When Stephen Vincent Benet finished John Brown's Body in 1928 and the critics awaited its issue, the South was most anxious and skeptical that they would be portrayed honestly. They were and Stephen Benet's masterpiece is America's greatest epic poem and a most unappreciated work of literature. But, I love it and always will love it, because it makes those historic figures of so long ago - come alive. Out of the mist, they ride. Come traveler, pick it up, open its pages and from fish hook Gettysburg to the end, watch them ride and try to understand over all the years what was happening and why they were fighting. It was not all about Slavery!

During the Pax Romana the emperor Augustus commissioned Vergil to write an epic history of the Romans. The result, of course, was The Aeneid, a stunning blend of epic poetry and historical fiction that some would argue has yet to be topped. John Brown's Body is the closest thing we have to an epic poem "about" America. And while it takes place during the civil war and makes no claim to be an authoritative history, the book is no less impressive as a literary feat. No book in the history of this country has so artfully depicted our nation's great schism.

Written in the 20s, John Brown's Body redefines the word ananchronism. Its contemporaries are The Great Gatsby, The Sun Also Rises, and Their Eyes Were Watching God. Professors widely praise these modern works for their groundbreaking aesthetics, and not without justification. However, it's hard to imagine a more daring or daunting task than the writing of John Brown's Body. Never mind the fact that he pulled it off marvelously. Stephen Vincent Benet remains the only writer to have even _attempted_ to write an American epic poem. Stephen Vincent Benet deserves high scores both for degree of difficulty and final product. Yet conventional education regarding 20th century American books never seems to give him these high marks.

Why Benet and his book don't get the recognition they merit is a terrific question. Is his book canonically superior to Gatsby and Their Eyes? No. And on some level, it's difficult to see what someone living in Taiwan could glean from this document of American struggle and triumph. To wit, the book can also be criticized for being slightly skewed toward a Yankee perspective. But as a whole, the book is outright better than a lot of works revered as American classics.

What does better mean? What it should mean. Simply a more impressive work of art. More entertaining. More provactive. More fun to read. More intellectual depth, conveyed subtly and beautifully, embedded skillfully but not invisibly in an absorbing tale. On these counts, John Brown's Body is vastly superior to classics like The Sun Also Rises; The USA series of John Dos Passos; Babbitt by Sinclair Lewis; and certainly Hawthorne's later novels. Yet John Brown's Body continues to get short shrift, to the point where it's well nigh unfindable in many a book store. One can only hope that the critics and canon-makers of later generations restore the book to its proper place, high atop our shining history of American letters.

This book won the Pulitzer Prize in the '40's. It covers the Civil War principally from the perspectives of a young, small town Connecticutt boy and the heir to a Geogia plantation. It begins with a gripping view of events on a slave ship and ends with two crippled young men and the women they love, beginning to rebuild ther lives. Part poetry, part prose, it all sings.

Binge II: Recovery is clearly a major breakthrough in the ongoing fight against alcoholism. I have researched this matter thoroughly and can confirm that AFA/Eight Steps is the first and only program of its type in the entire world. Spontaneous group therapy is quite common, but not "programmed" group therapy with specific steps to achieve specific goals. Substance-abuse treatment has become a multibillion-dollar industry in this country -- and is a colossal failure. Then along comes a simple, inexpensive program that points the way not only to recovery but to a better life, a program that offers hope -- and seriously threatens vested interests. Friends, Binge II: Recovery is a light at the end of the tunnel for America's alcoholic crisis. Let's help make AFA/Eight Steps household words, okay?

Betsy Fries, young-adult specialist, Toledo/Lucas County (Ohio) Public Library

This book is a two-for-one hit! My handicapped English students struggle with reading. They rarely, if ever, read a book cover-to-cover. But they ALL read the first Binge. They devoured it. They related to it. They analyzed it, discussed it, were sometimes shocked by it. And now comes what we all had been hoping for, both students and teachers -- Binge II with The Road to Recovery. The AFA/Eight Steps program is going to change lives, probably save lives. It belongs in every school in the country.

S. Georgia Brown Silva, Eden Prarie High School, Eden Prarie, MN

If I could, I would give this book TEN stars! It has given me a wonderful new lease on life, and I'm sure it will do the same for countless others. was a notorious closet drunk. I would drink wine by the gallon, vodka by the fifth, beer by the case. I thought I had everyone fooled. Then one afternoon, while home alone, I collapsed in an alcoholic stupor. It was so bad, I couldn't tell up from down. Luckily, my son happened to stop by. He quickly dialed 9-1-1. At the hospital, my blood alcohol content was 0.54. I was nearly dead. Then I went into "treatment." First a counselor (expensive). Then as a patient in a treatment facility (more expensive), and finally a two-week stay in a substance-abuse ward of a hospital (the most expensive of all). Through all of this, I was bombarded daily with the horror stories of other patients, which was quite depressing. At the same time the counselors kept haranguing me that I am "powerless" over alcohol and must seek help in a "higher power," that there is no other way, which was even more depressing. And then after I was discharged, I discovered Binge II and the AFA/Eight Steps program. It was like opening a window and letting the fresh air in. The Fourth Step is about love; the Fifth Step is about all of the good that is within me; and the Sixth Step is an excellent rule of life for anyone, not just for alcoholics. "We resolved to be true to the best that is in us and to help other people, recognizing that in helping others, our own problems fall away." AFA/Eight Steps is a positive program, an upbeat program, a happy program, and I thank Mr, Ferry for writing it.

