Reviews (16)

Working Fire:The Making of an Accidental Fireman
I found this book to be incredibly funny, heartwarming, entertaining and very enlightening as to how our beloved firefighters live their lives.They remain our greatest unsung heros.I could hardly put the book down.

what the job is today
As a fireman, I have been looking for the contemporary replacement for the 1970s tome "Report from Engine Co. 82" since I first read Dennis Smith's account of the FDNY. I read and reread Smith's book, checking it out of the library at least once a year until it was rereleased in hardback in the 1990s and I bought my own copy. The fire service has changed since the days when the south Bronx and other parts of other cities were burning at a rate unprecedented before or since. With the advent of emergency medicine and active fire prevention and investigation bureaus, our job has grown in the thirty years since Smith's Bronx burned. Before my career is over I expect as much development or more. These changes only firemen can truly see -- from within the ranks.
The closest thing to actually riding the fire engine
This is a well written account of what its like to be a firefighter.From the initial training through the probationary period and on towards becoming a veteran, Unger takes the reader through each stage of his career.The vivid language allows the reader to experience the conditions inside a burning structure as the firefighters struggle to contain the fire and save lives.Every aspect of the descriptions here rings true, and Unger has provided a compelling and honest glimpse of the struggles and triumphs of life in the fire station. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography & Autobiography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Biography/Autobiography    5. Fire Science    6. Fire fighters    7. Firefighting Tactics And Strategy    8. Personal Memoirs    9. Specific Groups - General    10. Unger, Zac    11. United States    12. Biography & Autobiography / General   

Reviews (4)

Takes a Genealogist
Love in the 90s is an inspiring document of a true-life love story.Ifyou despair of ever finding real love, if your view of love in the newMillennium is jaded, if you think romantic love cannot last longer than onefull cycle of the moon, you must read this book.The wonder of it is thatthese two passionate lovers became passionate genealogists, too.Theyrecognized the importance of documenting significant thoughts and momentson paper and handing them down to their progeny.Without that sense ofhistory, these wonderful love letters might never have touched loves in theyear 2000.Do read them and glory in the wonderful photographs taken ofthe Blakeys by their devoted granddaughter, Keri Pickett.

Inspirational and a Truly Delightful Love Story
In this day and age of one-night-stands/casual sex, disbelief in a sovereign God, and divorce rates at an all time high (wonder why?) it'srefreshing to read a book that reflects two people who truly were in loveand as commited to each other, as they were to their relationship with God. I found it very refreshing and instills my strongly held belief thatmaintaining a strong faith in God, holding onto a higher moral standard,and having faith there is someone special out there (don't settle forless!) will result in an unselfish and loving heart and the morals andvalues needed to maintain and truly have a rewarding, long and satisfyingrelationship beyond our wildest dreams.

Love is infinite
I just want to say that this book touchedthe very depth of my soul.....Even though it happen out of an innocent proposition it led to the most romantic and timeless conviction thatLOVE is deep and can last a lifetime...... ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1895-    2. American authors    3. Biography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Biography/Autobiography    6. Blakey, Bernard Buckner,    7. Correspondence    8. Family & Relationships    9. Family Relationships    10. Love-letters    11. Oklahoma    12. Photo Essays    13. Specific Groups    14. Blakey, Bernard Buckner    15. Blakey, Josie Walker   

Editorial Review

Drug-addled, welfare-using and AIDS-infected, Rosa Lee--a black woman living in the slums of Washington, D.C.--shines an enormous amount of light on the seemingly intractable problems of the underclass by allowing Leon Dash to tell her story. You won't find any diagrams or number-crunching in this book, just an absorbing tale of inner-city despair. Dash won the Pulitzer Prize for his series of articles on Rosa Lee for the Read more

Reviews (23)

The Real hard times of a citizen growing up in The projects.
Rosa Lee: A Mother and Her Family In Urban America shows what can really happen if an individual does not require a successful education. The problems of Rosa Lee were dropping out of school because her own mother says that education is a waste of time and gets her nowhere in life. Other problems were growing up in the projects selling and shooting heroin, tricking, and shoplifting her way through life. The biggest problem of Rosa Lee were knowing six out of your eight children are doing the same activities as herself. Her number one quote of getting through life, "To Survive", is the worst way to live through life as a poor individual. Leon Dash really shows what it's like growing up in one of poorest ghettos of Washington D.C. The Rosa Lee book is astonishing and I encourage everyone to read it so they are influenced. I give it two thumbs up!

