Anyone who loves the underdog has to love Gary Williams. He has bounced back time and again over the course of his career and faced tremendous odds. Winning the National Championship was truly Sweet Redemption for him.

However, this is quite possibly one of THE WORST BOOKS I HAVE EVER READ. As a voracious sports biography reader, this book falls short of the mark made by even the lesser sports books out there. Vise did a TERRIBLE job of accounting the situation. This book is DEVOID of any passion on his part. It reads as if a high school journalism student slapped it together using a simple writing formula : "Here is what happened", , "Review what I just told you again."

You could get the ENTIRE contents of this book by reading newspaper clippings from Gary's career. That's basically all this book is, one big newspaper clipping.

Gary Williams deserves a much better book than this one.

i rated this four out of five becouse i
didn't fully grssed the intoto of your information
about the issue bein discussed there from ma point of view
as a reader.

Sweet Redemption is the well-told story of how a very good and very dedicated coach and some very good and very dedicated players -- whom most other schools overlooked -- finally brought the NCAA Division I men's basketball championship to the University of Maryland. Like the movie Hoosiers, it should be of interest to all basketball fans -- indeed all sports fans. But it will be a special treasure to supporters of Maryland basketball who for years watched their generally quite good teams suffer one frustration after another. Maryland's 2002 basketball championship was indeed sweet redemption which all true sports fans should be able to savor.

This book has some significant gaps in its coverage of modern buildings in Baltimore. A partner in our firm (an FAIA) was going to visit the city, and had me call up the local AIA for some recommendations, particularly good recent projects and arts-related buildings. It didn't seem like that much had been going on recently in Baltimore, so they suggested I get this book. Imagine my surprise when I couldn't find any mention of the Lyric Theater or the Meyerhoff Symphony Hall anywhere! From what the AIA and some research on the web told me, these are major public buildings, worth seeing based on their architectural merit. One is older with some new work, the other 20 years old, so it's not as though they're too new to be included. Is it simply that the various authors of this book didn't like those buildings? If so, why couldn't they have included them, but with a critique so that others could make up their own minds? What other notable buildings were left out? The truly flabbergasting part was locating, on the maps provided, where the Lyric and Meyerhoff are, in blank areas among all kinds of churches and old houses. History is great, but it keeps going.

Aside from that, the information for those buildings included in this guide seemed thorough, and the designer bios at the back were a nice touch.

Excellent, accessible book filled with quality information

From the standpoint of a cyclist who doesn't live near Baltimore, this book is no help at all. It offers a description of 16 bike rides, most of them near Baltimore or Anne Arundel county, and a few rides in Pennsylvania and Virginia. This may be helpful for anyone near the city, but I feel calling it a guide for Maryland is misleading.....However, their descriptions do go into great detail about directions, what kind of traffic you can expect, and the wildlife you may encounter. There are about 10 pages for each trail described.

If you're looking for good biking near the city then I highly recommend this book.....

At last a perfect guide for hiking and biking in Maryland! I don't have children but found this book to be a great resource for the short hikes and bike trips I enjoy with my husband. We went to the Cranesville swamp and had a difficult time finding information. This guide had the trails, directions, and plenty of interesting info on the natural history and ecology of the sites. I have used it for two of the other sites and have dogged-eared several more. I find it to be the perfect companion.

Can there be a book that is dull yet have some intrigue? Booth's book on his Civil War life was rather disappointing to read. It contained very little personal thought in regards to camp life and fighting in battles he was engaged in. He sometimes skipped his narrative to stop the story and give a quick history lesson on what occurred. Such was true with the Sharpsburg Campaign which I would have rather read his thoughts, reactions or what he was doing at the time. Booth's 1st Maryland is later disbanded and refitted for Cavalry in which Booth is involved yet his personal story is second to a history tale of the Union and Confederate movements surrounding the Virginia and Maryland areas. At times Booth intrigued me with his story of how they attempted to free Confederate hostages in a church held by tough Union forces in which Booth is shot in the leg and the quick skirmish ends in many bloody fatalities. Stories such as these was what I was looking for. What I tired of reading was how Lee left Pennsylvania or how Pope was turned around at 2nd Manassas.

Booth is less than descriptive on his movements at times which seemed blury and though he can talk about a battle historically, he certainly doesn't set the reader up for his involvement or easily explain his movements. I have found this true in other memoirs written by soldiers though this one can't be ranked like Sam Watkin's book or other well known Civil War biographies. This book is a quick read of 170+pages though if the battle histories were erased it and the book just focussed on Booth, the book probably would have been half of that. This book was rather dull and boring at times.

