I grew up in the pacific north-west and experienced many of these stories as a child. This was a wonderful book to bring back most of those memories. It is well written. Simple yet engaging. Once I started I couldn't put it down. I've since used it as a teaching resourse in social studies and will be ordering other copies for fellow teachers I've shown it to and were equally impressed. I highly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in native legends or mythology.

I brought this book on a trip to Vancouver and Victoria and read it in the evenings after returning to my hotels. As a European American, I found it indispensable to understanding much of the art I saw on vacation (especially Totem Poles). This book relates many of the best known Haida stories, including those of the noble, tragic Bear; the intrepid, versatile human fisherman-hunter Nanasigmit and above all the amoral but always fascinating Raven. Almost all the stories are simple, yet strike a deep chord. Add this to "Looking at Totem Poles" and "Kwakuitl Legends", both also reasonably priced, and you'll be well on your way to understanding the basics of First Nations culture.

As a citizen working in the District of Columbia, and an avid walker, I have been fascinated with the vast array of statues present virtually everywhere in the city. I have been searching for a source of information that could help me with learning about the history of the pieces. While I was looking for something a little less specific - or I should say, more far reaching (there's a lot, a whole lot of statues in D.C.) than the subject of this book - what is here is fascinating and very informative. I have spoken with some tour guides that visit the statues with tourists, and some of the information that they share about the statues and sites differs slightly than what is written here - but I am so confident in the thoroughness of Ms. Jacobs' research - I am sure these guides are speaking the embellishment of popular myth. I would love to share some of this elaboration with the author to confirm this notion.

As a resident of Capitol Hill, I found this book useful and informative. I, for one, had no idea that the Congressional Cemetery just a few blocks from my home contained the first Civil War era monument erected. Nor did I know that the first major Lincoln Memorial was right here on the hill.

The book is fascinating and can provide either a brief, or detailed, look at the monuments.

The only thing the book is lacking is a MAP to help the unitiated into the world of DC's complicated streets.

Recently, I had the honor of meeting David at a Book Signing of Vietnam Era helicopter Pilots. David is as delightful and faithful man as his writing. Prior to meeting him, I had purchased his book and read it advidly. He writes a completely different Vietnam Novel whereby he mixes his faith experience and combat experience with a moving story of the devotion that people can have towards each other in the world of combat. While this is fiction, I have spoken with him at great length and know his work reflects his own faith journey and personal morays. Keeping the action moving, David manages to also convey more important things than a simple "shoot em up" novel would attempt. I highly recommend this to people who are interested how men of faith struggled in the "apparently Godless" world of war. This is anovel that you can feel very comfortable in allowing your children to read.

Bruce E. Carlson M. Div. author of "Red Bird Down."

This is fantastic little pocket carryall book for cycling San Juan, Gulf and Vancouver Islands. Small, 3-D maps, elevation gain, mileage. They just dont make them anymore,

I could not find it to buy in USA since they are out of print, so I checked out of Library. Now I have found it on-line...

I was reading this book alongside O'Brien's _A Landscape with Dragons_. Doing so might have been a mistake, as the "secret formula" of his storywriting stood out too obviously and awkwardly to me in _Strangers and Sojourners_, making it quite tedious. Or maybe it was just the plain old fact that it was slow! I wonder what happened to the literary device of "showing" rather than "telling" that the author used so masterfully in _Elijah_?

Well, maybe with these three "Delaney" (Children of the Last Days) epics out of his system, O'Brien can get back to writing enjoyable novels.

(By the way, although it is not a novel, his _Landscape with Dragons_ is superbly insightful, and subtly transmits the same genuine, deep mystical spirituality of its author, as did _Elijah_. I recommend THAT one to any parent, teacher or pastor.)

