This novel both intrigued and concerned me as I enjoyed the science fiction aspects but was ever aware that the political implications are reality-based. Dana Barbour's character development is excellent, and he does an excellent job of integrating the plot with current sociopolitical issues. The Question is challenging intellectually but definitely read-worthy! If you wonder about implications of current political events, read Dana Barbour's The Question...it's in his book!

THE QUESTION HOLDS MY ATTENTION AS IT SEEMS MORE FUTURE REALITY THAN FICTION.IT IS HUMAN NATURE TO DENY OUR PROBLEMS AND DISASTERS SUCH THAT IMPENDING CONTROL OF OUR FATE MAY RELY ON OUR ABILITY TO FORESEE A SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT THAT IS NOT INDEED BENEVOLENT. IN A MODERN FAST PACED LIFESTYLE, IF WE LET OTHERS MAKE OUR DECISIONS WE GIVE UP MANY OPTIONS TO CONTROL OUR FUTURE FATE. THIS BOOK SHOULD SOUND AN ALARM TO ANY FREE THINKING AWARE READER.

This book combines a engrossing science fiction plot with it's mind challenging and thought provoking philosophical discourse. In this age of apathy and cynicism this is a book by someone who dares to give a damn, and that is refreshing.

No simple answers here but persistent readers will come away with their minds expanded.

First off, I have to say that the art in this book is superior to virtually any other children's storybook I have seen in my young parenting career. The paintings portay the scene described in the words perfectly.

This book does an excellent job of conveying a family life where the stories passed through the generations matter so much that the grandchildren DO in fact dream and wonder about the lives of their grandparents. I want for my daughter to dream and wonder, too.

As the adoptive father of a biracial girl, I think this is a good book for conveying a part of her cultural heritage that she may not get to experience much first hand.

This book is beautifully written and illustrated. The rhythm and lyricism of the words conveys the loving relationship between the little girl and her grandmother. I've given the book as a gift to several little girls. One mother called to say that they had read the book 2 or 3 times each day since it was received. Don't let 'race' color your decision to purchase this book. The story is for all little girls and grown-up girls as well.

I love this book! Dinah Johnson tells all about family living in the Carolinas, using the language of the African-American culture, yet the book's theme is universal. A good read for any child. I particularly liked the name, Hattie Lottie Annie Quinnie Blue. The rhythm of the words are truly like raindrops falling on a tin roof as I remember growing up in North Carolina. James Ransome's life-like illustrations are wonderful. Throughout this read, one can sense the presence of self love as Quinnie Blue compares her life experiences to that of her grandmother's. So, unselfish self-love is passed down.

James Hillman (who I came to through Thomas Moore and Robert Sardello) delves deeper into the processes of the Soul than any other writer I've read. His view of psychology (or re-viewing if you prefer) is to take the emphasis off of the Mind and put it back upon the Soul. It is this dialogue with our Soul (or daimon) that will make us (and our culture) feel better. In this work he redefines the approach to psychology and therapy in a dynamic voice.

I think Jung would have appreciated the irony: in a way this book both completes and thoroughly undermines the Jungian project. At least that's how it worked for me.

Hillman is a genuinely wise man (I do hope he never reads this, or if he does, that he forgives me for saying so! :-). Yes, he is certainly a poet, a mythologist, a psychotherapist, a thinker, an iconoclast, a scholar etc, etc... But above all, he is a wise man -- a shaman, a guide. In this book he turns his gift for "seeing through" to the subject of psychotherapy itself. I can only describe the result as an astonishing, erudite, profoundly beautiful and ultimately liberating dance, in which Hillman, on our behalf, engages (and disengages!) himself with the psychological stuff of psychotherapy. This is healing of the highest order, and I never expected to encounter it in such an accessible form.

Having read this book, I can no longer think of Psyche in terms other than those of polytheistic "seeing through". And I can no longer read any books on psychotherapy, except through Hillman's playful, re-visioning eyes -- no, not even Jung, nor Hillman himself. The circle is complete. The thesis and anti-thesis have combined into synthesis, and in the four-step magical dialectics, got transmuted into a new totality. Where do we go from here? I have no idea, but it will be somewhere else.

Hillman boasts in his foreword that this book is packed with ideas. He was being humble. It will take several rereads to fully savor all the things he has said and all the things he has intentionally left for our imagination to grasp and intuit. This is one of the few 20th century books I have come across that does indeed deal with psyche-ology--understanding the soul. The closest contender I have seen is Rollo May's "Love and Will." After reading Hillman other works read like elementary textbooks.

Many may be repelled by Hillman's seeming anachronistic and animistic return to gods, daimons, and personifications; as if taking the field of psychology on a regress. Hillman may even seem to some as living in a fantasy world concocted out of what he's read between Plato and the Renaissance period. But this is not mere atavism on his part, to revive a nostalgic time and worldview. As Hillman states in his latest book "The Soul's Code" we need only fall madly in love to admit of a daimonic possession. Gods--archetypes--animate us. Some gods may be dead but many others certainly are up to the task of roiling us.

