....my parents did! I requested this book every night before I went to bed. I didn't realize at the time that my parents were not actually reading the book, but telling it by memory. Now that I have a child of my own, I remember all of the words too. My son thought he could read at 2 years old because he also had the book memorized from reading it so often. It is really that good...especially when read with feeling as if you really are Grover. Grover hears the name of the book and gets scared because there is a monster at the end of the book. He begs and pleads for you to not turn another page....but of course you have to because your child will tell you to (even if it does make Grover scared). The ending is a bit of a surprise and even young children will understand the twist.

No matter how old (or young) you are you will not be able to stop laughing after you read this book. I'm 23 and I still love it, in fact I love to read it to kids as well. I can't quite do as good a grover as my mom but the kids don't mind. I grew up with this book. I guaruntee you're kinds will love it and you'll love reading it to them. And if you don't well then maybe you should see your doctor becuase you've lost your funny bone!

I teach 3 year olds at a Day Care Center and read this book a few times a week. It is a sure way to get them all to sit still. No matter how many times they hear it and by now know the conclusion they sit enthralled. They even know the words and say them with me. I always ask... "Should I turn the page" and they all yell "YES". They laugh and giggle and act scared... It's pure joy reading it to them and watching them react! They have special books that we read over and over and over and this certainly is one of them. My book is getting rather thread bare and I'm buying a new one.

Somehow my recollection of Dr. Sledge as my cheerful, quiet-mannered, humble (but tough!) zoology professor is stood on its head after reading his book. How did this gentleman live through such stark and utter hell? How could anyone? But he tells you -- his fine scientific mind observant and sparing no detail to clouded memory or gentrified constraints -- so Peleliu and Okinawa are beyond my words (but no longer beyond my imagination). No one who has not endured the horror of entrenched infantry warfare could adequately describe it; but this book helps any reader who hasn't -- like me -- begin to fathom its terror. And as we begin to take it in, we realize what an enormous legacy of sacrifice that generation left us, that "with privilege comes responsibility," as Dr. Sledge says. How can we ever repay these numbed, reluctant heroes? I suspect we never can. But we can listen to some who were lucky enough to survive, and never forget those countless boys and men who came out maimed, or just didn't come out at all. We owe them all a tremendous debt of gratitude for the lives we lead today, and this book tells you, in graphic and heart-gripping detail, exactly why.

If your war history reading list is rich with books that take a bird's eye view of combat, try taking a beach assault into hell with E.B. "Sledgehammer" Sledge. I read this book after reading "Wartime" by Paul Fussell who recommends it as the best singular account of the realities of combat. It is a very detailed, gritty account of the war through the eyes of a man who survived two extremely brutal battles. The descriptions of the battlefields he fought in and the wreckage of the aftermath are priceless and hard to find in other history books. This is a great read for someone who has never been in battle or the Marines and wants to know what it's REALLY like. It's also a great warning to those who might want to start a war that will involve someone else's sons and daughters....

With the Old Breed, by E.B. Sledge is the best personal account of combat that I have ever read. It is brutally honest, as Sledge does not gloss over the horrific nightmare that is war.After reading Slede's book, it is no small wonder that 26,000 Americans lost their sanity in the Okinawa battle alone. He spares us none of the gory details, yet he delivers this true account in an eloquent style that gives the story even more impact. Sledge does not only desribe the fight against the Japanese,but also the mental battle raging within men on the front line, as he himself fights to remain sane amid the filth, fear and misery that were the battles of Peleliu and Okinawa.It is at times moving, and at other times stomach turning. At all times though it is extremely riveting, and I found that this book was very hard to put down. One can also not put down this book without a profound appreciation for the young men who went through the worst kind of hell for their country.

The Old Turtle is truly an incredible book that works on so many levels. The author incorporated his love of, and respect for, the environment, as well as his concept of God, into a very well-written, enjoyable story. The illustrations were beautifully done and work so well with the subtle, underlying theme of the story. While the book will surly be enjoyed by children of all ages, I purchased it for a Christmas gift for my 28 year old sister. Likewise, I intend to buy another copy for myself so that I can continue to enjoy it, and share it with my children when I have them. I wholeheartedly recommend this book to humans of all ages.