It's fun to wonder what genre O'Brien will decide to use in his next novel. Perhaps an historical novel, with an actual Saint or two as its main characters? I, for one, would love to see more of the Elijah type character. Whatever he decides, I surely hope that he keeps that same sense of mystery and Providential foreshadowing that makes Elijah such an enjoyable, (and spiritually inspiring) read and re-read.

As with his previous novel, Father Elijah, O'Brien's Strangers and Sojournors is an instant classic. It is much different from his best-selling debut, however, for it deals with a woman who comes from England in the early part of the 20th century to live in the wilds of northern British Columbia. It is her story, the story of a human being dealing with the mystery of human existence. Hence it is our story, too, for, as the title belies, we are all strangers and sojournors on this earth. With this book, O'Brien shows his artistic side; one can almost hear the music and poetry behind the prose, which will reach deep into the heart of the reader. Noted writer Peter Kreeft has said that "No novel since Dostoyevsky has nourished my soul like Strangers and Sojournors." I agree. O'Brien is a spiritual storyteller of the most extraordinary calibre and this book is his best so far.

In Father Elijah, O'Brien showed us the sword. In Strangers and Sojourners, he shows us the heart. Anne Kingsley Ashton is a character that I will never forget-- in so many ways her struggles are my struggles. She is often overhwhelmed by life, both the daily struggles for existence and the spiritual questions of meaning and purpose. The battle she fights against the temptation of despair defines courage. What tools, if any, can Anne find to fight these feelings? And what is at the root of her discontent? I, too, have wondered these things about myself. O'Brien has given life to the process of healing the emotional and spiritual wounds we accumulate throughout a lifetime. And most of all, shown us the importance of courage. I would recommend this book to anyone.

In this book Conway-Morris makes an interesting argument on the animals of Burguess Shale. But in order to understand it, a previous reading of 'Wonderful Life' by Stephen J. Gould is useful. Not only because Conway-Morris criticizes the argumnent of Gould, and he deny the importance of 'contingency' or of the 'weird wonders' in order to understand evolution and Burguess Shale. The other reason is that the Gould's book is more detailed and informative in his presentation of the animals of Burguess Shale. The lack of detail in the arguments of Conway-Morris damage his case: For example, when Gould wants to show that Anomalocaris is a weird wonder, he makes a detailed presentation of its anatomy, but Conway-Morris only presents a brief sketch of the reasons of why Anomalocaris can be seen as a special kind of arthropod. This is regrettable because the arguments of Conway-Morris benefit from detailed presentation, as in his discussion of Wiwaxia or his presentation of the concept of disparity.

take potshots at Stephen Gould's extended speculation on contingency. This is unfortunate because it is all a waste of words-- "contingency", as used by Gould, cannot be science because it is not possible to devise a test of falsifiability (ref: Karl Popper.) What Gould's book is about is the context of science within its culture--why Walcott made his "big mistake". (If you are possibly wondering if Charles Walcott was some amateur rockhound then disabuse yourself with Ellis Yochelson's recent biography.)

What Simon Conway Morris's book is about is an ecological approach to the Cambrian menagerie.

What *all* the Burgess books are about is a celebration of the most important animals fossils yet discovered. (You get your best look [apart from the museums] with Chip Clark's excellent photographs in Derek Briggs's "Fossils of the Burgess Shale".)

Readers have a choice to consider here; attend a senior evolutionary biology course, or spend an intense bit of time studying Conway Morris' glossary introducing this book. Either way, press on to the text, rich rewards await your persistence. Conway Morris offers a memorable account of assessing the fossil evidence of one of biology's more striking finds. The Burgess Shale's disclosure of fossilized soft-bodied creatures is a captivating story, one which was not, contrary to the views of many, fully resolved by Stephen Gould's account.

