This book is incredible.. there is so much information to learn from it, and it's worth every word. Accompanied by fantastic photography, it's something for absolutely everyone

I loved this book! It told me many new things about the underwater life (which I know tons about). It also challenged me to do a lot more thinking while I read. And wow! its by the SCUBA man himself, Jacques Cousteau!

i think the book was great. it helped me alot with my report and taught me alot about the life of Cousteau

Anyone who knows the story of Amadou Diallo's fate at the hands of the NYC Police, does not know the story until you read this book. In the days and weeks following Amadou's death, the media frenzy revealed very little about Amadou's life and family short of the presumptive image of an African immigrant struggling to earn a living with little education and few family ties. Nothing could be further from the truth. This beautifully written account of Kadiatou's own story and her relationship to her son Amadou, reveals more of his character than any news report ever did. To understand Amadou, you must understand Kadiatou. Her story, and his, humbles the reader. The words are prose, the images are stunning; it is a visual read. Even if you know very little of the tragedy that occurred in 1999, this is a must read.

The immense value of this work is appreciated on so many levels. Immediately obvious is that it is such a privilege to read a beautifully written book and to savor the language. More importantly, the multi-generational story is a wonderful blend of culture and history, allowing the reader to experience the realities of the life struggle shared by the majority of this world. However, the greatest gift of this book is the truth that it speaks about all of us. Ms. Diallo's keen understanding and insight is readily apparent, yet she still surprises with her generous and understanding spirit. The most poignant passages, which bear repeated reading, describe the emotional and psychological burden of parenthood with such pain and yet acceptance and hope. These words will stay with me for a very long time. I am sharing this book with those I deeply love.

In most instances, books about crime victims - especially if they're black - get pegged into all the wrong categories and are marketed to all the wrong demographic groups until years later such books are discussed earnestly only in college "African Studies" programs.

"My Heart Will Cross This Ocean," by Kadiatou Diallo and Craig Wolff, deserves a better fate. It deserves to be read and re-read by every man, woman and - yes, young person - on this planet.

Americans, and especially New Yorkers, will immediately recognize the Diallo name from news reports. Kadiatou's son Amadou, in a horrific case of mistaken identity, was inexplicably shot 40 times by New York City cops in 1999 in the foyer of the Bronx apartment building where he lived. The police officers were tried and acquitted of any wrongdoing, and for many who followed the tragedy, it was "case closed."

Who knew from the papers and broadcast news that this sensitive and hard-working young man was descended from West African kings and healers? Who talked about his inner beauty or quiet religious convictions? Who spoke of his dreams and aspirations?

Most of us know John Donne's now famous quote: "No man is an island, entire of itself. Every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main. Any man's death diminishes me because I'm involved in mankind, and therefore, never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee."

Thus, the challenge for the authors was profound. It was not just to make us empathize with an innocent murder victim from Guinea, West Africa, or to give us insight into a mother's unspeakable grief, but it was to resurrect a mother and son's life story before it was irrevocably severed in a hail of bullets.

The book's preface says it all.

"When a young person leaves home from Guinea, he becomes the sette. He is the explorer and the envoy, carrying the family name to unseen places. In the villages, towns, and cities, too, they will talk about him. On his return, they will gauge his manner of speaking or of entering a room, the ease of his walk, perhaps a satisfaction that shows in his eyes, to determine if his travels have given him the bearing of a successful man. Beyond his conquests, they will wait for the tales he will carry back... For years he can tell people what happened when finally he stepped onto strange land, what surprised or scared him, lifted or saddened him, what he has discovered for them. Amadou was the sette for his brothers, sisters, cousins, friends, and for me, who anticipated a magnificent return.

"He returned, a silent body with a tale untold. If there is anything as cruel as the taking of a man's life, it is the taking away of his story, the particulars that make him holy. The mother who dreams that she can undo any harm that comes to her child, dreams fruitlessly. The one last thing she can do is to try to give her child back his story, the greatest and least obligation she can fulfill."

