Tom Casey, aka Hawkman, is the kind of private detective you like to read about. He's big and bold and a cowboy type, yet he loves children and animals especially birds. Lapierre has cooked up another intricate plot. A murder, then a few more murders, a bank robbery which was successful only in that the money is not recovered though the thieves have to do the time. Lies and deceit and greed and seduction and a thrilling conclusion. It's a thrilling read.

The message on his answering machine was foreboding: "Mr. Casey, my name's Nancy Gilbert. I need your help. My sister's been murdered."

Hawkman listened with interest while hanging up his suit coat and pouring himself a cup of coffee. He snapped up his eye-patch and rubbed his eyes with his fingers. The injury he'd received while working for the Agency was still sensitive to light. He flipped the patch back into place, turned on the desk light and punched the replay button, this

time jotting down the information. Rolling his shoulders, he dialed the woman's number, then leaned back in his chair.

Fond of cowboy hats, falconry and fresh donuts, Private Investigator Tom Casey, aka Hawkman, takes on another case from his office in a small town in southern Oregon. Traveling between Los Angeles and Medford, he investigates first one murder, that of his client's sister, and discovers a possible blackmail scheme and a link to an old bank robbery. Then up pops another homicide that feels like it's tied to Nancy Gilbert's sister too. Two more suspicious deaths occur and Hawkman has more than he bargained for. Cooperating with the LAPD detective on the case, they unearth evidence of adultery, including some vividly detailed videotapes, the victim's graphically-written diary and the family Bible, all containing important clues. As Hawkman works with his wife Jennifer, he tirelessly dogs the suspects, nails the culprit and rescues the lady in distress.

Betty Sullivan LaPierre has written this tale with a classic hero, several surprising plot twists and rich characters you really want to invite to the table at your daily latte breaks. Double Trouble is a literary roller-coaster ride, fast paced and very readable. When you reach the last page, you're sorry it ended so soon. Mystery lovers will feast on this book.

Second in the series, Double Trouble instantly makes you hungry for the third. We're eagerly waiting, Ms. LaPierre.

By TT reviewer Jaycee [full review on our website]

It was supposed to be a simple case. A simple body guard case that somehow went terribly wrong.

When Nancy Gilbert's sister, Tanya Stowell is murdered, the person she turns to for help is former Company agent Tom Casey. Afraid for herself and her family, Nancy hires Tom to protect her from her ex-husband who's just gotten out of prison. Believing Drew Harland, the ex, killed her sister, she panics when he suddenly turns up in town.

What Nancy, Tom, and his associates don't realize is that someone else is in the background with murder on the mind. When some of the main players, including the main suspect, start turning up dead themselves, Tom realizes that they could all be victims if this silent killer isn't caught, and soon! The question is are they too close to the forest to see the trees?
~~~
This is the stand-alone sequel to Ms LaPierre's THE ENEMY STALKS, and is every bit as good and then some. It takes place several years after TES and it was great to have a little update on how everyone is doing now.

DOUBLE TROUBLE is the perfect title for this story. It's exactly what Tom Casey, his wife Jennifer, and his associates have on their hands. For a while it's kind of hard to tell the warden from the inmates so-to-speak because at one time or another everyone seems to be a suspect to Tom.

Ms LaPierre does a terrific job of slowly revealing what she wants you to know. The plot is tightly woven, and the characters realistic enough to keep me turning pages as fast as I could read. I was as much in the dark as the characters about who was doing all the killing until the author finally gave enough clues for me to 'get it'.

If you're into suspenseful stories without a lot of graphic blood and guts you'll really enjoy this one from Ms LaPierre. I can highly recommend it

As with Gideon's Trumpet, Anthony Lewis (long time New York times columnist who went to Harvard Law so that he could better report on the Supreme Court) manages to explain a complex legal decision, set the decision against its historical background, explain the legal history of the Court's reasoning, and give cogent examples of how the case has been applied--all in a very readable book.

In the early 60's, the struggle for racial justice in the south had reached the boiling point. Bull Connor was using his dogs and hoses against non-violent blacks marching in the streets, and Alabama expelled several university students for sitting in at a restaurant. Martin Luther King had been arrested for tax fraud by the State of Alabama--claiming that SCLC funds had been diverted for his personal use (all charges were eventually dropped). The media was covering these events nationally (and increasingly internationally).

