Editorial Review

The cowboy as hero, David McCumber reminds us, is one of America's abiding myths. John Wayne, Clint Eastwood--even the ubiquitous Marlboro man--endure as symbols, perhaps because of our need to believe (in a technology-savvy, urbanized culture) that "cleaner country ... something rougher, less despoiled, harder to win" still exists. Read more

Reviews (35)

It made me want to fly out to Montana
David has a natural, easy way of describing such a difficult land.I have never been to Montana but long to go there, and this book makes my longing more profound.
An honest, funny and entertaining look at real life
What happens when a 44-year-old assistant newspaper editorbecomes a working cowboy on a Montana ranch? This is an intensely personal account of 2 yearsspent in open country (although written as if it were one year)---a book that paints a colorful, insightful and humorous canvas of what cowboys on a working ranch really do (changing oil, riding ATV's, building irrigation dams, running loaders, feeding cattle... and yes, even a good old-fashioned roundup.)
Cowboying for real . . .
It took me a while to get into this book, but once I did, I really enjoyed it. The author, a newspaperman, spends a year on a large ranch in western Montana, and his account of that year is the best book I've ever read on modern-day cattle ranching as told by a cowboy. McCumber, in fact, is not a cowboy and has to learn nearly everything there is to learn about it on the job. And the reader learns along with him.
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Subjects:  1. Biography / Autobiography    2. Farmers & Ranchers    3. General    4. Regional Subjects - West    5. Social Science    6. Sociology    7. Sociology - Rural    8. Nature / General   

Reviews (16)

A bit of a confusing mix of medicine, religion, sports and memoir
Although there are certainly interesting elements here, this book has some of the most jarring transitions from one element to another I've ever read.Parts of it are strictly medical, including a tale at the beginning that would make any seasoned viewer of CSI troubled.Then there are long sports sections---high school football and fishing especially.Then the author has a religious revelation, and we read about that for a while.After that, it's straight memoir for a bit, and we learn about his family and past, but in disjointed, someone confusing pieces.None of the writing is bad, but I just couldn't settle in and really get much out of it.
Delightful memoir
Dr. Walt Larimore received excellent medical training at Duke University.Armed with a new medical degree, his wife, and 3-year-old daughter, he journeyed to the small town of Bryson City, North Carolina, to begin his practice.What he learned is that there were many things which had not been taught at the Duke Medical School.Doctors and nurses who had been in practice for many years taught him that sometimes the old, simple procedures worked just as well as the up-to-date techniques which he favored early in his practice.He also learned that appeals to the Great Physician were much appreciated by his patients and served to calm him in a crisis.He was surprised to discover that a country doctor does not only deal with human patients, but animal ones as well.All was not easy, as both of his children faced medical crises, and some of the older doctors opposed his presence in their town.Dr. Larimore's self-effacing manner and gentle humor make this a delightful read.I am looking forward to reading the next two books in the series.

Excellent- entertaining, captivating, and heart touching
Larimore captivated both my wife and I with his writing and tales of his experience as a new doctor starting out in a new town in North Carolina.Unlike one reader, I never got the impression that the local people were anymore "backwards" than you would find anywheres else.Indeed, it becomes quite clear as Larimore continues to develop as a complete doctor that he has a number of things to learn from the people that were around him.It is fascinating to watch him grow in his practice and expertise, in his faith, and in his relationships with the local people.His love for his patients come through quite clearly.
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Subjects:  1. Bible - Biography - General    2. Biography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Bryson City    5. Larimore, Walter L    6. Medical - Physicians    7. Medicine, Rural    8. North Carolina    9. Personal Memoirs    10. Physicians    11. Regional Subjects - South    12. Religion    13. INSPIRATION MOTIVATIONAL BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY    14. Religion / Bible / Biography / General    15. The Bible   

Reviews (6)