Kadiatou's life story is yours and mine. It is amazing, and Wolff's writing gives her story the wings to soar. This book is outstanding from start to finish. Fine literature? It's in every word. Superb storytelling? You will cry and laugh, and shake your head that one woman's journey could so affect your soul. Political intrigue; the bonds of love and family; the strange contradictions and rhythms of marriage and parenthood - of living and dying - are all here, written with such clarity and purpose that by the close of the book, Kadi's family has become yours - and you hate to see them go.

This book proves once and for all that Diallo's death did diminish each one of us, and, therefore, we owe it to ourselves to pick up these pages and resurrect his soul.

"Sailor Moo: Cow at Sea" is another delightful picture book by Lisa Wheeler. This wonderful flowing rhyme tells a wonderful story of the pursuit of dreams, adventure, pirates and romance. Like Lisa's other books "Turk and Runt" and "Wool Gathering, A Sheep Family Reunion", she catches you up in her rhyme and makes you believe it is so. Lisa's sense of humor will make the adults giggle. This book is a must read for everyone young and old. Ponder Goembel was the perfect choice to illustrate this beautiful book.

I just checked this book out from the library and my son and I LOVE it so much I'm now ordering it from Amazon. I'm also getting another copy to give as a gift for a friend's son who is also turning 5 years old. I have now found a book I enjoy reading to my child as much as I enjoy reading "Oliva" to him. It's a winner!

Put this one on your gift list! An old-fashioned (cow)love story, told with hilarity in fun to read-aloud rhyme. Text and illustrations are wonderful!

Colonel Archibald Gracie is one of the few people who actually went down with the Titanic and lived to tell about it. First published in 1913, "Titanic" is his detailed account of the last day he spent aboard ship, the evacuation of passengers on the port side of the ship, and of his incredible survival on an overturned lifeboat after being plunged into the frigid ocean when the Titanic finally completely submerged. The first 113 pages of the book are dedicated to Colonel Gracie's firsthand account. In the remaining approximately 200 pages, Col. Gracie has compiled testimony from as many other eyewitnesses as he could find. These firsthand accounts of passengers and crew are taken from the official inquiries in the United States and Great Britain, personal correspondence and interviews with Col. Gracie, and occasionally from firsthand accounts that were published in books and magazines of the day. Taken together, they render a very detailed picture of what went on that fateful night and why more people were not saved. Colonel Gracie died 8 months after the Titanic sank, of illness possibly related to the prolonged exposure to cold that he endured the night the Titanic went down.

This is one of the most comprehensive and precise accounts of the Titanic disaster that you will find. Colonel Gracie is an engaging storyteller. I like his decision to organize the eyewitness accounts by lifeboat. The book also provides some interesting insights into the manners and social attitudes of the time.

Originally published in 1913 as The Truth About the Titanic, Titanic: A Survivor's Story was the first book by an actual Titanic survivor to appear in print. Colonel Archibald Gracie, a military historian who is treated really brutally by James Cameron in his film, was not only a brave man but an indefatigable historian of the disaster. In the months remaining to him after the sinking (Colonel Gracie died in December 1912, possibly of aftereffects from his harrowing escape), Gracie tracked down other survivors and was the first to make an attempt at putting each survivor into the boat he or she escaped from. Written with period charm, this is an important book about the disaster and will dispell any remaining images of Cameron's doofy "Archie."

Two of the most poignant survivor accounts of the Titanic sinking. Mr. Gracie, an elderly man with many social ties to others on the ship and Mr. Thayer, the 17 year old son of a prominent businessman were both first class passengers. Both nearly drowned as the Titanic plunged to the bottom of the Atlantic; but found refuge on the upside down collapsible lifeboat B. Mr. Gracie lost his best friend and Mr. Thayer lost his father. The grief each feels still calls out to us.