To raise some money, some southern ministers placed an ad in the New York Times, describing some of these events, and asking for money to defend Dr. King against the false charges.

A member of the Birmingham City Council, in a well orchestrated attempt to shut down northern media coverage, sued the New York Times for lible, and won a $500,000 verdict in state court.

These events set the stage for the now famous decision by the United States Supreme Court in New York Times v. Sullivan.

While the decision was unanimous (at least in the result), Lewis digs deeper, and describes the process by which the judges meshed often incompatible views into a coherent rule of law, which continues to be applied today (although, not always as the Court intended).

The intended and unintended consequences which flowed from Sullivan form the third strand of Lewis' book, and are in themselves instructive, but probably not as interesting (they are often both obscure and dated) as those parts of the book (most of it) which focus on the history.

Highly recommended for anyone interested in today's media, the history of the contitution, how the Supreme Court works, or the history of the Civil Rights movement.

In "Make No Law" Lewis brilliantly chronicles the evolution of freedom of speech as American courts strive to interpret the broad language of the First Amendment to the U. S. Constitution. The courts' interpretation of the First Amendment within Founding Father James Madison's broad protection by "absolute immunity" for criticism is contrasted with the British premise that truth is NOT a defense for libel and if an individual is defamed they do NOT have to demonstrate damages to be awarded huge amounts of money. Lewis engagingly recounts the courts' struggle to ensure that plaintiffs with frivolous loss of reputation claims do not intimidate the whistleblower and the news reporter into the silence of self-censorship through vivid examples of individuals ordered to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars for a simple "letter to the editor" and the incredible saga of the landmark Supreme Court case, New York Times Co. v. Sullivan, which could have bankrupt the New York Times into oblivion in 1964. The courts must be ever wary that the threat of multi-million dollar judgments do not become mightier than the pen. After reading "Make No Law," the fight for Internet free speech detailed in another monograph, "Be Careful Who You SLAPP," will come into sharp focus as the tragic miscarriage of justice in modern times. Yet, hope remains for the American legal system. Read "Make No Law" and be a proud optimist. And never stop striving for "liberty and justice for all"!

This book was one reason why I took up the study of law at 50. Anthony Lewis begins with a Supreme Court case and ends up reviewing this country's long experience of free speech. The premise is simple enough: Sullivan v. New York Times, which started as a 1960 civil rights case, involving a defamation lawsuit in Alabama, and ending up as a pivotal Supreme Court ruling on freedom of speech and of the press. The legal importance of the case alone justifies Mr. Lewis' interest.

However, Mr. Lewis' real contribution, at least to me, are in the background chapters to the case, in which he goes back to the Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798 and tells of the ongoing tension between free speech and official power. His discussion of the WWI wartime legislation and its aftermath -- a period very much like the post-9/11 era in its attempts to legislate security -- is central to the book.

It is here that he acquaints us with the dissents by Justices Louis Brandeis and Oliver Wendell Holmes, dissents in freedom-of-speech cases that didn't prevail in that time but burn brightly ever since. One Brandeis quote suffices: "Those who won our independence by revolution were neot cowards. They did not fear political change. They did not exalt order at the cost of liberty. To courageous, self-reliant men ... no danger flowing from speech can be deemed clear and present."

Mr. Lewis rightly regards these jurists with awe. Certainly their words are as noble as anything the Founding Fathers wrote on the nature of our liberties. If patriotism means an appreciation of the depth, timelessness and principle of our liberties, then you'll find much of that here.

I have read Anthony Lewis' earlier, arguably more famous book, Gideon's Trumpet, another work of reverence to our legal system, and would still put Make No Law ahead of it, though I also recommend Gideon's Trumpet as well. But this book did reinforce my own appreciation for this country's liberties and I cannot recommend it more highly.

I really never thought of health care as a business and this book opened my eyes to how corporate America works. Given what's been going on with large corporations and the demise of health care, I think the timing was really right for this novel.