Fish out of water . . .
This book may be one of a kind. It's a memoir of a young parish minister accepting his first call to a Lutheran church in rural Illinois, and although there's a reference to the classic "Diary of a Country Priest" at the outset, any comparison with Bernanos' dying, saint-like character ends there on page one. Lischer, schooled in what seems to have been the excessively conservative Missouri Synod of the Lutheran Church, finds his 1960s liberal sensibilities set on a collision course with the deeply rooted religious and cultural traditions of his farming congregants. If there's anything classic about this, it's his role as a fish out of water.
An Honest Inside Look at Ministry and a Congregation
With one glance of the cover, a reader could easily misjudge OPEN SECRETS. The cover shows a painting of a quaint Midwestern town complete with churches and the homes of good folk. We can imagine that it will be a story of a minister and congregation and contain all kinds of heartwarming tales, and the author, Richard Lischer could easily have taken the reader on such a journey. Instead he does something different and in the end far more meaningful. He shares not only his experiences, but looks at the experiences in a critical manner that engages the reader.
the life of the average pastor
Rev. Richard Lischer gives us a delightful inside look into the life of an ordinary country pastor like so many in all the American Protestant denominations.The reader travels through the joys and pains, successes and failures of a young fresh-from-seminary man's first pastorate.This book is an entertaining, very humorous, and informative journey.I highly recommend it, especially to those who may be curious as to what your pastor's life is REALLY like. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography & Autobiography    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Biography/Autobiography    4. Clergy    5. Regional Subjects - Midwest    6. Religious    7. Religion / Bible / Biography / General   

Reviews (4)

a good book for anyone, anywhere, not just in Mobile
This is a brilliantbook. Hoffman draws fascinating portraits of a barrage of characters from in and around Mobile, and also ex-Mobilians. I am from Long Island, New York, and this was an incredibly readable, vastly enjoyable, slice of life from a different part of the country. Hoffman is a talented journalist and top-notch writer. He gives turns the local into the universal, while vividly analyzing a small cross section of the world.

Mobile Revisted
It is impossible to grow up in Mobile, Alabama without this historic Southern city leaving its indelible mark. Even though I moved away 25 years ago, I still call Mobile home. Roy Hoffman's collection of articles about the people and places that make Mobile unique, brought back many memories and has stayed with me long after I turned the last page. The Mobile Register is indeed fortunate to have such a talented writer at its disposal.

You Can Go Home Again
I wrote a review last week with the above title.Please check and notify me if you received it.If not, I will rewrite it. Thank you. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Alabama - Local History    2. American - General    3. Biography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Description and travel    6. History    7. History: American    8. Hoffman, Roy,    9. Mobile (Ala.)    10. Regional Subjects - South    11. United States - South - Alabama    12. United States - State & Local - General    13. Alabama    14. Childhood and youth    15. History / United States / State & Local    16. Hoffman, Roy    17. Local history    18. Short stories    19. Social history   

Reviews (10)

Few books have affected me like this one.
It was August, 1999. After a tough year of renovation my husband and I moved into our own 5,800 sf "Money Pit". We had spent a total of $ 600,000 getting ready for this day. It had been our dream ever since we had completed a renovation of our 1800 sf cottage 12 years before. We had battled bad heating guys, windows that had arrived to fit seemingly another house, workers who preferred smoking in our driveway to actually doing any work, painters who peed in my bathtub and nasty neighbors.
Lighten up about remodeling!
This is a really funny and very well-written book about two Manhattan queens who buy a mansion in the South and renovate it. Every remodeling horror you can imagine is described, but it all works out in the end! This book underscores the need for Cash, Cash, Cash!

An easy, entertaining read
"On A Street Called Easy, in a Cottage called Joye" is an easy and entertaining read, with short chapters perfect for the ride on the subway, or a break between tasks.A close parallel to "A Year In Provence", which is referenced by the authors, the story is essentially a humorous take on the gentry's lament "you can't get good help these days", but the biggest difference is that while "A Year..." is heavily slanted towards food, "A Street..." is almost entirely about the travails of renovating a wreck.It is after all, set in the deep (if it ain't fried, it ain't cooked)south, this is NOT Provence.Read more

Subjects:  1. Aiken (S.C.)    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Buildings, structures, etc    4. Decorating    5. Historic buildings    6. Joye Cottage (Aiken, S.C.)    7. Regional Subjects - South    8. South Carolina - Local History    9. Aiken    10. Homes and haunts    11. Whitney, William C   

Reviews (5)

A little disappointing
It's hard to go wrong with this subject matter, and I would recommend this book wholeheartedly.
Irresistible and bittersweet.
Beautiful, sweet and simple. The topic isn't one I have particular interest in, but the way she writes you can't help but fall in love with her, with Calvin, and with the whole life they create.I read it one night. Definitely recommended for anyone who has ever daydreamed about a quieter life than the one they lead.

