I lived through this period (late teens) in Detroit and can attest to the influence of the Detroit Drug organizations. In fact, they are probably understated in this book. It was an invigorating, exciting, yet somewhat frightening time to be alive.

But enough about that, it's an excellent read, perhaps a little on the "academic" side with the sociological profile of Arkansas.

But rest assured, Billy Joe, White Boy Rick, Larry, and some of the others were definitely celebrities. As a high school student, we knew who they all were.

If you enjoy the movies Scarface, Goodfellas and Blow you will love this book. I personally think it is the greatest Gangster book of all-time. The Chambers brothers were the John Gotti's of Detroit in the early 80's, they completely ran the city. They had one goal in mind and that was making money, and they made some serious, serious money. The thing that made the Chambers brothers famous was the fact that they ran this operation like a business, they weren't just petty small-time punks, they were very similar to Tony Montana in the movie Scarface,[....]

I work with inner city youth and grew up in Housing projects during the 70's and 80's I actually watch with morbid curosity crack seduce and control our young black men and destroy families. This book was so close to home that at times I felt as if I was reading an autobiography of my childhood. What struk me most about this portrayal of drug dealers were their business savy and at same time their studipity. How four young men from the south could actually take over drug trade but yet didnt have sense to move away from the hood or to open bank accounts. I've always felt that street hustlers are smarter than the average wall street tthree piece suit wearing man. I would like to see a follow up on where the brothers are now in 1998 if any are actually out of prison and moving on with their lives.

Power to Hurt is a very good book that might have been made even better with a little editing. At times it reads like an earnest slice-of-life novel, the type that asks the reader to spend a little more time than necessary inside the heroine's head. But she is, indeed, a heroine, and the book is quite moving at the end -- something that can't be said about many true crime stories.

The book only takes us up to the midpoint of the judge's career. It ends with the full Sixth Circuit hearing the case "en banc." Soon afterward, in a bizarre ruling, a majority of the court's members held that a judge's sexual assaults (some committed while he was literally wearing his black robe) did not constitute a civil rights violation because the US Supreme Court had never explicitly ruled that they did. That type of reasoning, needless to say, never stopped them or any other federal court from finding a civil rights violation when a cop or prison guard assaulted someone, but judges, you see, are different because, well, because the Sixth Circuit is composed of them.

The US Supreme Court reversed -- unanimously -- and sent the case back to the Sixth Circuit with instructions for it to get real. But then Judge Lanier, who'd been out on bond all this time, skipped off to San Diego where he lived under an assumed name. He eventually slipped over the border into Mexico. The Sixth Circuit ordered him to turn himself in and when he failed to do so, it dismissed his appeal, finding that by showing disrespect for the court he had forfeited his right to ask it for assistance. Just a day or two after the dismissal, the judge was arrested in Mexico and brought back to the States. (Was the timing coincidental?) To the end he had his supporters on the Sixth Circuit -- incidentally a spectacularly dysfunctional institution, with judges who aren't reluctant to go public with their mutual loathing -- but he's safely locked away now.

I wasn't fond of the title, but as I read the back of the book and skimmed the first few pages I was hooked. I couldn't believe what these poor women went through. Lanier was so thoroughly evil and couldn't even realize it. To think that women would want what he did to them is rather typical of a lot of men I think. He acted on his sick fantasies and them held the women's children's welfare over them. What a beast. I hope he stays in prison forever and inmates give him a dose of his own medicine.

I'm an avid true crime reader and sometimes get jaded but this book really grabbed me and took me on a rollercoaster of emotions. It's hard to believe that one person would be allowed to hold the power that Lanier did and hard to believe that a high court would release him the way they did. I have complete admiration for the women who stood up to this disgusting piece of "humanity", their courage is a model for all women!

This book is very well done. It can be used as a reference, or as an orchestration course (with the CDs and the workbook). Musical examples are wide in scope and musical styles. I really recommend buying the CD set: most of the musical examples have been specially recorded for this book (good quality + instrument choirs & registers isolated from the rest of the orchestra).

This is an excellent book, probably the best I've seen dealing with orchestration. It is laid out very well and very clearly. Some previous music knowledge is definitely needed.

It covers everything from basics to complex. I did, however, feel that it could have went into a little more detail on more recent developments and modern performing techniques, which are often only briefly mentioned.

The accompanying CDs are very good and they demonstrate the majority of examples in the book. I would have preferred, however, if the video clips were on a seperate disc to the audio examples, and so, I could have the videos CD in my computer, and the audio CDs in the stereo. Instead, I found myself ejecting and inserting CDs a lot. I could not play the audio examples on my computer, because when you load the CD, there is only one folder - videos. It did turn out, however, that the audio files were actually there, and could be found if you opened Windows Media Player first. (I only found this out by reading another review on this website). A little confusing.