Thought provoking
If the measure of a good book is that it exposes you to new information and makes you think, then this a great book! I enjoyed Mr Dash's even-handed writing style, it wasn't overly critical or sympathetic. Rosa Lee has made some very poor decisions in her lifetime, ones that will have far-reaching effects on the generations that come after her. The book gives you the insight as to why she made those decisions without excusing her actions. I came away from this book with more questions than I had when I started reading. It's almost a "which came first, the chicken or the egg?" scenario...it makes you wonder if Rosa Lee created her own problems or if her problems created her? As a Sociologist I have always been interested in urban blight and deviant behavior and try to read as much on the topic as possible, and I must say that this is one of the better books that I have read. I would also highly recommend "The Corner" as another book that explores the issues facing the urban underclass. Thank you Mr. Dash for daring to uncover an ugly part of America that some people wish would stay hidden!

Your Tax Dollars At Work
This book made me incredibly angry.In a nutshell, it is the horrifying story of one woman's life and legacy of ignorance, immorality, illegality, and vice.It's a very compelling read and well-written in terms of the subject matter, but there is a consistent theme throughout the book of "failure of the system," which I found insulting considering Rosa Lee and her family's grave manipulation, exploitation, and abuse of every helping hand extended. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1936-    2. African American women    3. Case studies    4. Cunningham, Rosa Lee,    5. Drug addicts    6. Ethnic Studies - African American Studies - General    7. Poor    8. Social Science    9. Social conditions    10. Sociology    11. Sociology - Urban    12. Specific Groups - General    13. Washington (D.C.)    14. Biography & Autobiography / People of Color    15. Black studies    16. Cunningham, Rosa Lee    17. USA   

Reviews (47)

You will never forget this book
I started this book with some trepidation, having read the chapter titles first (among which are Mother, Father, Biopsy, Connection, Phobia, Wedding, Diary, Artist, Gossip, Istanbul, Change, Aunts, Parting). Now that I have been carried on the fantastic ride that this book offers, the chapter titles make perfect sense. The chapters take the reader through the author's astounding first 23 years of life and gamut of emotions, beginning with the day he was adopted by a fascinating couple. As a result, the book is impossible to stop thinking about during the day.
Heartbreaking and inspiring
I read this book from beginning to end non-stop. Bazhe had amazing courage and strength in the face of many terrible adversities -- especially at such a young age. I think the traumatic experiences he underwent would transform many people into sociopaths, but they have transformed Bahze into a poet and an artist and a beautiful person.

A Must Read
"Damages" is an incredible book by a very talented author, and should not be missed.Bazhe's memoir of the first act of his life addresses adoption, sexual abuse, the fall of Yugoslavia, terminal illness, hypocrisy, the search for freedom and love (and an understanding of one's self), but the essence of the book is a study of "family" in its various permutations -- adoptive parents and relatives, lovers, the "aunts" of Belgrade, and his birth mother, Mila.Each of these characters influences Bazhe in ways both good and evil, yet he never loses his determination, his strength or his sense of self-worth.It is those characteristics that allow Bazhe to persevere and, one hopes, finally obtain the freedoms for which he has so valiantly struggled.Such a raw and honest telling of the story of one's own life is rare, and for that Bazhe should be commended -- he is a fantastic storyteller.Like Mila, the reader seems to be seated in a room with Bazhe as he slowly peels away the multiple layers of experience that have made him the man that he is, and just like her, this reader had an overwhelming desire to reach out and hold Bazhe and tell him that he has done remarkable things and should be very proud of his battles and accomplishments.I hope he has found, in the second act of his life, the freedom and happiness he so desperately sought, and that he will someday share that story as well. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Artists, Architects, Photographers    2. Biography & Autobiography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Biography/Autobiography    5. Personal Memoirs    6. Specific Groups - Male Gay Studies    7. Biography & Autobiography / Personal Memoirs    8. Biography: general   