True to my memories...
This well written little book made my heart ache for the land my family left many years ago. As a child, my grandfather took me into the Atchafalaya Basin many times to fish, and told me stories of our family's lumber camp from years prior. Ms. Roland's stories made those memories come flooding back. Her depictions of the people living in the Basin, and the sights, sounds, and smells of the Basin itself are true to my memories.
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Subjects:  1. Atchafalaya River Region    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Boat living    4. General    5. History - General History    6. Houseboats    7. Louisiana    8. Nature    9. Nature/Ecology    10. Regional Subjects - South    11. Swamps    12. United States - State & Local - General   

Reviews (6)

A Great Book for History Lovers!
I really enjoyed reading the Swamp Fox: The Life and Campaigns of General Francis Marion. It was an excellent biography, and contained lots of interesting, and historical facts about Marion. The information contained in the book was extremely accurate. I don't enjoy reading that much, but this is the best book that I have read in a long time. I really enjoyed it, and highly recommend it to people that enjoy history. If you aren't into history, then I don't know if this would be the book for you.
Enjoyable read
This is a great book to sink your teeth into.It deals with major battles as well as the multiple skirmishes fought by the southern militia. I felt as if I was there in the swamps, and hovering over the battlefield fighting along with these men.In the end you are almost kinda sad that you are no longer a part of these men's lives.Bass does a great job of putting you right amidst the action.You feel as if you know these men personally.This book also made me want to know more about Nathaniel Greene.(next book!)Angie

Overly dense
Bass' book is stuffed to the gills with details about battles and personalities surrounding the campaigns of Francis Marion, but, as a newcomer to the subject, I found that to be more problematic than helpful.If one does not already possess a working knowledge of the subject, the amount of detail and Bass' constant jumping from event to event is somewhat overwhelming.I also found that the lack of a consistent narrative gave the book a text-book quality. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography & Autobiography    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Biography/Autobiography    4. Historical - General    5. Military    6. Regional Subjects - South   

Reviews (17)

Where's the movie?!
I read Making The Wiseguys Weep 4 times. It had me captivated from beginning to end. I was not aware of Jimmy Roselli's music before reading it, but picked it because I am Italian-American and wanted a compelling mafia story. This book paints a picture so vivid of Italian-American culture, the life and times of the "good ol' days" and the amazing experiences of Jimmy Roselli. It made me track down some Roselli albums for his talent is amazing. like casino profits, best used by skimming
This book has much to recommend it. It provides insight into the aftermath of the profliferation of rock in the '60s---the virtual banishing to the wilderness of talented performers committed to, in my opinion, songs on a much higher level than those penned and sung by many of the musically less-than-literate '60s icons. Both songs crafted by Berlin, Porter, et al and the performers who delivered them with depth of feeling and well-honed craft were suddenly visciously shunted aside by both kids caught up in rebellion (somewhat understandable given the times, hell, I was one of them) and profit-driven record companies (sickening and unforgiveable). Gifted singers like Tony Bennett, Roselli, and many others were pretty much hung out to dry as American culture took a nose dive it has yet to recover from ... . This phenomenom, the steamrolling of America's great song book and its interpreters, is well documented in chapter 6 here. Great Book
Five more stars to David Evanier for writing a great story on Jimmy Roselli. After reading the reviews, some people feel that Jimmy is not the greatest person in the world, but I think we can all agree that he is one of the best singers who's story is a story of interest and it was superbly told by David Evanier. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography & Autobiography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Biography/Autobiography    5. Composers & Musicians - Pop    6. Entertainment & Performing Arts - General    7. Italian Americans    8. Mafia    9. Popular Music    10. Regional Subjects - MidAtlantic    11. Singers    12. United States    13. Roselli, Jimmy    14. Sinatra, Frank   

Reviews (14)