Apart from that though, which isn't an issue now that I know about it, this book and CDs are excellent. They may set you back a few pounds, but they will last a lifetime.

An essential reference tool for the Composer and Orchestrator - I've read it cover to cover, and dipped into it for information almost every week. This orchestration text works exceptionally well with the accompanying set of 5 CD's and Workbook. This is the more expensive package, but it will literally last a lifetime. With the CDs, you gain an aural idea of the sound or orchestral phenomenon that the musical examples and wording is trying to explain. For the young composer, this is a wonderful thing, as it builds up a collection of sounds in the imagination with which to composer, like a palette with which to paint. The Study Of Orchestration has up-to-date orchestral technique, including comprehensive natural harmonics charts for strings, a contemporary notation guide, giving possible notation for microtones, distortion, white noise, and 'highest point on a string'-noteheads, etc.

Most of the instrumentation examples and orchestral extracts have a corresponding CD track, an immediate education for your musical ear. The 5 CDs make this book unique. I especially value this book for its Natural Harmonics charts which give the required string, node and resultant pitch for Violin, Viola, Cello and Double Bass. I consult these charts all the time.

Buy this book, (and the CD's if you can afford them).

This is a great book for anyone interested in background acting. The book is loaded with resources. After reading the book I had a better direction and lots of motivation to help develop my "hobby" of being a background actor. The only drawback is that many of the resources are not too useful if you don't live in California. If you DO live in CA, get this book!

I bought this tremendous book to help ease me back into work which I hadn't done for over 20 years, and I found it a tremendous help. I did some stunts and body doubling for the TV series "Cannon" back in the 70s (actor William Conrad didn't do his own buttwork for the nude scenes) and bought this handy guide to bring me up to speed on the industry. The tips proved invaluable - don't take my word for it, look out for yours truly as "man eating hamburger" in "Independence Day" and "man chugging pizza" in "Chasing Amy".

Years ago I used Cullen's book to help break into the business. I've heeded his advice, studied my craft and enjoyed the benefits that SAG offers as a result of merely studying the 1993 edition of this same book. For the novice, particularly the non-union extra, it's a wonderful tool. It saves money due to it's rating system, also warning of agencies making their bucks from registering new folks at a premium. Just about every area is covered for both old and new in the business. It is attuned to Los Angeles, but this happens to be the only area in the country with a constant influx of talent, with a fluctuating volume of work. I personally have worked with Cullen a number of times over the years, most memorably on Star Trek 'Voyager' and a number of commercials. The only book on the subject I'll recommend.

Although this translation is concise and contained in one volume, the Penguin Books publication of this work (in that version, titled first as "Story of the Stone") is an infinitely better translation - the poetry is kept intact and the story is in full, instead of condensed for speed. In addition, the maids - who frequently outnumber the mistresses and masters in the plot line - are introduced to the reader with names in English, which makes the story a little easier to follow.

If you really like this story and have not read the unabridged version, please do yourself a favor and find the Penguin publications. I love this novel, but there are better translations.

The 18th century novel, Hongloumeng, remains the greatest Chinese novel ever written, unsurpassed in its depiction of individuals and families, human striving, and stellar literary values. It may be read on many levels, as a love story or social history, as a philosophical musing on the futility of human existence, and a repository of Chinese artistic and literary values. The translation under review is a sharply abridged version that advances the plot line by eliminating many of the minor characters, most of the poetry, and a great deal of the detailed descriptions of daily life in an upper class Chinese family. Those seeking a full appreciation of the novel, especially its literary value, should turn to the full translation, which goes by the title Story of the Stone. However, the full complete translation is a multivalued piece, almost 2,000 pages in length. What you get with this translation is a good feel for the main characters, especially the love triangle, and for the social dynamics within the family. The result in a lovely read that will inspire you to compare this abridge version with a fuller version to see what you missed. I still use this translation in my history courses, but I use it for social history. My colleagues in literature prefer to use volume 1 of the Story of the Stone for their classes.

This novel allows the reader to enter a world that is almost entirely alien, giving a window not only into courtly aristocratic life in the Qing dynasty, but also into religious and superstitious belief. THe themes are love, destiny, and social position. I constantly thought of the best of Balzac as I read this, transported into the past and learning deeply what history books can never truly offer. This is a wonder.

i thought that this book was very anticipating yet interesting. it kept me wanting to read it until the end. theres some action in it and theres a lot of drama on both sides of the conflict. although much of the book was in the courtroom i could say that much action was taken place outside of the courthouse. there are characters that i think the author makes u not like which is understandable considering what they've done. then theres the people u feel sympathy for and can do nothing about it. overall i would rate this a 4 star novel

Not exactly a fan of Grisham's novel but 'A Time to Kill' did open up my mind on terms of justice and the meaning of law.The "beauty" of discrimination and the "joy" of suffer and anguish.Personally, I'm impressed with the theme that he presented and the flow of his idea in captivating the reader's point of view.To be able to "sense" the meaning of democracy and to share the same enthusiasm makes me merely impressed with his writing.What we've read in his novels are some of the normal "thing" that happens in our lives but it takes so much more in "bringing" it to life.That is what John Grisham has done to me and definately to all his readers.

