This book is the best. I enjoyed it from cover to cover. This book is very deep, stimulating and touching. See for yourself. It is second to none. The artwork is so strong and breathtaking. You will love this one. Me and all of my sorors discussed this book. We were left with so much to talk about. Nanci, thank you for opening our eyes and making us think about African American life. We heard the bugle call loud and clear. We love your material. Give us more.

After reading many of the poems in Open Our Eyes, I felt a surge of pride that brought forth the beauty of my grandmother, the Baptist hymnals, the storytelling of my uncles and aunts, and the enlistment of our teachers in our "second rate schools"...In other words, it is telling my story with syrupy truth dripping from each word, phrase and unspoken nuance. The poems speak to the beauty of a people that have allowed them to survive, create and prosper against innumerable odds. they will create artists; they will graduate scholars, and they will add to the general welfare of humankind, all because of the sing-song poetry contained in volumes like Open Our Eyes. Much thanks Ms. Nanci Clayton Thomas, Much Thanks!!!

I really enjoyed the poetry of Open Our Eyes. Everything in this book has crossed my mind before or I have discussed it with friends. The author is bold and courageous enough to write about it. This author is a powerful performer. I was able to see her in action in Houston. She is adorable, funny and personable. I felt as if I knew her all of my life. Buy a book for yourself and a friend.

is the only way I can describe how I felt looking at the images in this beautiful book. God bless the men who made the ultimate sacrifice for others. This book is a breathtaking memoir on their heroism. Hopefully we will never forget

I purchased this book for my Firefighter husband. I know that, as a firefighter, he felt particularly helpless when this tragedy struck New York, and our country. I feel a great sense of pride in my husband's choice of occupation, and even more so that he is a Volunteer Firefighter. This book is a very moving tribute all of those (not just firefighters) that gave their lives on September 11th. The images contained are extraordinary, and all of us in the family that paged through it became very emotional when we read it. There are very few words, aside from the text written by the Mayor and Mr. McCourt, but the images leave very little need for them. And even more moving is the list of lost souls on the bottom of each page, which I felt assigned a lot more of a personal touch to this tragedy than just knowing the mere numbers of those lost while doing their jobs that day.

I do in fact feel that 'Brotherhood' is a perfect title, because as anyone affiliated with rescue services can tell you, it is a large family. We ALL felt a great sense of loss that day, I think this book is the very LEAST we can do.

This book was an amazing coffee table book that for some reason I was drawn to. I meandered through bookstores looking for a book that would capture all the emotions I felt on Sept 11. In the end, I was always drawn back to this book but did not purchase it at first because I could not read through it without becoming overwhelmed with emotions. If a picture tells a thousand words then this book will leave you speechless.

I have purchased just three books on Sept 11, 2001 and this, by far is the most moving tribute to the brave men who gave their lives in the hopes of saving others. The names scrolled along the bottom of the pages create a constant reminder of the heros who stared death in the face and forged ahead. The pictures are tasteful and center on the brotherhood that was so mortally wounded on that fateful day, rather than on the actual photo's of the event. The only thing I would have liked to have seen was descriptions of where the pictured firehouses are located. All in all, one of the finest tributes to a so easily forgotten about (until you need them) group of people!

Me being a proud PuertoRican living in New York City, it's difficult living in the city with the everyday problems in the streets. This book relates to every Latino or African American growing up in the streets. The protagonist Piri is growing up in Spanish Harlem with his family. growing up in the His brother goes through everything with him. If you are ghetto streets of New York you know what is going on and what you've got to live with every day of your life. Piri Thomas lives his young life going through the mean streets of Spanish Harlem. He is a very creative character with knowledge about his streets and he makes positive decisions about the situations he runs into in his life.
This book is very good for anyone to read and realize their life is not to be taken granted, especially if you're growing up in the ghetto of America. I recommend this book for everyone who hasn't read it yet to experience life in the ghetto and walk through Piri's shoes. This book is good. It is one of the best I have ever read and I was hooked on it once I realized that I could relate to it. I was in the mind zone of Piri and it was like I was feeling the streets at the moment and Piri's pain and his way of living and surviving because I know it's not easy growing up in the ghetto. .

This is one of the first books I read, and it was very moving, touching and powerful for me. Being Boricua (Puerto Rican), born and raised in NYC's El Barrio, myself, and coming up on the same streets Piri lived on and wrote about made this book that much more special and personal for me. I was virtually able to re-live Piri's life through his book and eyes, albiet 50+ years later.