That House on Middagh Street
Thomas Wolf once famously said "only the dead know Brooklyn."There might be some truth in that, but some of us know Brooklyn, N.Y.,U.S.A., pretty well,and are still very much alive.Quite a few people are aware of Brooklyn's brownstone belt, that swath of historic houses stretching from the East River to Prospect Park and beyond.Many of these people would declare Brooklyn Heights the ultimate Brooklyn brownstone neighborhood.It's beautiful, and gets scenic views of Manhattan.It's got history galore--an important Revolutionary War battle was fought here;and it's been, and still is,home to a lot of well-known important people.
The bump and grind of a literary bawdy house
Sherill Tippins has done an amazing job of finding the significant narrative threads in the chaotic convergence of creative lives that occurred in the months before Pearl Harbor when Harper's Bazaar editor George Davis and British expatriate poet W.H. Auden rented a brownstone on 7 Middagh Street in Brooklyn Heights and actively recruited other creative artists to live with them. Among the co-renters were Carson McCullers who had recently published her highly acclaimed first novel, "The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter," soon-to-be famous British composer Benjamin Britten and his parnter, singer Peter Pears, unpublished novelists Paul and Jane Bowles, Broadway set designer Oliver Smith, writer Richard Wright and his wife, and burlesque sensation Gypsy Rose Lee, who it turns out was the most reliable in the rent-paying department and joined the little "creative commune" on the condition that she could bring her own cook and maid. Her fiscal reliability and drive along with Auden's willingness to take on the unpleasant role of house disciplinarian (collecting rent and other "dues" and establishing and enforcing many house rules) are probably sufficient explanation for why this menage managed to last the two or three years it did.
Timely and beautifully written
Sherill Tippins' volume fills a tantalizing gap that fans of Auden, McCullers, Britten, and Gypsy Rose Lee have long wished could be filled.Most overdue is Tippins' portrait of George Davis: failed literary wunderkind; editor extraordinaire (who "discovered" McCullers and got much-needed writing jobs for her and W. H. Auden in the lean months before Pearl Harbor); husband to Lotte Lenya and the catalyst that re-invented her for American audiences in Marc Blitzstein's staging of Weill's "Threepenny Opera"--the list goes on and on.Davis and Auden are central to Tippins' account and to the amazing colony of artists who called 7 Middagh Street in Brooklyn Heights their home in 1940-41.But Tippins gives everyone in that circle his/her due.Her depictions of Auden's rocky romance with Chester Kallman, of Benjamin Britten's coming to terms with his artistic destiny in England, not America, and Gypsy Rose Lee's ability to charm and disarm everyone she met are more than engaging--they are extremely moving.
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Subjects:  1. American - General    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Biography And Autobiography    4. General    5. History    6. History - General History    7. History: American    8. Literary    9. Regional Subjects - MidAtlantic    10. U.S. History - 20th Century (General)    11. United States - 20th Century    12. History / United States / 20th Century   

Reviews (5)

a beautiful book.
I first read "Wild Steps of Heaven" while I was in college. I have never been one who was able to finish a full book, but I couldn't get enough of this one. And once I was through with it I had to go out and find more books by Victor Villase�or. He makes everything seem magical but at the same time believeable. It is like the ultimate adult fairy tale. Each character has so much life. The story is one that you just want to follow, you want it to keep going. Even the sad and painful stories shine with beauty as Villase�or tells them. This is my absolute favorite book and I highly recommend it. You won't understand until you read it.

Wild Steps of Heaven
Read this book before you read "Rain of Gold"."Wild Steps of Heaven" is a short read and actually the paternal part of the family story. I wish Villasenor had included the info in Wild Steps of Heaven" in "Rain of Gold". Both books are a wonderfulpatchwork of history,and genuine family integrity. Excellentsummer read!

Wild steps of heaven is magic
This is a wonderful book. This book is about a family living during theMexican Revolution.His writing just takes into this magical world and eventhough you know that he has made a little piece of history into this greatbig piece of fiction, he does it so as a matter-of -fact that you justcan't believe that it's not true. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Biography/Autobiography    4. California    5. Ethnic Cultures - General    6. Historical - General    7. Mexican Americans    8. Regional Subjects - West    9. Villase„nor, Juan    10. Biography & Autobiography / Literary   

Reviews (7)

heroes of the soul
Even today, with rescue not so far away, few of us would have the nerve to go down the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon alone, so imagine the nerve it took when Buzz was totally alone, with no chance of help if he made a mistake.But the most amazing thing about Buzz was that in the midst of an adventure that would leave most people totally preoccupied with survival, Buzz had the soul power to look for and see the poetry in the river and the canyon.Merely knowing how to survive can be much easier than knowing how to live.