So much attention has been given to the grandeur of the dinosaurs, other eras of importance in life's pageant have too often been overlooked. The Cambrian era described so vividly by Conway Morris was a time when evolution's processes were already well under way. His account, partially supporting Walcott's original descriptions, is based on hard, reflective investigation and reassessment of the fossil evidence. Using techniques unavailable in Walcott's day, Conway Morris and his colleagues delicately pieced together a new picture of how the Cambrian life forms looked and how they must have lived. His imaginative use of 'time travel' to depict these creatures is a fine innovation in reporting science. He's to be commended for stimulating thinking about evidence.

While Conway Morris doesn't write with Gould's more florid style, his presentation has presented us with a much more valuable account. Gould spends too much time disparaging Walcott's lack of effort in analyzing the shale. Gould's advocacy of 'contingency' as an evolutionary mechanism supporting his misleading 'punctuated equilibrium' thesis is rightly assaulted by Conway Morris. Conway Morris, by focussing on strong scientific work, demonstrates that flighty contentions cannot replace solid scientific analysis. He provides the reader with a stirring account of the research leading to the reassessment achieved by his team. The result is a solid, highly readable account of the Burgess finds. This book is a fine replacement for the only work we've had available on this topic.

Michael Patterson's "The Family Man" starts out with a very interesting premise. Ellen and Eric Sommers are a young professional couple who have finally managed to conceive a child. Even as they are receiving these tidings, Frank Mallory is preparing to put into action a scheme to create a family by kidnapping a pregnant woman and taking her up to his cabin in the Canadian wilderness. Frank's planning is superb. Not only does he abduct Ellen; he also leaves manufactured evidence that points to Eric as Ellen's murderer. As the demonic Mallory makes good his escape to Canada, Eric is accused and brought to trial for a crime that did not happen.

The remainder of the novel actually is three connected stories. Ellen and Frank act out a serial killer suspense story, while Eric tale becomes a courtroom drama. Connecting these two stories is the efforts of Cheryl, Ellen's sister, Ralph Bartlett, a private investigator and David Dreizler, one of Eric's attorneys to track down Ellen's whereabouts. Ellen finds herself trapped in the wilderness with a man who is never more than seconds from fearsome violence. Eric, confronted with a hostile legal system finds he is standing trial for his life. Mallory has left only the scantiest of clues, and Ellen has little luck in her efforts to get help.

Despite the unusual plot, "The Family Man" left me somewhat unsatisfied. One of the reasons is an excessive number of context shifts. There are 88 chapters in a 341 page book, and many of these chapters switch from one narrative to another. I believe this is a narrative style that is intended to give the impression of a flurry of action, but I found it distracting. It took much longer than usual for me to get the plot straight in my mind and begin to be absorbed into the story. This style also leaves little time for the niceties of narrative description that help to make a book believable.

Characterization also suffers. I felt very little connection with either of the protagonists. Indeed, the most vivid characters are Cheryl and the sheriff of the Canadian town nearest to Mallory's cabin - Roger Peck. One could argue that the minor characters in the book received too much attention and the main characters to little. It is half way through the book before what lies behind Frank's fantasy of family life is revealed. Even knowing that, Frank is monochromatic and predictable, lacking in the depth that could have made him a compelling character.

Eventually, the plot begins to gel and pique the reader's interest. The last half of the novel moves with some pace, and gradually picks up as the end approaches. So "The Family Man" is not a bad novel, just one that fails to meet its ambitions. It is almost as if an editor decided to cut what was once a 700 page novel down to just a minimalist plot. This would be a perfect book for readers who are often interrupted. For those who prefer long silences filled with imagination, Michael Patterson would need to add more flesh to its bare bones.

