This book could have been great - but it isn't. If you're wondering about the exact time shots occurred or goals were scored, buy this book. But if you're looking for a behind the scenes view of how this team worked together, DON'T buy this book. Cotsonika's writing style is like a book full of box scores. He mixes past, present and future events in the same paragraph - there's no flow to the story, no drama, no interesting facts. Cotsonika even throws in a couple of self-serving lockerroom moments that have no bearing on the story being told. I really looked forward to reading this book, and I forced myself to finish it, hoping it would eventually get better. My advice? Look in the Free Press archives for Mitch Albom articles about last year's run for the Cup.

I loved this book!!! There was alot of insider info. It was interesting to hear about the behind the scenes deals and negotiations that went on to make this great team. This book did not overdo the stats and scores, etc. like most hockey books do. It was a quick, fun read and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I have bought several copies for gifts for family and friends.

This is a really excellent book for Detroit Red Wings fans to read. I read this book a few months ago and I keep thinking about the stories I learned from it. It has a lot of backstory of how they added more players to this already amazing team, like how they signed Brett Hull, Luc Robitaille and Dominek Hasek. It demonstrates why fans love the Detroit Red Wings. It gave a lot of behind the scenes information that the average fan would not know. And there was a lot of information in the book that I don't remember reading in the newspaper when it happened. This book is essential for any Red Wings fan to own because it documents one of the best seasons the Wings ever had, going for their third cup in 6 years. I highly recommend it!

When I first read it years ago, I thought it was okay. It was good when you had nothing else to read. This is the story in a nutshell. There is this girl who loves ice-skating, but her parents want her to refrain from the activity, for fear she will get sick. When the girl skates, she sometimes gets sick. So she is put in this boarding school in order to stop her from skating. Naturally, she rebels and goes for the competition and wins first prize, etc. etc. etc. For those who can relate to her, it will be interesting, but frankly I did not like it much, but I think some kids may enjoy it. Cheers!!!!!! : )

I read both _Ice Princess_ and its predecesor, _Ice Dancing_ in 4th grade. Every once in a while, I wish I could reread it. I keep on remembering the passion the main character, Samantha, showed throughout the two books, and I can remember wanting to be like her. If I had written this review then I think I would have given it 5 stars, but I can't be sure how great I would think it is now. Although I haven't read the book in seemingly ages, I recomend it to any girl who has ever dreamed.

This book is about a girl who skates and she got sick while skating, so her parents sent to an all girls' school. The story's genre is Fiction. I thought it was a very good book because she had a lot of faith and courage and kept skating secretly without any worry at all. I would recommend this book to young teenagers because it is a good influence and it shows how Samantha had a lot of faith and courage to keep skating. My favorite part in the book was when they did their last dance and won first place

Here we have all six issues of the Incredible Hulk's first series. It's a fun series. It holds up pretty well, other than the commie smashing. You can see how they were struggling with how to present the Hulk in the early days. They change his color, his means of transformation, his powers and his personality all within these six issues. The hardcover format with glossy pages is an excellent presentation of this material. If you can afford it, it's a good deal. It's still cheaper than buying the original issues.

My very first encounters with The Incredible Hulk came in my childhood, watching the television series, starring Bill Bixby. As a fan of the show, I thought that the way it was presented, mirrored how Marvel Comics titans Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, had envisioned the character. I had no idea that the comic book origin and mytholgy of the Hulk was completely different. As I started to delve into the world of superheroes, I sought out any book that featured characters I liked, The Hulk was among those heroes. I have to say that as much I liked the show and how it entertained, I prefer the mythology of the comic book, over the show. I see both incarnations as individual entities, very loosely related, like a cousin, 7 times removed.

As the Hulk returns to the spotlight, thanks to the film version, and as an owner of other Marvel Masterworks editions, the Hulk was a natural choice. Volume One reprints the first six issues of the comic book series. Written at a time when fears over nuclear war with the Soviet Union, was an every day reality, the plight of Dr. Bruce Banner struck a chord with readers. Another popular aspect of the character is of course his brute strength, as well as his similarties with Frankenstien-the misunderstood monster. It was great to read these early adventures. It was interesting to see the Hulk as a grey behemouth for the first issue, as opposed to the now famous color green. Stan Lee's stories, in the book, may have a certian 60's feel to them..but they still hold up and are lots of fun to read. The lengendary art from Jack Kirby for issues 1-5 (Spiderman's artist at the time, Steve Ditko, completed the chores on issue #6) is made even bolder, brighter and better (is that even possibe?), thanks to the use of glossy pages in the book

My only real problem with this book is that it's so much shorter than most of the others in the Marvel Masterworks series. What a shame... The book also reprints the original 6 covers, an introduction from Hulk Co-creator Stan Lee, first penned in 1989. The six issue reprint should have been longer though. That said, the 150 page book, is still reommended

This is not the same book as that reviewed below - there is some mistake here.As far as I know it was never released in paperback and was written when Len Wein was a child!