Hillman is a master writer. He is effusive as any scribe of the soul should be. He is poetic and mythic; he provokes the reader and evokes a litany of images and connections. Helmsmen Intuition and Imagination are continually steering Hillman's hand. If there are contradictions in this work then they are most welcome, and even sought. How else can it be? Simple sciences breed simplistic answers. Something as complex as the soul and as great as the imagination cannot but procreate that which to Logic appears as contradictions. And so his style and objective as he admits is to confuse and confound rather than reduce and ground (in the empirical and, therefore, to a halt). There can be no pat and final answers or theologies of the soul and the gods, and Hillman makes certain of that.

I love mysteries and my wife gave me this book for Christmas. It was one of the most exciting reads I ever had. The action jumps off the page. The plot is, as the book jacket says, unreal. Only a doctor could think these murders up. I loved the slight hint of sarcasm in Kirvin's writing. A great first novel which would make a great movie. You must read this book.

I have worked with Dr. Kirvin for several years, and had no idea that he was a writer as well as a surgeon. When he told me about the book, I immediately ordered it, and read it in one sitting. I found it to be very absorbing and suspense filled. The teaser ending has me anxiously waiting for the next book. My experience with Dr. Kirvin just goes to show that you can't always tell a book by its cover. There is a lot more to this surgeon than just medical knowledge. He knows how to tell a good story, and the main character is facinating. I look forward to saying,"I knew him before he was a famous author".

Mr. Kirvin's first novel is a must read. With each turn of the page I wondered what could possibly be around the corner. I stayed up into the wee hours of the morning. I just couldn't put it down. Enjoy.

"Regina's Record" is an exceptional piece of literary non-fiction. Van Amber combines the story of his mother's mental illness and the horrifying treatment she suffers at the hands of the Veterans' Administration hospital staff with the autobiographical details of his own childhood and early adulthood. The writing is crisp and restrained during the most horrifying events, creating a sense of clarity in the reader. In other sections, the writing becomes lyrical, moving in its expression of love and pity and search for kindness. By the end, the reader believes both Van Amber's grandmother who says "The world is a hard place," and Van Amber, who finds miracles and kindness in that hardness. A beautiful book. A must read for students of counseling and psychology and psychiatry and nursing and medicine, for anyone whose profession requires them to see the human faces of the patient and the family members behind the label of the mental illness.

THIS IS AN INCREDIBLY BRAVE LOOK AT A LIFE, THAT IN SO MANY OTHER SIMILAR CASES HAVE BEEN PASSED OVER, AND EXAMINED FOR WHAT IT IS - A LIFE! REGINA'S RECORD IS SO SENSETIVELY WRITTEN, AND KEPT ME PINNED TO MY FAVORITE READING CHAIR. THANK YOU JAMES VAN AMBER!

The most affecting moments in this memoir take place when the mother and son share a scene. The opening scene, for example, shows, in great detail, how a five-year-old boy witnessed his mother being taken away to the mental hospital. Much later, as an 18-year-old about to join the Army, he visits her at a VA hospital north of Chicago, and she does not recognize him; furthermore, she says that she has no son. What would she make of this memoir-- the son, now in his fifties, reclaiming his mother, detailing her life of abuse and sad delusion? That is the powerful irony that lies embedded in every word of this memoir--how Regina never knew her son (and could not help him) and how the author only knew Regina long after she had died (and could do nothing to help her).

In one sense, it's a tough book to read. It does not spare the reader. It never censors itself. At the same time, it is beautifully written, a work of great literary craft, that can be appreciated by all who care about excellence in writing, not just by those who are interested in the subject of this book. It would make a terrific movie.

Quiet Light is a large format book (12x13 inches) containing 51 duotone plates of John Sexton's photographs taken 1974-1988. The title refers to the naturally "quiet light" of dawn and sunset which provided the illumination for the photographs within. The photographs are mostly of the natural world and range in perspective from close-ups of plants to sweeping landscapes. Some of the photographs are excellent, some mediocre, but the collection really conveys a specific mood and gives the viewer a strong sense of the style and themes of John Sexton's work during this period of time.

The quality of the paper is very good. It is difficult for me to comment on the quality of the reproductions because I haven't seen the original prints of any of them. In looking at the plates closely, it seems to me that some shadow detail has probably been lost. That always seems to be the case in fine arts photography books.

I particularly appreciate the technical information that Mr. Sexton thoughtfully provides toward the back of the book. The type of camera, lens, filters, film, exposure, and development information are given for every photograph. This will answer all of those "how did he get that shot" questions that every photographer, casual or pro, will inevitably ask himself/herself.

A worthy addition to any collection of nature photography or fine arts black-and-white books. A great introduction to John Sexton's work. A nice synopsis of his work from this period.... And a fine choice of adornment for your coffee table as well.

what is unique about his work...beyond the technical expertise...is the newness of the work....most of the images avoid the cliches and thus fill a void in large format photograhpy...which has a tendency to become repetitive...many of the images are totally new to me, i think he did some work in finding unique material

John Sexton is a master--but you already knew that. His photographs show both a deep technical understanding of the medium and an eye for visualization that I envy even more. Every time I open Quiet Light I want to rush out with my 4x5. That is; after I've turned the last page of this magnificent book. If you practice the Zone System, this volume is a must. If you do not, this book will make you want to. If you enjoy looking at photographs that make the hair on the back of your neck stand on end, this book is for you too.