The style of each narrative is interesting to compare. Gracie, when describing his own experience or his impressions of the significance of the sinking, uses the flowing purple prose of the late 19th century (his style is more straightforward in his compilations of accounts of other passengers and he has even used their actual statements). Thayer, writing in 1940 about his own experience, is terser; but his reflection that the world seemed calm and his place in it assured before that night is poetic. Archibald Gracie died soon after he wrote his narrative. I'm unsure; but I believe Jack Thayer did not live long after he wrote his story. Since Mr. Thayer's account is not generally available in other sources, and Mr. Gracie was so thorough about who was in (or, in his case, on) each lifeboat, this book will be appreciated by any Titanic buff.

Visiting Ocean City since I was very small, I found this book very relaxing and entertaing. It took me back to the place my heart will always be, in Ocean City.

I enjoyed the book immensely. Ms. Kelly's character development and wry sense of humor are both excellent. She obviously knows Ocean City well because her settings are accurate. I hope she has another book out in the near future; I will definitely buy it.

A dead boss, a handsome stranger, and a wacky assortment of co-workers and local characters keep Meg Daniels' vacation at the Jersey shore anything but dull. Meg is both funny and likeable, and her quest to find the murderer(along with intriguing P.I. Andy Beck), salvage her vacation, and stay alive combine for a really absorbing and entertaining page-turner.

Ok, great series, great premise: Neri is a young woman who can speak to a whale she calls Jali (or Charley, whatever you prefer) and has a pretty mysterious past. In the first season, which is what the book is somewhat based on (more on that in a sec) Neri meets up with the Bates family: Jason, Brett and their mother Dianne. The season mostly concentrates on that, though there are a few other adventures along the way (Dianne has a diving accident and Neri saves her, for instance). Jali is also kidnapped and subsequently saved by Jason, Brett and some other kids. The series lasted four seasons and spawned a second series "The New Adventures of Ocean Girl" which in all reality has ABSOLUTELY nothing to do with the first and is in fact animated while the first one is real people. Unfortunately, only the first season was made into a book and it's difficult to find copies of the episodes but it's incredibly good.

As to the discrepencies between the book and the tv season: there is at least one episode that I know of that is not at all mentioned in the book and several scenes with things out of place or things not happening in the same order. I'd give an example but I don't want to give too much away.

Other than the discrepancies, it is still an excellent book for a person of any age and even if you've never heard of the series or seen all the episodes, I still would recommend it to anyone.

The only reason the book got a four instead of a five is because of the discrepancies, nothing else.

Enjoy!

Ocean Girl was a family-friendly Australian TV show that lasted for four seasons, although only three seasons were shown in the United States. This novel came out after the first season premiered, and it perfectly captures the mystery, excitement and wonder of Ocean Girl. Much of the flavour of the series and its characters has been captured, although translating the magnificent visuals of the Daintree rainforest does not fare as well. Still, author Peter Hepworth makes a brave attempt. An example:

"Snow white sands curved out of sight on either side. Beyond the beach great strands of rainforest trees grew thick and tall, their trunks interlaced with vines and creepers. Brilliantly coloured birds flashed from branch to branch and butterflies the size of bread-and-butter plates flitted through the air. They made their way inland, Neri leading the way. Each turn of the track revealed new sights. Dripping clusters of bright tropical flowers. Little marsupials who sat up on their hind legs like tiny kangaroos and watched them pass. Huge emerald tree frogs with golden eyes."

Ocean Girl is an excellent companion to an amazing New Age TV series. Neri's story will whisk you away to an isolated island paradise and a mysterious past. Once you start reading this you won't be able to put it down!

This is a truly fabulous book. Whether or not you watched the series, you will definitely love it. This was one of the most original, exciting, and all-around best shows in TV history, so if you haven't seen it, you've got problems... but back to the point. I don't want to spoil the plotline for you, so just READ IT! I also hear they are coming out with a movie. Whether or not it will be shown in the US, I don't know, but it'll definitely be a must-see!

Joseph Conrad was a master of language. In a brief but classic book, you will experience the incredible power of a typhoon while on a steamer as if you were there. Especially real is the scene in the chart room after the initial damage. It is very dark, and Captain MacWhirr lights matches to see his surroundings. Conrad's concise descriptions make you feel even the flame of the match as it burns down. If only this book were longer! I would have loved to know more about Captain MacWhirr's adventures. I HIGHLY recommend this book, as well as Conrad's "Heart of Darkness."