I am a big fan of both Robin Cook (especially COMA) and John Grisham (mainly The Firm) and I think that John Sullivan combines both of their writing styles - he includes both medical thriller along with business thriller. I couldn't put this book down !

Anyone that needs another book to read at the beach should read this one ! This book would be a terrific movie and I hope to see it some day !

This book was a fast paced thriller that I just couldn't put down ! John Sullivan's writing reminded me of Robin Cook - especially "Coma."

The book makes you wonder what goes on behind the walls of Corporate America.

I can't wait to read his next book and hope to see it in bookstores soon !

In a world of mushrooming computer Buzz words, Sullivan's attempt to give lucid fundamental picture and use of EDI, XML in E-commerce is quite useful for a beginner who wants to make a career in this field.

I found this book to be very helpful as an introduction to the often times, confusing subject of EDI. Mr. Sullivan has done a good job of simplifying EDI and helping the executive who is trying to determine whether EDI is worth implementing and the requirements of doing so. I recommend this book as an excellent starting point into the world of electronic commerce.

EDI is a difficult subject to write about. Mr Sullivan has taken a much miss-understood technology and presented its uses, strenghts, weaknesses, and future trends in a very enjoyable style. I highly recommend this book to anyone wishing to gain an understanding of EDI and the various ways to deploy the technology.

Can a boy really turn into a girl if he accidentally kisses his elbow? Does wanting to learn to play jacks and wear sparkly clothes make him a girl? Nine-year-old Marvin has a lot of worries. In a disappointing ending that reinforces sex-role stereotypes,he manages to kiss his elbow again and returns to his macho self, although he does befriend a girl in his class.

I liked Marvin Redpost because it was funny . The reason it is funny to me because he kept trying to kiss his elbow. He almost got caught kissing his elbow. He started to act like a girl . He was wondering why girls giggle when they come out of the bathroom. He liked the way girls did thiings with their hair. He started to bite his finger like a girl in his classroom. He said that girls are lucky because they can wear anything they want like shorts, skirts and dresses and get to get boys in trouble more than boys get girls in trouble. My favorite part was when he tried to kiss his elbow and got tangled up in his sheets.

I'm Ceci. I gave this book four stars because it was very funny,mysterious, and it made me keep on reading. I didn't give this book five stars because the ending doesn't really answer some questions in the book. Some parts of it made me laugh until milk came out of my nose. Kids: DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME!!...Altho you SHOULD probably buy it.

"Habits of the Heart" is the authors' attempt to conduct a sociological study of "middle-class" American ideals and values. The book was somewhat revolutionary when first published (the early 1980s), primarily for exposing the pervasive individualism (and resulting alienation and isolation) in modern American life. The authors show how the classic myth of the rugged American individualist has been compounded by the modern pscyhotherapeutic culture, and simultaneously stripped of the more communitarian aspects of civic republicanism and biblical religion that provided an historical counter-balance. The result is the now-common (but poorly understood) view that one is totally autonomous, entering and conducting all social relations on the basis of pure self-interest - a view that is doing a great deal of damage to families and to the American social fabric as a whole.

The book, however, has a number of flaws. For a study based upon interviews with hundreds of individuals, the authors fail to support their assertions with either statistical data or detailed case studies (except for the first chapter, which is the most interesting part of the book). Instead, the text is a steady stream of broad generalizations, occasionally sprinkled with carefully-selected examples, and the authors' historical analysis. And, unfortunately, their analysis clearly reflects their positions in establishment-liberal academia. They reject (especially in the new Introduction) the logical suggestion that the rejection of traditional religion and morality is largely to blame for rampant individualism and social break-down. Instead, embracing an economic determinism worthy of Marx himself, they suggest that free-market capitalism and the decline of labor unions are to blame. Similarly, they call for greater communitarianism, and note that modern "therapeutic" worldviews provide no sound basis for such communitarianism. However, the authors are unwilling to embrace a sound basis for it, either, repeatedly pointing to the civic-minded and caring values of "biblical religion" (a.k.a. Christianity), but then declaring that a return to traditional religion is no longer a viable option. In short, the authors of this important work betray the same relativism and postmodernism that is behind the very individualism they decry.

