As other reviewers have noted, this book is not strong on its historical content or presentation of utilitarian (read: flies for fish...) patterns. It also goes into excruciating detail on wall mounts which while interesting, might have been better spent on other patterns. I found the section on hook making to be very interesting and unique in the literature of salmon flies. This book is hard to put down and sets a new standard of graphics for this genre. Well done, Michael.

This book takes us through many years, and many places. Much of it is well known. It's really great when the topic is a personal friend, or an unsuspecting stranger (the article written after the death of Ed Ricketts, or the article about a French village in the Alps shortly after World War II). It gives a consistent voice to the views of one man and his reaction to the world around him. Much of it has been popular from time to time, and much of it has always been unpopular with a certain group of people. It would be easier to pick out the 'good' from the 'bad' is they were arranged chronologically, but they are not. If you are a fan of good writing, the whole book is 'good.' If you want to admire what Lee (in East of Eden) called 'clean thinking' skip the end. By the time I got to the middle of 'America and Americans' (about the last quarter of the book) it was getting old, and frankly I love Steinbeck's fiction so much that I could not finish it. By that time, it had become a litany of the complaints of my father, and the music was gone.

Critics argue about how great a writer Steinbeck was. One of their greatest criticisms was that he was too popular, or that he wrote for a popular following. That may be a valid criticism, and it may be one of the best reasons for reading his work. Which ever it is for you, it is here in abundance. The intimate details, the exacting prose, and the popular viewpoint. Whatever else we think, there is a Steinbeck voice that is unique, and worthy.

The strongest point in Steinbeck's writing is the sense of place. This book of non-fiction presents the land and the people. The real people and places who became Joad's, or Trask's, or sheriff's, are here in vivid detail. The Salinas of his youth, New York, France, Italy, traffic in Rome, and seaside villages are all vivid and inviting.

If you have read "The Harvest Gypsies" "The Log From the Sea of Cortez" "The Grapes of Wrath" or "East of Eden" many of the things in here will be familiar. If you have not, read this book. It may make them more appealing.

Always he wrote about his impressions, primarily of people. The best pieces in this collection are not accounts of foreign wars but of people in distinct places. Like Steinbeck's life, the book begins with Salinas, California, continues through San Francisco and New York City to Sag Harbor on Long Island, where Steinbeck lived in the 1950s and 60s. In the "Journalist Abroad" section there are strong pieces on people in Positano and Ireland. And there is a section on friends (all male, of course) including a long memoir of his idol and naturalist mentor, Ed Ricketts, and short but very illuminating memoirs of the popular WWII correspondent Ernie Pyle and the photographer Robert Capa (who accompanied Steinbeck on his Russian visit), plus concise tributes to Adlai Stevenson as an orator and to Henry Fonda as an actor.

The section "On writing" is regrettably short, and the selections of WWII colums from _Once There Was a War_ (a book which is in print) are mystifyingly missing the best ones, which Steinbeck wrote during the invasion of Italy. The Vietnam reports are unconvincing propaganda from what he presented as a war against Mao. (Brezhnev, perhaps, but not Mao!)

Many of the pieces are entertaining in the mock heroic Steinbeck manner of _Tortilla Flat_ and _Travels with Charley_ and some are moving. The text "America and Americans" had little impact. It certainly has not supplanted Tocqueville's analysis of democracy in America, but is not without interest. As generally for Steinbeck in fiction or nonfiction, the description of particular individuals is more interesting than the generalizations.

The editors provide useful introductions to the sections, but must think that Steinbeck's ideas and craft of the 1960s was the same as those of the 1930s. It is difficult but not impossible to find out when a particular piece was published but this vital information is not included in either the table of contents or with the title of the pieces.

But the meat of the "selected nonfiction" section is the 1930s reportage of the California migrants, which would later become the basis of his Depression novels. It is a searing experience even seventy years later, being made to watch formerly solid American citizens being ground into the mire by poverty, malnutrition, and hopelessness.

Even his much-denounced Vietnam coverage has unmistakably Steinbeckian passages of humanity. He goes for a combat patrol in an AC-47, a "Magic Dragon", and frankly confesses his fear. He flashes back to conversations with combat journalists and ordinary soldiers, who were killed very shortly thereafter. He accurately contrasts the omnipresent threat of guerrilla attacks with the more formal setpiece battles of previous wars--and portrays the confusion this arouses in the public back home.