Marc Ruby - for The Mystery Reader

This is a review of "The Family Man" by Michael S. Patterson. I read a short synopsis of the book, the author's first novel, so as someone who likes suspense and mystery novels, I knew I would enjoy it. This book grabs you from the first line and holds onto you until the last word! It's the story of a couple excited about expecting their first baby, when a madman kidnaps the expectant mother with plans to make her and her baby his new family. Her husband is then accused and convicted of killing her because of purely circumstantial evidence - even though there has been no trace of her or her dead body. Through the kindness and resourcefulness of a little girl, proof begins to arrive that not only tells authorities that the woman is alive, but where she might be held. The suspense-filled story takes you chapter-by-chapter between events occurring simultaneously to the woman and her husband. You feel that time is running out for both of them. You worry the rescuers won't arrive in time or understand the urgency for rescuing the woman from her captor, who is becoming even more dangerous as he senses his plan for the future is unraveling. The situation feels real and as though it could happen to your own family! Really scary! I'm glad I found this author and hope he plans to write many more books.

I picked the book up on a Thursday and finished it by the weekend. I would have finished it sooner, but I was savoring every word. Seriously! I don't generally like suspense thrillers, but I was bowled over by how well Patterson crafted the plot lines. Incredible attention to detail. His real places and settings really draws the reader in... as if the author had visited every site in the book. His own knowledge as a trial lawyer adds even more realism to the plot.

A definite contender to become a feature film.

The only flaw is the cover. It does nothing to capture the passion and intrigue in the book. It definitely pays to read the inside pages.

It's a very satisfying, unpredictable ending.
Can't wait to see the next book from this author!!

I gave this book 3 stars because it is well written, if a bit ornate; the reader is really left with a sense of awe and wonder at the wonderfulness of Life. At least I know I was.

I didn't give it more than 3 stars because, scientifically speaking, it stinks. It is by far Goulds worst book.

I would recommend people to read this book, but when you do, try to remember that the taxonomic rank of phylum, contrary to what Gould claims, lacks a definition; that a 'fundamental body plan' is a wholly arbitrary after-the-fact construction; that neither the rank of phylum or 'fundamental body plans' has any whatsoever evolutionary significance; and that no-one knows why or how the animals of Burgess Shale went extinct.

But on to the book. It is, on the surface, about some remarkable fossils found at a place called Burgess Shale.

Gould spends a substantial part of the book expounding how the psychosocial background of the original discoverer, C. Walcott, led him ("preconditioned" is the word Gould uses) to Get It All Wrong when he classified ("shoehorned") the fossils in known phyla, whereas the zeitgeist of the late 20th century allows a group of whacky new researchers to Get It All Right and see that they belong to previously unknown phyla.

One is then treated to a nice exposé of some really interesting fossils, and there's not much to say about them except that most have since the book was published been re-evaluated, and are today classified as velvet worms, arthropods or annelids (still as interesting, but less enigmatic - and ironically much like Walcott first "shoehorned" them).

Why, Gould asks, did essentially all modern phyla arise in a short period in the cambrian, as well as, allegedly, a large number of phyla which today are extinct, when no new phyla have arisen in the subsequent 550 million years? And the extinct phyla, they seem complex and 'seaworthy' enough - surely which phylum lived and which went extinct must have been purely decided by chance? Surely, if we re-played evolution, the world today would be very different?

There are two errors in that line of reasoning. Firstly the most pervasive: the reification of the taxonomic rank of Phylum and of the concept of 'body plan'.

Gould in this book equals the taxonomic rank of Phylum to the concept of 'fundamental body plan': one body plan = one phylum. This is a bit backwards - the rank of phylum is arbitrary and lacks a definition, but is historically (but not always) afforded the most inclusive groups of animals between which interrelationship is unclear. The concept of 'bauplan' or 'fundamental body plan'is similarly wholly arbitrary - a body plan is a collection of traits deemed characteristic for the group, and can be created for any group, regardless of inclusivity: you take a group of species, such as a phylum, determine what is characteristic for the group, and voilá, there's the fundamental body plan.

What does this mean? That neither the rank of phylum nor the concept of 'bauplan'/'fundamental body plan' has any evolutionary significance - and yet this is what Gould bases his argumentation on in this book.