HABITS OF THE HEART is a tour de force whose insights into America are as relevant today as they were nearly twenty years ago when the book was published. It was hailed at that time as an instant classic of sociology, and compared to such influential works as MIDDLETOWN and THE LONELY CROWD. If anything, its insights are even more pertinent now. It endures because it wrestles with America's eternal contradictions. Given the persistence of these contradictions and their cynical exploitation by those in power over the past two decades, it remains as fresh and compelling as the day it was published.

The subtitle "Individualism and Commitment in American Life" is the main trope guiding the book, a bipolar perspective that neatly describes the American inability to reconcile the "utilitarian individualism" of Hobbes' "war of all against all" as exemplified in the liberal economic philosophy that grew up with America, with the "expressive individualism" of Whitman and Emerson which developed as a reaction to (in Henry James'' words), the "grope of wealth." The final chapter which elucidates "Six American Visions of the Public Good" describing them as three pairs of conflicting visions: "The Establishment versus Populism," "Neocapitalism versus Welfare Liberalism" and "The Administered Society versus Economic Democracy." But because they are dualistic does not mean they are exclusive categories. As Bellah and his fellow authors describe it, these competing visions often hold as many similarities as differences.

Specifically, from the latter 19th century until the depression both The Establishment and Populists recognized there was and needed to be a moral component in American public life. The Establishment side was represented Andrew Carnegie's "Gospel of Wealth," while on the Populist side were economic socialists such as Eugene Debs. The mores of the that time, de Toqueville's "habits of the heart," were still moralistic, still partaking of the ideal of the legacy of Jefferson's freeholding citizen even capitalism shook America off its foundations.

Of the next pair, Neocapitalism (which rose to its greatest heights in the form of Ronald Reagan) and Welfare Liberalism (exemplified by FDR), while they have different means look to the same ends according the authors. The first seeks to empower citizens through the "war of all against all" and keep the country competitive by unraveling the safety net. Slackers and failures must not be encouraged to take advantage of the winners because it is morally debilitating for society as a whole. Welfare Liberalism on the other hand believes that the net should be stronger because it has less confidence in the Market God believes in better chances and social justice, but still views Americans as individuals who must be encouraged in the Hobbesian war.

Of the last two visions, Felix Rohatyn, is the poster boy for the Administered Society -- a continuation of the Progressive ideal of scientific "mastery" a la Lippman, while Michael Harrington represents Economic Democracy. As compared to Rohaytn, who endorses a "partnership" of elites who work to adjust and balance the multiplicitous machine of political, economic and social interests, Harrington would spread out the decision making to at least nominally include the people. Harrington admits this would require a massive reorientation of consciousness -- an unlikely event in the view of the authors. But ultimately the authors say both sides endorse a similar kind of governance by expert, without moral content. The authors saw this last pair dimly stirring when they wrote this book in the mid-80s. Their prediction is perhaps half true as we have also witnessed the covert reassertion of NeoCapitalism in the last three administrations, if especially the current administration.

Along the way they also trace the politically neutralizing penetration of the individualistic "therapeutic mode" into religious life, the loss of "communities of memory" based on shared values, along with the "second language" of religious and republican virtue. All have which have acted to depoliticize American culture. Where once there was a language of sin and redemption, there is now only the therapeutic language of the self, a radical self which is encouraged by the therapeutic mode to consider one's self and one's happiness as paramount and thus mirrors and supports the ideology of the free market. We richly deserve the oxymoronic label of "private citizen."

This dualistic strategy is supplemented by the touchstone use of Alexis de Toqueville's political and sociological insights to show how the seeds of much of American life today were sown early on. A fairly effective narrative trope, it serves their often stated goal of showing that it is through our shared history, our communities of memory, that we may see how others confronted the shifting landscapes of political economy, that we may today find a way to stop or at least hold at bay, in the words of Habermas, the "invasion of the lifeworld by systems logic." They maintain that such a course cannot be found through nostalgia for older institutions that once stood athwart the Mega-State. Many of those institutions, such as traditional churches, were paternalistic and discriminatory. Still social movements such as abolitionism grew out of them and were sustained by them. To recognize how the message of freedom forged by the founding generation has been reforged into a double-edged sword to enforce radical individualism, and destroy religious and republican morality and virtue. Government by a managerial elite, a kind of "democratic despotism" which de Toqueville saw as a potential of individualistic American mores has arrived.