The final bit is the republished _America and Americans_, which is one long cry of "Where are we going, and why are we in this handbasket?" Perfectly understandable for someone of his age and background encountering the Sixties for the first time... But even here his native American optimism refuses to let him despair. He concludes, "We have failed sometimes, taken wrong paths, paused for renewal, filled our bellies and licked our wounds; but we have never slipped back--never."

However, this collection of bear-themed erotica delivers the goods more often than not, yielding a variety of enjoyable stories ranging from the humorous ("Really Hairy Jesus" by R. E. Neu), the sleazy ("Teachin' Manners" by Jim Mason), the poignant ("Bernard and the Energy Circle" by Lance Gap and "Bear Trap" by Eric Mulder), and just plain fun ("Jack and the Bus Bears" by Bob Hay and "Honey" by David Bergman).

Another thing I really liked about some of the stories were the realistic glimpses into a subculture that exists outside the (stereotypical) gay mainstream (particularly "Guts" by Simon Sheppard and, to a smaller extent, "Golden Boy and the Bear" by Adam Gawron). I could also totally relate to "****cub and Bruce" by Thom Wolf, depicting the bittersweetness of feeling a connection to someone you can never completely have.

A couple missteps keep me from giving the book 5 stars, particularly "The Bearwych Project" by Bob Condron. Obviously written to capitalize on the success of "The Blair Witch Project," this story comes off as gimmicky, unoriginal, and quite unerotic. It also combines sex and violence in a way that I don't care to read.

All in all, I found this book affirming of pleasure, and it certainly pushed a lot of my buttons. Definitely recommended.

Very stimulating reading, though I did not find the cover model very titillating. Of course, as the person who whines about classical CDs with skinny hairless men on the cover to trick us gays into buying them, I may want to have my panda-shaped cake and eat it too…

The book starts with a short Medgar Evers history lesson culminating with his assignation and two hung juries in the subsequent murder trials of Beckwith. The book picks up in present-day Mississippi and details the reopening of the case, investigation, and eventual prosecution and conviction of Beckwith. That probably comprises the first third of the book. The next two-thirds detail the conception and execution of the Movie: Ghosts of Mississippi. Morris is detailed in his descriptions of movie making, from nuts and bolts film making to Hollywood politics. Of particular interest, is how the locals in Mississippi reacted and how Hollywood got along in the Deep South during the filming. He was able to deftly weave in pearls (as well as substantial blemishes) from Mississippi's past, much as he did in "The Courting of Marcus Dupree". Morris takes us through the filming of the movie to its nation-wide release and eventually to what he calls "troubles". The "troubles" piece is essentially a description and commentary on the reception (and substantial criticism) that "Ghosts" received in Hollywood, Mississippi and around the country.

If you enjoy nonfiction and have interest in the South, Hollywood, and Civil Rights I think you'll enjoy it (regardless of your opinion of the movie it describes).

The book starts with a short Medgar Evers history lesson culminating with his assignation and two hung juries in the subsequent murder trials of Beckwith. The book picks up in present-day Mississippi and details the reopening of the case, investigation, and eventual prosecution and conviction of Beckwith. That probably comprises the first third of the book. The next two-thirds detail the conception and execution of the Movie: Ghosts of Mississippi. Morris is detailed in his descriptions of movie making, from nuts and bolts film making to Hollywood politics. Of particular interest, is how the locals in Mississippi reacted and how Hollywood got along in the Deep South during the filming. He was able to deftly weave in pearls (as well as substantial blemishes) from Mississippi's past, much as he did in "The Courting of Marcus Dupree". Morris takes us through the filming of the movie to its nation-wide release and eventually to what he calls "troubles". The "troubles" piece is essentially a description and commentary on the reception (and substantial criticism) that "Ghosts" received in Hollywood, Mississippi and around the country.

If you enjoy nonfiction and have interest in the South, Hollywood, and Civil Rights I think you'll enjoy it (regardless of your opinion of the movie it describes).

The book itself has been around for quite some time. It was written in 1960 for the "Made Simple" series. It has been a popular staple of Italian courses in high schools and colleges ever since, and is now one of the better self-teaching courses. The book consists of fourty-one comprehensive chapters, each building on vocabulary, verbs, common expressions, and pronunciation and grammer. About every six chapters, there is a "revisione" - review chapter. These are like unit tests that one should do in full, at one sitting. At the end of the book, there is an Italian-English/English-Italian dictionary section, and contains all words learned throughout the course. (However, you might want to buy a complete Italian-English dictionary after completing the course, so you have a reference for words you did not learn. I suggest the wonderful "New World" dictionary, also available on Amazon.com.)

