i rarely write reviews for books - i'm not one to voice my opinion (very un-Larry-like) - but I just had to say a few words about this book. i was positive that josh swenson was real, and as soon as i finished his story i stopped by [a] website to read the reviews to confirm if this book was fiction or fact. silly me - it was only fiction. josh - the most amazing character i ever encountered - was only a fictional character; much to my disappointment. but i'm glad to have met him - real or not.

I picked up this book from the library randomly, hoping to do a book report on it. But now that I've read, I feel like it's much more than that. I am fully aware that it is, indeed, fiction, but I think it aroused plenty of issues that needs to be addressed. Though written for young adults, through a teenager's diction, I believe everyone can gain something from it. I highly recommend it--it may very well change your perspective on life. It's one of the most unique and creative books I've ever encountered. In teen jargon, it's awesome.

I believe this book should be required for every student to read. They should not be allowed to graduate with out reading it. It provides such an outlook on life. One of my good friends read it and she said it was "life changing".
Josh is a really cool kid. He has been called weired since third grade when he wore a paper pyramid to see if it could help his thinking. He hated how other people bought Nike clothes and Mountain Dew. He was anticonsumer. The book travels through the life of Josh who tries to "change the world" with his thinking through an alter ego, Larry. I don't want to say more because it would give it away.
All I ask is that you read it, and you will think differently everytime you buy something like a Humpty Dumpty tie when the money could be used to help the Third World countries that really do need it. READ IT READ IT READ IT!!!

A champion martial artist gives insight into becoming a champion at life as well as sport. This book is a must read for those of us involved in a martial art.

I owe so much to Willie "Bam" Johnson for writing this book. The book helped a friend of mine quit smoking. He was trying to quit and was so inspired by Willie "Bam" Johnson's book that he was able to "kick the habit". READ THIS BOOK!!! I know that you will get something from it. Even if you are not a martial artist, or have no interest in the martial arts, I believe that you will leave the book as a changed person. Give it a try, you won't regret it!!

I greatly enjoyed reading Mr. Johnson's book! It is incredible how much he has overcome in his life. If you like reading motivational books on how to improve yourself, this is required reading. Mr Johnson writes about the many obstacles placed before him and how he overcame them. This is a very good book for children to read and appreciate how to achieve in life. Job well done Mr. Johnson! Your students should be honored to have a great role model as a martial arts instructor and teacher.

This is the book I check first when I have a question about an English Rose. The organization is great, the photography is beautiful, and the plants are described by someone who has grown them in the US. This book is therefore best for those growers who live in Southern California, but still, it's better than if it was written by an English grower. This book also describes the negative aspects of varieties, which is one of the most helpful things. One thing that would improve this book is a photo or description of the plant habit so to provide information on where to plant in the garden. E.g. is Abraham Darby staunchly upright, graceful, floppy? This book isn't all-inclusive, and of course there are new roses being released every year, but if you've got to have the latest, does it matter? Check out also 100 Old Roses for the American Garden, by the same author. Also a great book.

This is a great and detailed book about David Austin's roses. It is especially helpful since it gives realistic descriptions of the roses including disease resistance or lack thereof, how long it takes for a plant to establish itself and produce blooms, and what pitfalls exist for each rose. I think these are really important things to know since rose catalogs often only tell good things about roses and are a bit misleading. This book has great photos that are realistic, simple and beautiful, which also make you want to grow each and every variety. The companion to this book, 100 Old Roses for the American Garden is also excellent and features more disease resistant roses. The review below is actually about the 100 Old Roses book (with the cover photo of Austrian Copper) and was mistakenly put under this book about Austin's English Roses.

I stumbled onto this book because it was featured in the Washington Post in a column written by Adrian Higgins (Henry Mitchell's sucessor). A photograph of the Austrian Copper rose accompanied the article (the cover), and I'm a sucker for burnt-orange, so I followed up on the book. I am very pleased with it.