The book is a hardback collection from 1989 featuring the first six issues (the comic was cancelled after that)of the Incredible Hulk in his own magazine from 1962 & 1963. The quality of the reproduction & colors are superb.

The first issue he is grey, but as this did not work well with the printing capabilities of the time, from issue 2 he was depicted as the familiar "jolly green giant!"

With writing by Stan Lee and illustrations by Jack (King) Kirby (Steve - Spider-man - Ditko) took over with the 6th. issue's art), this is essential for anyone collecting the Hulk who can not afford the thousands of $$$ for the original comics (and who of us can!)Great stuff and brings back many memories!

This was a great book. At first i thought this book was boring , but as i got deeper and deeper into the book i found my self not stoping when reading time was over. The book was told in first person which made it intresting , because they would flip back and forth through time. It was intresting for me because it was about the jews in world war, and i am half jewish. Most world war booke spark my intrest. The charasters were well described down to the smallest detail. Also, what was intresting about the book was that it was about an old latie telling her grand daughter about how she helped her family escape from a consentration camp and getting them home safly. the only thing i did not like about the book was thet since it switched back and forth in time so mush that sometimes i didnt understand. All in all i rated this book a 3 out of 5 because of all the action and drama, but little bordem. I would reccomend this book to anyone who is intresten in world war 2 events.

At first i thought this book was very boring. As i got deeper and deeper in to it i foung my self not stoping when reading was over. What i liked about the book was that it was about jews in world war 2, and that sparks my intrest because i have jewish backround. The fact that a little girl helped her family escape from the nazies was also very intresting to me. The book was told in first person and kept going back and forth in time which sometimes confused me. That was the only thing about the book that annoyed me. i would find myself having to read a hold 3 pages over because i was confused. I liked that the story was told by an elderly grandma to her grand daughter. My grandmother used to tell me stories like that and it brought back memories. I rated this book a four out ot five because of all the action and drama. The only thing i did not like about the book was that sometimes it got very boring and it went back and forth in time, confusing me. All in all it was a good book, and i would reccomend it to anyone who likes world war 2 stories about jews.

This was a really great book that kept me reading for a few days. It really showed me what it was like for a Jewish girl to live through turn-of-the-century Russia. This was a summer reading book for me at school, but I'm certainly glad I read it! I would reccommend this book to any and all who are looking for a great read!

The book has a lot of text and a lot of humor. It's entertaining to read but I didn't find it very helpful for report writing. When you look at the highlighted portions of the text you have to do extensive reading to find out if you are doing it the right way or the wrong way. It felt more like an episode of the world's worst police reports. The book could have been organized better with major points highlighted. The commonly confused word section was very helpful.

I recently read this book in conjunction with the seminar put on by the authors Nicholas Meier and R.J. Adams. The book is a must read for all future police officers as well as a must have for current officers and supervisors. This is the first report writing book that I was actually able to read and enjoy. I was able to pick up several tips that have made my job much easier. You will learn so much from this book you'll wonder how you worked without it.

If you have the chance sign up for the seminar!

G. Ladwig

I feel this book is a great resource for police report writers. It teaches the basics of english usage and reporting as it relates to police writing without putting you to sleep. A valuable book for everyone who "pulls paper."

My boyfriend and I bought this book in the British Museum bookstore so we could keep the monarchs straight. For that purpose it is perfect. Each page is about the size of two credit cards, and each monarch gets two pages each- one page for a picture of him/her, and one page for a biography. The brevity of the biography obviously leads to inaccuracies in the interest of cramming it all into a single tiny page. In other words, I don't recommend using it to study for a history test, but if you want to put it in your backpack as you are touring London so you can say "Oookay, now Henry the VI was a [crummy] and weak king" as you stand over his tomb in St. George at Windsor and "Henry VII killed Richard the III, that bad guy from Shakespeare" as you stand next to Henry's tomb in Westminster Abby, it is absolutely perfect for that purpose. However, if you want a more thorough review (and loads of pictures, but less backpack friendly) of each monarch, I very much recommend Antonio Fraser's "The Lives of the Kings and Queens of England."