Piri's writing style is icy clear, lucid, and sometimes pretty raw. He writes so artfully that the entire book becomes like an epic saga, one powerful movie in your mind! It's a story of unvarnished reality. Piri pulls no punches. (I'm imagining you should probably be 15+ or so to read this.) You'll laugh, cry, get angry and go on a roller coaster of emotions with DTMS. I was so moved and touched by Piri's work, that I read all of his other books, and developed a new outlook and perspective on everything from writing, to self identity, and dignity (one of Piri's faves).

Buy Down These Mean Streets, in English or Spanish (Por Estas Calles Bravas), and pass it on. (I GUARANTEE you'll love it!) Piri is one of our first...and one of our best! The man's been p'al carajo and back, and tells it all in his unique Boricua style (often imitated, never duplicated).

I developed a lot of affection and love for Brother Piri, and was even fortunate enough to meet the Living Legend and have him over our home for an unforgettable dinner as our guest, where my entire familia, friends and neighbors (who I all got to read his books) all had the pleasure of meeting the larger than life Piri!

Much love, and respect to Brother Piri and and all of you, mi gente! (...)

"Down These Mean Streets," by Piri Thomas, tells a story of growing up as a dark-skinned Puerto Rican in New York City. First published in 1967, the book has been re-issued in a 30th anniversary edition with an afterword by the author.

The book opens in 1941, with 12-year old Piri living in New York with his family. The narrative recounts his growth into manhood; we accompany Piri as he gets into fights, uses illegal drugs, becomes a violent criminal, spends time in prison, and experiences conflict within his own family.

This is a raw, powerful book. Thomas has a vigorous, muscular prose style that incorporates many Spanish terms (readers may find the glossary at the end of the book useful). The book raises many questions about racial and ethnic identity as Piri has relationships with many different people of various colors and cultures. Thomas also explores the interconnections of race and religion, and vividly portrays the subculture of prison life.

This is an essential book for anyone interested in the Puerto Rican experience on the U.S. mainland. The book has a lot in common with "The Autobiography of Malcolm X." Also recommended as a companion text: Miguel Pinero's play "Short Eyes."

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.

In one word, AMAZED. Being a college student and working full time it is hard for me to take personal time to sit down and read a book. A Distant Crossing was a fast and grabbing read in which kept me wanting more. This book came to me as a strong recomendation from close friends, and I can't thank them enough. Thomas Parks just wrote the most amazing book, and I hope it isn't the last. He is a gifted writer that is going to be BIG soon. You ready for the competition Tom Clancy?

Thanks Mr. Parks

Before reading "A Distant Crossing", I was apprehensive about the subject matter. It seemed likely more appealing to men than to women. Having been glued to its pages from beginning to end, I can now say that anyone who reads this book will gain hours of enjoyment. It tells a story of how a decent, caring individual can find themselves in the most tragic of circumstances. The reader will experience the full gamut of emotions - from joy to sorrow and desparation - from serenity to chaos - from beauty to repulsiveness. "A Distant Crossing" causes the reader to ponder the lifestyles and values that we all take for granted. I highly recommend it.

If you enjoy reading an action packed book that grabs your interest right from the very beginning and holds it thru to the very end, then I would highly recommend A Distant Crossing. Once I started to read this book I found it very hard to put down. It had the good guys to root for, the villains to dislike, and almost non-stop action.

I hate to be party pooper...

I know that Danielle Steel is a fabulous author, and that her books are loved worldwide, and I do think she's an incredible person....

BUT

I just picked up this book, I am still in the middle of it, and I thought I would give my opinion already...

I think its an amazing story, great characters, and very emotional...

but something about the writing is not very intriguing or "different"...

Most of the sentences seem repetitive, like "he never loved her so much..."..."she never looked more beautiful"...."Jane loved him very much and he loved her too"...(I feel like these sentences are in each chapter). A lot of the writing is just predictable and boring; it almost seems like it was written for an elementary school reader...At times I have found myself re-reading sentences and saying "is she kidding ? "..

OK, here's one example

"Her mother looked wide-eyed and alert and beautiful, just like she had before, only thinner, and they were moving to Stinson Beach the next day"

...can someone please tell me how that sentence makes any sense ? ..

I found many of these, as a matter of fact they distracted me from reading all along my subway ride...I wish I had a highliter for each one I found...and for each "She loved him very much" or "She was never happier in her life"...