" A time to Kill" - the most fascinating novel I ever read ..it hasa mixture of drama,suspense,action and comedy..it has everything that will make your reading time unnotice as if you don't want to stop until the end...more power to John Grisham....

This is more a beginners guide to Reiki in the Medical Profession than anything else. Many of the ideas of where Reiki is from are outdated. Though for the most part the information is based on the Reiki tradition.

I was disappointed by the lack of in-depth techniques and information on HOW to apply Reiki in these situations. This is a "What is Reiki" and "How Reiki can benefit your profession" book. A beginners information guide again. Good for it's purpose.

The one thing I was upset by was the complete lack of discussion on the Ethics in Reiki. Even going so far as to tell people to do Reiki on people before asking permission. To me, a Reiki/Seichim Teacher the Ethics are some of the most important information to pass on.

Hi I took a class from Libby & Maggie for me it was A Review class. I have an Reiki Teaching and healing practrice. I found the class and the book to be very helpful,in understanding Reiki. It worked well with any level of Reiki or experience that one has with this system. I found the book to be clear and since it was not "airy fairly" I could tell my "main stream" students to buy it without fear that they would be scared away. I liked the clear photo's Angelic Reiki BLessings. Gigi Benanti Norwalk ct

As an RN, and a CRNA, I found this text especially appealing. Good explanations of just what reiki is about are extremely helpful. As I have just recieved my reiki 1 attunements, I found many of the suggestions very helpful to my practice of anesthesia, and reiki! Thanks and well done!

it's hard to imagine this book being written over 75 years ago. tanizaki writes with great clarity and precision, and like many japanese novels the use of language is wonderful.

but the subject! naomi is the most vile, cruel, manipulative, evil creature he could have imagined. joji, her hapless benafactor and husband, starts of being somewhat sympathetic, but in the end it's tempting to strangle him just to put him out of his misery.

this is all done with great style. at turns creepily erotic, hilarious and pathetic, it's difficult to come away from this novel feeling anything less than defiled.

a scathing indictment of the 1920's japanese obsession with things western, i've trouble understanding why government censors briefly terminated newspaper serialization in 1924; it shows nothing even remotely appealing about western culture or lifestyle.

a good tonic for this was peter mccarthy's "little bunny on the move".

This is the first Tanizaki novel I've read, and I enjoyed it a greay deal, but I hate both of the main characters. The story starts off with Joji a 28 year old bachelor who falls for a pretty, quiet 15 year old girl named Naomi. Many things attact Joji to Naomi: her beauty, her Eurasian features, but the main thing is her name: Naomi. The name is written with three Chinese characters and it could also be a western name. Joji finds this very attractive. He starts to hang out with the girl going to Western restaurants and going to see Western movies. He eventually takes the girl in, wanting to make her a prop lady. He pays for her to take English and music lessons. This is when things start to go downhill. Naomi's english is very poor, and Joji makes her work very hard calling her an idiot when she doesn'yt understand passive voice. Naomi gets angry and very obstinate. As time goes on Joji marries Naomi, but keepos it secret from everyone else. He enjoys washing her body and playing horse with her, treating her like a play thing. They eventually go out and study dancing together, but this leads to more problems because of some of the men Naomi meets. I'm not going any further. Read the book and experience how a weak-willed man acts when the woman he loves cheats on him constantly, but can't get enough of her. See how a respectful business man is reduced to a submissive husband to his teenage wife. Very disturbing, but a good read nonetheless.

this novel does a wonderful job of presenting the discursive domination of the west present in japan. the struggle between joji and naomi shows the inability to reconcile cultural identity, which is portrayed in the transition to westernization and a return to tradition. in addition, several other important issues are discussed within the novel, including the empowerment of women and the idea of manufactured definitions (ie the definition of "modernism" within the novel)

its appeal lies in the readers inability to truly relate to either of the main characters: joji with his masochistic self and naomi as a briliant sort of moga ("modern girl".) the most tantalizing aspect of the novel is questioning where the blame lies... is joji responsible for naomi's lack of conscience because he took advantage of a young woman with nowhere to turn and molded her into a westernized play thing or would naomi have turned out like this anyway, due to her scandalous background?

in reading the novel, also keep in mind whether tanizaki is criticizing the west or the way the west appears in japan?

