That Southern justice can be an oxymoron is no surprise. But this book lays out in stunning detail how the system can close ranks to create an impenetrable thicket of corruption. It methodically deconstructs the state's case to reveal a disturbing array of official misinformation, mistakes and misconduct. The case is no less pertinent today, almost 30 years later, for the defendant still resides on death row. Perhaps the most stunning aspect is that the case has never been successfully appealed as it wended its way North through Federal courts. One suspects that the trial of a wealthy white businessman who killed his wife and three bystanders for insurance hardly makes even the most strident card-carrying ACLU member's heart race. Indeed, a drug dealer who murdered a policeman has more success in the courtroom - overturning a case on nearly identical grounds under which the defendant's is not. How did he find himself in the Kafkaesque struggle? He broke perhaps the highest law of the deep South one year earlier by coming to the defense of a black man. The guilt in this frightening indictment of our legal process does not end with the defendant: It does not even begin there. Unfortunately, however, neither does it end with the original perpetrators of the crime. If you liked "The Thin Blue Lie", you will love this book.

In 1975, Winter Garden, Florida was a small, one-horse migrant labor and truck stop town bypassed by the supposed prosperity brought to Central Florida by the Disney Company. Spared the rapicious raping of the Kissimmee-St Cloud area, with its swamp draining killing of animals, Winter Garden remained as it had been--a lower class white working community dependent on trucking and citrus for its existence.

Enter William Thomas Zeigler who, by the author's own description drove oldsmobiles and detested rock and roll music. Unknown to many residents, the Zeigler family wealth stood at just over one million dollars--a princely sum in the 1970s. The quiet, modest veneer of the Zeigler family was broken by the existence of sexual problems between Tommy and Eunice Zeigler. Two weeks before the murder of Eunice, the couple stopped having intercourse with Eunice threatening to go to a fertility specialist in Orlando. Rumors abounded that Tommy was homosexual and a member of a sex ring of important local men. The author points out that Zeigler commited two unforgiveable crimes. One, he helped a black man retain a liquor license in the face of local and state opposition. Two, he helped break up a loan sharking ring manned by members of the Orange County (Orlando) Sherrif's Department. Later that year, the Sherrif, Dave Starr, resigned under pressure and his chief deputy, Leigh MacEachern, wne to jail convicted of charges of official corruption.

Finch outlines in great detail the malfeasance of police and prosecutors. First, sherrif's deputies trampled evidence at the crime scene. Later, judges and FBI authorities joined in to complete a fait accompli ensuring the swift journey of Mr. Zeigler to Florida's death row, where he remains to this day. Despite having two of the finest criminal defense lawyers in orlando--Ed Kirkland and Terry Hadley, Zeigler stood no chance of even getting a routine continuance or investigator access to the crime scene. Additionally, Finch outlines how key witnesses were not interviewed nor called to trial leaving the reader no doubt that the fix was in. Finch leaves the reader wondering an age-old question--how can a nation that calls itslef a democracy allow such malfeasance in its criminal justice system?

I have a special interest in this book having lived in Orlando at the time of the crime and having visited the crime scene as recently as last year. Finch has written an important, readable indictment of southern justice.

I really enjoyed this book because it was a fantasy book! For readers that like exciting adventurous short books this is the book for you. I really enjoyed the parts where: Felix mind read with the princess frog; The elf came alive from the magical moon stone; Mr. Nubble made his yard into a monster museum.

We liked "Felix and the 400 Frogs" because our class is studying about ponds and pond creatures (like frogs). We also liked the main character Felix because he was nice and he was always helping the Frog Princess. Also, we liked the book because the authors put a lot of detail in it. They also put some hard words in it that we didn't know so that we could learn new words. The book was full of interesting things like someone kissing a frog and interesting characters like the mean Mr. Nubble. Our favorite parts were when Mr. Nubble called Felix names and when Felix and the Frog Princess were trying to find the Magic Moonstone. The worst part about the book was when it ended! We would recommend the book to 2nd, 3rd, or 4th graders. We give the book 5 stars! Mrs. Justice's 1999 3rd Grade Class, Jersey Shore Elementary in Jersey Shore, PA

This book is made for anyone to understand. Through great pictures and words, it starts you off on the world of Feng Shui. The authors adhere to the modern branch of feng shui, which is great... how else can we know what to do with our computer and tv? great book! We painted out new business yellow inside to promote calm, and greens outside to promote growth. It's in the book.

Not only is this book very informative on the timely subject of Feng Shui, it is also beautifully illustrated. A must for your library!