housewife, grandmother, recovering alcoholic, Rocherster Hills, MI

Our entire family enjoyed this book after a family vacation in Maine. It's a darling story, well written. We've read it over and over again! Emily Chetkowski sure seems to be a talented writer of children's books.

We love Mabel! This is our first book of the series and we can't wait to read the other books. A wonderful adventure that has become my 4 year old's favorite story. We read it every night before bed!:o)

I've been to the exact place in Maine that Mabel took her stroll and I was able to picture this book very clearly in my mind. This is a wondeful book, especially for those of us who love their dogs like they are one of the family.

An excellent, practically oriented primer on aluminum structural design.

hi. I AM AN ALUMINUM CURTAINWALL ENGINEER IN SOUTH KOREA. I NEED TO MUCH INFORMATION FOR ALUM. MULLION OR OTHER ALUM. STRUCTURE. ALSO, I WANT TO SUMMARY OR CONTENTS FOR THIS BOOK. ------------------- ... I AM NOT GOOD AT ENGLISH. PLEASE, SEND ME MY INQUIRY FOR THIS BOOK.

California by Train is a very informative and helpful guide to travel in the state of California. It lists points of interest served by public transit and detailed route-by-route information of all buses, trains, and ferries serving the Golden State. In addition, there are fare summaries, phone numbers, and information on intercity carriers like Amtrak and Greyhound. Much of the information is out of date now and a fifth edition is definitely needed.

This book makes it easy to travel around California without a car.

Contrary to popular (ignorant) belief, you can get around California by transit. Schneider's book makes the ride just a bit easier.

The book contains frequency information on buses, trains, ferries, and even intercity (Amtrak, Greyhound, etc.) information. It also has phone numbers for the transit agencies to get information. Best of all, the book also contains popular California attractions and what is the nearest transit service available.

Nancy Olmsted's "The Ferry Building" is truly a rich visual journey. It is a celebration of urban experience. It is a tribute to all that is wonderful, unique and special about transportation, ferries, and urban living. The stunning visual images remind us that we are deeply connected to our transit, to the water of the Bay, and to our urban community spaces. It illustrates the richness of our maritime heritage, the gift of our waterfront, and the importance of appreciating and preserving the Ferry Building as a monument of all that is great about San Francisco.

-- Perry Brissette, Friends of the Berkeley Ferry

The most extraordinary collection of vintage San Francisco photographs I've ever seen. A fantastically well researched book in addition to being a visual masterpiece.

Complete history of the Stuttgart marque from within the Porsche family - I bought this book and have read it many times - worth every penny... A must for Porsche fans...

I'm very like Porsche's cars design and history Porsche's family. Please, send me book "Cars Are My Life".

Those who aren't members of the Church of Latter Day Saints, better known as Mormons, may not be familiar with the issues of the Mountain Meadows Massacre. I had never heard of this event, myself.

In Ferry Woman, Gerald Grimmett tries to shed light on the role of John Lee, the man who bore the brunt of the blame for the historical massacre.

The author creates a fictional character (the Ferry woman) --one of Lee's wives. It is through her questioning eyes that the reader sees the events unfold. John Lee is hardly a pleasant character, the Mormons don't come off at all well. Even though Lee's role is toned to "participated" rather than "instigated", Lee is not exonerated in the least. We also get a very gritty glimpse of the less-attractive side of life in Utah during the early days of the Morman settlements, and it seems pretty accurate. Life was, as is the familiar quotation, nasty, brutal and sometimes short.

I didn't know about this historical event (I guess my history of that part of the West begins and ends with the Mormons being run out of Nauvoo and the Donner Party.) So I didn't particularly have an opinion about this massacre. As a historical novel, it is well written and interesting. If you are a reader seeking a romantic-style historical novel, this isn't it. If you like realistic historical novels, you might really enjoy this book.