The second error is a logical one, and is that _even if_ Opabinia, Anomalocaris and the others had represented "new" phyla, and _even if_ phylum had been the same as "fundamental body plan", and _even if_ that had meant something from an evolutionary point of view, this isn't support for Goulds view that evolution is stochastic, driven by chance extinctions rather than adaptation.

All we know is that Burgess Shale organisms went extinct - we do not know why. For all we know these organisms were outcompeted, and would be outcompeted again and again if we 're-played' the history of Earth. The support Gould thinks they give his pet theory isn't there.

So, to sum things up - in this book Gould uses psychosocial arguments to dismiss the science of Walcott and support that of Simon Conway Morris; misunderstands what a phylum is; misunderstands what a "fundamental body plan" is; bases his reasoning on misidentified fossils; and draws conclusions which aren't supported by the supplied evidence.

But he does it in a really enthusing way. There's no denying it's a good read.

Simon Conway Morris, the chief "hero" in this book, has since done his best to distance himself from Gould - to the point that he tends to deem it necessary to explain what a phylum is in his articles, and has written the Gould-critical book "Crucibles of creation" (which isn't that great either).

Gould sets up a premis in this overview and discussion of animals represented in the fossils of the Burgess shale that makes for interesting reading and thinking. The author uses the same premis of the Frank Capra classic, "It's a Wonderful Life" starring Jimmy Stewart.

What would life be like if one of the players had never existed? ...like poor old George Bailey who thought everyone would be happier and better off without him.

In this book Gould takes the position that animals that exist today do so primarily because they were lucky during their early evolutionary history, along with having characteristics that allowed them to survive and succeed in their environment long enough to reproduce -- a contingency hypothesis. They turned right instead of left and consequently avoided predation...OR...they turned left instead of right, were eaten, and that was the end of an entire ancestral line.

This book is a must read for anyone interested in ideas surrounding the diversity of early animal life. The book provides an informative overview of what evolution is, how the now famous Burgess shale fossil beds were discovered and studied, and why some of the body plans found amongst the Burgess shale fauna are not found today. There are also excellent drawings of Burgess shale fossils and the animals they may once have been, and a reasonable selection of descriptions of their possible behaviors based on animal form and function.

Gould also recounts ideas others have had about the Burgess shale fauna and its contribution to our understanding of the Cambrian fauna in general.

It's interesting to note that this book was written prior to the discovery of several other Burgess shale-type fossil beds around the world, most notably in China. But, given what Gould had to work with at the time, this is an admirable work.

If this general topic interests you, you may want to take a look at another book -- "The Crucible of Creation" by Simon Conway Morris. Morris' book provides addtional excellent graphic presentations of cambrian fauna, a different explanation of some possible paleo-ecologies of those animals, and a fundamentally different read on why we have the kinds of animals that we have today. Morris also includes information about newly discovered Burgess shale-like fossil beds and specimens.

All in all, Gould's book is a 5-star work. I'd recommend reading it AND Morris' book for a balanced set of different opinions about this important animal group.

This book is almost like a mystery novel, unveiling the increased understanding of and rediscovery of the originally misinterpreted Cambrian fossils of the Burgess Shale. In keeping with the scientific tradition, Stephen Jay Gould has been flamed in recent years due to disagreements with his scientific theories. And, Hallucigenia is portrayed upside-down. The original, mysterious creature remains, for me, more magical than the carefully-reconstructed and better-understood velvet worm.

This book is also one of John Fowles' favorites; if you've read Fowles' work, you know that he is profoundly interested in natural history, and that fossils play a large part in books like The French Lieutenant's Woman. He's a lucky man: he was able to hold and directly observe the Burgess Shale fossils.