Another thing I'm not crazy about is how DS always uses the phrase, ".....and he told him just as much"....If you have read this book you might remember...

Another thing...

After Liz and Bernie were married they were trying SO HARD to have a baby. They wished for it when they tossed coins into the Fontana di Trevi on Via Veneto...then a month or 2 later, Liz begins to feel nauseous and exhausted, misses her period (and doesn't realize it), never remembers feeling that horrible....and doesn't think that maybe she's pregnant ! ...it's just too unrealistic at times...

Sure it's fiction, it's a novel, but it's easy to get absorbed into a good book..

This one is too surreal, and it's disappointing in a way...

Redundancy...

In each chapter, someone is going to or coming from an airport...A few times I thought I was re-reading a past chapter...Either Bernie is flying on a business trip, or his parents are coming to see him...

More repetitiveness...

Each time Grandma Ruth comes, she has bought tons and mountains and lots and lots and lots of toys for the kids from "Schwarz...and each time Bernie sees his mother he has a new bag for her or she is wearing a suit or hat that he bought her years before...

There is way too much mention of the department store Wolff's...That store seems to be the saving grace of everything...

Need food ? Wolff's has a gourmet department...

Need a lawyer ? Wolff's has that too !

Whatever Bernie or his family needed was provided by Wolff's. Seems like these 4 people are living in a glass bubble called Wolff's...

It is also annoying to have to hear about every piece of clothing worn by Grandma Ruth, Liz and every other woman in the book, where the oufit was made, what material it was, and how it looked on them....A run-on sentence just to describe an outfit...( I love clothing and shopping but this is a novel, not WOMENS WEAR DAILY)...

Also, I was told in English class in high school NEVER to start a sentence with the word AND, and sure enough DS seems to do that VERY VERY often...

I plan to finish this book, since it's a gripping story, but I am very bored with the writing style.......I will not give up on DS however, I do plan on reading more of her books, (not consecutively - i need a change of writing style)hopefully I don't come across these same bad habits......

I would love to hear if anyone agrees or disagrees with me...send me an email......no offense to anyone, just my honest-to-goodness opinion !

I never thought it was possible to like the story line of a book, but not like how it was written...

I guess it's kind of like what they say about jokes "it's all in the delivery"......

Fine Things is a wonderful story. I read the book in less than 3 days. I couldn't put it down. I fell in love with Bernie Fine and his wonderful character. Once you pick this book up, you will not be able to put it down. This story demonstrated the courage to continue. It was such a vivid story. I rented the movie to compare the book and the movie and the people in the book were just like the people in the movie. This has got to be one of the most wonderful books I've ever read........ and I've read many. Kudos to Ms. Steel for such wonderful work.

Valerie Boone-Ogunleye

I love all of Danielle Steel's books and this is my all time favorite! I seen the movie also and I cried during both! Bernie Fine is positively a womans dream caring for his dying wife and then fighting to keep her daugther with him after she passes away. Truly heartwarming. A must read book and also a must see movie!!

We bought this book a year ago, and my son still enjoys listening to the stories. He has heard each at least three times, some of them many more times besides. As his mother, who has read through the book with him twice myself, *I* love the stories, too! They teach good lessons and are very entertaining at the same time.

It actually is not true that all Thomas stories are in this book. All the original stories by the original author are, but more stories have been made up by less skilled story writers, in my opinion. The BEST Thomas stories are the ones in this book.

The shorter story books have been Americanized, and I think that makes them lose some of their appeal. For instance, the Fat Controller in this book has been renamed in the shorter books and videos to his proper name, "Sir Topham Hatt." Political correctness meets Thomas the Tank Engine. In my opinion, they were better unchanged, and that is what you have in this book.

If you have a toddler, I highly recommend this book. One word of warning, though. Then come the Thomas train sets, and the videos . . . you will never be through with Thomas once you start!

We received this as a gift for my then 2.5 year old. I thought it might be too old for him, but he has loved hearing us read from it. The stories are short enough to hold his attention and almost always have a "lesson" to learn in them. Although sometimes the lessons seem somewhat "harsh" or mean, but then it is written in a very old-fashioned, British tone. This big book is a favorite with our family at bedtime, and my 15-month old son is even reaching for the thick book and begging to look at the train pictures. It's a great way for the kids to learn the different characters in the Thomas series.