I had first heard of this book when I was in high school and trying to decide what to do with my life. Such a big deal was being made of it that I decided to pick it up in the bookstore and read it. I cried at the end! It was given to me as a gift shortly thereafter and I have kept it with me ever since. It has touched me, and explains god in a way that children and even disenchanted young adults can understand. It also helped me find my way to ecology and the study of god's beautiful creation. I highly recommend this for anyone struggling with how to explain god to their child, or who want to help their children understand the sacredness of life and the beauty within all of us. I still sniffle every time I reach the end.

This is a book worth having, if only for the stunning artwork by Illustrator Cheng-Khee Chee. But in addition to the artwork, the story is one that is ideal for young and old. In this story, the world begins as a beautiful place, filled with luscious trees and colorful plants and flowers, stuffed with a wide variety of strange and exotic creatures. They begin talking, then discussing, then arguing over who God is. Before they come to blows, Old Turtle offers her wisdom and view of the future. There is peace until God adds people to the earthly creatures, and they (we) go through the same argument - whose definition of God is the accurate or better one? The people argue, hurt each other, wars break out (stop me if you've heard this one!). Old Turtle comes to the rescue again. Diversity, God as in all of us - a wonderful book, and absolutely worth having or giving in hardcover.

I was introduced to An Old-Fashioned Girl when I was in fourth grade, and I must have read it hundreds of times since. Now that I am in college, I've read Plato, Aristotle, Dante, and other famous authors. But none of these authors have impacted me as much as this classic by Louisa May Alcott. This book gave me the confidence I needed to hold true to my values, and whenever I am tempted to give in to peer pressure, I just think about Polly and her bronze boots. I love this book, and I'm sure I will continue rereading it until the time I die. A definite classic that leaves you feeling warm inside!

This is a touching book that shows girls simple lives are the best kind of lives. A girl named Polly visits her cousins' at the city. Polly is modest and simple looking girl, compared to Fanny who flirts with all boys and receives flowers from them,and Polly, detests and is ashamed of flirting. Polly isa kind-hearted girl who is always trying to help others including Tom who tries to madden her every second, but Polly manages to find a weak spot in his heart. As Louisa May Alcott always has a twist at the end of the book, this one is no exception. You will be touched to the core of your heart when you read this book , it makes iron into water and steel into liquid. Hope you enjoy it! Cheers! : )

Polly, a poor, old-fashioned girl from the country, comes up tothe city for a long visit with her friend Fanny. Over the basicframework of country mouse/city mouse, Alcott embroiders extensively, adding the themes of peer pressure, societal pressure, riches and their relation to happiness, the rights and proper roles of women, love, 'proper' behaviour vs. right behaviour, and vice-versa. But the story reads like a story, not a dissertation on philosophy. Polly is very human, and her family, though less-well drawn, is collectively a very human family. Tom, Fanny's brother, is the star of the book. "An Old-Fashioned Girl" is filled with humourous incidents, the number of which increases as one grows older. I first read this book when I was seven. I loved it then, when I only got a small part of it. I love it even more now. Those readers who dislike Alcott's moralizing will not love this book, but they will find it better than, say, "Little Men." Ignore the character of Grandma, through whom Alcott voices most of her morals, and concentrate on Polly and Tom, and even the most cantankerous reader would surely, if grudgingly, admit that this book isn't half bad.