Although the cover is paper, it's a plasticized paper and a sturdy book. I mention this first, because I will refer to the book often, it feels pleasant to hold in the hand, it's easy to carry, and it can get a little moisture on the outside and not crumble.

I'm tired of having my roses eaten alive every spring, so I decided to pull out all the hybrids and fall back and regroup. This book takes me back to the old roses that are a little more hardy and can put up with Washington DC weather patterns.

The book is nicely laid out. A front section entitled, "What Makes an Old Rose" describes how old roses came to be. The next section is a "field guide" to help you distinguish roses at the nursery. This is followed by 168 pages of roses and text from 'Alba Semi-Plena' to 'Zephrine Drouhin.'

What makes this book unique as well as useful is the layout. Each rose is covered in a two-page section. A text description is on the right-hand page, and a closeup photograph of a specimin of the rose showing the bloom, buds, and leaf and branch structure is on the left-hand side. Because it's an actual photo, one can identify the rose in question more easily.

The text is useful. Not only are you provided a nice historical write-up on the rose, you are given the 'demographics' including the uses, fragrance, and suseptibility to diseases. Many of the roses appear to be relatively disease free and fragrant--and I found all of them except the "green" rose beautiful.

The back of the book contains a list of mail-order houses and gardens where the specimins can be viewed. Since I live in the DC area, I have acces to the U.S. National Arboretum and Woodlawn Plantation, but locations for viewing old roses are located in most states.

Those of you who pay attention to my reviews will notice that I gave this puppy a four-star rating, and I almost never do that. If four and a half were possible, that's what I'd put in.

Expecting Someone Taller riffs on Wagner. Fortunately, for those of you who ran out of video-tape or patience somewhere around the middle of the Ring Cycle, and aren't real sure what was happening in the parts you did watch, Tom Holt provides a plot summary. This tells you all you need to know about the Ring, and saves those who do not love opera from feeling that the whole thing has gone right over their heads.

This book is convulsively funny. Malcolm Fisher runs down a badger whose dying words are, "Funny, I was expecting someone taller." I opened it on my evening commute some years ago, and transferred to a bus full of people who had not been conditioned by smothered giggles to ignoring me. I read the line (I know I shouldn't quote, but I just can't resist), "Thank you, Please come again." I laughed out loud, and didn't stop laughing for several blocks. My fellow passengers, needless to say, were astonished.

Tom Holt does that to you. He knows his material, and has a great deal of fun ringing changes on it, and adheres to a certain mad logic. This one, especially, is very, very good. My copy is taped together. I still laugh when I re-read it. Yes, it's mad, but it's immense fun, and I recommend this whole-heartedly.

You don't have to be familiar with Wagner's Ring cycle to enjoy this book, but it doesn't hurt--you'll get a few more of the jokes.

Malcolm Fisher, a nerdish Englishman, runs over a badger who just happens to be a disguised Giant who possesses the Ring of the Nibelung, as well as the magical Tarnhelm, allowing him to change his shape. Before Malcolm has time to do more than make a few experiments with his new possessions, he finds himself pursued by gods, dwarves, and amorous Rhinemaidens and Valkyries, and finds himself locked in a power stuggle with chief god Wotan. Can Malcolm overcome his retiring nature and the gods?

The allusions and takeoffs on the Ring operas are the funniest part of this book. But don't worry if you haven't seen them--a plot summary is included.

Highly recommended. Enjoy.

Ever wonder happened to the ring of the Nibelung after Gotterdammerung? Check this book out for a very funny update of the Ring to see how the hapless Malcolm inherits the all-powerful ring and becomes reluctant ruler of the world in modern-day England. He must confront contemporary incarnations of Alberich, Wotan, and some very seductive Rhinemaidens. The book is a good short (228 pages)fantasy novel that is lots of fun even if you don't know the Ring (and even funnier if you know the Ring well). It is great fun!

This is the first book Victoria Holt book that i read and i found it rather amusing. Even though at start the story moves at a very slow pace, it turns out to be extremely interesting near the end!

