I have read both of these author's spectacular books and I am so proud that she represents our culture so richly with all the layers it possesses. I suppose when you are born and are a part of a particular culture there are so many things one takes for granted, and her books bring back all of those memories, the good and the bad.Thanks.

A wonderful, touching and at the end even suprising story! The best book Roslyn Carrington ever wrote!

Matilda "Mattie" Dinkins surrounds herself with mirrors of all shapes and sizes and dresses in brightly colored clothing. The mirrors are a constant metaphor throughout Candy Don't Come In Gray set on the island of Trinidad. Mattie is the illegitimate child of Dominic Evers; a father she and her mother spent time with every Wednesday throughout her life. Mattie's fear of not being known and regarded prompts her obsession with the mirrors in her life.

Dominic, born into wealth, which he continued to amass throughout his life, is a well-known, church going and respected businessman. Mattie is his dark skinned secret conceived by Claudine, a woman from the wrong side of the tracks.

Jonah Reyes is the maid's nephew and Dominic's pet project. As a young boy Jonah is sent to live with his aunt and the Evers family. Dominic grooms Jonah into an astute student and businessman. During his lifetime Jonah becomes the friend, protector and finally husband of Justine, Dominic's daughter by his wife Faith.

Dominic's death causes a domino effect of emotions and the discovery of self within the family structure for all of the characters. Are these characters mere puppets of Dominic Evers? Tackling class issues, selfishness, manipulation and adoration, Candy Don't Come In Gray is a profound and excellently written novel that will leave you pondering the future of the Evers family. Heartfelt!
Reviewed by Dawn R. Reeves, Apooo BookClub

I frequently look for more work by Roslyn Dane, and still hope that she will give us another taste. The Assistance of Vice is tongue firmly in cheek, punchy, irreverent, and speedy as hell. It might be tough on the streets, but style and art and attention the real politik of lesbian life means that there is no false or preachy note. Great book....wonderful entertainment....and a role model? Hmmm... I wonder if I dare?

C'mon Roslyn Dane....more

This book is hot, but with a brain. It's about a gay photographer and her lover--and many "loves"--in New York. How does "She" manage to make it in the art world through crazy bouts with sex, drugs, and rockin' women? It's raw, but it makes you think. It's definetly different.

This story is perfect for children who were adopted, particularly those adopted at an older age. The simple text is accompanied by photographs of the co-author, Jenny Jordan-Wong, who was adopted in the early 1990s at the age of eight.

Her life with her Mom and Dad, an inter-racial couple, is normal and loving in every way. Jenny plays and runs and reads like other kids. (She especially likes Nany Drew.) She takes piano lessons and plays Hula Hoop.

But she is different from other friends who want to know what it was like to be adopted. She explains that her biological parents had a lot of problems and could not take care of her. So when she was three, she moved to a foster family, a temporary family who "take care of you until you are adopted." Of course, Jenny knows that not everyone gets adopted.

Jenny has pictures of her second foster Mom and Dad, who took her in when she was 6. She still visits them, as she does the social workers who helped find her parents.

"It was scary meeting my new mom and dad," she writes. But after visiting on several weekends with her family, "We knew we wanted to be a family. They wanted to adopt me and I wanted to live with them. We would become a forever family."

The story also includes photos of the court session which made the adoption final and of Jenny's extended family--aunts, uncles, cousins, and her friends.

This book helps kids realize that others have been through the same thing, that new things take some getting used to, and that questions are okay. Alyssa A. Lappen

As an adoptions professional I am continually searching for books that reflect the experience of children who are adopted after they have been removed from birth parents. Many of these children are between the ages of six and ten when adopted. Kids I have shared this book with have not wanted to give it back. It is a very useful tool in helping children understand adoption. Jennifer's journey from instability to having a forever family is not sugar coated but presents what is true for the majority of adopted children. I am very disappointed that it is out of print. I think this is a great loss for our kids.

"Just Like You" is very, very wonderful. It made my heart dance with happiness to see a techer who is down-to-earth and pragmatic and at the same time shares the enlightenment of the great spiritual masters. And the book is a delicious read. Once I started it I couldn't put it down.

In her newest book, Roslyn Moore brings to light the life and teachings of her teacher, Gangaji. In a skillful and graceful way, using interviews, dialogue and some of the letters exchanged between Gangaji and her teacher, Papaji, Roslyn brings forward a life, the life of a woman who professes to be just like you.