Reviews (42)

A must read!!!
Excellent! A wonderfully entertaining story, beautifully told. The only problem, I wish it had gone another 100 pages! This is one of those stories you wish someone would develop into a screenplay for a movie!
Of Nepotism and Naivete
First, the obvious:neither Barthelme brother would have cushy college-teaching jobs had not their eldest brother, Donald, been a trendy post-modernist icon. The younger brother, Steven B., has managed to publish exactly one (1) book of short stories; Rick, the larger, plumper one, has some sort of gossamer reputation among those who like trailer-park fiction.There are hundreds, maybe thousands, of better writers with better qualifications who would kill and maim with gleeful abandon for jobs at Southern Mississippi -- and who would devote themselves to those jobs, and to their students, rather than run off two or three times a week to squander Daddy's money at the blackjack tables [disclaimer: the undersigned thinks she is one of those "better writers"]. That said, this slender volume does indeed fascinate: I read it straight through in five hours, and so will most readers of a literary bent. The brothers B. have in fact done me a service, one years of shrink visits and antidepressants have failed to do -- in one stroke, they have made me glad, glad, glad that I abandoned the academy, failed to obtain a Ph.D., and find myself teaching high school English thirty years after my Iowa fiction MFA. Theirs is a cautionary tale, of what may happen to smart people with minimal reality contact and few, if any, day-to-day responsibilities. The cavernous lack of common-sense knowledge they display in their forays to the Gulf Coast casinos would be inconceivable to anyone who's punched a clock or handled an insurance claim.They are actually surprised to find that casinos have a corporate identity! Gee, they thought those people were their friends ... gahh!As for the dead father they apparently despised, I felt sorry for D. Barthelme Sr.His hard work, his habits of deep thinking and attention to detail, become monstrosities in the ham-hands of his two youngest sons, who in fifty-plus years on this planet have not managed to obtain perspective one. The book is good -- the descriptions of gambling's intoxications, the minute processing of each foolish and silly and self-deluding thought as it arises, are executed with consummate skill -- and yet one can't help concluding, as the memoir shrinks down upon itself into a puddle of anticlimax, that six months or so in prison would have been good for these men, taught them a painful life-lesson or two. Crucial to an understanding of the brothers' plight is the fact that neither Barthelme bothered to have children, thus giving themselves the right to be babies forever. They are not so much perpetual adolescents as they are pre-pubescent (wife and girlfriend notwithstanding), mired forever in Fiftiesland where, if you want to be a cowboy, you just put on the hat and yell, "Bang-bang!" They are not intellectual -- or accomplished -- enough for the ivory-tower defense they so quickly assume; what they are, are second- and third-tier journeymen blessed with a famous name and a glib ability to sling the relativist Crisco. While one may end up wishing Barthelme Sr., who unlike his sons appeared to be able to distinguish right from wrong, had willed his inheritance somewhere else, this reviewer is grateful for the folly of his heirs. A job at Southern Mississippi may be gravy, but that thin gruel isn't nourishing.Real life is the real meat.