Answers to an old story....
I remember years ago when I was a kid a story my father told me about an amazing river rafter and boat builder.My Dad grew up in Coquille and went to school with Buzz's younger brother. His story always ended with how Buzz had been on a rafting trip in eastern Oregon and went off and committed suicide.I couldnever understand how someone who had done the amazing things he did could end his life on that note.I thought about that story many times over the years and always wished I knew more.This book is incredibly well researched and documented.Even thoughmany questions were answered,many more were raised.Such was the enigma that was Buzz Holmstrom.

INSPIRING
Well-written and researched. But the thing that shines through is Buzz and his strong spirit - the writers were careful to be sure this was HIS book, not theirs, which is how it should be. A true boatman's boatman, Buzz wasmaybe born too soon - it seems the world wasn't quite ready for his singular love of the rivers and nature. This book won't disappoint you - what will disappoint you after reading it is that Buzz is gone. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography & Autobiography    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Biography/Autobiography    4. Historical - U.S.    5. Regional Subjects - West    6. Ships & Shipbuilding - Engineering    7. Sports - General   

Features

• Abridged
• Audiobook

Reviews (18)

Dean Smith wrote a very good book that shows his character.
26 Jun 2005
Dean Smith could probably run for president
The book "A Coach's Life" written by Dean Smith, is a life story of one the best coaches to have ever stepped on the hardwood.This book starts off talking about Dean's childhood.He tells stories of himself as an athlete, playing football, baseball and basketball.
Dean Smith
Dean Smith is now known as one of the greatest college basketball coaches of all time.I choose to read this memoir because I have a love for sports.Also, I have a deep passion for college sports because of the atmosphere at every college game I go to.Dean Smith coached one of my favorite colleges in the nation The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
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Subjects:  1. Abridged Audio - Autobiography/Biography    2. Audio Adult: Books On Tape    3. Audiobooks    4. Basketball coaches    5. Biography    6. Biography & Autobiography    7. Regional Subjects - South    8. Sports - Basketball    9. Sports - General    10. United States    11. Biography & Autobiography / Sports   

Reviews (6)

Facing Adversity
Mr. Martin's book is an inspirational and moving work for anyone to read, regardless of your position in life.If you've ever faced adversity, there is something to be learned about courage and optimism from this book.His candor, humor, and vision will inspire you and give you a sense of appreciation for this life we have. My mother is suffering from a degenerative disease, and this book gave me a new sense of perpective on what she and many others face as they battle each step of their disease. As a North Carolinian, I am proud that this brilliant writer and powerful soul is a leader for our community, and has been able to reach out and touch so many other lives.This book will make you cry, make you laugh, and most importantly, give you inspiration and appreciation for what you have.

A writer first
I cannot add much to the previous reviews-- all of with which I agree-- except this: Mr. Martin is, first and foremost, a writer. Indeed, he has ALS, and that is much of what he writes about here. But his lean, athletic style, keen observation and outstanding sense of humor would entice me to read router bit catalog copy, if Mr. Martin wrote it.I'm in search of his short story published in the Crescent Review (malcolm@walkaboutpress.org-- if anyone finds it first) and am hopeful he is at work on something else for us to enjoy and think about.

An inspiration for all
Like another reviewer, I also have the pleasure of knowing Joe Martin. And while I knew of some of his remarkable achievements, I was astounded to read of many more. Like Joe, I have ALS, Lou Gehrig's disease. He, and his book, have inspired me to livelife with joy, love, purpose, hope and faith notwithstanding the ravages of this disease. His book, like Tuesdays With Morrie, should inspire anyone and everyone. But while Morrie spoke as a dying man, Joe, with the same terminal illness, speaks with the vitality of a man truly living life to the fullest.Read more

Subjects:  1. 1940-    2. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis    3. Biography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Health    6. Martin, Joe,    7. Medical    8. North Carolina    9. Patients    10. Regional Subjects - South    11. Specific Groups - Special Needs    12. Inspirational   

Reviews (6)

Grass Beyond the Mountains
Pan Phillips had the "Pan Phillips International Airport" at his fishing camp beyond Anahim Lake B.C.For several years, we flew into his little airport between 2 lakes.Pan told us some of the same stories that are in this book.Louis Soukup was one of the first pilots to the area.Louis would fly in, any equipment that Pan needed, on the pontoons of his airplane.This book gives the stories as though you were sitting at the feet of the men who were the first settlers in this area of British Colombia.It is really an adventure to read.