So it is. There is a story, yes. And to read it is to walk in memory with one's own story, one's own seeking. This offering, however, differs from other spiritual biographies. It is simplicity itself. In an utterly straightforward way the reader receives--both in words and through awareness--the ultimate question and its answer:

"The truth of who you are, right now, is already free. The truth of who you are is already at peace. The truth of who you are, at this moment, is already in bliss, in fulfillment. There is no need to search for anything, because you already are everything you are looking for. It is only the distraction of mind that keeps you from recognizing it.

Is Just Like You, only of interest to those on the quest for
realization? This reader doesn't think so. It is the heartfelt story of a western woman of our time who arrived in San Francisco looking for happiness. Hers is a tale of adventure, of doors opening and doors closing as life's opportunities reveal themselves.

It is a woman's story, full of the trials of a woman who joined
the counterculture in the seventies. And it is also filled with the insights and realizations of a woman who, in 1990, was directed to give spiritual teachings. At its heart is the revelation of universal beingness. Gangaji speaks the truth from her direct experience. She lives that truth. That makes this autobiography a treasure.

The beautiful illustrations are what orginally caught my eye while browsing at a bookshop. But after reading this short and clever book, I was hooked. It is funny and sweet and very original...almost poetic!

My five year old god-daughter visited me and fell in love with this book and wanted me to read it to her over and over. It's a wonderful bedtime read and I'd recommend all four books..."The Rainy Day" is great, but "Moss" is the best. Don't hesitate to buy the series...they are a delight and very fun to read aloud.

Roslyn Schwartz has created a colorful summertime world full of lush illustrations and happy adventurings of two carefree moles. The text is simple but original. The fanciful plot is charming, amusing, and uplifting. Reads quickly, but packs a satisfying story into its few pages.

The Assessment Of Prior Learning program is a great opportunity to earn college credits for your life and work experience. As a "mature" student, working during the day and attending classes at night, I was able to earn 30 general education credits through the APL process.

Roslyn Snow was my APL counseler and the input I received from her was invaluable. I remember one exchange in particular when I submitted my paperwork to Roslyn for her input and she responded that I appeared to be trying to talk them out of granting me credits for this class. When I reviewed my paperwork it was abundantly clear that her help was crucial to my success in the program.

Roslyn Snow's text "Preparing the Portfolio for an Assessment of Prior Learning" was an excellent tool for assembling the portfolio. It is written in a step-by-step format that is easily understood and very helpful for the APL student. With her experience and knowledge of the APL process, Roslyn Snow is definitely the go-to person for help and information.

As a mid-lifer, looking back over a 25 year span and trying to remember all of the situations in which prior learning had occurred, at first seemed impossible. Yet, broken down into bite-sized pieces, Roslyn Snow made it a piece of cake! Although the process was time-consuming, what could have been an overwhelming task became a simple one. This easy-to-follow, step-by-step guide shows how to earn the maximum college credits in an Assessment for Prior Learning Program. I couldn't have done it without this invaluable resource!

My husband, Ron, is an excellent carver and has been doing songbirds for about ten years. He brings life to his carvings by burning the feathers in with such detail nearly everyone reaches out to "pet" his birds. This past year he decided to go beyond the "natural" look and asked me to paint a robin so that the gift to our grandson would be from both of us.
I had only worked with watercolors previously and so, having had no experience with acrylic painting, I was still able to follow the instructions in this wonderful book and came out with a robin that looked very real. In fact, when painting one day, I had to answer the door and the guest flinched, thinking I was holding a real robin. Now if I can only come up with her instructions for painting a blue bird and/or a blue herron I would be grateful beyond words.

Excellent step by step guide for both beginning and advanced woodcarvers. Provides detailed patterns and instructions for five different common songbirds.

This is a terrific book! It covers the complete spectrum of Tiffany silver flatware from 1845 to 1905. It's lavishly illustrated with photographs, diagrams, and original pattern drawings. It covers the full-line patterns, the not-full-line patterns, and the custom patterns made for the likes of the Vanderbilts and the Hearsts.