A story of loss
Double Down is a terrific book about loss. Frederick and Steve Barthelme are brothers who moved to Mississippi to become college professors. They come from a very close knit family, and when it is unwoven from the death of their Mother and Father, a gambling addiction is triggered. Steve and Frederick become regulars at The Grand, a local casino, and they start going at least once a week and spending the whole night there all the way into early morning. After blowing all of their inheritance from their parents, they are acussed of cheating. They were indicted and charged with a felony, and forever kicked out of their favorite casino. This didn't stop their gambling addiction, however it did slow it down. They make fewer trips, to another casino and are less intense gamblers. Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography & Autobiography    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Biography/Autobiography    4. Compulsive gamblers    5. Compulsive gambling    6. Entertainment & Performing Arts - General    7. Gambling - General    8. Mississippi    9. Psychology    10. Specific Groups - General   

Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography & Autobiography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Biography/Autobiography    5. Chin, Tung Pok,    6. Chinese Americans    7. Ethnic Cultures - General    8. Ethnic Studies - General    9. Illegal aliens    10. Immigrants    11. People of Color    12. United States    13. d. 1988    14. 20th century    15. American history: from c 1900 -    16. Biography: general    17. Ethnic studies    18. History of specific racial & ethnic groups    19. Immigration & emigration    20. USA   

Reviews (68)

Better Not Cry, I'm Telling You Why
There are two levels of amazement with Brad Land's memoir, Goat.In a cautionary tale about peer pressure and the violence between men, Land offers up a bird's eye view of the brutal world of the male culture, specifically within fraternities.The story details a period in Land's life immediately following his savage kidnaping and torture in the back woods of South Carolina.Beaten nearly to death for no reason at all, a teenage Land must piece together his life bit by bit by first overcoming the notoriety of his attack, the apathy of the police, the shunning of the discussion of "the incident" by his parents, and most hurtful: the distancing of his beloved brother Brett.Still, the worst is yet to come for Land.In an effort to "belong," he follows his brother to Clemson University, where he pledges at a fraternity.His brother is member, and with a desire to bridge the gap between them, he suffers an explicit, heart-pounding hazing, bringing him face to face with a violence he knows all to well.A violence that ultimately leads to death.Land's incredibly memorable debut should be required reading for parents and young men alike (particularly in light of a growing number of alcohol related deaths at fraternities).The author's distinct and powerful narrative is sensitive, captivating, urgent, and direct, and revealing of the psychology of isolated and vulnerable teen boys seeking refuge in all-male organizations pumped with testosterone, power, and rage.

Vapid and Annoying
I suspect this book is the product of a mind trained mainly on IM.It is shallow beyond belief.I can't recall a single moment of feeling the author was sharing any observation of importance or even one when an insubstantial moment or observation was conveyed cleverly.

Spelling correction
The Kappa Sigma creed writer's name should read 'E. Bradford Holbrook, Jr.' not 'Holbrouk'--I regret the error. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography & Autobiography    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Biography/Autobiography    4. General    5. Higher    6. Specific Groups - General    7. Students & Student Life    8. Biography & Autobiography / General    9. Reading Group Guide   

Reviews (15)

Fabulous book
I just can't say enough GOOD about this book!!!!!It was a great page turner and hard to put down once started.I thought it would be primarily about profiling, but the added twist of how that affected his life and faith is phenomenal....