Scientific arguments aside, Wonderful Life is one of my favorite books because of the breathtaking magic of the Burgess Shale animals. Stephen Jay Gould uses words like "mysterious" and "awe-inspiring" to describe these creatures that others have compared to "aliens." These many hundreds of millions of years ago, life was different; Opabinia had five eyes. Wiwaxia looked like a miniature hydrofoil porcupine. Original Hallucigenia was a mysterious . . . well . . . alien. If you are not familiar with the Burgess Shale animals (most people do know the Cambrian fossil trilobites - these make trilobites look "normal"), then you have a treat in store. It's hard to criticize the fossils' original discoverer, Walcott, because what would any of us make of these animals? "Lace crabs" and the mouth of Anomalocaris was a "jellyfish." Some jellyfish! Ow!

Gould advances arguments about evolution and the development of life that have prompted great argument; you can read his version in this book. No matter what you believe, or truths that have since been revealed, such as turning Hallucigenia right-side-up, there is no denying Gould's marvelous writing, the compelling story, and the wonderful, wonderful animals in Wonderful Life.

When I first received this book, I thought that it would be one of those tedious books that you have to write reviews on while in school. While reading the first chapter, I confirmed that thought for myself, and left the book for a week or so. The first chapter, to me, was this quite confusing chapter which had no real beginning or end, and no real meaning. When I finally had to read the book to start writing my review, I struggled through the first chapter again. And then I came to the second. What a breath of fresh air it was, and from then onwards, the book flowed as the rivers and streams that it describes.

The story is one that is very true to the world today - it talks about a culture that is slowly being lost to technology. It is a very touching story, about love, loss, friendship, trust....in fact it is about every conceivable human emotion. It is told in a beautiful way, that iss incredibly realistic, and transports you to its setting. The myths and stories that are described are very insightful of the tribal culture. The stories were believed whole-heartedly, even though they may seem childish and unbelievable. But it is that childish innocence that allowed these tribes to thrive and live in a peaceful way. The dimension that the vicar from the outside world brings is interesting in the sense that although he symbolises the technology that is overshadowing the tribal culture, he is the one who is trying his best to maintain it. It shows how a simple life can silence the want for a more luxurious one.

All in all, this book is extremely good, and I recommend it as a very interesting read. The author has managed to show a culture that is dying out, without distorting it or adding overly-fictitious elements. Simply beautiful.

As I finished reading this book the grandeur and emotion hit me hard. This is a beautiful piece of writing that takes you deep into the heart of a remote indian village, and the young vicar sent as a missionary there. If you made it through this book with out even giving the way you live your life a second thought I highly suggest that you read it again because you obviously didn't get the meaning. The young vicar is sent to the village to learn an important lesson about life. While he is there he is excepted into the village and finds that the simplicity of the village is being ruined by the ways of the white man. The myths and traditions that are usually passed down through the ages are being forgotten because no new generations wish to learn them. In this extrodinary tale you see into the world of Mark Brian and the small indian village he learned to love and call home.

The book called ' I Heard The Owl Call My Name' is about a young vicar who goes to live with the natives and learn about their culture. The young vicar was about to die, but he had to teach the natives about white culture, especially religion. The book is really interesting but a little complicated in the first chapter. Margaret Craven, the author, writes the book with a sense of truth that comes from being a native. This encourages you to read the book. And you get a sense of really being in the villages and know exactly what is going on, at the very moment. If you can get through the first chapter, the other chapters become very easy and they come alive an realness that steals your breath away. When you read a few chapters ahead you get to understand what the meaning of the first chapter was really about. The author was trying to make her readers feel exactly what the character was feeling. The rest of the book is some what confusing, yet riveting. One after another experience goes on in the book. I did not want to put the book down. I could see myself in the village because everything seemed real. I would recommend this book to anyone. There is no age limin, as long as you love reading and want to know about the natives way of living this book is for you. By: Danielle Ashman

I grew up in the Tri-Cities and spent the first 19 years of my life living just blocks away from the Columbia River and there was a lot of information told in this book that I never knew. Harden does a wonderful job of relating the history of the Columbia River and the effects that the many dams built on the river had on the land, the people, the nation, and the economy. I thoroughly enjoyed his story and felt he handled well the many issues important to preservationists, politicians, and farmers.