Well, my review title isn't very interesting but I suppose what I am trying to get at is that this story is a sort of metaphysical pornography, and squeezes in a great part of the thoughts Conrad was interested in conveying. Curtcow wrote that the audio tape is prone toward placing one in "dreamland" and this is true, and probably not at all good for the conveyance of a violent story. However, the accents give something to the personalities that I am sure I would have missed had I read this first, especially given the fact that I am an american and the story is 100 years old, written in english, and more importantly,of course, there is the sailors'slang. My own internal linguistic set-up would have had Mac Whirr speaking as I might speak, and that wouldn't have been good. Following this, I guess all americans reading Conrad might want to listen to some of his tales. It is also nice to hear Conrad's smooth sentences, which for the most part remain incredibly unaffected, given his use of metaphor and analogy and simile and the possible fact that he is using metaphor, analogy, and simile all at once. (Either that or I simply can't tell when a particular image described is one of the three.)

I don't agree with the idea that Conrad wrote this with the idea that his readers might ponder how they would react. To me it is more like a Quentin Tarentino thing - entertainment before anything. After all, this story, when compared to the very difficult, time-consuming, and at times simply burdensome Nostromo, is quite simple. (Not in any way to deny the extreme fear the story inspires) I guess at times I would have liked to hear more arguing between the sailors, but, come to think of it, the confusion of the typhoon necessarily renders that impossible.

Still, the cover to cover classics edition was quite expensive, and unlike other audio tapes I have (Middlemarch or the Odyssey especially)I doubt one year down the road I will want to listen, as opposed to read, this novella.

Taking maximum advantage from his long years at sea, and from his innate insight into the human soul, Conrad tells an outright and direct story about a huge typhoon in the midst of the Yellow Sea. But the book is not so much about the storm in itself, but about the human character and how it reacts to disaster.

Captain MacWhirr is famous for being an efficient, calm, dull and silent man, someone you would trust but not like. He seems to be rather unbrilliant, though, never understanding why people talk so much. The other characters are also interesting, especially Jukes, the "young Turk", vivid and dynamic; Solomon the head engineer, another wise man from the sea, and the disgusting and repugnant "second officer", the type of coward you don't want to be with in this kind of drama.

Human character, then, is revealed by limit-situations much more than at any other time, as war literature fans know, and this tale will leave you wondering how YOU would react if you had to make decisions in the midst of a horrible, and wonderfully depicted, typhoon.

Thomas Locker's beautiful oil paintings make "Water Dance" a work of art and a wonderful way for kids to learn about the water cycle.I decided to see what's out there for kids about water and began with "Water Dance," "Where the River Begins," and "Cloud Dance," all by Locker. I fell in love with his art and . . . also bought "Sky Tree" and several others.
I just published a review of approximately 20 kids water books titled "Teaching Children about the Hydrologic Cycle." To read, go to www.ndwc.wvu.edu and click on the current issue of "On Tap," a magazine about drinking water in small communities.

"Water Dance" by Thomas Locker is one of those books you pick up because you like the look of the cover, a lake nestled amongst the hills beneath the purple sky of dusk, and then when you finish reading it you discovered it was actually teaching you something. "Water Dance" is actually about the water cycle, which starts with the rain that becomes a mountain stream that empties in a lake that is linked by a river to the sea. The cycle ends when the seawater becomes mist that forms into clouds and leads to a thunderstorm that once again brings the rain. Locker's thirteen paintings depicting the water cycle and accompanied by a poetic text describing each step of the process. In the back of the book each painting is reproduced in miniature as Candance Christiansen provides scientific information about what Locker is showing us about water. Students will find out about such things as the different types of clouds, what causes rainbows, and how the water in their bathtub might have been part of the Nile River a month earlier. "Water Dance" is a marvelous way of introducing young students to the water cycle. They will enjoy Locker's paintings even more once they learn how they all fit together to show one of the basic processes of nature. Teachers will be able to use "Water Dance" as an introduction to all sorts of science lessons.