My only complaint about this book is that it tells a complete falsehood of the blessed Anglican Martyr Charles Stuart. To put this in a nutshell, Queen Victoria had a grudge against several of her predecessors (including Charles the martyr.) During her reign she fabricated the tale that Charles was a self server. On the other hand she tried to make the monstrously evil Cromwell into a champion of constitution and democracy. (Don't take my word for it. Read Winston Churchill's "History of the English Speaking People" 1955). Otherwise, this book is EXCELLENT. It offers a brief listing of the different houses. It also offers a beautiful photograph of each monarch. For the most part, it offers a brief but accurate passage on each of the monarchs. One thing Best does very well is that he goes beyond common and inaccurate opinions of some famous monarchs (including Henry VIII) and gives a scholarly opinion of their contributions to England.

If you want a coffee table book, this is not for you. Though tiny in size, this book is packed with valuable information. The illustrations, which cover all 43 of the rulers, are beautiful. The biographies are short and sweet, providing a basic background on each monarch. Also included are some humorous and shocking facts! I bought this for a friend and was pleasantly surprised at how much I liked it myself. It's a great value.

Pink Samurai is comprehensive survey of Japanese society and its approach to sexuality. The most interesting sections of the book are those dealing with historical developments - although the viewing of Heian Period sexuality through the lens of 'The Tale of Genji' has been done many times before, and there is really nothing new here. The book is neither here nor there, neither serious historical analysis, nor exhaustive chronicle of modern (commercial) sex in Japan, which is - by many estimates - the single largest industry in the country.
Bornoff's discussion of modern Japan seems oddly dated, perhaps domonstrating how quickly things change in the ten years since the book was written. One also gets the impression that much of the 'research' for Pink Samurai must have been done as long ago as the 1970's. The porn stars who are seriously discussed as icons for contemporary erotic mores have long since vanished into obscurity, as have all of the TV programs mentioned. The book is also light on its handling of Japan's serious problems with school-girl prostitution & child pornography. Already prevalent in the 1980's, by the late 1990's things were so out of hand that new legislation penalizing the practices was finally introduced, though the 'cult' has still not died out. From the scant page or two the subject merits in Pink Samurai, it is clear that Bornoff's interests lie elsewhere - probably the 'strip' theatres which get far more attention than their minor presence in the fabric of modern Japan would seem to warrant.
This book would benefit from a thorough updating.

This book was informative and entertaining with one strange flaw. According to the author, it seems some Japanese base everything on sex, that everyone is having sex everywhere all of the time, and that little sex dolls can be purchased everywhere. Reminded me of a famous anthropologist's scandal where the "locals" decided to have a bit of fun with the researcher. While sex in Japan is looked at in a more realistic sense (People understand that some people have sex, and that it's not abnormal), I couldn't quite agree with the author's notions that, come o-matsuri time, couples are enjoying quick trysts under the o-mikoshi or behind the jinja.True, there are sexual references in many (unexpected to the non-Japanese) places: children's manga that make the nude body seem to be anything from nothing out of the ordinary, to embarrassments to be blushed over. Public fliers and posters do show nude bodies, as do regular prime-time TV shows (this is without HBO and Cinemax).

The fact is, sexuality is seen differently in the different cultures. Using this book to study the wonderful diversity of people on this planet is great; but using this book as a travel guide when going to Japan might gain the wielder a bit of disappointment. This book covers quite a few areas of Japanese social life.

Keep in mind, though, that this book is starting to get a bit out of date. However, it's still fun to read as long as you don't take everything seriously.

Although it felt at times a bit facile, the book was largely interesting and certainly made me interested in so many of the cultural aspects he breezed through. I am curious to know how the things that he wrote about have changed, given that it was written during the peak of the Japanese success.