Read It!
We own the Legacy Ranch high in the mountains of Northeastern Utah.For years we have loved the beauty of the unspoiled wilderness. Nursing newborn elk calves, watching Canadian Lynx outside their lairs, and many other adventures have cast us in the mold of lovers of the wilderness.To read the adventures of true cowboys, who started with nothing else but their "grit" and ended up with lives spent plumbing the depths of fun and hard work was one of the top literary experiences of our lives. This book, far better than the sequels, will be part o four Christmas giving this year.

Nothing To It!
Nothing to reading it, that is. This is one of the first nonfictions books I've read that I have ever liked. I got interested in it when I saw the TV show 'Nothing Too Good For A Cowboy' and had to read the books. This bookmade me laugh and almost made me cry. The characters are too funny and veryheart-warming. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. British Columbia    4. Canada    5. Canada - General    6. Cattle trade    7. Cowboys    8. Frontier and pioneer life    9. Historical - General    10. History    11. History: World    12. Regional Subjects - West    13. Fiction / General   

Editorial Review

A dramatic pair of pictures opens this book: aerial shots of Fairview Gardens Farm, near Goleta, California, first in 1954, then in 1998. Once part of thousands of acres of farmland, Fairview Gardens is now entirely surrounded by tract homes, strip malls, and all the conveniences of modern suburban life. This 12.5-acre oasis exists only because Michael Ableman has steadfastly refused to let it be gobbled up by the relentless bulldozers. His story is funny, fierce, inspiring, and infuriating. His success, tempered by ample setbacks, will be of practical use to anybody seeking to preserve farmland from suburban sprawl. This powerful love story about a man and a place is especially moving because the land is not his: for most of the past 17 years, Ableman has been a tenant farmer at Fairview Gardens. Few people would put so much sweat and soul into borrowed land, yet to Ableman, ownership is irrelevant--it is the rich, beautiful land itself, and the sweet, slow food it produces for him, that matters. Read more

Reviews (5)

A darn good book!
I live in a desert climate, so farming is something that interests me in this desolate place I live in.I really enjoyed this book because of the success story and the farming aspect of the book.I would recommend this book to anyone who likes farms.

One of my favorite books!
This book was an inspiration to read. It gives me hope that urban sprawl might be contained in some small parts of the world. It's also a good guide to organic farming and living, and getting past the "hippie"stereotype that organics still have.I'd highly recommend this book.

a very personal journey
Reading Michael Ableman's book was like stumbling upon his personal journal.I could imagine it's dirt-stained, hand-written pages - themiscellaneous seed or wind-blown earthen particles stuck deep in thecreases of the binding.This book is filled with earnest, intimate tales -the everyday woes and triumphs of a gentle farmer, side-by-side with thebattle stories of a true community activist. It is his journey that I foundso fascinating, so inspiring.Ableman's story is compelling because he hasbeen on the good path and done the good work for a long time - more than 17years.From the early days of setting up the produce stand on weekends ata local farmer's market, to lamenting a killing winter frost, he draws thereader into the drama.Ableman's intensely close relationship with theland is his reward for paying close attention to its needs.His goals wereclear - to grow healthy food for local people in a way that respected theland's ability to sustain itself.He learned by doing, followed hisintuition, and made tough decisions based on what was right, or what hebelieved to be right at the moment.This book offers its readers as much"food for thought" about life, as it does about farming! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Organic farming    2. Farmers    3. Santa Barbara    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. History    6. Gardening/Plants    7. Regional Subjects - West    8. Specific Groups - General    9. Ableman, Michael    10. Agriculture & Farming    11. Biography: general    12. Body, Mind & Spirit / General    13. USA    14. Biography & Autobiography    15. General    16. Sociology - Urban    17. Biography    18. California    19. Fairview Gardens (Santa Barbar   