I recommend this to anyone who lives in the state of Washington and is interested in man's permanent effects on this land.

Once in a great while a book comes along that is so beautifully written, with stories so well told, that the subject matter seems secondary to the writer's ability to sustain interest. For me, with little interest in the northwest (I've been there twice), this was such a book. It is from Harden's exceptional skill as a writer and narrator of stories that the Columbia River suddenly became of great interest as I turned his pages.

"A River Lost" tells the story and history of the Columbia River and the environmental, economic and aesthetic impact of daming that river in the first half of the last century. Especially interesting are the stories and points of view of those who work and live on its shores, the fate of the native indians who have lived in the region for hundreds of years and the differences in culture between the Starbucks yuppies east of the Cascades and the blue collar workers so dependant on the water and its billions in federally subsidized benefits to the west.

Highly praised in reviews by The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Economist, the Village Voice, The Seattle Times and Publishers Weekly, it is a great read for the information, for the writing, for a piece of American history.

When this book was written the current water, fish, and power crisis was in its infancy. This book foretold the inevitable conflict that now threatens the economy of the entire region. The documentation of the wasteful use of water by irrigators to grow crops that are unprofitable with a system paid for by taxpayers and electric ratepayers should be mandatory reading for all Northwesterners. If BPA fails and electric rates skyrocket the reasons are all spelled out here. Those who want to frame the debate as "fish versus Power" will find in the pages of this book that in actuality the real contest is between power generation and irrigation. My 16 years as a water resource planner for the Department of the Interior made me want to say "right on" with every page I read.

I'm at a bit of a loss as to how to describe this book. "Alice, I Think" is probably one of the oddest books I have ever read. It is the diary of a home-schooled girl named Alice who wants to accomplish a series of goals, one of them being going to a real high school.

As I read the book, I kept wondering if Alice had a mild mental disability. She just wanders around her town, not able to accomplish much without someone else's help. She is so naieve about everything.

The other characters were also annoying. What was up with Frank's sudden appearence, and equally sudden disappearance? It seemed as if the author had gotten bored with the story and decided to throw something in that may or may not be exciting. The only character I liked was MacGregor. He seemed capable and mature, something his older sister wasn't.

Alice's faux "better-than-you" spiel got boring quickly. She tries to be 'above' everyone else, especially when it comes to the music she listens to.

This book could be funny, in parts. I thought the funniest and all-around best part of the book was the first two pages, when she discusses her first day of school.

All around, this book was less than mediocre. I was annoyed with the characters, and most of the time just wanted the book to be over with already.

This book was okay. I read an excerpt from it and got really excited about it, but once I finished it was disappointed. For one thing, I believe the description of the book was slightly misleading, this book is NOT about her going back to high school. Altogether, it may have a chapter (if that much) of when she is actually in her highschool. And she doesn't go to a normal highschool, she goes to an "alternative" highschool which made me wonder about Alice. I did not feel like a connected with her at all, she seems to me to be one of those "I Am Depressed and I Hate Everything That the Public Likes and I Listen to Music No One Has Ever Heard of So Therefore I am Better Than You, So Ha" wanna-bes and is very whiny. There were times in the book where I wondered if Alice was actually sane or not. The ending was very poor, for it seems like the writer got bored of the story and was just trying to fill empty space. This aside, it was very funny, and if you are looking for some laughs I would suggest this book.

Alice has a unique, witty and extremely funny way of looking at everything and anything. Her home town of Smithers BC. Her weirdo parents. The amusing characters inhabiting her life - at school, at her therapy centre, at the new age bookstore.

You will laugh loudly and might embarass yourself if you read it in public. This book is sharper and better than the "Princess Diaries" and "Angus Thongs And Full Frontal Snogging".

Canadians especially will get a kick out of it, but people of all ages, male or female will enjoy it too.