I learned of Christian Wiman from a marvelous essay he published in The Threepenny Review, in which he talks about reading Milton's "Paradise Lost" in Guatemala. Intrigued, I purchased "The Long Home," and I can say that I was not disappointed. While all the poems are not of equal strength, I've always felt that poets should be judged by their best work, and at least one poem, the sonnet "Revenant," is a masterpiece. In that work, more than in the longer title poem, Wiman shows his gifts as a rigorous thinker: "her white face under the unburdening skies / upturned to feel the burn that never came: / that furious insight and the end of pain." The shape of this poem, on every level, engages the tightly-coiled subject of a woman's singular obsession. I've read this poem many times and as with all great poems each time I discover something new. But the long poem of the book's title, while often moving and evocative of a particular time and place, seems to me to be too loose, occasionally approaching an arbitrarily clipped prose piece. (Wiman has, to my ear, a disagreeable habit of beginning lines with "Of," as in "without a speck / Of paving," "a level cloud / Of cotton," "a single lock / Of cotton..." and so forth. There are several similar examples on nearly every page of the poem.) Despite these reservations, overall this is an excellent volume and I will be eager to read Wiman's next book, and curious to see in what direction his work evolves.

Wiman's work is largely humble -- even the grandest of moments are rather subdued (in a grand way, of course). The language is asthetically lovely and he skillfully avoids the over-sentementality that one would expect from a family memoir. Another reviewer accused Wiman of being a slave to the MFA grind, but I couldn't disagree more. Wiman may be young, but his work is wise and freshly rooted in an understanding of poetic and human history.

The Long Home, the central work in the collection, is a gorgeously written epic story of Texan history. Christian Wiman writes with a spare and incisive intelligence and compassion, a wonderful stillness and attention to language and lilt.

I heartily recommend this book!

I was very disappointed with this book. I bought it for my son, Nicholas, thinking he would be excited about a book with his name in it. The story is about a boy, who has very wealthy parents, who obviously care more about their money than anything else. When Nicholas is shipwrecked and lands, alone, on an island, he is happy to be away from his family. His parents worry at first and offer a reward to find him, but as time passes they spend the reward money on more jewels. How awful! I could just imagine what kind of message this would send to my sweet 5 year old son. A terrible book!

Poor Nicholas is the child of boring well-moneyed parents. He hates the wealthy life and longs for real adventure. Well.. In this excellently-illustrated book he gets it, finding happiness and fun on a desert island.

The best thing about this book (aside from the great story and fun illustrations) is it's boldness. It dares to express the fantasies that all children have at times of escape from unhappiness into adventure, companionship, and a simpler life.

Stodgy billionaire parents will not like this book!

One of my favorite books as a child, a creative story. Ann McGovern did a great job on this wonderful story. And to accent the wonderful writing, Tomie de Paola did wonderful illustrations.

This book is an excellent reach into personal experiences of a family that saw tragedy face-to-face. Great details and descriptions. Rather slow but worth your time. I read every word.

If you've read "Eleni," Nicholas Gage's previous book on the life and death of his mother, the extraordinary Eleni Gatzoyiannis, you've probably wondered what happened to her children after they came to America. "A Place For Us" tells the story, with its focus on the relationship between a young Nicola and his father, Christos, a man suffering deep guilt for having left his wife to suffer in Greece.

The story is wonderful--a bit leisurely, but full of wonder and suspicion as the Gatzoyiannis girls (and boy) encounter America with all its strangeness and potential. There's enough humor to counter the grief and anger the family carried over the loss of Eleni, but it's Gage's account of his mistrust and resentment of his father that is the focus of this story. Long before Gage can seek justice for his mother's killing, he has to forgive his father, who turns out to be a better man than his son expects.

If this story is gentler in tone and pace than "Eleni"--albeit just as well-written, and spare in its language--it is because this is a story of healing rather than revenge. This is Christos's story rather than Nicholas's; the son's grief found a release in the search for those responsible for his mother's death, while the father devoted his life to the care of their children. Through that devotion, the Gatzoyiannis children came to thrive in their new country, finding purpose and strength.

In the end Christos and Eleni are reunited--their graves are side by side, and the epitaph speaks simply of the lifelong love between the two. A lesson for the family is made a lesson for all of us.

This is a wonderful, moving story of immigrant children who came to join their father in America after their mother was murdered by fellow Greeks during the Greek Civil War. It tells of their struggles to assimilate into American culture while attempting to deal with the betrayal they feel over the loss of their mother and the instant family they have with the long-absentee father. It's anything but slow moving and is a rich portrait of the life of an extraordinary family.