There are very few Civil War memoirs from Marylanders who fought with the Confederacy and "A Maryland Boy in Lee's Army" begins to correct that deficiency. As the introduction, written by a national park service historian, explains, George Wilson Booth was an extremely intelligent, sixteen year old Baltimorean who joined the Army of Northern Virginia in 1861. Booth begins by explaining that it was "at the request of somewhat partial friends" that he decided to record this period of his life in book form and he writes to show how bravely and valiantly men of the Old Line State fought in the Civil War.

Booth records his thoughts on succession on the first page, writing, "the dissolution of the Union was looked upon as a threatened evil, to be averted by mutual concession and forbearance." A few lines later he mentions slavery for one of the only times writing "that never for one moment did the question of slavery or the perpetuation of that institution enter into the decision of my course." Getting into the action, he records how he saw the first violence of the war in Baltimore when the Sixth Massachusetts Regiment came through and a riot ensued. Booth somewhat humorously relays that he "quickly realized [his] danger and was convinced that [he] was entirely out of place [as he] had no weapon save a penknife." From there his account proceeds chronologically.

Unfortunately, Booth's descriptions of major battles lack detail. He only records his own observations and assumes that the reader is familiar with all the major encounters. However, he did not intend to write a military history of the conflict, as is seen in his statement "I do not propose to say much as to Gettysburg." Instead, Booth provides an inside look and analysis of the Maryland units which fought in the Confederate Army and has frequent praise for them. He writes that "the 1st Maryland regiment was of so high an order and their record as soldiers [was] brilliant" and "there was more life and sprit in the average Maryland soldier than in a score of those from the interior of some of the Southern States." George Booth also gives detailed accounts of several small skirmishes and actions that he was involved with as when he describes the storming of a church in which Federal troops were barricaded and the time that a flaming, explosive-filled train was sent hurtling along the tracks in his direction.

Booth's descriptions of Confederate generals are even more useful. The Maryland soldier explains that Gen. Stonewall Jackson was "naturally so combative and earnest in his work that whenever brought into contact with the enemy his first and only promptings were to strike the blow." He later describes news of Jackson's death as "the saddest intelligence that could come to moral ears." Booth records that Robert E. Lee was "a bold soldier, a master of strategy and a vigorous fighter" in whom the army "had implicit confidence." Booth's keen observations are turned on nearly all major Southern military leaders, including J. E. B. Stuart, who is called "the Rupert of the Confederacy." In that same passage, Booth goes on to call Stuart, "like our great captains-the noble Lee and the lamented Jackson- . . . a devoted Christian, who illustrated in his daily work the teachings of Christ."

Booth lightens the tale of war with his wit and humor very effectively. At one point, he explains a situation in which his unit was nearly captured by the enemy by declaring "the jig came very near being up with us" and at another point some mosquitoes are called "the vilest, most ravenous and bloodthirsty of their kind." Booth also points out the irony of a Calvinist protecting his life by hiding behind a tree during one violent battle and records a Presbyterian officer as provoking the Calvinist by saying "if it is ordained you are to be killed, the tree will not save you." At many points his humor is much understated as when, after the war when asked if he were related to John Wilkes Booth, he "disclaimed any connection with the assassin of Mr. Lincoln, and remarked that it occurred to me to be a very unnecessary question, as it was scarcely probably I would acknowledge a relationship under existing circumstances even if it were true in fact."

Throughout, Booth is never far from his central argument over the valor of the Marylanders in and the Army of Northern Virginia and Confederates in general. He writes that the 1st Maryland Cavalry "[did] honor to the state which it represented" and "the work of the Maryland Cavalry . . . won . . . most distinguished notice." Of that unit's commander, Col. Ridgely Brown, Booth writes, "he was as true as steel and as gallant a soldier as ever mounted horse or drew a blade." While the author respected Grant for his gentlemanly treatment of the defeated Lee, he credits the Northerner's victory mainly to "his immense superiority in numbers" and not to any greater bravery in Union troops (106). But Booth shows himself to be fair and praises both the Federal infantry and cavalry late in the war, calling the later "superb."

