During World War II, James A. Dunn was a signalman on the USS Mason, a destroyer escort and the only ocean-going warship in the American navy to employ African Americans in positions other than cook or messmate. Manned by African American seamen (and commanded by white officers), the USS Mason made ten crossings of the Atlantic from 1944 to 1945, escorting convoys of merchant ships to and from the United Kingdom and North African, and operating in hunter-killer groups searching for German submarines. Dunn kept a day-to-day diary during his spare time on board the Masson. He recorded the daily life aborad the ship, including the duties and pastimes that made shipboard life endurable. The diary also reveals what it meant to be an African American in a white navy within a segregated American society -- including the shipboard tensions, cooperation and sense of unity. On Board The USS Mason is a unique and invaluable contribution to the growing body of World War II literature and eye-witness accounts, and will be of immense interest to students of Black Studies and American military history.

The crew of USS Mason's action in the North Atlantic was a showing of a well disiplined well led brave group of men. Being from Boston, Mass. I am aware of thier heroic actions,the DE Mason was built here at the Charlestown Navy Yard when I was about 6 years old. I personally feel the Captain on down took a real royal screwing.The Captain's log showed reason enough to be reconized but it was ignored by some predjudice Brass higher up the chain of command. The book well presented! A USMarine(caucasion)Korean Vet

I waited six months to get this book through interlibrary loan because I couldn't tell from the description whether it would be something I'd want to own. I read the book straight through and I am now going to buy it so that I can refer back to it.

As a child, I got much more excited about a new subject if I read fiction about a character who was excited about it than if I only read nonfiction on the topic. Reading this book got me engaged in the idea of doing nature study and adjusting my view of homeschooling in a way that the three or four "straight" books on Charlotte Mason education I've read haven't done.

I would recommend this for any homeschooler, whether he/she is interested in the Charlotte Mason approach or not, who is interested in incorporating more nature study into his/her children's education--or for any homeschooler who is feeling burned out and in need of a fresh perspective.

With some books reading is a chore. I abhor the clutter of unnecessary words, repetitive phrases and even paragraphs that waste my time and only distract from an important message. Too many words in too many works, both old and new, seem to have been written just to fill the page, - and perhaps the pocketbook.

Pocketful of Pinecones was easy to read, and a pleasure to read. It is the fictional account of Carol, a mother living in the 1930s, and using Charlotte Mason's methods, particularly her nature study methods. Yet, the book is based on Karen Andreola's experiences with her own children. It is a book that you will continue to pick up until you have reached the last pages telling of the Andreola's life in Maine. I enjoyed the book, and felt i got to know Karen a little better. She is an extremely soft spoken person and this gentleness is evident in Pinecones. The temptations are there, but Carol thinks before speaking so as not to be harsh to her family.

In all our educating we should remember as Carol-Karen tells us,

"...that not all of what they will learn about God's creation will conveniently fit into my lessons. My students have a lifetime ahead of them in which to observe and discover - to become self educated in their leisure, so to speak. My job is to allow their feet to walk the paths of wonder, to see that they form relations to various things, so that when the habit is formed, they will carry an appreciation for nature with them throughout their lives."

As a lover of nature and nature's God, as well as inclined to sketching, Pocketful of Pinecones was a delightful read. I laughed and I cried. I sang hymns. It is inspiring and not just toward nature study. It encourages toward more gentle motherhood and even to humility before our husbands. It inspires God-ward with the many hymn lyrics and the lifestyle portrayed.

"My devotions gave the day its energy... It is proof that I remember Him, depend on His mercy, which is so thankfully new every morning. It is evidence that I trust Him. It is because my days are so busy that I have kept myself from the God-can-wait syndrome. I need my heavenly Father and so I seek Him early. Prayers are the wings of the soul. They bear the Christian far from earth, out of its cares, its woes and its perplexities, into glorious serenity. It is the first God-ward step that the soul takes."

...Pinecones would be an especially appropriate gift for a new mother, a young mother or someone contemplating homeschooling. It gives a gentle introduction to easy methods by way of the example set forth in the story line. It was written for the busy mother, yet I can envision a mother reading it to her children as well.

There are some atypical words for the 30s and even the fact that the family is homeschooling in the United States seems quite unusual for that time period.

Karen has included recommended resources and excerpts from Charlotte Mason's book, Home Education.