This is probably the best book about the life of Miles Davis I have found. I have read his autobiography, the biography by Carr, and So What along with a couple of other Miles books. This one simply gives the best detail and most interesting about the artists life. If you want to read a book about Miles Davis start with this one. It is quite lenghty but there weren't many dull moments in Davis's life.

Jack Chambers has done a very hard task and that is to present the life of the legendary Miles Davis to readers in a very interesting, yet complex style which was reflective of the way Miles Davis led his life and music.

Miles Davis was the premiere jazz musician of his time along with John Coltrane, Charlie "Bird" Parker, Herbie Hancock, etc, yet while you can love Davis's music, to know the man was very hard to do, since Miles Davis was a standoffish and sullen individual. Chambers describes Davis's behavior as being sullen and hard to know because Davis's was a very shy man. I am sure that Davis lived a tough life because of injustice, yet it is sad that he didn't trust his fans and those who cared for him. Davis certainly lived the life of a "star", he over-indulged in sex, was an abuser of drugs, and had split personalities later on in life, yet his musical vision was almost always focused and clear, whether it be in the pinnacle of his talent (1950-1962), or his creating fusion (1967-1973), or the later part of his life.

Chambers does an excellent job of detailing the relationship Miles had with his fellow musicians such as the love-hate relationship with Theolonius Monk, the admiration and jealousy between Coltrane and Miles, as well as Miles being a mentor to such jazz greats as Herbie Hancock, John McGlaughlin, Chick Corea, etc.

I am a tremendous fan of Miles Davis jazz visions, I love his music and his musical style, yet after reading this book I feel sadness because I don't know if I pity Davis or just not liking him altogether, or admiring him no matter what, his final years were spent in paranoia, suspicion and feeding his ego, that is sad because if he would of just relaxed and enjoy his fans admiration I believe he might have lived longer. Anyways, this is an outstanding book and is highly recommended to all jazz lovers and fans of the immortal Miles Davis.

By the time I found out about Jack Chambers' Miles biographies (two volumes, originally) they had been combined into this single book with some new material that brings the original manuscripts from the 1980's up to date. Despite the heading on this site, this is the complete 800-odd page monster bio, not an "introduction"!

This is a fantastic bio. Like many other critics and older fans who were raised on jazz, Chambers can't really relate to Miles' work from the late 1960's onwards, but he does give it comprehensive coverage, rather than pretend that it all ended with "The Quintet". I'm not sure that criticisms about his quoting reviews are justified. I saw it as just being thorough - giving details of the critics' reactions to recordings rather than just his own. I learned much from his chronicling of events, right through to the seventies, that I did not know.

If you are a fan of Miles' final period (1981 comeback to his death in 1991), then you're probably the only one who will feel short-changed. As this was not a period that interested me greatly, I was not particularly bothered (probably exhausted by then!).

A really professional effort.

Cecil Forsyth's Orchestration is a fascinating introduction to the topic. The text is broken up into sections, each section dedicated to an instrument of the orchestra. There are a great number of musical examples which Forsyth uses to prove the points he makes. Although the age of the book fails to lend a modern perspective (I'd LOVE to see what the percussion section of the book would look like if it was written after Orff's Carmina Burana!), many fundamentals of orchestration are timeless. The string section is glorious, and is a wonderful introduction to the instruments for any non-string player. Overall, the text is invaluable to any student with moderate theory knowledge interested in the technical side of music.

An excellent and authoritative text. There have been some changes in the capabilities of the instruments that are not reflected in the text, and of course it is missing all of the more modern and electronic instruments (this has the same unabridged text as the 1935 edition), but it's still very useful and well-written.

One (small) lack: after reading the section on the harp, I still greatly prefer the standard on that subject, "Harp Scoring" by Stanley Chaloupka, for discussion of composing or orchestrating for the harp.

I feel this book should be in the library of anyone serious about orchestration or composing for an orchestra.

The introduction to Cecil Forsyth's "Orchestration" is by William Bolcolm, a prominent American composer very much of our time. (His opera "A View from the Bridge" premiered November 1999 and was favorably reviewed in "Newsweek", "Time Magazine", and "The New York Times.") As William Bolcolm points out, very little of this book is out of date--a few tiny, insignificant bits; it remains "eminently usable". It also remains head and shoulders above the scores of tedious, dull, and perfunctory orchestration manuals subsequently published. One of its many virtues is its immersion in what Mr. Bolcolm calls "technical culture": It imparts to you a sense of what it's like to play the various orchestral instruments. Future fetishists (those wishing to obliterate the past and present in sacrificial rite to a future they can know as little as you and I) take note: what is best is what endures.