Throughout the account, Booth is seen to be very intelligent and highly educated. As the introduction reveals, after the war he eventually became the comptroller of the B&O Railroad. In his memoirs, he shows knowledge of such diverse subjects as geography, theology, and history and, as Eric Mink points out in the book's introduction, as Booth's intended audience were the men who had shared his experiences, the account can be taken as being without embellishment. His diverse experiences, which include administering a prison camp and meeting the Confederate Vice President, make this account more valuable than most. The Civil War divided the nation and Maryland was split deeper than most states. The account of George Wilson Booth, a Marylander who sided with the Confederacy, can help historians understand the deep divisions in the nation.

The book gives a good overview of the areas with many addresses. Anyhow I found it a bit too black and white. It gives useful maps, but no coloured pictures from the areas, which would make it a bit more pleasant to read.

I highly recommend this guide to anyone who will be traveling in the Northeast as well as Canada. This guide gives you everything from upcoming events for the year to where to stay & eat. The maps are easy to read and follow. I have been a reader of the Mobil Guide for many years and it is continuing to give the most accurate, up-to-date travel information. This is the MUST-HAVE for the Northeast traveler.

Though the title uses Olmsted's name as a valuable advertisement, the book does little to describe Olmsted's design values. This book instead details the genesis of a community and the exodus of Olmsted's values. While the book is a fine history of one community's development, do not purchase this book because of Olmsted's involvement on the project.

This book is an outstanding work of scholarship in documenting how Olmsted's design principles were used to create a community. It is fascinating how the original design was maintained in spite of the fact that the original developer went bankrupt. This is the first book that I have found that doesn't dwell on Olmsted and Central Park but Olmsted and a neighborhood that still exists.

Sweetland's Western Maryland In Color is another poor quality overpriced photo album. It has virtually no structure and is simply a collection of old photos of the WM in color. Additionally, many of the photographs have very poor composition. Too much of the typical "wedge shot" for roster recording. While I have found some use for the book as a color guide, it doesn't even compare to "Fireballs & Black Diamonds" by Cook and Zimmermann or "Western Maryland Railway in the Diesel Era." Both of those works set THE STANDARD for books on the Western Maryland Railway. If you don't own BOTH of these books, then save your money and purchase them instead of Sweetland's photo album!!! Since it does have some historic value, I will give Sweetland three stars, however, it is a true shame that too many publishers want to make easy money by throwing together a group of photos and printing them on glossy paper with little or no thought about context or quality and then stick a [price] price tag on the cover...

The WM in color is a great look at the Western Maryland during the steam to diesel transition of the 50's and 60s. Most areas of the road are covered and the reproduction is up to normal Morning Sun standards. A must for Western Maryland Railway fans!

Very disappointing book. This is not "co"-respondence--it's two separate sets of letters that don't speak to each other; thus there's no dialogue. Further, the editor did not do her job of cleaning out the underbrush, so the letters are unflaggingly boring in their ungrammatical microdomesticity. Only now and then is there a flash of insight into the broader historical/sociological picture. This book is merely an assemblage of transcriptions interspersed with short bursts of mostly redundant editorial comment. With maps, historical timelines, sidebars, and incisive editing, this book could have been much more. As it is, it reads and feels like no more than a senior high school term paper. Shame on all concerned.

this book was very interesting in that one could explore the eIvertyday goings on of a time that we're so far removed from.I would like to have seen many more photos. You can identify much more with the characters in this way. from a historical point of view it was quite enlightening to see how black americans took a hand in their own destiny what with all the odds staked against them. we can see the format that is used even to this day. another interesting point is that there is noting new under the sun. It seems some of the everyday occurencess still prevail today under different circumstances. Though at times the letters were a little boring and written without prpoer punctuation, it helped to bring out the true personality of the writer. All in all for me it was a trip back into time.

Farah Griffin, editor of last year's "A Stranger in the Village: Two Centuries of African-American Travel Writing" has done it again with "Beloved Sisters and Loving Friends." This wonderful collection of letters between Rebecca Primus and Addie Brown allows readers to enter the world of nineteenth-century black American life. Through the correspondence of these "ordinary" women, the reader gains invaluable perspective on the social, political,economic and religious concerns of blacks around the time of the Civil War. In addition, the correspondence between these two loving friends is a welcome addition to all the historical collections of letters, diaries, etc. that document so well the white American experience while neglecting the experiences of black Americans and others. This collection is important and timely and I applaud Professor Griffin's achievement of giving voice to these two women and the world in which they lived.