Ronald Hoffman is an excellent historian who has brought great knowledge of Chesapeake social and cultural history to this biographical work that places three generations of the Carroll family within their colonial context. It is a wonderful biography that gets the reader into the minds and lives of these three Charles Carroll's. But for me the best thing was the number of times it made me think, "Oh, that's how it was." I have read enough colonial history to know that there were lots of tenant laborers and not just slaves in the region, to know that Catholic Maryland quickly became Anglican Maryland, and to know that the Revolution was not just about ideas but also about social change. Ronald Hoffman's narrative, however, really brings these facts home. His book is not about any one of these issues in particular, but in telling the story of three generations of Carroll's in Maryland he brings home the greater circumstances of the colony better than many historians who have set out to make a case for one of the above arguments, or many of the other fascinating takes on early Chesapeake society contained in this highly readable book. I have not read any book lately that I enjoyed more.

I was originally attracted to this book out of a simple curiosity about the last surviving signer of the Declaration of Independence (Charles Carroll outlived Adams and Jefferson by about six years, or about 56 years after 1776!). On a deeper level, I hoped to learn more about the kind of early capitalist that would be attracted to signing on to the American Revolution in general. What this book helped me discover was a family that had over time become focused, almost obsessed, with making a buck under fairly adverse circumstances (namely, continuing in their Roman Catholic faith that made it difficult for them to thrive, even in an enclave as seemingly sympathetic as colonial Maryland, with its relatively large Catholic population). But when the time came for this family to rise above its simple wealth building and to champion the cause of the Revolution, it did indeed rise to the occasion, however brief and painful the process might be. (Hoffman attends to both the private and public lives of the Carrolls.) The history of the Carrolls is a part of the history of the magic that was the American Revolution. It is not surprising that the book ends abruptly with the death of Charles Carroll's father and his wife, about 10 days apart from one another in 1782 (though there is a brief summing up of Carroll's remaining 50 years and the attention attracted by his death in 1832). The story is told, the dynasty pretty much complete.

What's the book like? At times it seems downright willfully prosaic, and the story proceeds much like a carefully written doctoral dissertation - all conclusions fully supported and made in as logical a context as possible, all contentions politically correct for our time. Hoffman's goal is of course to be scholarly and thorough, not to be entertaining or controversial. Thus the sweep of this history must emerge and coalesce in the mind of the reader. Leave being beaten over the head with the broader conclusions inherent in the narrative to more popularly written histories.

Suffice it to say, if you're a municipal library and you need to beef up your Revolutionary War material, this is a prime buy. If you're a true history buff, this would be an excellent choice to work into your reading list. It has the effect of immersing you into the spirit of the times and providing you with detail you could not have imagined you would find interesting (but you do). If you're a casual reader, just be advised - this is heavy stuff. It's not an easy read, but it is ultimately a rewarding one.

I can see why it was nominated for a Grammy!!! I absolutely love Dreyfuss and Mason. I couldn't stop listening to the play and I was so "into" it!!!

I can see why The Prisoner of Second Avenue got a Grammy nomination. Marsha Mason and Richard Dreyfuss have great chemistry and give top notch performances. A fabulous listen with plenty of laughs. Not to be missed!

The story of one of Wagner's timeless operas, adapted here into comic form. I do not know the original, but this version makes me wish to find out more. It is comprised of 4 parts collected into two books, corresponding to the original 4 operas, which were independant but held together in a loose confederation to make on complete whole.

This is continued from Vol. 1.

Siegmund's son, Siegfried, is raised by Alberich's ambitious brother, who wants the ring held by Fafnir the giant, now a dragon. Siegfriend reforges his father's sword, and with it he slays first Fafnir and then the dwarf who would kill him for the ring. Alberich, in the meantime, is watching mirthfully. Voton looks for advice from the first goddess, then meets Siegfriend on his way to win Brunhildé He shatters Voton's spear and climbs through the river of fire, and at the top wins love in the former Valkyrie.