I bought this book as a gift for my friend's son. He wanted to read over and over again for days (and it looks like this will continue for some time!) The pictures are absolutely beautiful, the poetry soothing, inspiring and educational, and this 3-year-old insists on reading the scientific explanations at the end of the book every time. I can't imagine a child (or an adult!) who wouldn't enjoy it!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, a delightful tour of a variety of topics in marine biology. The author, Martin Wells, wrote with enthusiasm, humor, and authority on a wide range of subjects. Even better, not only do individual chapter essays focus on a particular animal or group of animals, as Wells often uses them to illustrate larger points in marine biology or biology in general (or often issues in conservation).

I can't list all the topics that Wells dives into in this short review, but I would like to mention a few of the ones I found the most interesting. In the chapter titled "Hot Fish," he shows that simply considering mammals and birds as warm-blooded and other animals as cold-blooded is a gross oversimplification. Not only do not all mammals and birds maintain a constant high body temperature, but there are essentially warm-blooded fish! Several speices of tuna and sharks, the two groups having developed there "warm-bloodedness" quite independently, are both able to maintain muscular temperatures well above that of the seas in which they swim. Wells discusses not only how this is possible, but what effec this has on the life of the fish and the ecology of the ocean.

In "Diverse Divers," he discusses the physiological adaptations needed to dive, as well as some of the afflictions suffered from go deep beneath the surface. Discussing not only the problems faced by humans when diving (including a somewhat uncomfortable but informative discussion of the bends), Wells analyses how other animals deal with the challenges of diving, particularly seals and whales.

"Buoyancy" is another fascinating chapter, where Wells discusses how animals are able to float. Seemingly a simple subject at first, it is a problem for marine life, tackled by a variety of solutions. Wells analyses everything from the pressurized swim bladders of fish to the huge oily livers of basking sharks to marine mammal blubber to alterations in the ionic content of body fluids (such as in some types of squid) to the cuttlebones in cuttlefish to how the _Nautlius_ does it...I never knew there we so many ways to achieve buoyancy!

"Dolphins" is devoted to many people's favorite marine mammals, and was quite informative. One issue the authors explores is the well known large brains of cetaceans, particularly dolphins. Does that mean that they are most intelligent creatures in the sea, or does it mean maybe something else? Wells offers a theory as to why dolphins have such large brains, and it has to do with their echolocation. Fascinating.

Other chapters focus on the _Nautilus_, octopi, those marine organisms that attach to boats (such as barnacles), bioluminescence, the lugworm, and hermaphroditism in marine life, among other topics. A wonderful book, I highly recommend as it has something for everybody who likes the sea and marine life, from the most specatacular dolphins and whales to the lowest marine worms to the hated barnacle to dangerous sharks.

I am widely-read in the 'general science with zoological bent' book world. I know much more about all sorts of beasties than any non-zoologist or non-vet really should. And now I know even more than that, thanks to Martin Wells and his excellent book.
Wells writes with tangible passion and a great sense of humour and the bizarre. This is a lovely, engrossing read which I finished in just one day, despite trying to "leave some for later". And although the light and accessible writing style allows for even the complete beastie novice to become immersed (no aquatic animal pun intended), the amount of new and interesting information contained here is very impressive. I repeatedly interrupted my partner's activities to read him yet another descriptive/amusing/insightful/completely unexpected fact about this or that sea beastie.
A fabulous book which I would recommend to (I came close to writing "foist upon" there, because I've been telling all and sundry about this book) anybody who had even the slightest interest in biology.