As an example of the earlier language of America, they cite as an example Martin Luther King deployment of the language of the Bible and republican virtue in his "I Have A Dream" speech. His ringing biblical cadences, his use of "My Country 'Tis of Thee," and the words of the old Negro spiritual: "free at last, free at last, thank God Almighty I'm free at last," evoked our foundational civic and religious language. Bellah, like King, helps us remember and recapture the earlier language of America.

HABITS OF THE HEART is a tour de force whose insights into America are as relevant today as they were nearly twenty years ago when the book was published. It was hailed at that time as an instant classic of sociology, and compared to such influential works as MIDDLETOWN and THE LONELY CROWD. If anything, its insights are even more pertinent now.

The subtitle "Individualism and Commitment in American Life" is the main trope guiding the book, a bipolar perspective that neatly describes the American inability to reconcile the "utilitarian individualism" of Hobbes' "war of all against all" as exemplified in the liberal economic philosophy that grew up with America, with the "expressive individualism" of Whitman and Emerson which developed as a reaction to (in Henry James'' words), the "grope of wealth." The final chapter which elucidates "Six American Visions of the Public Good" describing them as three pairs of conflicting visions: "The Establishment versus Populism," "Neocapitalism versus Welfare Liberalism" and "The Administered Society versus Economic Democracy" is the best example of this dualist view of America, but as Bellah and his fellow authors describe it, these competing visions often hold as many similarities as differences.

Specifically, from the latter 19th century until the depression both The Establishment and Populists recognized there was and needed to be a moral component in American public life. The Establishment side was represented Andrew Carnegie's "Gospel of Wealth," while on the Populist side were economic socialists such as Eugene Debs. The mores of the that time, de Toqueville's "habits of the heart," were still moralistic, still partaking of the ideal of the legacy of Jefferson's freeholding citizen even capitalism shook America off its foundations.

Of the next pair, Neocapitalism (which rose to its greatest heights in the form of Ronald Reagan) and Welfare Liberalism (exemplified by FDR), while they have different means look to the same ends according the authors. The first seeks to empower citizens through the "war of all against all" and keep the country competitive by unraveling the safety net. Slackers and failures must not be encouraged to take advantage of the winners because it is morally debilitating for society as a whole. Welfare Liberalism on the other hand believes that the net should be stronger because it has less confidence in the Market God believes in better chances and social justice, but still views Americans as individuals who must be encouraged in the Hobbesian war.

Of the last two visions, Felix Rohatyn, is the poster boy for the Administered Society -- a continuation of the Progressive ideal of scientific "mastery" a la Lippman, while Michael Harrington represents Economic Democracy. As compared to Rohaytn, who endorses a "partnership" of elites who work to adjust and balance the multiplicitous machine of political, economic and social interests, Harrington would spread out the decision making to at least nominally include the people. Harrington admits this would require a massive reorientation of consciousness -- an unlikely event in the view of the authors. But ultimately the authors say both sides endorse a similar kind of governance by expert, without moral content. The authors saw this last pair dimly stirring when they wrote this book in the mid-80s. Their prediction is perhaps half true as we have also witnessed the covert reassertion of NeoCapitalism in the last three administrations, if especially the current administration.

This dualistic strategy is supplemented by the touchstone use of Alexis de Toqueville's political and sociological insights to show how the seeds of much of American life today were sown early on. A fairly effective narrative trope, it serves their often stated goal of showing that it is through our shared history, our communities of memory, that we may see how others confronted the shifting landscapes of political economy, that we may today find a way to stop or at least hold at bay, in the words of Habermas, the "invasion of the lifeworld by systems logic." They maintain that such a course cannot be found through nostalgia for older institutions that once stood athwart the Mega-State. Many of those institutions, such as traditional churches, were paternalistic and discriminatory. Still social movements such as abolitionism grew out of them and were sustained by them. To recognize how the message of freedom forged by the founding generation has been reforged into a double-edged sword to enforce radical individualism, and destroy religious and republican morality and virtue. Government by a managerial elite, a kind of "democratic despotism" which de Toqueville saw as a potential of individualistic American mores has arrived.