I loved RIDE THE WIND and other books by this author, but this one is a struggle for even a history lover to read. I appreciate the exhaustive research she obviously put into the book, but the details obscure the characters and make the novel dull, dull, dull. Unless there are well-developed characters, all the earthy language and descriptions of customs in the 17th century won't make an interesting book. This was supposed to be a historical NOVEL, wasn't it?

Lucia Robson St.Clair's novels have always been in the "can hardly put it down" catagory but this recent novel"Mary's Land" set in early Maryland history was a struggle to read. The story began with the promise of another wonderful historical drama but after the main characters landed in the colonies and began their new life,the story started to wander and never seemed to find its footing again.I was discouraged but glad to read comments from other readers. I learned I was not her only fan who must have been shaking their heads and furrowing their brows as they struggled through this recent novel by a favored author.

Mary's Land brings the old pages of history to life and makes the people live and breathe - Another of Lucia St. Clair Robson's "can't put down books" - and as soon as I've finished I want more - her facts are always correct and she has a wonderful feel for putting them into words that create pictures in the soul.

Fritz Tullis is a belligerent pot smoking lothario now pushing forty who somehow evolved out of a smart athletic golden boy with a Ph.d. from Yale. He is, or was before he was fired, a well-liked college professor who presumably has book smarts but as much common sense as Ollie the lost whooping crane, which has more depth as a character than Fritz. Freedman goes on to make his villain an evil arms dealer in diplomat's clothing and names him Roach. Is he playing with his readers, or does he think these people seem real.

Fritz's amateurish investigation of the murder he saw takes him into pitfall after pitfall, almost like the old Saturday serials where the audience wants to scream, "no, don't go there." Take the visit to his college buddy Buster who's now a big time Washington lawyer. "Can I trust Buster?" Come on!

In the end Freedman needs to use a bad guy with a gun standing over Fritz and his babe to explain how everything ties together. It wouldn't flow from the story any other way, and Fritz certainly wasn't going to figure it out. Like its leading man, this story is all promise and zero substance.

Friedman has a unique ability to entangle his readers in his protagonist's perspective as well as bring his scenes to life. In "Bird's-Eye View" he ensnares you in the life of Fritz Tullis, an up and coming history professor whose life is in disarray.

This disillusioned, even shattered, young man (maybe I identify as a former assistant history professor) buries himself in the Maryland swamps around his family home and between booze, marijuana and taking pictures of birds attempts to get his life back together.

Fritz discovers a whooping crane, the most famous endangered species in the United States, has shown up in his swamp among sandhill cranes and he comes back again and again to take pictures of this extraordinary bird.

While photographing the cranes he sees a mysterious airplane land on a private field across the waterway and on an impulse starts taking pictures. He ends up photographing a murder. Soon we learn that the airstrip is owned by an assistant secretary of state and the victim is an important foreign dignitary.

This is a well written, suspenseful and very human interest focused book that captures both the Chesapeake Bay area as well as the complex struggle 21st century men and women face trying to find companionship and continuity.

Suspenseful till the end, "Bird's-Eye View" is both a good read and thought provoking.

Thirty-four years old Fritz Tulley is a tenured professor at a prestigious Texas university. The teachers and students at the college consider the daredevil a bit of a golden boy not just because of his youthful academia success, but because he is a maverick risk taker. His future is rosy until he meets and falls in love with Marnie, whose husband uses his clout with the university to get Fritz fired.

Fritz returns home to his family's isolated Maryland estate, but resides in a ramshackle cottage doing [...]himself into oblivion. His one passion is bird watching in the swamp adjacent to his shack. He's busy taking pictures of the birds when he sees a plane land nearby with three men exiting before one is shot. He later finds out the victim is a Russian stationed in Washington DC and the corner of the land where he was shot belongs to James Roach, an Undersecretary of State with a very shady reputation. Although Fritz does not report the shootings to the police he has done some investigating on his own, which places him and those he cares about in danger.

Even though BIRDS EYE VIEW is a very serious thriller, J.F. Friedman has a breezy light-hearted style of writing. Thus, when something actual happens to one of the characters, the audience feels shock and disorientation. Although Fritz is no saint he is a decent person caught between a rock and a hard place. Even so, he is trying to do the right thing by bringing a criminal to justice. He is the kind of character that readers want in a series.

Harriet Klausner