A wonderful story, and told in just the right voice. When I began the book I thought it was only a contemporary boy-and-his-horse story. But unlike most of the genre, it is much, much more. The boy and his horse are the cornerstone, but the story expands way beyond them to involve an interesting variety of people. This is not a children's book, but my 11-year-old daughter was soon captivated and sailed through it in good time. ("Is Old Black going to die?" she asked, teary-eyed. "Read on," I said.) One does not need an interest in horses to love this book. Readers with a keen eye will savor the precious little clues planted along the way, like Easter eggs hidden for the purpose of being discovered. The dozens of illustrations are simply marvelous. Early in the story, Old Black, the horse, is being readied to go off to his new life with the boy Jim Bradley. The part where the cowboy Buck Jones (I just loved him!) is stoically, silently bidding farewell to his dear, longtime friend, the horse displaying his own feelings about their parting, is as touching as any scene I've ever read. It was some minutes before I could go on. You will not miss the absence of profanity, sex, or unnecessary violence here, although that long, dreadful scene in the woods ends with violence aplenty. I found it completely called for and applauded when the criminals got what they deserved. I was drained at the end of the ordeal in the woods, and Aunt Hazel and Uncle Harry strolled onto the scene just when I needed an uplift. I still laugh when I replay that scene in the bathroom: a furious, hissing snake, two grown men and a boy "overcome by the most sustained and idiotic laughter Norma had ever heard." Like another reader, I felt that the scenes arising from Aunt Hazel's Alzheimer's disease were handled with sensitivity and good taste. My grandmother had the disease and I really believe I could have applied some of Jim Bradley's instinctive strategies to bring her some happiness if I had read OLD BLACK while she was still alive. Uncle Harry's exasperation with his wife's condition, his inability to deal with it effectively until Jim showed him the way, was sadly familiar. I feel sure that the author has experienced the anguish of being close to someone with Alzheimer's, to write about it with such delicate insight. The scene at Richter's store where likable old Walter Mehlmann gleefully rehearses how he will waltz through his theoretical last days was a fine piece of humor. Walter's influence on the other men present was hilariously realistic. So realistic, in fact, that after reading that part I found myself rummaging the kitchen for junk food, the more cholesterol laden and otherwise unhealthy the better! I wish I knew where to get some real country cracklings. Fat ones, Reinhard. I like FAT ones! Every character in the book played an essential role. They were so well developed that I could clearly see them in my mind as they came onstage, always true to their distinct characters in actions and speech. Old Black was not a superhorse, as so many fictional horses are. He had limitations and faults, which only made him more "human". OLD BLACK breathes with vibrant life, and did so even while I cried during that sorrowful part with the death and the funeral. It was an experience that gave Jim Bradley (and me too) a better, if bitter, understanding of life. The story is uplifting, happy, dreadfully sad and hilarious, and the ending is just perfect. Throughout, this intricate novel is entirely credible. I agreed to some extent with one critic below - that the book suffered a little in organization. But that defect was overwhelmed by a superb plot, clearly drawn characters, vivid action scenes, settings (I was right there in every scene: seeing, smelling, feeling), and the author's often touching insight into people and horses, especially that lovable Old Black. This is the kind of literature (I call this book literature) that can put a teeny edge on the reader's good side. It is the kind of story (too rare, today) that can open the eyes of young people to the reality that being good, responsible kids can be rewarding, and they can still have fun. This story is much too special to be confined to adult fiction. I would love to see an edition of OLD BLACK written especially for young readers.

Old Black is a great book and a great story. I bought the book first and foremost because it was a horse book but then I was caught by the book itself. It has excellent drawings and artwork on the book jacket, the inside cover pages, at the beginning of the chapters and within the book. Even the paper it is printed on is unusual, a very high quality paper. When I read the story I could not put it down. The story is well written with a good range of issues from bigotry to Altzheimers. It is a good read not only for adults but younger readers too. I have talked so much about this book, that now my husband and some friends are going to read it. Most of them are not into horses and certainly are not into reading about them. It doesn't matter though you don't have to be into horses to enjoy this book. Young people and families face these same situations today. Since I purchased the book, I have kept it out on an end table so if I have any spare moments I can pick it up and read it. Anywhere the book falls open to is a fine place to start reading but I do have some favorite sections. I like the episode about the standoff with Jim, Old Black, and Sheriff Martinez against the drug dealers at Klanke's Mill. I also liked the part when Old Black receives a much deserved award, and the gentle way Jim deals with his Aunt Hazel, who has Altzheimers and there are many more.

Read and enjoy.

I'm a horsewoman, but I don't often find a good story with a horse as a main character. The authors don't often get their facts straight. This one did. Every detail that was explained was correct down to the smallest little thing.

Old Black, the book, was a bigger book than it seemed. I counted about 35 characters counting Sam the Rodesian ridgeback dog, and, of course, Old Black himself. Not one character escapes my mind's eye. I knew them every one. Even the reporter, Paul Hardesty, was memorable, and had only a cameo (but important) appearance. Oscar and Ruby, I fell for them hard. Salt of the earth. And how I cried when ... but read it yourself. I could see why the author took that route, it was a big step up the ladder to adulthood for Jim. It took me a long time to read the whole scene because I had a hard time seeing anything.

The author truly introduced every character. And that isn't so often the case.

There was some extravagant adventure in this story, but I never once had to suspend disbelief. Old Black the horse was not overplayed into a super horse, either. Nor was that wonderful little boy Jim. And wasn't Alexandra something? Uncle Harry was right, she's a little princess. And speaking of Uncle Harry and Aunt Hazel, everybody who knows someone who has a loved one with Alzheimer's should get a copy of this book. I know in my heart that Jim's therapy would be beneficial.