As an example of the earlier language of America, they cite as an example Martin Luther King deployment of the language of the Bible and republican virtue in his "I Have A Dream" speech. His ringing biblical cadences, his use of "My Country 'Tis of Thee," and the words of the old Negro spiritual: "free at last, free at last, thank God Almighty I'm free at last," evoked our foundational civic and religious language. Bellah, like King, helps us remember and recapture the earlier language of America.

Along the way they also trace the politically neutralizing penetration of the individualistic "therapeutic mode" into religious life, the loss of "communities of memory" based on shared values, along with the "second language" of religious and republican virtue. All have which have acted to depoliticize American culture. Where once there was a language of sin and redemption, there is now only the therapeutic language of the self, a radical self which is encouraged by the therapeutic mode to consider one's self and one's happiness as paramount and thus mirrors and supports the ideology of the free market. We richly deserve the oxymoronic label of "private citizen."

To begin, I loved THE PURIFICATION CEREMONY. The taut suspense, muscular, adrenalized prose and delicious blend of action/mysticism were a wonderful surprise, and on finishing it I immediately hunted down a used copy of GHOST DANCE. Yikes. To paraphrase the previous reviewer, I can't believe this is the work of the same author. Sullivan once again walks into action/mysticism territory, only to immediately fall flat on his face, break his nose and then proceed to stumble blindly for several hundred pages.

I can't recall the last book I read where the writing was this awkward and forced. Everything from the name of the heroine (full name: Andromeda Nightengale... yeah, that just flows off the tongue) on forward seems the product of a writer trying desperately to replicate a successful formula without the benefit of real inspiration or, for that matter, an interesting story to tell. "Hmmm... what should I do next. I know: CIA assassins! No, no, wait -- I'll have my protagonists stumble into a cave and find some valuable piece of evidence... again. Or I could just give them another feverish, mystical vision. Nobody's tried that before!"

Why did I actually finish this book? I had 4 hours to kill on a plane, and it was either this or try to lipread "Gosford Park." I'm not sure I made the right decision. THE PURIFICATION CEREMONY was good enough to make me curious about Mr. Sullivan's future efforts, but GHOST DANCE is about as painful a mis-step as you'll ever encounter in print.

This was an excellent book - I read it from cover to cover without putting it down!

Let me start out by saying that this is the only book I've read by this author. I loved the book. I thought it was interesting, creative, and well-written. It was a page turner for me. I highly recommend it!

This is an interesting book, and Sullivan does his best to present pro-hunt and anti-hunt views objectively (though I agree his sympathies lie with the Makah, as mine did).

However, the book needed a stronger editor:

1. The book is a bit rambling, as if it were written largely verbatim from notes or a journal, and he couldn't bear not to use any of them; we just don't need to know the minutia like the fact that Sullivan put his daughter's car seat in the trunk in order to give two people a ride (his daughter, his car, the car seat, etc., play *no part* in the story's narrative - this is just filler).

2. In addition to the errors mentioned in Capt. Watson's review, there are numerous others (e.g., Navajos live largely in Arizona, not New Mexico). Someone trained as a journalist knows how to research facts and thus should be more careful with them; these errors make the reader doubt the veracity of Sullivan's account.

3. A few of the Moby Dick/Melville footnotes are interesting, but mostly they are annoying. As with distracting minutia, Sullivan seems to feel that he spent all that time reading Moby Dick and then Melville biographies, so he'd better put them in the book. He reaches so far to include Melville tidbits that it becomes quite comical: Sullivan mentions one of the crew is going bowling - BAM, footnote, Melville once worked at a bowling alley!!!; Sullivan went on an outing on April Fool's Day - BAM, footnote, Melville wondered if life was a joke!!! Sullivan feels these are cosmic coincidences joining the Makah whalers and the famous novelist of whaling. Unfortunately he undercuts this side story by seeing coincidences in things as common as breathing.

All that said, it's still not a bad book. It's just frustrating, because with some deft editing and reorganizing the book could have been outstanding.