The book breaks the patterns down by designer: early pieces by retailers Polhamus, Hebbard, Gorham, Moore and others; the major designers Edward Moore, Charles Grosjean, and Paulding Parnham. It shows the various place pieces in standard patterns, as well as covering the extensive amount of fabulous and rare serving and other odd pieces (how many of you own a scallop serving fork?) There are also several useful appendices, including: Flatware Terminology; Glossary of Technical Terms; Tiffany Flatware Markings; and a Tiffany Chronology. As well, a thorough index makes it easy to find patterns or pieces you are looking for.

All in all this is the perfect book for the collector of this wonderful silver. It does not contain pricing information, which is a good thing in this day and age of online auctions, as such pricing info is often outdated by the time the book reaches the press. The only problem I had after reading it was that I wanted to own everything in the book! Don't hesitate, buy it!

This book is a superb work. The authors have filled a major void in the literature concerning the history of American decorative arts. The quality of the research and textual insights make this book essential reading for anyone interested in Tiffany silverware or the latter 19th century of American craftsmanship. The photography is so magnificent that I repeatedly find myself leafing through this book to admire the beauty of this flatware of a bygone era. A great read...a beautiful coffee table book...a classic in every respect.

A Thirst For Rain by Rosalyn Carrington

Rosalyn Carrington's deeply-textured language flares with a light that throws her characters into sharp relief, etching their lives with words and helping us see them the passions, fears.

There is Myra a a proud, sensous hardworking woman who finds blessed release in her own restless desires. Odile, Myra's defiant teenage daughter who risk her one chance to escape the family poverty. Sebastian Myra's senile father who has begun to follow his fantasies into a world of trouble. Slim Myra's street vendor boyfriend who spends as much time seducing young woman as do selling cheap trinkets. Jacob, The once famous west indian stickfighter who thought the hero in him was long dead until he meets Myra. Rory the boy next door whose desperate needs for Odile's love may destroy things before the rain comes.

Through the delicate interweaving of there stories A Thirst For Rain is a warm and enjoyable read.

I am looking foward to reading more from this author

I just finished this book and found it to be a wonderful read. It is a perfect book to take along on vacation (which I did). It is fast moving and gets you engaged from the first page. I am looking forward to reading more from Roslyn Carrington...perhaps a sequel? I would love to learn more about these characters, and the ending feels a little like a cliff hanger. Particularly with Rory and Odile.

One of my favorite reads this year.

A mother and teenage daughter facing the same dilemma struggle alone, each ignorant of the other's predicament. Set in an apartment yard in Port of Spain, we meet Odile and her mother, Myra, Jakob, the noble stick-fighter, Myra's father, and my favorite, the young boy Rory who loves Odile with all his heart.

Like a fine painting evokes the soul of a place, A Thirst for Rain let me feel Trinidad and it's people. Carrington shows us it's colors and smells, it's trees, flowers, streets and buildings. Through her wonderfully-drawn, touching characters, we get to share their lives.

My only criticism of this book is that I didn't want it to end, I wanted more. However, it is obvious that Carrington is such a talented writer we are sure to get much more of her in the future.

Sara Nomberg-Przytyk is an incredible woman. To have survived such a horrendous experience like the Holocaust and still have the inner drive and strength to retell your story to the entire world on paper is awe inspiring. In certain parts of this autobiography, I had moral troubles believing many of the conditions and treatments the inmates of the concentration camps were forced to endure. At one point, I actually questioned whether or not this story is really a work of fiction. The events were described by Sara in such detail that I could sometimes smell the burning flesh from the crematoriums and the screams of women being beaten by the SS guards. This is when I stopped reading for a while and took a break. I would recommend this plan to anyone interested in tackling this brutally realistic acount of the Holocaust.

For English, I was assigned to read a Holocaust book.I went to the bookstore and browsed through the holocasut section. I picked the book that was the shortest. I am so glad I picked this one. This story is amazing. You could not tear me from this book. I was glued to it. It is an awesome book. Buy it. You won't regret it. Keep in mind that this advice is coming form a 14 year old.

The images in this memoir are extremely powerful. You will not forget them. The language is clear and concise. The writing is so alive that it takes you right there, to the camp experiences, to Auschwitz. This memoir is particularly poignent for those interested in women's experiences in the camps. The author's retelling of the resistance movement in the women's camp, the children born there, the medical experiments and other similar events are unique to women. It stirred my emotions and made me think about the Holocaust and this period of history in ways I had not before. I found myself taking time between each chapter, just to "sit" with the experience, feel it and process. It is an intense read. It will change your perspective and enhance your knowledge. Read this memoir.