This is the first Victoria Holt I read and I was totally captivated by it. She has the ability to draw you into the story from the first couple of pages, something hard to find nowadays. The story revolves around Annalice, a young girl who finds the diary of one of her ancestors. In it she finds a map to an island with many riches. Her brother sets out to find it but never returns. Determined to find out what happened, Annalice goes as well. There she finds the truth and also love. This book is truly enthralling.

This was one of my first books I read by Ms. Victoria Holt. Ever since this one, I have read almost every book I could get hold of. She inspired me to further read books similar in subject matter. She is a great author, making her characters and the surrounding environment come alive. Her books are very well written; the communication comes right through. I would highly recommend this book if romantic fiction is on your mind.

I really enjoy Ms. Nesbit's written works. It is quite a shame that she can't write anymore. Although I liked this one a lot, I was a little disappointed by it because it lacked the charming fairy tale sort of feel that many of her children's books have. However, the story was quite wonderful, and I particularly loved the realistic scene of the children that the reader is given. I highly recommend this book to Edith Nesbit's fans, as well as people that enjoy a touch of mystery, mixed with a child's view of life.

I like the Railway Children a lot,especially how the author told the story. I liked Bobbie because there is something different about her,she was helpful and sweet at the same time. I am wondering where the dog James went? Other than that, the story was great!

I remember in The Railway Children that Bobbie, Peter and Phylls had a dog named James. I was wondering, what ever happened to James? In the book Phyllis is the best person to me because she is accident prone. In the story the kids lives change a lot from the city to the country. They make new friends on the railway.It was a great book. I still wonder..."What happened to James...."

This book is commendable for its conception but is flawed in its premise and execution. The problem is there are too many fingers in the pie. I would have liked to read about one historian's perspective on all the films reviewed. Instead, each film was addressed and compared to historical recollections by a different author. There is no uniformity of thought or perspective. For instance, I am sure that if Stephen Ambrose had reviewed TORA! TORA! TORA! he may have seen that film in a much more favorable light than did Akira Iriye. One can speculate to infinitum. It is possible to find and read countless books on a given historical topic. The point I am making is that each author has the ability to bring different perspectives or interpretations of historical record that may result in different conclusions of events or more importantly ideas. If you were to ask an auditorium full of historians what was the most important factor contributing to the start of the Civil War I am sure you may get at least five good answers. Perhaps the idea that a film conveys is more important than the accuracy of each step that led to that idea. I think that SPARTACUS is an important film not as a representation of a historical record but for the idea that the inherent rights of human beings to live free is a notion worth dying for. Kirk Douglas as SPARTACUS stated something to the effect that he would never stand by and see two men battle and die just for the amusement of other men. There is something very noble about that statement and to the visuals on the screen that precipitated that assertion. To touch a chord of emotion from the audience is really the magic of the cinema. I never once ever thought that the purpose of the cinema was to teach history. For the audience the main purpose of the cinema is to be entertained and if you take it a few more steps perhaps come away with an idea or spark of imagination. That's the beauty of the cinema.

This is a very interesting and useful book but I don't exactly like the overall point of view that it takes on motion pictures. It takes many historically based films and critiques them by comparing what is on the screen to actual historical events. Each chapter is devoted to one film (in most instances) and is critiqued by a different authority. The one constant that I see running throughout this book is that history does not make for good motion pictures if you are gazing through the eyes of the historian. That disturbs me. Motion pictures are a business as well a legitimate art form. If a historically based movie gets your interest as well as entertains you then perhaps that movie has fulfilled its purpose. The movie is the catalyst. It is up to you to dig up the history book and see what was recorded. And if you dig up a second history book it is very possible that those same events may be recorded slightly different. I liked the critique by Sean Wilentz on "THE BUCCANEER: Two Films" where he states that they stand somewhere in between fact and fiction. Akira Iriye is too critical of TORA! TORA! TORA! When you recall that particular motion picture, that's the one that stands out as a film that tried to get all the facts correct. Americans and Japanese respective of their home countries directed it. Iriye's criticism is almost ludicrous trying to state that inflections in the voices of some of the actors actually distorted the true meaning of their words. In light of PEARL HARBOR (2001) Akira Iriye is way off mark. Marshall De Bruhl's words about THE ALAMO are redundant and superficial. THE ALAMO was John Wayne's screen fulfillment of the legend. THE ALAMO is a great American film and it perpetuates that legend till this day. I liked what Stephen E. Ambrose had to say about THE LONGEST DAY. Ambrose recognizes that half the duality of filmmaking is a business. His approach and comments are very insightful and well written. As seen by James H. McPerson GLORY comes off best. It deserves it. "PAST IMPERFECT" is a good book but I just wish there were more input from the filmmakers.