With each chapter drilling you to the maximum, and such a comprehensive voabulary agenda, "Italian, Made Simple" is not exactly the most simple of methods. It takes quite a lot of time. Each chapter may take from thirty minutes to an hour-and-a-half, and you may only have time to do three or less chapters in a single week. I suggest trying to do one lesson a day, but even I could not do this. The entire course took me three-and-a-half months to complete. However, by the end of this period, you will have learned enough Italian to get you through Carlo Collodi's complete "Pinnochio", and speaking with many Italians. Being an opera fan, I was able to comprehend large amounts of the texts of Italian operas without having to look at the supertitles! (Although, as Italian has changed quite a bit since the time of Puccini and Verdi, it is not always so easy.) I learned more from this course than anything else.

A problem with using this course is with the text, as it was written in 1960, and Doubleday has neglected to update the work, some of the text is considerably out-of-date. This is the Italian of the 1960's Italy - not current Italy. For example, the currently Italian pronouns used for "he" is not "egli" - but "lui" (pronounced "looey"). The current Italian pronoun used for "she" is not "essa" - but "lei". (This is also the same as the Italian word for "you", but one word capitalize it when using it in that sense.) Also, the phrase "per piacere" ("please" in English) is less common these days in Italy. Today, one would more likely hear "per favore". These can be cleared up, however, by watching Italian telision shows or listening to Italian music. (In Washington, D.C. we even get Italian music videos!) These will help to bring you a bit more up-to-date on Italian today.

I would suggest using this course along with the Pimsleur Italian audio courses. Although they are expensive, they help GREATLY with pronunciation, and are extremely easy. They are not as comprehensive as this course, but when used together, you will become quite fluent! (Also, the Pimsleur courses are actually up-to-date, so if you cannot get an Italian telivision show or radio program, they are quite a help! One little error on the course, however. Italy no longer uses the lyra as their monetary systems. It is now the Euro - easier to use and pronounce!)

This is the most comprehensive course I know of. It you learn to deal with the innacuracies due to dating (and I have pointed out the most prominent, already!) and have perseverence, you will be able to converse in fluent Italian, and read and write in the language (I even begin to THINK in Italian sometimes!), it is nessesary. A friend in Italy went through this course, and said to me: "If anyone can get through this course, they truly deserve to be treated as an Italian in Italy!" You should not fear about butchering the language after having done this course! It is a great secret to many who are looking for a great course!

HAVE FUN!!!

That being said, it was also a disappointingly written book in a number of respects. By focusing so much on Jackson's role in foreign policy and defense matters, Kaufman overshadows what the senator did in domestic policy. Moreover, after an initial examination, Kaufman virtually ignores Washington state politics, which leaves me wondering if the author might not have supplied a complete explanation as to how Jackson was so dominant in his reelection campaigns. Finally, Kaufman's habit of continually refering to political figures by their full titles was a little annoying, while the editing of the book was a little sloppy (every time I saw "Republic senator" on the page I wanted to grab a pen and add in the missing letters). In the end, it was an informative book, but not definitive.

Senator Jackson represented a distinctive, honourable and above all prescient tradition in American politics: that of the liberal hawk. He was unfortunate, in respect of his presidential ambitions, to hold consistently to his pro-western principles at a time when the Democratic Party was abandoning (or at least, compromising) the staunchly anti-Communist tradition of Truman, Kennedy, Johnson and Humphrey. Rent asunder by the experience of Vietnam and the rise of the New Left, the Democrats polarised around Jackson, on the one hand, and the party's disastrous 1972 presidential nominee, George McGovern, on the other. Only because of Watergate - and even then, only by a whisker - did a Democrat win the White House in 1976, and his presidency proved to be the most ineffectual in living memory.

Kaufmann describes this political background with a sure touch. He is unflinchingly honest in his depiction of Jackson's personal flaws, such as periodic irascibility with aides, but the essential Jackson - a man of deep humanitarian impulses, evident in such causes as his campaign for persecuted Soviet Jewry, and searing moral insight into the nature of Communist totalitarianism - shines through. The book is a fine political biography, but also a most touching personal portrait. It depicts admirably and with fine insight the circle around Jackson, some of whom later held office in the Reagan administration. I was unaware, for example, that the common view that Jackson's adviser, Richard Perle, was responsible for Jackson's unwavering support for Israel has it exactly the wrong way round. In fact, Perle, a secular Jew, came to see the urgency of supporting Israel because of the influence of Jackson - a Niebuhrian Protestant who understood better than any post-war American politician the moral import of a liberal democracy's struggle for survival while assailed by totalitarian states and terrorist organisations.