I read this book completely ignoring the footnotes that continually compares the parallels to the book Mobey Dick. I was literally in the middle of some of the events leading up to and following the whale hunt, and to see someone capture it and write about it so visually was terrific. There are a few minor errors [Paul Parker was not a part of the crew, and Kleckoh means "Thankyou"], but overall Robert Sullivan conveys a people geographically isolated, rising above the family and tribal bickerings, protesters, personal battles and ocean to bring us a whale we waited more than 75 years for. Even knowing how the book ended I couldn't put it down until it was finished!

This is an inspiring, funny, interesting, quirky, and quietly heroic story, very well told. Even without the climactic, unifying event, it would be a fascinating study of a community and its people.

I think the reviewer Doc Rosen, below, is wrong when he says that Sullivan accepted the "lies" of Paul Watson, the anti-whale-hunt captain of the Sea Shepherd. It seemed to me that Sullivan's portrayal of Watson as a bombastic fraud was quite effective, although never explicit, and that he merely passed along, skeptically, what Watson told him, and then left it to the reader to accept or reject.

I, for one, did not believe Watson for a minute, and I am grateful to Rosen for the confirmation.

I can do no better than to second Karen Rudolph's review, below. I only wish Sullivan could have provided portraits of more of the people involved (e.g., more crew members).

It's hard to find any real fault in a book like this. It isn't cheap, it doesn't do justice to the politics of the beast, it isn't actually "Definitive", and yes, it basically belongs to the Pistols. But so did punk, and none of that matters when faced with such a big, bad, monster of a book. Probably as powerful a visual record of the punk movement as we'll ever see. There's no point in even attempting to cover every missed note and torn shirt, but damned if it doesn't try. Don't buy it because you want a guided tour of the era, the text is essentially an afterthought; buy it for the pictures and the great design. Be careful with the paperback version, though; the book is so heavy that, when I moved, the binding basically stayed behind.

excellent photos
a very heavy book. i carried it around and nearly broke my back while reading it. excellent text. the pistols stuff is key. clash stuff could have been more. ramones stuff is good. layout of the book is pretty good. would have been perfect if the author would have included a cd taped to the back cover

I was So Glad to see this book issued in America. So Big! So Cool. No need to simply document the London scene, but show all the many facets of a Rock Scene. It is more inspiring to see something rise from almost nothing into a cutural revolution. Great Texts, Graphics and Photographs all tell this story.
Hey Kids! Look to these pioneers, they were not posers who threw on a "uniform" They were not happy with what was there, so they took control & ran with it! Hopefully it will inspire you to do the same!

I recently finished reading Carol Shields' short story collection, Dressing Up for the Carnival. I'm a big fan of Carol Shields, having enjoyed Larry's Party, The Stone Diaries, even adding Swann to my wicked Top Five list - but this one didn't hit the spot.

Although the stories were charming and well-written, they weren't engrossing. I need to be EN-GROSSED! Instead I felt like I was wading through the bad stuff (I use the term "bad" for effect only) to get to the good. Some real gems here, but not a stellar collection.

Somewhat recommended - that is, to fans, and not just the casual passerby.

It's hard to describe the effect of these stories -- perhaps mindbending would be as close as you can get. Who else would devote whole stories to keys, or a meteorologist strike or the founder of a nudist camp? My only small complaint is that at times some of the stories, especially those taking place in the academic realm, are almost too clever for their own good. The collection as a whole though is strong and quite imaginative and profound. Shields is certainly an interesting writer -- there is nary a dull moment and some quite enlightening ones.

Carol Shields can take an ordinary word and polish it into a shining gemstone. Finely-tuned phrases are scattered plentifully throughout each chapter of _Dressing Up for the Carnival_, straddling the gap between poetry and fiction. This collection of stories is so spare, it almost feels empty at first. But you find Shields has emptied her work of distractions and needless explanations so you can more clearly see . Her focus on minute details is selective and purposeful. She reveals deep insights on the human condition through small observations-ones only a keen observer could see, and only a master writer like Shields could translate into words. If you want to be entertained, this book may not be for you. If you want to think deeply and be stirred to a higher level of emotion, pick up this book. You'll find yourself setting it down after every story so you can absorb each word.