The series wraps up in Gotterdammerung, twilight of the gods. Siegfried sails out to find his fortune, and meets a kingdom run by several characters out to ensnare the power of the ring. With a powder they make the hero fall in love with a princess, and pledge to retrieve Brunhilde for the king -- and the ring for his advisor. After a blood-oath he sails away to do this. The valkyrie is visited by one of her fellow maidens-at-arms, demanding Brunhilde throw the ring into the Rhine, but she refuses, claiming it as a symbol of her love. Siegfriend, in guise of the king, finds her and wins her again, this time for another. It is seen that the advisor is Alberich's son, thus his interest in the ring. A marvelous feast is prepared for a double-marriage on the king's return, when Brunhilde finds out she was tricked; she then helps this advisor and the king to devise a way to kill him. Siegfried is warned by mermaids, but refuses to grant them back the ring. He is later tricked into talking with longing of the king's new wife, and the king's advisor promptly slays the warrior; later that night, in a duel, he also kills his brother the king. Brunhilde demands a funeral pyre built, and in the end, everyone dies and everything burns.

Even such a long summation can barely do this dense and powerful opera justice. Rather than the standard practice of rewriting or removing speech in parts, nearly everything is kept, translated directly from the original words of Wagner. The translation itself is very nice, keeping an archaic and formal syntax, while remaining accessible to modern readers. It is similar to Shakespeare or any contemporary, high without pretnetion. While the music cannot be included, the songs remain, to be fleshed out instead by lush art. The parallel goes deeper, in fact; as mentioned in the introduction, where Wagner's music has its lietmotifs, quickly recognizable strains that pull the whole together, so does the art include its own repeated motifs.

The story is classic, and told as well as befits a master. The politics between the gods is as fierce or more than that between men, and between them battles and intrigue rage. No major point is left unexplored, nothing forgotten and left to the wayside. Each character introduced comes back to play at least once, most exiting only through death. So much goes on that it is dizzying to keep up, but the intention is never to leave the reader behind, so it isn't overly difficult to follow. Even the reintroductions that catch the reader up on the events of each previous part are handled deftly. The art is vivid and colorful, very detailed and realistically shaded and textured. At times it seems more like acrylic paint than simple color press. The scenery is well detailed, matched by the people, whose actions and expressions are each striking and individual. While characters are seen from many angles and perspectives, anatomy of each is still proper. The story is very visual and cinematic; some places are very dense and wordy, while sometimes pages go by with no words needed. The fights in particular flow this way, becoming very abstract, yet the action clearly laid out. Russel is very comfortable with his ability to tell a tale however it needs to be told, certainly.

This is a beautifully illustrated and translated two-book comic adaption of Wagner's Ring cycle. P. Craig Russell's defends his belief that he could translate the opera music into images and create a powerful fantasy saga. The art is fantastic: Russell draws beautiful panels - the covers of these two books are a great example of the art inside. The translation into English is melodramatic (well, it's opera) and powerful. I can't praise these books enough. This is my favorite graphic story since I read, and re-read, Neil Gaiman's The Sandman, and these two volumes will be accompanying me on all my future moves.

C. Mason Weaver, author of the hit "It's OK To Leave The Plantation" is back in full force with another 'underground success' monster in a small package: "The Rope: A New Perspective On Freedom And Success" (2001, Reeder Publishing, 84 Pages).

This one is just right for the briefcase, or the back pocket and is easy enough to digest in an afternoon, which I did recently. Weaver gets to the point quick as to why many of us DON'T achieve what we COULD achieve in the realm of business and commerce.

The main thrust: There are too many 'economic slaves' and not enough 'Free Enterprise Warriors'. Weaver gives solid emotional and encouraging examples as to how and why some of us never make the jump from 'wage slave' to 'business owner', which I will be happy to paraphrase:

*We ANXIOUSLY surround ourselves with naysayers and negative thinkers and adjust our vision to make them happy;

*We have FORGOTTEN that we WERE and ARE a race of economic 'risk takers' who have lapsed into the 'what government can do for me' rather than 'what I can do for myself and my family', and;

*We have become satisfied with the creature comforts rather than figuring out what we need to get our own and help others to get theirs!

... However, just like a Barber's clippers going after stray hairs that could mess up a cut, Weaver cuts away some of our OWN bad attitudes towards economic success. He makes a strong case for not only business ownership, but INDEPENDENT BUSINESS OWNERSHIP.

You'll laugh out loud as Weaver explains 'The Rope', and why there are too many that would rather be content with what they have and not dare to go for the 'deep water' of business success, regardless of how many times one may have failed in the past.

The past is the past, according to Weaver, and the future is YOURS if you want to move up to a new level of thinking and DOING. This small book is available from the publisher by email request..., or checking on line or your local bookstore.

