As presiding judge of Silicon Valley's Santa Clara County Family Court, Judge Stewart has made decisions regarding the dissolution of literally thousands of California marriages. He knows what he is talking about, and in this fascinating account he provides the strategies to enable people to come though the process with as little damage to themselves, their children, their spouses, and their finances as possible. Anyone facing divorce in California, or elsewhere, for that matter, should buy this book and study it carefully.

Dispelling eight popular myths such as the popular misconception that the judge hearing a divorce case will have substantial experience with divorce law, Judge Stewart begins by showing how to avoid financial disaster and how to select an attorney. He then goes on to give rare insights into how a judge in fact determines child custody and support matters, spousal support, the fate of the family home, and attorney's fees. He gives practical advice on how to protect oneself physically and emotionally.

In short, Judge Stewart has written an insider's frank, fascinating, and somewhat frightening view into the workings of California divorce courts. The book could well provide the stimulus for a great TV dramatic series. Congratulations to an outstanding, thoughtful judge for providing a superb, practical, account of the workings of family law courts in California.

I found Judge Stewart's Divorce Handbook for California to be not only incredibly thorough, but also quite easy to understand and free of condescending "legalese". In fact, there is an extensive glossary of terms that I could quickly refer to if I was at all unsure of a legal concept. This book is superior to the "do it yourself" variety, because it illustrates a variety of legal options for the reader, including how to hire a competent attorney and yet protect yourself financially. Because divorce is such a complicated and emotional process, it is reassuring to have a clear and comprehensive resource to turn to for info on a variety of legal issues, such as spousal support, division of property, custody, attorneys etc. I enthusiastically recommend this extremely useful book!

This book is a very tenderly written creation story that inspires kids to use their imagination on a grand scale. The awe the reader feels at seeing this creation unfold is not at all solemn; there is a sense of dynamism and joy on each page. This book helps kids to appreciate other culture's oral traditions as well as the natural beauty of our world.

This retelling of a Kato Indian legend is beautifully written, and its illustrations are both apt and marvelous. A wonderful creation story. It is a book I'd have loved as a child, and will love on into the rest of my old age.

This book was..amazing. I never realised I could enjoy a book so much. It was amazingly written, made me live the story rather than me just reading it. It had quite the storyline, one of those books you'll never forget. It's beyond amazing, and in my opinion there is not enough words to express how well written this book was. Great storyline, great author...amazing. Never realised a book could capture me in such a way as Alison Lohans has done with this particular book.

This is my favorite book of all time and I'm saddened to see that it is out of print. It is about three things that meant a lot to me, how to be a mother, how to be a daughter and how to live in the shadow of the Vietnam war....
Its a book about lifes experiences, and lifes experiences in the 60's are all that much more compelling

I've read this book several times. Beverly Hills is one of my favorite places and I been to several of the houses described in this book. The maps are accurate and the stories about the stars are fabulous. I highly recommend it.

I enjoyed seeing Hollywood and Beverly Hills after reading this book It brought the history alive. It was excellently written and I would like to se more.

I have not yet finished the book, but the rating stars can only increase. We returned from Napa Valley after a three trip and it was interesting to find the places spoken of in the book. Barron writes in a startlingly brutal fashion and probably hasn't been in contact with many of her subject acquaintances. This a beautifully written book, by an artist of our language;not written for the common denominator. I'm awaitng for her next book on any subject.

This evocative portrayal of Napa Valley reminded me of the writings of Peter Mayle. It represents the place through people -- through portraits, (sometimes acerbic) of the owners of some of the area's famous wineries. It's worth the read just for the lyrical writing and the marvellous sense of place. I hated reaching the end of it.

From the moment the Collie sets out on his adventure, the book is gripping and suspenseful. It is along the lines of the books about the collie Lad by Albert Payson Terhune. It is captivating right up until the very end! A book hard to put down once you have started to read it. Animals lovers will not want to miss this one.

This book is recommended very highly. The writer clearly knows collies, knows a variety of types of people and can write very well. Duffy is a three year old collie who gets separated from his home. Before he is able to return he meets a variety of people, some well-meaning some not, some who know dogs some not, but many of whom end up trying to sell or give him to someone else. He also affects two people whom he meets enough for them to arrange separate efforts to break into a shelter to rescue him when his time is almost up. The concentration is on Duffy. There is no attempt to anthropomorphize or be sentimental. However, one will find oneself at times smiling pleasantly and at other times with eyes starting to get wet. The final third of the book is especially well done. While an older child might enjoy the story, the writing style is definitely oriented toward the adult reader (not because of sex, violence or offensive language but because of sophistication of style). This book leaves one with a very positive feeling, regretting only that we will not see more such stories from this author. Unfortunately he died in 1981. We can thank the publisher for now making his last effort available to the reading public.

Petievich captures the attitudes, language, and deadly gamesmanship of L.A. gangbangers and the cops caught up in the gangbangers' world. Written a decade ago, the book is eerily prescient in its depiction of an out-of-control antigang unit that starts functioning like a street gang itself - predating the actual Rampart/CRASH scandals with disturbing precision. I've read dozens of police procedurals; few can compare to EARTH ANGELS in the accuracy of its portrayals and the lean, unfliching realism of its prose. A hypnotizing excursion into the no-man's-land of gang warfare, this novel is even more relevant and timely now than when it was first published. I predict it will continue to stand the test of time and be remembered as one of the few classics in the police-fiction genre. Don't miss it!

Anyone who has read this book, written nearly ten years ago, will be amazed at its accuraccy concerning the corrupyion at the LAPD. I am so astounded at its parralels, that I truly think it is not so much as a fiction book, but a true life account of todays headline news. It even names C.R.A.S.H. as the main police gang buster team. I think someone should look into this. Anyone else interested, E Mail me!