When you're both a student of history and a movie buff, as I am, it can be difficult to sit and watch a film that presumes to have an accurate historical context without fighting the urge to evaluate it and pick holes in it. And I'm not the only one. This is a collection of analytical essays, most of high quality, by experts (not all of them historians) analyzing and critiquing individual films: Stephen Jay Gould on _Jurassic Park,_ Antonia Fraser on _Anne of the Thousand Days,_ Thomas Fleming on _1776,_ Dee Brown on _Fort Apache,_ William Manchester on _Young Winston,_ and numerous others. Sticking to those films about which I have some knowledge of the historical events they claim to portray, most are right on the money. James McPherson, commenting on _Glory,_ points out that while the context and general atmosphere are very well done, and the costuming and so on are exact, there are still deliberate historical errors for the sake of drama; none of the soldiers in Col. Shaw's 54th Massachusetts were ex-slaves, for instance, all of them having been recruited from among the state's free black population. And Catherine Clinton does an excellent job taking the wind out of _Gone with the Wind_'s mythical sails. There's a great deal of good information and criticism here and it's a compliment to say that nearly any of these essays will start an argument.

I read this book years ago when it was first published. I loved it. I just recently reread it. I still love it. It is well written, compelling, and surprisingly believable. The characters have full, round personalities, resembling people I know in real life. It is one of my favorate books and by far my favorate romance novel. If you only read one Victoria Holt novel, read this one.

I have read about 15 of her books under the name of Victoria Holt, the "India Fan" has got to be the best one I've read. She keeps you in suspence, I laughed and cried. You really feel like your there with the characters, read this book!

This book is AMAZING! Ms. Holt did a wonderful job decribing Drusilla's feelings and the setting in which the book takes place. It's about a vicar's daughter who gets forced into becoming friends with selfish Lavinia Framling and helps her out in many ways ( like helping Lavinia through her pregnency of an ilegimate daughter ). Drusilla is faced with many problems throughout the book. One problem, deciding if she loves Fabian Framlimg ( Lavina's older brother ) who has admitted his feelings for her! This is a book that you will only find once in a life time. If you like Victoria Holt and romantic suspense and mystery than this book is for you! I will read this book probably 100 times and NEVER get sick of it! Yes, that's how good it is! READ THIS BOOK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

For almost one thousand pages, Michael Holt not only examines the Whig party on a national, state, and local level, but he also presents the entire drama of pre-Civil War America. In fact, it is quite apparent after reading this book that the "causes" of the Civil War, if one even desires so simplistic a pursuit, are far from what conventional history leads us to believe. Yes, sectional differences played a huge role, but the decisions made by individual candidates, poltical conventions, and state leaders also had an effect on future events. As the author points out, the 1840s and 1850s were a far more contentious political era because the parties themselves, rather than states, printed ballots and therefore allowed for a proliferation of diverse parties. Holt also gives us the voices and personalties of the time: Clay, Webster, Harrison, Tyler, Fillmore, Taylor, and Polk. We are given access to intimate letters, diaries, speeches, and backroom conversations. In a nutshell, Holt takes us on a fantastic, yet ultimately sad journey of what is arguably the most decisive moment for our nation; a time in which the irrepressible conflict, still years away, began to have its unshakable hold on the country; when a still young republic, aching under the weight of Executive tyranny, expansionistic fervor, and abolitionism, began its descent into fratricidal madness. However, be warned: due to its length and detail, this book is recommended for avid history buffs only.