C. Mason Weaver scores again...and its the right time to make that next economic step UP, to business ownership.

This is an easy read. You will finish it in one evening because you won't put it down until you're done. The analogies are striking. You'll never look at your coworkers the same again. You'll want to see what they do with a spoon.

Sarah J. Mason is a pen-pal of mine. We both owned Schipperke dogs, and have spoken on the phone and corresponded a bit over the years. She used my name in the novel for a character that doesn't actually appear in the story. She asked my permission to use the name, and everything. Quite exciting for someone who works in a library.
It is a wonderfully complex story, and very well written.
Most enjoyable!

This book is wonderful. For those who love British mysteries, I highly reccomend this. The plot is twisty enough to keep you in surprise and the humor that appears when it's needed is hilarious. This book can be easily read in one day and it's perfect for relaxing reading.

Cole Webster known as shadow walker among native americans leave the Sioux village after four years to work as a railroad agent but after meeting Dawn, a halfbreed whose outlaw husband was killed by the handsome Cole Webster anf after stealing her virginity he deeply felt in love with her, but his confussion and the meories of his indian ex-wife who died years ago kept him from admitting his feeling for Dawn.This story has a great plot and the characters seen to move out the pages as you read. I recomend this novel for love enthusiatms and people who enjoy reading about Native Americans and their traditions. I also recomend another love novel by Conie Mason named "promised splendor"

This is the first book I've ever read by Connie Mason and it is a KEEP. The characters are so alive and the story is well told. I can't help feeling sorry for Dawn,poor thing. Cole is a great hero, but I also hate him for not admitting his feelings. Overall, Great story.

Being a curious Western NYer, I loved this book. If you like this book, you should also try Spirit of the Great Hill. I love ghost stories, so this book is perfect. This book takes you into the scary and eery past of corners of WNY. Haunted Houses, witches, ghosts, spirits, UFO's-this book has it all!

As a native and former inhabitant of the Buffalo area with an avid interest in the Paranormal, I bought this book with high expectations and wasn't disappointed. Winfield's extensive research and obvious passion on the subject of odd and paranormal places in Western New York brings the stories alive. From Old Fort Niagara to the Roycroft, Winfield does a good job of condensing each subject into a few pages. Although many of the locations and stories were familiar to me, Winfield managed to inject a lot of new and interesting information into the book. The book is fascinating and an easy read. Just enough flowery prose to give a punch and the language is easily understandable. The only objection I have to the book was that Winfield could have gone a bit more in depth. It was almost as if his publisher limited the length of the book. I'm hoping Winfield writes a Shadow of the Western Door II and delves deeper into the many mysteries in Western New York.

This is the story of the movie (not a "novelization"), and the story is told with accompanying stills from the movie. The photographic stills are good reproductions, with at least one (and up to six) picture per page.

I found this book helpful because, though I love "Attack of the Clones," I thought the movie was sort of disjointed and hard to follow. This book helps provide the continuity needed for better insight into the movie.

Living in Japan has some disadvantages, one is that movies come out in theaters much later than in America. "Attack of the Clones" came out already in the States on May 13, the movie comes out in the middle of July over here. So I have to make do with looking it up on the Internet and buying the books on "Attack of the Clones".

This movie storybook is definitely a must-have. Oh, yes, the book is said to be for ages 4-8 (I'm 15) but still it's enjoyable and entertaining to read. Reading the story is great fun but the best part for me is looking at the magnificent pictures! While reading the story you get to see plenty of movie stills (about 125 movie-still photographs if I'm correct). For those who don't know the story of "Star Wars: Attack of the Clones", here's a brief summary.

From the last 10 years since "The Phantom Menace", a war is brewing between the Republic and a group of Separatists who are threatening to leave the Republic. The Senate is in chaos, arguing whether they should create an army of their own since there aren't enough Jedis. When Padme Amidala, now the Senator of Naboo, is targeted by an assassin, the Jedi send two Jedis to protect them: Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker, now Master and Apprentice. Anakin is already having enough trouble by being rebellious, irresponsible, and having no self-control. But when he meets Padme again, he finds himself uncontrollably falling in love with her and she for him. While this is going on, Obi-Wan must find out the mystery behind the Separatists movement, a huge clone army, and a strange and cunning bounty hunter.

The story itself is great entertainment and I can't wait to see the movie itself! I also recommend "Attack of the Clones Scrapbook", "Attack of the Clones" by R.A. Salvatore, and "Attack of the Clones Postcard Book".