let any females sit in you tree. Some of the subjects are history, how to grow, and how to market oranges. He touches on grapefruit also. .