There are some real heartbreaking scenes and events in this book. And some funny ones too. I thought I'd die laughing over Mr. Mehlman's "theoretical last days." And the incident involving the snake in the bathroom. My husband came in to see what I was laughing about. I told him I had been bitten by the fabled laughing snake. (Of course, he didn't get it until HE read the book.)Wasn't Harry's reaction something a man with a good sense of humor would come out with? And I can understand Matt and Jim laughing themselves sick.

I finished Old Black, lay back on the pillow and relished it a while, then started right back on page 1.

If you've read The Wastland or any of the other, more substantial poems by T.S Eliot, you may be shocked at Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats. But don't be fooled, even in the simple subject matter there is genius in Eliot's writing.

This is the only poem book of Eliot's that I own and it's a great deal of fun to read. My favorite cat is Macavity. If you've seen the musical Cats (which I haven't), here's the inspiration. This is also a great first book to get younger people interested in poetry. The language Eliot uses is flowery and catchy, and the subject matter is centered on those cute furballs. Enjoy.

"Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats," by T.S. Eliot, is a book of poems about cats. The basis for the wildly successful musical "Cats," the book stands on its own as a delightful work of literature. The poems are accompanied by wonderful illustrations by Edward Gorey.

This book is hilarious and very enjoyable. Eliot's words leap and dance across the pages with a zany musicality. Gorey's accompanying artwork is whimsical and full of interesting details. Eliot has created some great feline characters: the fearsome Growltiger, dapper Bustopher Jones, Magical Mr. Mistoffelees, and more.

Yes, these poems are great fun to read. But if you are inclined to look closer and analyze them at a deeper literary level, you will find that each one is a masterpiece of poetic craftsmanship. Eliot uses a wonderful variety of meters, rhyme schemes, and various poetic effects. Each poem stands on its own, and together they form an effective artistic unity.

Also noteworthy is the very "English" flavor of the book, which Eliot achieves by spicing his poems with many references to English geography and cultural history. Highly recommended, whether or not you like cats.

As a mystery author with my debut novel in its initial release that features a private investigator who is also a poet, I love this book. This verse collection is perhaps T.S. Eliot's most accessible work, and it provided the raw material for the fabulous musical CATS. I enjoy reading these poems, and I've enjoyed attending the musical. I think I saw CATS three times during its Winter Garden run, twice in Los Angeles, and once each in San Francisco and the Palm Springs area. CATS would not exist as a most enjoyable musical if the poet Eliot had not first jotted down OLD POSSUM'S BOOK OF PRACTICAL CATS.

I was saddened when I finished Connell's work -- saddened because I didn't want it to be over. I wanted to read it forever. Connell's book is an absolutely fabulous read! I liken it to sitting around a campfire and listening to him tell marvelous stories surrounding the players, both white (and black), and native American. He even holds your interest while tracing the path of a pocket watch taken in the battle. Connell gives a very good account of Custer, Reno, Benteen, Gall, Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse, Rain-in-the-Face, and virtually every player in that conflict. When Connell flitters about going from one theme to another, it is fun to follow him. I cannot recommend this book too highly. Read it over and over again!!!

This book, in my opinion, is a superb introduction into the world of Custeriana and other characters and invents in U.S. history of that time.

What makes this book unique in it's portayal of the General and the events surrounding the famous last battle is that Evan S.Connell, who is primarily I believe a novellist, approached this topic with absolutely no agenda of his own on the subject.

Whilst this may not satisfy many historians it makes for great reading!! Making this a book ideal for somebody new to the subject wanting to learn more or the learned reader who just wants to be entertained and not swamped with complex time theories or arguments over the size of the village etc. There are plenty of books on the market that do this much better but not all are always as enjoyable.

Connell just reports on various different accounts in an easy going prose without really putting his own slant on the proceedings. He simply just writes about Custer, Benteen, Crazy Horse et all, giving examples of both the good, the bad and the downright ugly in all of them.

It is left to the reader to make up his mind on the events and actions of those who took part in them. Too many historians come to this powerful and contreversial subject with their own ideas on what happened, be it pro or anti-Custer, and this has a tendancy to sometimes, neccessitate a need to distort or bend the facts accordingly.

Refreshingly you come away from this book wanting to know more about the protaganists involved but without having a biased opinion on them. The General himself comes over in a fairly good light considering at the time of publication his character was probably at it's nadir.However Connell also shows up the darker side of the man that made him the paradoxical figure he was and why he remains so fascinating even after all this time.