Reviews (46)

?Project Girl?
I must say I am a fan of Janet Mc Donald's books.The first book that I read that had me in stitches was "Spellbound."After reading that one I was inclined to find any others she wrote. I purchased a total three and one of them being "Project Girl."I was pleased with the beginning of the book because she was able to take me into her world as a project girl. She was also able to express the ambiance and love she experienced in her family as a child with her readers.She however lost me from there on. I must say her redundant mentioning of how smart she is wore on my last nerve.I wanted to put the book away and forget about finishing it, but made myself after all I paid for it.I just wish the book could have lived up to its name and relied less on proving superfluous points to her readers.I am still a fan of the author; after all she is only human.

An inspiring story, brillantly written
Few books I have read in my life compare to this incredible story of triumph in the face of adversity. I could not put the book down. Ms. McDonald's conveys her rise from the projects of New York to the dorms of Vassar to the salons of Paris with openness and humor.She bravely uses excerpts from her journal to convey some of the most harrowing times.A gifted writer, we can only hope the sequel will appear soon.

This Should be your Project to read
Great novel...older students can get a real look at life. Things could be worst for some of today's students, but this novel should make them see that. You can still do great things in life when you are dealt a no so great hand. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1953-    2. African American women    3. Biography    4. Biography & Autobiography    5. Biography / Autobiography    6. Biography/Autobiography    7. Gifted girls    8. McDonald, Janet,    9. New York    10. New York (State)    11. People of Color    12. Public housing    13. Regional Subjects - MidAtlantic    14. Women    15. Biography: general    16. History / Africa    17. McDonald, Janet    18. USA   

Reviews (4)

Stocking Stuffer of a Book
Yes, it is a tiny book.Even though I read the review here that mentions that, when it arrived this week I was surprised.It is something he wrote for a magazine way back when.The Brooklyn he wrote about has changed, yet again.Did any of us think we would live to see Brooklyn become so expensive you couldn't afford to live there!It has happened, my friends.This book is a history of the borough and the area.NYC changes like the fall leaves.It grows and grows and changes and changes.He captured the Brooklyn of his time so elloquently you feel as if he lived 100 years ago.I am going to give this book to all my friends for the December holidays.It will fit nicely in a Christmas stocking.Truman Capote's books, now more than ever, are a must read.Other than Dominick Dunne, who do we have that writes so well and transports us to these exotic places with exotic people we would never have an opportunity to meet?You will put this book in a special place so everyone can see it.I already have.

Don't need to save much time for this small gem
I'll post a more extensive review later, when I've had time to do more than scan the book.But I want to warn buyers that it's a very slim, undersized book of only 43 pages, with lots of space between the lines.If Capote was paid by the word for this article-turned-book, he didn't make much. Another winner by Capote...
I rated this one four stars because I can't help compare it to my two personal favourites, 'Music For Chameleons' and 'In Cold Blood.'Read more

Subjects:  1. 1924-    2. 1924-1984    3. 20th century    4. American - General    5. Authors, American    6. Biography    7. Biography & Autobiography    8. Biography / Autobiography    9. Biography/Autobiography    10. Brooklyn Heights (New York, N.Y.)    11. Capote, Truman,    12. Homes and haunts    13. Intellectual life    14. Literary    15. New York    16. New York (State)    17. Regional Subjects - MidAtlantic    18. American English    19. Biography: general    20. Capote, Truman    21. Novels, other prose & writers: from c 1900 -    22. Travel / United States / Northeast / Middle Atlantic (NJ, NY, PA)   

Reviews (4)

Would you Buy a Horse from this Man?
Ben Green's book "Horse Tradin'" will be enjoyed by about anyone from Texas or with an interest in cowboys and horses.Green was born in 1912 and this book tells stories of his horse tradin' experiences as a boy and young man in the late 1920s and 1930s before the automobile made the profession of horse trader obsolete. Green was a bit more than the simple cowboy he portrays in this book.Research into his life tells us that he was educated in Veterinary medicine at Cornell and in England, so he didn't spend all his time trying to make a buck by sharp trades.