There is much, much more to "The Rise and Fall of the American Whig Party" than the sections that cover Millard Fillmore. I only cite him as an example of how this excellent work fills holes that had long existed in historical writings on this era. While there are biographies of Fillmore, no work likely to be of more general interest has dealt adequately with his administration. Even works like "The Ordeal of the Union" have rather little to say about this important, enigmatic figure in antebellum politics. Holt's work completely redresses this lack, as it does for many other figures in the Whig party. In addition, its analysis of the interaction of politics at the national and state levels (and occasionally the local and purely personal levels) should serve as an example for all future work on American political history. The more technical material - mostly focusing on election results - should not be too much of a problem. After the first time or two of wading through these sections of limited interest to the non-specialist, you develop a knack for knowing where to skim and where to pay close attention. I strongly recommend this book to anyone interested in the political events preceding the Civil War.

This is a great reference on Antebellum politics in America in those formative years of sectionalism leading up to the war between the states. It picks up with the start of the Jacksonian era in the mid-1820's when the Federalist Party is no more. It is a rather thorough piece of scholarship, which some criticize for being overtly technical (e.g. election statistics.) Its value as a reference is not to be underestimated for those interested in 19th century American History. However, the bulk of the book is a well-researched reference into Whig Party politics, which itself was beset by sectionalist factions.

I also recommend State's Rights and the Union by Forrest McDonald.

What an extremely well-written book. Ms. Park's expressions were captivating. My visualization of her descriptions were outstanding!

However... I was EXTREMELY troubled by the last, let's say, 25 pages... I watched as Emily suffered through one bad relationship after another, then she finally found "The One" and you hear nothing else about her... Fast Forward to 18 years later... What??

THEN... the end of the book had nothing to do at all about her struggle as a lesbian.. it became about her best friend. I don't get it...

Sorry, but I could only give this book a three.

This is the best description I've found of the realities of teen same-sex first love, and my recommendations don't come lightly (I've read 100+ books/year for the last 12 years). The story is complete with family overreaction, trying to "cure" oneself by sex with men, covering up by making fun of "dykes", psychiatric old-wives' tales re. lesbianism, wondering if one is gay/sick/queer, girlfriends' denials and homophobia, finally trying to "cure" oneself by sex with women, and all the rest of the tangled mess of finding and defining oneself according to one's understanding of society's rules.

In many ways, I could identify with the heroine. She writes and quotes poetry; to impress girls she "acts intense"; when she's in love with her best friend she feels "finger-tip alive".

Somewhere during the final chapter, I experienced something entirely new to me: sobbing over a book.

_A_Stone_Gone_Mad_ contains some remarkable, beautiful writing, and the infrequent love scenes are so true-to-life that you just might get all flushed...and wish that the love of your life would hurry home.

Well this has to be one of my favorite books ever. Some may say it was dissapointing at the end but I don't think those are the right words. Yes it would have been nice to know what became of Emily and her lover but the book did end nicely. Emily's best friend was an important part of the book and in my opinion the ending was appropriate.

This book was quite realistic compared to some books I've read about youth coming to terms with their homosexuality. It wasn't sugarcoated. Emily took a lot of heat for being a lesbian, and was very confused throughout the book. Her family did not accept her and every thing WASN'T okay. Emily went through A LOT. I shared her emotions while reading, Emily goes through so many ups & downs in this book and it all seems so real. I wish Emily was a real person so I could meet her.

The only thing that kinda threw me off was how fast the time set passed in this book. Years were skipped a lot & the second half of Emily's life seemed to speed right on by. But overall I have to give it the 5 stars it deserves.