I saw this exhibit at Yale University, and it blew my socks off! The work depicted in the catalogue is well documented, and allows you to see the progression Hesse's work underwent during her short life. This is a book that I have treasured for a long time, and that I am sure I will continue to treasure.

Albee's Everything in the Garden is a superb, if surreal attack on suburban complacency. In the course of an evening's house party, participants are discovered to be engaging in racism, bad business ethics, drunkeness, prostitution, and ultimately, murder. Then everyone goes home as if nothing had happened. But something has happened--the central couple, Richard and Jenny, have become financially secure, albeit at a great price. But perhaps they're happier for all this than they have ever been, at the end of a hellish evening in which many of their middle class mores have been abandoned in the name of keeping up with their Long Island neighbors (friends they wouldn't have, by the way, if they were not so well off). The story has absurd plot twists and one or two incredible coincidences, but, accepted on their own terms, these add to the general interest the play's dialogue and plot provide. This play is not performed much now, but it makes for an extraordinarily involving read.

I read this SF novel 35 years ago and really enjoyed it. Cooper wasn't especially well-known as an SF writer, but I recently looked up his name, and he has at least a dozen books out, and a number of short story collections. They're probably all out of print now, but I wished I'd seen more of his books back then as I would have bought them. His real name was Richard Avery.

Anyway, this story about a psychiatrist on an interstellar ship who gets marooned on a planet with an Iron-Age culture was one of my favorite SF novels of the 60's. When it becomes clear he won't be rescued immediately, he settles into local town life, and has various misadventures there, such as when a kite he makes for a young boy gets away from the boy and ends up in the local ruler's palace in a place where it shouldn't have been. The ruler isn't very happy about this, so he's briefly interrogated and tortured, then let go.

He pensively watches life around him in the village, and there's a sort of wistful nostalgia to his situation of being a 21st century earthman trapped in a more primitive culture. He finds a certain satisfaction in living the simple life, and we see the absurdities of our more complex and advanced civilization reflected in their simplicity and naivete. He observes the villagers continue to make progress in much the same way as the early Greeks and Romans must have, such as the invention of the wheel and axle, and primitive ball bearings. In some ways the inhabitants of this planet are more intelligent than humans and he's occasionally surprised by their ingenuity and intelligence.

After several years a rescue ship arrives and he's finally saved. Overall a fine story from an author who should be better known.

Sad but true. Cooper was as good as Hemingway or Mailer (or any of those white cats--and this is coming from a white cat), but due to his skin color and the times and what he wrote about the recognition wasn't forthcoming. It's sad. It tears you up inside. He shouldn't have died broke and a failure--because he was not a failure. The man had talent to spare. The writing is not only raw, but it is literature as art. Another overlooked African-American genius. I just don't get it, don't understand it. But why should that surprise me about people? Read Chester Himes' IF HE HOLLERS LET HIM GO if you want to understand what life was like for certain folks during that time.
Read Clarence Cooper, Jr., savor the sentences. He lives for those who appreciate excellent writing.

Mary Ellen Cooper has published two true crimes and two cozy mysteries. Fatal Trust is her fifth novel. Set in Ozark, Arkansas, Fatal Trust is the story of tragedy and deceit.

Dr. Rebecca Johnson ran a successful practice and was considered to be beautiful and wealthy. Her marriage to Kurt Johnson seemed happy, but she also owned a manufacturing company that was steadily losing money and had a $175,000 lawsuit pending. Because Ozark was a small town, she was determined not to let the company go into bankruptcy and eliminate much needed jobs for the area. She cast about for some means to help her company regain solvency and was drawn into a web of intrigue that would cost her her life and cast suspicion upon her family.

Alan Michael Johnson was a wannabe "con" man, who was a pathological liar who was on his third marriage to his wife, Libby, three times. Libby worked for Dr. Becky and suggested a meeting with her husband, who she believed could help Dr. Becky with her problems. When Dr. Becky disappeared, Libby would still defend her husband through thick and thin:

"Libby was not used to the hard stares of the Federal agents or the persistent questions she was asked. There was one certainty in Libby's mind and that was an unshakable belief in Mike. Hadn't he proved it daily for the past six months? He was always bringing her flowers for no reason, treating her like a princess."

Although this story is told in a narrative fashion, it still makes for fascinating reading. How could a doctor as smart as Rebecca Johnson be taken in by a two-bit con man? Even the police and F.B.I. would have to work extremely hard to recover Becky's body and build a case against a man totally without scruples or conscience.

M.E. Cooper uses a straightforward chronological style of writing to good effect. She has meticulously researched her facts, and gives quite a detailed version of forensic science, which would do service to any good mystery writer. Her attention to detail and occasional lapses of humor make for an interesting and satisfying read.

Shelley Glodowski, Reviewer

Outstanding, true and accurate portrayal of the battles of WWII. The book clearly shows the Army's jealousy of Marines as well as the aggressive, yet futile attempts by the Army and Navy to disband the Marine Corps. It shows the true colors of such spineless, political stewards as Nimitz and Spruance, while giving great credit to those deserving of it such as Turner. By far THE best book written on Gen Holland Smith. Do not think you know the man by reading "Coral and Brass". This book is a quick read and is historically accurate.

Fireworks is Cooper at his best; with tales ranging from battles and hunts to tequila making and returning home from war. Cooper knows how to tell a story right; leaving in the details that breath life into every sentence. Whether making a carbine exciting or describing some of the best history of the twentieth century, Cooper draws the reader in with his masterful use of the English language. Originally purchased for my husband, now one of my favorites!

I picked up this book for my aunts birthday, but read it myself. The story is smooth and funny. Great for a summer day by the beach.

I recommend this book highly to any parent, teacher or school administrator involved in the process of formulating a homework policy for their school. The recommendations in the book are based not on one person's opinion or one study. Rather, Harris Cooper, the author, attempted to collect and review all the research done in the past fifty years on homework. He does not have a bias either in favor of or against homework. Instead, his recommendations are based on his analysis of the research. The conclusion that I found to be most interesting -- in this time of increasingly heavy homework loads for even the youngest children -- is that "the effect of homework on the achievement of young children appears to be small, even bordering on trivial," and "[t]here is no evidence that any amount of homework noticeably improves the academic performance of elementary students." (Cooper does find that "for high school students the effect of homework can be impressive.") Cooper acknowledges that there may be reasons to assign homework other than to improve achievement (for example, to promote good study habits), and he recommends, based on his research, that such assignments be "short and simple" for elementary school students. I gave this book to the principal of my sons' school, with the hope that she will read it and be guided by it. A new edition is coming out this spring; I look forward to reading it.

Frances and Friends is about a girl named Frances McAllister who lives in Wisconsin. She has two good friends named Polly and Lena. And then everything changes.
Amanda moves to town from Los Angeles. Her father is a screenwriter. Amanda and Polly become good friends, and Frances feels left out because Polly is her best friend and they usually do everything together.
To see if Frances and Polly become best friends, read Frances and Friends!