My word! I remember touring Eichler homes in Orange California with my parents. The homes, to me, were spectacular. My parents thought they seemed cheap. They were from the midwest and were used to brick homes built for powerful winters. We moved into another home several blocks from the Eichler Subdivision. I walked past the homes on they way to elementary school and just admired them so much. I guess I will never know what it is like to live in one, but I do know what it was like to tour an Eichler as a model home. What a memory! These are very special homes.

Scott K Dolik

As a Eichler home owner I couldn't wait for this book to arrive and thankfully it was a joy to read and pour over all the original photos in the book. I always knew I owned a special home and now I own a wonderful book that validates that too. Even if you are not a Eichler homeowner, but rather just a fan of mid-century homes this is also a must have for your library as it goes into more then just Joe Eichler and his homes. Enjoy the read!

I stumbled across this book by accident one day and it has turned out to be my find of 2001 -- one of the most enjoyable books I have read in ages. Taylor, a youthful New York journalist and poet, was sent out to California to file back dispatches on this wild, gold-filled, lush place in the seminal gold rush year of 1849, when California was a sprawling region, and not yet a state. And what a fabulous job he does -- this reads more like an engaging adventure narrative than non-fiction, and I could not put it down -- a reader is completely transported into another place and time. One cannot fail to be fascinated by the bustling, energetic, multi-ethnic, can-do place that was the west coast. If you know California, especially the San Francisco, Monterey and Sacramento areas, Taylor's descriptions of their still-untamed landscapes will be both familiar and strange, but always utterly lovely. His reports of the gold rush regions are extraordinary, as is his walk -- yes, *walk* -- from San Francisco to Monterey... this at a time when a galloping horse could get from San Jose to San Francisco in perhaps seven *hours*. Taylor is funny, honest, generally very clear-eyed and unsentimental, and his writing is of very high calibre. Kudos to Heyday Press for bringing this wonderful book to a new audience. I am giving it to everybody as a gift this year.

Bayard Taylor, with the eye of the photographer for detail and composition and the writing talent of the professional journalist Horace Greely so willingly paid, provides the reader with a fantastic look at California of the mid-1800's. His vivid descriptions of the people, the events, and perhaps most importantly, the pre-development beauty of California's wild mountains, seacoasts, and valleys, made this reviewer (a native Californian) long for a time machine to allow visits to the wondrous collection of experiences described by Taylor. From his many travels across the land, to his viewing of the first California consitutional convention, his words allow the reader to feel the wind in one's hair as the California-bred horses fly at top speed across the valleys and through the washes, or to be a fly on the wall as the convention delegates reach compromises which shaped and prepared the State for it's Golden future. The pictures he paints of the natural environment of early California are so dramatic that they must certainly encourage all attempts to preserve the tragically few expanses of California landscape remaining. This is a book for Californians (and those who love the state) who wish to return, if only for a few brief moments, to the sounds and the sights of it's birth: raw, chaotic, beautiful, yet with a rich Spanish/Mexican heritage and social codes that provided a useable framework to maintain law and order. Taylor describes it all, allowing us to understand not only what was happening, but also why. It's a great book.

Many books have been written about the California Gold Rush, and most recently a popular contender by H. W. Brands, but only the acclaimed author and historian Dale L. Walker, and expert in California history, could bring us such a brilliant and comprehensive account of this time and place of the American West, and he does so in his latest release, ELDORADO.

In the pre-Gold Rush era, California was a mecca of commerce for traders from all over the world. Those who stepped foot on its shores, or made the overland journeys across the Oregon or Santa Fe trails, all sought a prosperous beginning. John Augustus Sutter was no exception, as he left his wife and children and their home in Switzerland, evading substantial debt and economic loss, to start over. Dale L. Walker enlightens the reader on the important role the "Empresario" Sutter played in the commercial and social development of northern California, and ultimately, if not ironically, how such a man in his business ventures suffered, rather than gained, from the discovery of gold at the site of his new saw mill.

Though the story of James Marshall's discovery of gold at Sutter's mill, under Sutter's employ, is likely the key highlight in the history of the Gold Rush, it is a perfect example of how the glamour of such an event can mask the reality of the craze, if not madness, that developed afterward. Walker offers great depth on how the news of the gold discovery reached the media and governments all over the world. How the news was received, who believed it and who didn't, and how those who did attempted to claim their share of the new fortune. Walker offers detailed accounts of the sea journeys around Cape Horn, or the partial sea journeys to the malaria laden jungles of Panama, then to San Francisco Bay - the prices they paid, the accommodations they received, and the fears and anxieties they faced. Rather by land or by sea, the trek alone was dreadful and life-staking. The disease cholera an invisible gauntlet, more so then the social and environmental challenges, to the success in reaching the land of gold.

Dale L. Walker has never failed to provide readers with a compelling, engaging narrative on any of his subjects, but ELDORADO could very well be his best work yet, and is sure to receive worldwide praise and recognition. The book belongs in every public and school library, and in the personal library of world leaders. It's a book for all times and all ages, a tremendous accomplishment, and Dale L. Walker more precious than gold to the writings of American history.

Dale L. Walker's approach to writing American history makes him the most absorbing historian of our times. He tells history by focusing on those who were involved; by drawing vivid and penetrating portraits of the characters who made the history. He is also an amazing researcher, unearthing material that escapes others. This makes him far more readable than Ambrose, and his material is richer as well. Eldorado tells the story of the California gold rush in such rich detail that the whole era springs to life. We come to understandings about what happened, and the men and women who settled California, and the implications of the gold rush that linger even in present times. This is a remarkable work, by a masterful historian, and one that, I suspect, will win literary awards.