My son has been a Thomas the Tank Engine fan since 1992, when he received his first die-cast engine of Thomas for his 2nd birthday. From there we've gone on to collect nearly all Thomas paraphernalia to be had in our region. Speaking from experience, almost all Thomas licensed products are good--but this book outshines all of it! We stumbled upon this book one day, and knew immediately that this was one we had to have, for several reasons: First, all the stories are here. You just cannot find some stories in other editions, and the price of this book makes it much more economical than buying 25 story books. Secondly, the information on the author was great. Lastly, the book is one that a child can grow into: Looking at pictures as a toddler, listening to stories as a preschooler, and as my 7 year old can attest, this book is perfect for "cutting his teeth" with reading skills. He will spend hours reading a story to himself from this book. He finds it difficult but the challenge is well worth it in his opinion. Only one warning: you will have to set guidelines for how long you're willing to read at a sitting. I've never had a child lose interest in the middle of one of these stories!

The final book in the Thomas Covenant trilogy does not dissapoint! This book is full of so much action, emotion, and intrigue to keep any reader hooked. The book starts when the Unbeliever is again summoned to the land, this time by a rather unlikely source. Covenant's mission this time in the Land is simple, destroy Lord Foul.

But, how will he accomplish such a thing? Lord Foul has rebuilt his army, and it is even bigger than before. And the army has only one purpose, to destroy everything on the Land. Covenant and some old friends (and enemies) must fight to stop Foul before it is too late. Emotions run high in this final book of The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever.

The Thomas covenant series - at least the first one - is a classic of fantasy literature. There are few anti-heroes that are so intense and believable, imbided with emotion and intensity.

Donaldson is a master at dark fiction. Be prepared for a rather unhappy novel, but one that grips you with its haunting beauty and crisp character development.

This is a rare book that left me emotionally exhausted at the end, but satisfied with the amazing scope and breadth.

Read and enjoy!

The Power that Preserves is the stunning conclusion to the finest fantasy series since The Lord of the Rings. Once again Thomas Covenant returns to the land, which has been ravaged in the wake of the Illearth War. He must finally come to terms with the rape of Lena, with his leprosy and with The Land. Ultimately, the book is about how even a leper can fight off despair -- or can he? If he can redeem his own sorry self, he can redeem The Land. After the high of the Illearth War, the best of the series, the Power that Preserves is more subdued and philosophical, but you will not be disappointed...After you savor the end of the series for about a year, give the second series a shot. It's not as good, but still far superior to the schlock pervading fantasy shelves nowadays.

Reporters have been known, now and then, to play fast and loose with the facts to entertain their readers or elevate themselves. This phenomenon is not limited to our own age. For proof, look no further than Lowell Thomas' fanciful volume, With Lawrence in Arabia. In 1917, Thomas was a 25-year-old part-time instructor at Princeton, a "fledgling showman from Ohio who had knocked about North America in search of fame, fortune and adventure," according to historian David Fromkin (A Peace to End All Peace). Thomas then raised enough money to travel to Britain and the Middle East front as a World War I cameraman. With his coverage began the Lawrence of Arabia myth.

Eight copies of Seven Pillars of Wisdom were published by Oxford in 1922 (six still exist). The first limited edition was followed in 1926 with the private publication of 211 copies of the book. In 1935 another limited run was published. But the same year, Seven Pillars was reprinted at least four more times. Now, there have probably been dozens, if not hundreds of printings.

This work assured T. E. Lawrence a place in history as 'Lawrence of Arabia'. It is a military history, colorful epic and lyrical exploration of Lawrence's mind.

Nevertheless, it is largely fiction. Fromkin writes that when poet and scholar Robert Graves proposed to describe the liberation of Damascus in a biography of Lawrence, the subject himself warned Graves, "I was on thin ice when I wrote the Damascus chapter...."

A onetime junior officer in the Cairo Arab Bureau, Lawrence admitted that Seven Pillars of Wisdom included a false tale of Arab bravery to aggrandize the followers of Sharif Hussein of Mecca and his son Feisal. Indeed, as early as 1818, reputable newsmen reported that the Australian Light Horse division liberated Damascus from Ottoman control, not Feisal's Arab troops, who marched in afterwards, for show.

By 1921, Fromkin writes, Winston Churchill was in charge of Britain's Arab policy in Mesopotamia and tapped John Evelyn Shuckburgh to head a new Middle East department and Foreign Office man Hubert Winthrop Young to assist him. They arranged transport and supplies for Feisal's Arab army, earning hearty endorsement from Churchill's Masterson Smith committee, which simultaneously took grave exception to T.E. Lawrence as a proposed Arab affairs adviser. The committee considered Lawrence "not the kind of man fit to easily fit into any official machine."