Jackson has the biography he deserves; I hope it is widely read and studied.

The author's main focus in this work is the profound and unquestioned effect Sen. Jackson had on U.S. foreign policy. The book brilliantly delves into Jackson's evolution from simple legislator to foreign policy guru. Much attention is made to Jackson's stances on a variety of foriegn policy issues, including his infamous battles with Henry Kissinger over the issues of detente, Soviet dissidents, and pro-Israel issues. Jackson proved a great foil for - and perhaps huge thorn in the side of - Dr. Kissinger, but with time and further examination, their debates likely benefitted U.S. foreign policy in the long run.

Make no mistake: while there is much on Jackson's foreign policy expertise, this is a solid biography of the man in total. We get a good look at his upbringing in and around Everett, his entry into politics, his failed presidential bids, and - eventually - his sudden and surprising death in the early '80's. Also included are the events at the infamous 1960 Democratic convention, where Jackson was very nearly chosen as JFK's running mate.

All in all, this is a very fair and solid biography, presenting an excellent look at the life of Sen. Jackson. This should be a must-read for political-junkies. Those of a conservative/Republican ideology should also make it a must-read, because it is made very evident how much of the current Republican stances on foreign policy were founded by Henry Jackson.

It has been said of "Scoop" Jackson that he was "the last good Democrat". For the citizens of Washington state, that is unquestioned and still lamented to this day. For the nation, the realization of this statement is slow to develop, but hopefully with this book, "Scoop"'s legacy will be recognized with the respect and stature that it truly is.

I found Path of the Jaguar to be enjoyable recreational reading. It was light and fast, a little incongruous (would so many natives have attended the lectures? Why would an educated young woman go clear around the world to a strange country on a crush?), but that's the way with recreational mysteries. With Path of the Jaguar, Vickie Britton and Loretta Jackson are obviously not trying to compete with John Grisham.

They have obviously done a bit of research that establishes the setting and plot anchors. From there the story progresses with gripping suspense.

Path of the Jaguar took me back to my Nancy Drew days and I thank Vickie and Loretta for that. Like the Nancy Drews I devoured as a teen-ager, I read Path of the Jaguar in one sitting. I would recommend it for my early and mid teen nieces, even nephews and anyone who is looking for relief from the deeper, more serious mature fiction that is common today.

Gabreil Blackwell is handsome, single and successful. As co-owner of a top architectural firm he is a hot commodity in and out of the boardroom. Gabe wants to find a good woman and settle down, but that woman must meet one specific requirement, she must not bring any relationship baggage. Gabe's past dating experiences have left him cautious about sharing his heart.

A special construction project brings Sage and Gabe together and sparks are flying almost at their first glance. But neither is ready to trust again so they try to avoid each other. But passion is a very strong emotion and like magnets it makes it almost impossible to stay apart.

PERFECT FIT is a wonderful read about learning to trust again with your head and your heart, and as with Ms. Jackson's other works her characters are delightfully human. So if a warm, endearing story is what you want I recommend you try this one on for size.

Reviewed by Simone A. Hawks
THE RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

Sage Dunbar is dealt a double whammy. She is engaged to marry Erol Carlson, her first love and the man with whom she had a five-year relationship. When he depletes her bank accounts without her knowledge on an investment scheme gone badly, Sage calls off their engagement and severs all ties with him. Later, that same day, she sees her father whom she held in the highest regard, at a restaurant with a woman who is not her mother. These two incidents causes Sage to question everything she believes in about love and marriage. To get away from it all and clear her head, she accepts a job transfer many miles away. Gabe Blackwell swore off of relationships and love after his almost fiance dumps him to go back to her former lover. He submerges himself in work and only seeks out female companionship for sexual release. When Sage and Gabe meet in Anchorage, Alaska to work on the Landmark project, Eden, there is electricity between the two of them that can not be denied. But with both of them carrying so much emotional baggage they are unable to see what is so obvious to everyone else.

This is the first time in reading one of Ms. Jackson's books that there is a female protagonist that I had a hard time liking. I found Sage to be self righteous, unforgiving and unyielding. Gabe deserves a medal for hanging in there with her. Having a story set in Alaska in itself is unique. I wish more scenery and description of the area and its attractions made their way into the storyline. Alaska is such a beautiful place. Ms. Jackson is the master setting the mood and writing sensuous lovemaking scenes. In this book again she did not disappoint. Brenda Jackson fans will like this one and new readers will become her fans, seeking to find all of her previous works.

Jeanette
APOOO BookClub