Indeed what the book clearly shows is that what makes this such an enduring legend in America's history is that arguably it's most famous, or notorious, soldier left his mark not by a glourious victory but rather(as it was thought of at the time)a fairly ignominious defeat.What Connell does do is also give the credit where it's due to the Sioux and Cheyenne tribes at the Little Big Horn who actually won the battle that day, which tends to get forgotten in a lot of literature ammassed on this subject.

This was the first serious book that I bought on George Armstrong Custer and back in 1984(which I think was the year I got it) living in the United Kingdom there wasn't many books around at that time specifically on this subject. I found it an excellent starting point to begin further and more in depth reading on the General and his last battle.It may seem an odd subject for a Yorkshireman to show an interset in(I think it might be Errol Flynn's fault!!)but this book certainly kick-started a long lasting interst in Custer and that particular area of American history.

I have read many books about Custer, Little Big Horn and the plains indian wars, but this one is truly the very best of the lot. Connell has given us an exellent biography of Custer, but we also get to know such men as Major Reno and Captain Benteen. Indians such as Sitting Bull, Gall and Crazy Horse are also prominently featured in this treasure of a book. This is so much more than a book about Custer and his last stand at Little Big Horn river in 1876. It's a book about the whole drama, that is the conquering of the west. Also, the photo section is exellent and the bibliography is unparalelled. Two very good maps helps the reader follow the movements in the 1876 indian campaign. If You're gonna buy just one book about the American west, please choose "Son Of The Morning Star". It's history, for sure, but it's not boring. It's also a source book in the best sence of the word, not to mention a literary masterpiece. Connell is a novelist, and it shows in his quick and precise eye for charaters in the play and their often peculiar behavior and actions. The heroes and/or villains is only so human in this highly entertaining book that leaves the reader wanting more. I have so far never read a better book, fact or fiction. Why don't You read it too?

For many years, I searched for the "ultimate" Bible. Being an avid New King James Version reader, we don't always have as many resources available as the King James or NIV people. My most useful Bible study tool is many, many cross-references, which I always looked for in NKJV Bibles that had the most. The Thompson Chain has much more than the standard cross-references. The chain references are just that: you go to the alphabetical index to find your subject, (which there are listed around 4,400 different topics) and you go to the first reference, and simply chain through the scripture references. In other words, they are cross-referenced in sequence order! The topics are as detailed as "blue" and as extensive as "God"; these more extensive subjects are then broken down into various sub- topics. Also, in the back of the Bible, the subjects are listed by title, then all the references are given, and the more main ones are chained throughout the scriptures, and some topics' scriptures are written out in the back also! There are also absolutely no commentaries, nor any conclusions drawn in this Bible! I would 100% recommend this Bible (in any version you use) for those of us who love many, many cross references, and believe first and foremost to compare scripture with scripture (1Cor. 2:13) in Bible studies. For those who like this, this Bible has everything!

I have owned one version or another of the Chain Reference Bible since I was a teenager in the seventies. My 'standard' Bible has been the large print KJV for many, many years and it remains the first Bible I pick up. I purchased the NIV Chain Reference, but just didn't like the translation, it just didn't 'read' right for me. I've enjoyed the NAS translation, but it is awfully dry reading when the heart desires poetry. So, I ended up purchasing the NKJV. It has been a real pleasure to read, combining the elegance of the KJV with a modern and accurate adaptation.

As for the chain reference system used by Thompson, it's such a part of my Bible reading and study that I'd have a really hard time switching to another system. Some of the illustrations and charts have been revised from my older KJV, but not to an extreme. The Thompson system remains, for me, the quickest and easiest way to study a topic through the Bible, or just through either the New or Old Testament. The Bible also includes an excellent concordance; for someone new to chain reference study they can start with the traditional concordance and work their way into the Thompson system. Also included are excellent maps, revised from the earlier versions, and a historical dictionary with photos of significant Biblical locations, with explanations.

I agree with another reviewer that Nelson Bibles are, in general, not made for people with serious intentions on daily Bible use. They are constructed down to a price, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, as these can provide a very inexpensive introduction to the Bible. However, when one is ready to use a Bible in a serious, daily way, a better Bible will easily pay for its higher price.

Though this Bible is well-made, it is NOT as well made as my older, large print KJV. My older Bible has whipstitching clearly seen in front and back, with pages secured as well today as when I bought it. This newer Bible appears to have pages that are glued in like cheaper ones. Additionally, the paper is comletely different than my older edition, and thinner. The older paper had almost an eggshell texture, whereas the newer paper is much slicker and thinner. In first use it's really quite difficult to get the pages apart. However, it's still a very well-made Bible, just not up to the standard of the older ones. That should in no way deter someone from buying it, though.