Fromkin reports that Lawrence was frequently insubordinate, went over his superiors and in 1920 publicly disparaged Britain's Arab policy in the London Sunday Times as being "worse than the Turkish system." He also accused Britain of killing "a yearly average of 100 Arabs to maintain peace." This was of course untrue.

Efraim and Inari Karsh write, in Empires of the Sand, that Lawrence's Damascus victory was "less heroic" than he pretended. Feisal was "engaged in an unabashed exercise in duplicity and none knew this better than Lawrence, who whole heartedly endorsed this illicit adventure and kept most of its contours hidden from his own superiors." Yet Lawrence basked in the limelight Thomas created in London, attending at least five of the showman journalist's lectures.

As an unfortunate result of Lawrence's subterfuge, he had a large hand in shaping the modern Middle East.

Bad enough, we suffer to this day the consequences of Lawrence's fabrications.

Worse, a new generation of readers seems to accept as gospel the Lawrence of Arabia myth that stemmed from Lowell Thomas' hype and Lawrence's own Seven Pillars of Wisdom. While few seem to know it, this was long ago debunked. Those who want to know what really happened should at minimum also consult Fromkin's A Peace to End All Peace and the Karsh's Empires of the Sand. Alyssa A. Lappen

Those who enjoyed David Lean's magnificent "Lawrence of Arabia" and picked this book up wanting to gain a deeper insight into T E Lawrence will be sorely disappointed if they expected to see the film reflected clearly in the book. True, the main incidents in the film are there in the book, albeit in a totally different context: you begin to realise how freely Robert Bolt (and presumably Lean himself) adapted Lawrence's account to make the film hang together more dramatically.

Many of the previous reviewers have commented that the book is a rewarding if demanding read, that it doesn't really "get going" until about 100 pages in, and that the constant shifts of scene and entrances and exits of characters are sometimes difficult to follow. All that is true - a friend of mine advised that Lawrence is easier to read about than to read. But I felt that choppy nature of the narrative was inevitable when one considers the type of warfare Lawrence describes: hit-and-run guerilla action undertaken by (often mutually antagonistic) Bedouin tribes. Just as Lawrence's raiding parties would emerge at unexpected places out of the desert, so the reader must be prepared for the text to jump from location to location, event to event, and must I suppose be prepared for much of the text (particularly the first 100 pages) to be devoted to how Lawrence managed to muster support both from the Arabs and from the British.

Parts of the book will remain with me for a long time - for example - Lawrence's descriptions of how he dug his camel out of the snow, the descriptions of the Bedouins' eating habits, the non-romantic description of life in the desert (defecating camels, infestations of lice and so on). However, what does come over is Lawrence as a tortured soul: he both loves and despises the Bedouin; professes that he knew from the start that the British (and therefore he himself) were merely using the Arabs against the Turks and would not honour their promises at the end of the War; is both proud (particularly of Allenby) and ashamed of the British; and is both spiritually and physically attracted to the Bedouin men, yet embarrassed by this.

It helps to have even a superficial knowledge of the Middle East campaigns in World War One: I felt that the danger of not having that overview is that one would tend to think that Lawrence's campaign was the pivotal factor in those campaigns rather than a contributory one (Allenby's campaigns are referred to only obliquely by Lawrence, even though in the later stages of the book he does emphasise the supportive role he was playing). Fair enough, as Lawrence was not writing a general history of the campaigns, but I feel (as my friend advised) that reading about Lawrence now that I have read him would be interesting.

It's difficult to describe the experience of reading The Seven Pillars. It is by turns beautiful and ugly. It is military history. It is a subjective view provided by a man very much of his time. It is an apology and an excuse for the necessities of war. It is a portrait of a tribe that Lawrence came to respect and even love. It is a travel book about life in the desert at the time of writing. It is inevitably a mix of fact and history and fiction and probably at least a little bit of wishful thinking.

It's a pretty amazing book to read.

A few notes:

Before you read the book, do some quick background reading on the history that's involved. This will help avoid confustion.

Be prepared for a long read! It's not only a long book, it's an extremely dense book. The choppiness and frequent changes in tone make it hard to put on the reading cruise control.

Read it as a product of its time. Lawrence was a fascinating man, but not without his prejudices or faults.