If you have ever read James Kochalka you know that he is no average comic book. He is part of what is the new underground, along others such as Tom Hart, Ron Rege Jr and, Scott Mills. In which they abandon the traditional American way of comics, focusing less upon the creation of art and image as parts and focusing, upon creating a comic as a whole.
Kochalka's work is so packed with symbolism and metaphor that I doubt any other comic creator could pull it off with the fluidity and blatant love for life that Kochalka has. And unlike the many of the other comics on my shelf Kochalka's work gets better the more you read it, revealing layers of meaning that normally would have gone unnoticed.

This has got to be my all-time favorite comic book. It is funny, and deep, but flatters the shallow part of us too! The drawing is superb. I give it to all my friends.

james kochalka is a magician, dreamer and a cartoonist. of course he's a musician too. it's amazing the amount of magic, dreams and everything else he managed to squeeze into this little book.

A interesting Texas history lesson, this book was recommended by a local Texas historian from the Haley Library and Museum. Very enjoyable if you want more than just a history about Sam Houston, this is a Texas/Mexico history mini-lesson as well. The book tells the story of Sam Houston's life including his: Tennessee Governorship, ties to President Andrew Jackson, role as General of Armies and Malitias, tenure as President of the Republic of Texas, role as United States Senator and Governorship of the State of Texas.

Marquis James shows why he won more than one Nobel prize for historical writing. In this book he takes you through the entire life of Sam Houston, giving the reader an insight on the events of Houston's earlier life that shaped his actions in the founding of the Texas Republic. Until reading this book, I had no idea just how important Sam Houston was to the history of not just Texas, but the entire United States.

I read this book because it won the Pulitzer Prize in 1930, but it stands with any more recently written biography. Sam Houston had a fantastically interesting life, and if you haven't read a bio of him you will be amazed. I recommend this book without reservation.

I happen to know the grandparents (both sets) of one of the students killed in this crash. The book has a big impact on me, not only for the tragedy itself, but that it has a personal meaning also. I had a hardcopy of this book in the library in which I worked and now I want my own copy.

This book was fascinating from the first page until the last. Mr.Kunen has a way with words that will grip the reader as he did me. The intimate details of the crash and the lives of the young victims will bring a tear to your eye. And how Ford Motors was defeated in the end will have you cheering in a bittersweet way. A masterpiece. I have read hundreds of books and this book tops my list to this day even though I first read it 6 years ago.

My math teacher was on the bus when it crashed and allowed me to read one of his two copies of this book, 3 of his friends were killed and if it was n't for his other friend he would have died too for he was sitting 3 rows from the front and saw the youth director get blown up when the explosion occured.

Published in 1996, "Red Light" is a quick, interesting read that opens a window to the everyday world of New York and New Jersey sex work. Focusing primarily upon different types of prostitution and "exotic" dancing, writer James Ridgeway also touches upon porn films, phone sex, and computer-oriented enterprises. The black and white photos by Sylvia Plachy ably illustrate the world that's being delved into here.

Because "Red Light" was published in '96 the subject of computer oriented work is out of date, but the predictions regarding that arena have turned out to be mostly true. Frustratingly, Ridgeway occasionally makes sweeping or trite generalizations - particularly in the introduction - without presenting information beforehand to bolster his statements. The biggest drawback to this book is that it is geographically focused on New York and New Jersey, which are unique to anywhere else in America. Lastly, while it is often understandable, Ridgeway sometimes uses language that hinders the reader from deciding how he or she feels about a certain situation or person; or he turns the narrative in a negative direction if an interviewee starts to express something positive.

Even so, since I'm interested in human sexuality, our society's dichotomous, hypocritical and confused views on sex, and because I believe in freedom of choice, I thought "Red Light" would provide uncensored insight into the sex worker's life. It did that, though not to the extent I'd hoped. Mr. Ridgeway mainly focuses on the squalid side of the business (e.g. street prostitution and small time go-go dancing), and limiting this exposé to New York and New Jersey says more about the culture of sex work in those areas than it says about sex work everywhere else. However, even within that limited area the authors had their work cut out for them, which they presented in a bold and visceral style that gripped my attention.

"Red Light" will undoubtedly get people to re-evaluate their perceptions of the sex industry. The inherent dynamics of sex work - greed, laziness, male lust, fear, danger, fantasy, and denial - ultimately reveal the banality of commercialized sex.

Short and Sweet review: This book digs deep and gives the reader a taste of what happens in the sex "industry". Buy it! I was not disappointed.

An excellent survey of all types of sex work, from phone sex, massage parlor, brothel and street prostitution to stripping. The author presents a balanced and readable work. I recommend it highly.