Naturalists who pick up the pen have to work hard to make their objects of study-which obviously they find of great interest-compelling for the rest of us. This problem is made more difficult by the secret language that scientists speak, which is not as indecipherable as computer programmer geekspeak, but close. The naturalists that succeed at this provide a real service to the rest of us, their books refuges in which to indulge in a brief respite. In their hands we are immersed in a wonder-filled worlds that exists entirely (and amazingly) without special effects. Along the way, we even learn something. Martin Wells, a marine zoologist, succeeds at this task in Civilization and the Limpet, a book that not only marine zoologists would enjoy during a vacation at the seashore.
Wells begins this collection of quirky essays by objecting to the anthropomorphic bias of the media. All the articles about people! The animals seem neither available for, nor worthy of, comment. Wells hopes his little book will convince people that perhaps they (animals) do have something to say to us (people), though they more often than not seem aloof and wary of us (and rightly so.)
Wells studies some of the least respected creatures in the sea. The collection's first essay defends the "world's most unloved animal," the sea urchin. This spiky tide pool creature is known mostly for sticking in swimmers' feet. Only the Chileans and Japanese (and Wells) eat them with any relish. Wells informs us that sea urchins, and their relatives the starfish, exist without a brain, co-ordinating their activities, including the movement of hundreds of tiny tube feet to get around, with a neurological form of democracy. And while Wells doesn't convince me that sea urchins make scrumptious snacks (I've tasted them), he does make them more knowable, thus putting a little of the wonder back.
Wells book is a perfect resource for the recovering wonderer.. In one of the best essays in the collection, "Things that go flash in the night", Wells discusses bioluminescence, the certainly wonderful process whereby animals and plants make themselves glow. He writes: "Sailing at night in seas that luminesce is something splendid that is not given to all men. On a quiet night, with just enough wind to ghost along without the engine, it can be euphoric. Euphoria is worth seeking; we don't often achieve it in this rush-around world. You need a pause, or you miss it."
Don't miss Wells' book.

It follows the lives of several people from the '50s to the '80s. It's an engaging read. I highly recommend it to all.

"A Country Such As This" is a timeless classic that chronicles the enormous social, economic and political upheavals that roiled America throughout the 1960s and 1970s. James Webb, a foremost author, Vietnam combat veteran and future Secretary of the Navy, presents a moving and incisive allegory in the life experiences of three 1951 U.S. Naval Academy graduates. Red Lescynski, Judd Smith and Joe Dingenfelder are "blood brothers" who swear an oath of allegiance to their country and each other. But their lives are destined to be sundered by the epochal changes sweeping the country: economic dislocation, an epidemic of divorce and fractured families and, most of all, societal and political divisions wrought by U.S. policy in Vietnam. Particularly insightful is the ongoing dialogue between Smith, a conservative Republican, and the ultra-liberal Dorothy Dingenfelder (Joe's estranged wife), who clash repeatedly and vociferously. Red Lesczynski's brutal plight in North Vietnam POW camps are heart rending, as are his difficulties assimilating into a fundamentally changed American society after a seven-year absence. Webb's descriptions of the opprobrious conduct of the anti-war movement are priceless.

We are fortunate that 18 years after its initial publication, the U.S. Navy's publishing arm has re-published "A Country Such As This," enabling a new generation of Americans to benefit from Webb's sage wisdom.

Although this book is nearly 20 years old, its story, that of the transformation of America across the critical years of 1951 to 1976, is a must read for anyone of my generation (I was born in 1971) seeking to understand the recent history of our country beyond the cold facts of a textbook. It is a story of America upon which even modern documentaries hardly touch. Mr. Webb's narrative reminds us of our fathers' sacrifices. He reminds us that, despite the social climate of the volatile years of the Vietnam War in particular, there were men and women who were neither ashamed of their country nor unwilling to stand up for it. It is in that light that the greatest message of the book comes forth. He reminds us that, despite the aberrant behavior of the counter-culture and ranting and demonstrative noise of the anti-war demonstrators (both of which, in this presidential election year, will finally make their departure from the Washington), there were people who were willing to do what their country asked of them...because it was the right thing to do. Though fiction, ACSAT very much speaks to us from the reality that were the service families and proud Americans of the post-war generations. The story is gripping in itself, and the time it encompasses makes it a delight for any student of history to read.