As a one-volume Biblical library, I haven't seen anything to beat the Thompson's. As another reviewer noted, it's also refreshingly free of editorial bias, which certainly can't be said of all its competitors. Most of all, each of us needs to find a Bible they can live with daily, and any Bible available is better than none at all! Thompson Bibles aren't inexpensive but they will last twice as long as cheaper Bibles, particularly if kept in a cover. Also, the supplemental atlases and historical additions might well save purchase of other books to accompany Biblical study. Highly recommended!

My old, marked-up Thompson Bible is the "Olde Reliable" that I keep coming back to. I have been using it for over thirty years and find it invaluable to "quick find" verses on nearly evey imaginable topic.

On the plus side, are the MANY chain referrences with marginal "PILOT" numbers and brief word discriptions which also serve as mini-commentary on the verses. While the chains may not contain all the referrences a particular denomination may wish to emphasize, it more than make up for it with an ABUNDANCE of referrences most scholars whould never even think to look up! The handy exhaustive indexes, concordance, cross-references and helps enable the user to find nearly every subject in the Bible.

On the minus side, 1.) the text is rather small and 2.) it would be benificial if the bold-face marginal headings were included in the OT as well as the New.

Overall rating:FIVE-STAR EXCELLENT!!! It is a lifetime of research and study marvelously condensed into a handy-sized volume for both home study and portibility. I heartily recommend it for new Christians as well as those who "think they know it all". As advertised, it is a Bible that will SURPRISE you. Get it!

Not because he's a great writer or director, but because with every single project he makes me feel like I can DO this. I can make good movies that people will enjoy watching. And you can, too.

This is one of the most inspiring books on filmmaking I've ever read--it depicts, in detail, all the ups and downs that went into making and selling EL MARIACHI, the $7000 sensation that opened doors for Rodriguez.

A lot of filmmakers argue that EL MARIACHI isn't a great film, that the story's kind of silly, that the version that most of us saw had $500,000 worth of post-production work added, and on and on.

But they're talking about it. It's 2003 and people are still talking about the amazing feat Rodriguez pulled off with this film. For $7000 of his own money, plus a whole lot of blood, sweat and tears, he got himself noticed and made a career out of his hobby. "Do what you love, then find someone who will pay you to do it."

This is a how-to manual for the basement movie-maker, written by a man who is excited about using movies to tell his stories: in this book, in the commentary tracks for his movies, in his Ten-Minute Film School installments, I have never once felt like Robert Rodriguez was bored with either his work or his achievements. The guy has fun, and his personality gets its fingerprints all over his work--if you can't enjoy yourself while watching a Rodriguez movie, you're expecting too much and thinking too hard.

This guy is not changing the face of American cinema: he wants all of US to change the face of American cinema, and this book is an open invitation to do just that.

Devour Rodriguez. Consume this book and engorge yourself on his DVDs. Chow down on special features on how he did it that also show YOU how to do it. If, after a week-long diet of Robert Rodriguez, you DON'T want to make your own movie IMMEDIATELY, seek a different destiny: making movies is not for you.

This book is very informative without being boring. It takes an often complicated businessBRand makes it easy to understand. PRobert Rodriguez is truly an inspiration to up and coming filmakers like myself,his ten-minute film school is almost shockingly easy to learn from,and his exploits at the research hospital to raise the money for the making of EL MARIACHI is very funny and almost sureal.Speaking of which I am still trying to decide if i'm willing to go to the lengths that Robert did to get the moneyBRfor my first feature.Becoming a leatural lab experiment is not something that appeals to BRme...at least not at this time.

Rodriguez never ceases to amaze me. This is, by far, the most inspirational book on modern independent filmmaking that I've ever read. He simply leaves the mechanics of the art behind and gets right to the soul of it. The diary is a clear illustration of this man's personal triumph in an industry filled with closed doors. Robert Rodriguez not only tells his own story in a fast-paced, exciting style, he actually motivates the reader to get out there and make movies as well. It is evident that this man's passion is film. I am still amazed at how strongly he's able to channel that passion straight into the reader's bloodstream. Rebel Without A Crew is a definite must-read for anyone even remotely interested in producing films. If this veritable shot of motion picture-making adrenaline doesn't move you to action, you don't belong in the business! Read it, love it, live it!!!