Lucille Lang Day has earned the five stars not so much with this one title, as with her larger body of work, of which "Fire in the Garden" is but a snapshot. Eclectic and electric, Day's poetry is a feast for the brain. Her delicious, evocative imagery will excite readers of contemporary poetry and sustain hope that it is not about to be suffocated by the dry and abstruse theoretician/practitioners who have spread across so many of the arts over the last few generations. May all take notice how feasible it is for poetry to be at once accessible and intellectually commanding.
Day takes inspiration from a wide variety of sources, including "Fire in the Garden"'s first entire section based on the paintings and sculpture of such artists as O'Keefe, Dali, Diebenkorn. and Manuel Neri, whose sculpture exhibit prompted her to create a poetic dialog between two opposing voices from within, the one weary and negative, and the other challenging the first with its vibrant call to poetic awakeness: "Spiders in my skull spin fiery webs / and wild birds beat against my bones. / They want out. I, too, want out. / I want to walk where dusk spreads/gold dust on the earth, the mountains / humming, and jays and juncos land / on pine branches shaped like lightning."
Readers in whom Day's work resonates should appeal to her to engineer a republication of her first book,
"Self-Portrait with Hand Microscope," which contains in its first quarter what I'm convinced must be some of the finest biology-oriented poetry ever written. Investing years of her life in science (in which she earned a doctorate from UC Berkeley) paid double dividends giving inspiration to such resplendent poetic expression. In some small way, human culture is cheated every year that goes by without the opportunity for people to enjoy that bright outlook on the natural world so brilliantly depicted in language.

In the tradition of the best surrealism, Lucille Day's poems display unusual combinations of images that cohere to present a personal, and at the same time universal, vision of everyday struggles--a vision probing the consoling powers of imagination, "the cool blue flight/of stars, flowing/through the endless black." Her powerful, sharp-edged, declarative poems speak to all of us.

Like the previous reviewer, this ranks as one of the most beautiful books I have ever read. It addresses so many themes: the question of identity, the relationship between one's name and one's identity, the danger of sentimentalising the past, the oppression of women in society, the dangers of false faith in religion, the list is endless. However, I have mainly read the novel as being about the relationship between France and Quebec and the growing estrangement between the two, as reflected in the immense distance between Flora Fantanges (representing France) and her daughter Maud (representing Quebec). I'd be very interested to know if people from Quebec would share this view!

This book is one of the best that I have read. I read it in French, but I am sure that it is great in English too. Hebert combines the struggle of Quebec and English, her main character's story, intertextuality and life in theatre for a complex, interesting, easy to read, and difficult to understand, novel. Very good and can be read on many levels. I recommend this to anyone looking for an interesting, intelligent book that is fun with a mysterious plot. (In a way it is like 12 Monkey or La Jetee: you don't understand what happened until the next scene, and you don't understand the book truly until it is over.)

After you have helped your children break the sound code with the First Steps to Reading Series Phonics Cards (ISBN: 0789442604), you can continue with all the other Flash cards in this series.

This set has cards with a colorful picture on one side and the word on the other. You can point to each picture and say the word, then encourage your child to read the words on their own. You can play fun games with the cards, by laying them out and saying a word. Then, your child has to find the card.

Your child will learn words like: hanging basket, soil, tulip, leaf, etc. This pack will help children recognize words and should be used along with the Phonics Cards pack.

The fun thing about this pack is you can have your child find the items in the yard while they are helping you garden. There is a "Note to Parents and Teachers" to give you many fun ideas for teaching these words.

Vivid, life-like pictures of all sorts of things in the garden. With pictures as diverse as garden tools to friendly garden insects, children will find something in which they can relate. I use these cards in a classroom of 3 to 6 year olds for vocabulary enhancement for the younger children and story starters, handwriting, and reading practice for the older children. I have had these cards for years and they have always been a favorite in the classroom.

A volume required for US Virgin Island vascular plant enthusiasts and professionals. Exquisite line drawings and botanical descriptions. Excellent reference for St. Thomas and St. John. A good reference for Buck Island and St. Croix.

This Flora is a joy to work with. The keys are logical and clear and Bobbi Angell's illustrations are a treasure. I really appreciated the abundance of illistrations too. The attention payed to ecological characters adds to the value of this book. Overall, an excellent piece of work.

This was the first book that gave specific instruction on how to create arrangements from beginning to end, including set up of work space, necessary tools and how to prepare flowers. It is incredibly thorough in its description. It is written for the laymen and is a perfect starter for someone wanting to recreate the magazine perfect arrangements we often see.

This is one of the most beautiful and practical books on the subject I have seen. Vena Leffers takes you through the process of choosing, conditioning and arranging flowers for all ocassions. This book is a great source inspiration to help you get started and create something really fantastic. If you love flowers and you love the idea of putting your own personal touch into a great arrangement but need some guidance run don't walk to get this book!!

This is a very sweet book with wonderful artwork. I purchased the book because of the beautiful cover -- I was looking for ideas on how to decorate my new daughters bedroom. I was delighted when the book came and I read the sweet poetry which describes all the different flowers.

This is a beautiful little book for any parent or grandparent. First published in 1912 and out of print for a very long time, it is wonderful to see this book again. The illustrations are of flowers with childrens faces and a short verse about each flower. Charming pictures and poetry. I loved this book as a child and love sharing them with my kids.

I am a student teacher in a three year old preschool classroom. We recently planted mums outside our window, and afterwards read this story to the children. They loved the beautiful pictures and the contrast between the city flowerbox and our daycare garden.

my pre-school class found the book to be very exciting and could'nt wait for me to turn the next page.the bright colors of the cover and pages were so liking a good childrens book,that we planted a garden like described in the book.i have had parents ask where can they get this wonderful book for their own child. we really enjoyed it!this book described a family so close and loving,you can't help but smell the flowers and feel the love in that household.