Gerald Grimmett's new novel, "The Ferry Woman", is based on the historical event in the history of the West and of the Mormon Church, known as the Mountain Meadow Massacre. Events described in the story are told from the perspective of one of the wives of the only man executed by the legal system for his role in an atrocity that was almost certainly ordered by then church leader and founder of Salt Lake City and the Mormon establishment in the arid western interior of the United States.
A primary feature of early Mormon social relations was the aggressive practice of polygamy, which was only abandoned officially by the church as part of a strategy to prevent a military confrontation between Utah, whose leaders were also those of the church, and the US Army contingent then on its way to enforce Mormon compliance with federal laws against plural marriage. The Ferry Woman was one of the wives of John D. Lee, one of those leaders whose directed mission within the church was to settle and develop the Harmony area between Cedar City and St. George Utah. Grimmett is at his best describing the interactions between his characters and their environment.
This reader confesses to some uneasiness in the early pages, at the prospect of accepting a woman's perspective from the narrative pen of a male writer. That is dispelled by the surprising sensitivity and care apparent in the effort. One observes that if this is not true to the way of thinking and self-expression of a young orphaned immigrant serial wife of a much older man, and a formidable, hard-working community leader, devoted husband and father, well it should be. Reading, one is overtaken by a growing sense of the book as literature, especially remembering that the Ferry Woman, although realistically and plausibly detailed in the narrative, is still a fictional construct.
Knowing its subject already, I went into this book skeptical of its potential for a full and courageous exploration of the dark scenario at its heart. After the first 100 pages, I couldn't stop reading it. I closed the book at last with the feeling that the author had succeeded in something extraordinarily important here. Grimmett has skillfully illustrated how even a humanity motivated, in extremis, by patently flaky beliefs about the nature of existence, can thrive. This is a book with legs, and the time was well spent reading it.

A reader with roots in that area of the US that is today within the sphere of influence of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (LDS), with its epicenter in Salt Lake, is likely to agree with the statement of the Poet Laureate of the State of Utah, as quoted on the jacket, that the reaction to the book by modern descendants of the times and personalities described in it, is awaited with eager anticipation. The story is told with a surprisingly precise sense of the supernatural aura that surrounds Mormon history itself, especially as it manifests itself in the 'testimony' borne by modern believers. To a gentile growing up surrounded by it, an ardent love of the church and its teachings is one of the most salient characteristics of expressions made about it by its followers. A less blatant expression, but no less potent one, is a fear of the church and its retribution for non-conformity or apostasy. At the time of events narrated in the novel, when the young church collectively labored not just for legitimacy but for survival, that fear may have been the predominant organizing principle, especially where the rights of women were involved.

The Ferry Woman, is an account of the aftermath of the Mountain Meadows massacre, an important incident in the history of American westward expansion. The events described in this book encompasses the eras of Manifest Destiny, the misportrayal of Native Americans to the American public, the building of Western "empires", and 19th century religious cultism, as seen through the eyes of the fictional, Emeline Buxton Lee. Through Emeline, the author explores the personal tragedies that accompanied the mass-murder of 127 California-bound emigrants by Mormon pioneer settlers of "Deseret" in 1857. Key among Emelines' personal tragedies are the trials and eventual execution of the her husband, John Lee, adopted son of Brigham Young, who was, in his own words, "...used by the Mormon Church as a scape-goat to carry the sins of that people." (J. Lee 1877). The author brings to life the experiences of a pioneer woman who is swept up in events far beyond her control. Through the authors portrayal of her, we experience the joys and hardships of pioneer life during the mid-19th. century. Grimmett's intelligent and sensitive treatment of the subject matter, most particularly the challenges of love and integrity involved in sharing a husband who possesses multiple wives, provides a thoughtful and satisfying literary experience. Well done!

I received this book as a gift and it will always be very special to me. I know it will be a book I will read more than once. The story line is interesting and fun. The characters are lovable and wonderful each in their own way. It would be hard for me to choose a favorite, because there is something in each character I connected with, even Haddoxes. And as for Clover Bay - well, I can only say I would love to live there. I can't wait for the next book from Dr. Haley.

The entire family loved this book. It kept you captive from start to end. I didn't want to put it down (just had to know what was going to happen next). I'm only sorry it took me so long to place my review because I truelly enjoyed this book. I am anticipating the release of the next book.

Wow, what a wonderful and great book! I really did not want to read another new hopeful author but for a promise to a close associate I determined to give it a quick perusal. So out of obligation, I finally picked it up and could not put it down. After placing several inquiring to noted colleagues in New York and Hollywood, I learned that the author has several other books out there to be published and this one to become a movie soon. My sources say that he is the hottest new author in years. I look forward to the other books and the movie. Haley is certainly in a league of his own. I am now a fan for life.

"I read 'Butlers' cover to cover. Great! It captures the essence of good butling-competency and discretion."

I've read your book cover to cover and not only enjoyed it but also learned many new things." Vice President/Secretary, International Association of Household Professionals

Six weeks ago I purchased your writings of Butlers and Household Managers, which I hasten to add is outstanding!!! It is to the point, pays attention to the details of everyday operations and the manner and style in which to deliver private service. It has proven to be a most excellent guide/reference that assists and refreshes me as needed. Your checklists are a valuable resource that can be edited or embellished to suit the circumstances. Thank you for sharing your expertise. This book is worth its weight in gold!