The Jury's Still out on Profiling's Value
The book details Depue's life in law enforcement, beginning with growing up with a father who was a Detroit policeman, followed by his own first police job in a small town, rising to chief, moving to the FBI, becoming head of the FBI's Behavioral Science Unit in 1979 for 10 years, and finally retiring to start and head a crime investigation firm.
A True Quest for the Origins of Evil and Hope for Prevention In the Future
Having met Roger around 1993 and working with him in a corporate setting on criminal matters I found him to be thoughtful, insightful and brilliant. My first question to him was "How do you keep the evil from getting to you..." His answer was prefaced with a long pause and I could see that unthinkable images had surfaced in his mind, and he truthfully told me "that is a very difficult part of my job". Roger has come through his life's journey thus far and gives back to us all in this book. Perhaps some readers will only be curious about those who commit violent crimes. Roger's book is a Meta view for those who seek more knowledge about evil's origins and provides a thoughtful premise on how to bring about a more peaceful society. Roger speaks most empathically about the vulnerability of abused children. I have heard it said that crime can come from anger that occurs from "unprocessed grief". Roger illuminates this point where he recounts an incident when as a young man he got into a fight with a young man and fortunately did not seriously hurt him. As an adult with all of his experience he recognizes that he too could have veered from his path - but he didn't, as fate and parents and others in his life intervened... and he compares this to the different path of a violent offender who was locked up by his mother in the basement, and no one intervened or helped this young boy... the tragedy is that this child's abuse and confusion and grief were left untreated and as Roger points out once this turns to anger during sexual maturing it can "fuse" and the man (or woman) will never be rehabilitated - almost as if a mutation has occurred. The book is engrossing as you see Roger go from public to private professional service and through a deep personal loss to three years seeking healing of his soul. This book will give you many things to ponder and perhaps open up new dialogue on how to avoid evil taking root in children - as our world is a place where distraction and alienation are the norm, and peace and solitude to stop and think are foreign. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Depue, Roger L    4. Federal Bureau of Investigatio    5. Good and evil    6. Infamous Crimes And Criminals    7. Murder - General    8. Murder - Serial Killers    9. Nonfiction - True Crime / Espionage    10. Police    11. Political Freedom & Security - Law Enforcement    12. Serial murder investigation    13. Specific Groups - General    14. True Crime    15. United States    16. Biography: general    17. Current Events / 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)

a Cape Cod time machine
George Howe Colt has written an amazing book of a family hoping to hold on to the past through a home that truly is a "time machine." Things don't get fixed, or picked up or even updated for fear of changing what was into what could be.
The Big House: A Century in the Life of an American Summer House
I loved the first part of the book describing how the house came to be and the great vacations spent in it. I was not hapy with the later emphasis on the elite Boston family from which the author is descended. I never could keep the ancestors straight! I love Cape Cod and that's why I selected the book.
The end of an era
"The Big House" is a delightful read for all those who have known (or wished they had known) the joys and magic of inhabiting for a time each season the classic shingle-style (or its equivalent)summer places. WASP's, that endangered species, will especially enjoy Colt's log of a century of family life on the shores of Buzzards Bay; and the traditions, habits, pleasures and sorrows of a large family struggling to keep up appearances as the world they have known crumbles around them. Clearly the end of an era and a way of life for the priviledged few, and perhaps a metaphore for what is occurring globally. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography & Autobiography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Biography/Autobiography    5. Cape Cod    6. Cape Cod (Mass.)    7. Historic buildings    8. Historical - General    9. Massachusetts    10. Personal Memoirs    11. Specific Groups - General    12. United States - State & Local - New England    13. United States Local History    14. Vacation homes    15. Biography & Autobiography / General    16. Biography: historical    17. Colt family    18. Colt, George Howe    19. Local history    20. Social history    21. USA   

Reviews (18)

A very moving story.
Damned good book. Damned, damned, damned good book. As I read it, I made sure to turn my empathy levels to maximum and I felt every high and low Jeff McGowan did. Although I have never been in the military, most of what he went through still paralelled my life before I came out of the closet.
Well worth reading!
I really enjoyed reading this book and admire the author's courage and tenacity. Definitely highly recommend this book.

Powerful and Painful
Well-written, engaging memoir of a dedicated soldier torn between love and service to country and the enormous obstacle to that service, known as "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" (DADT). Mcgowan's inner turmoil over his commitment to military service and his awareness of homosexual desire is wrenching. Such existential dilemmas are often difficult to imagine, because sexual identity so easily trumps professional ones. But Mcgowan saw his military identity just as vividly as he saw his gay one to the point of suppressing the latter for the former. I think many of us perceive one's sexual persona as paramount, that it's often difficult to empathize with those who would compromise it for any reason, much less for a military career in which others' hostility to that persona can be virulent. That a dilemma could arise seems challenging enough, but clearly it did for Mcgowan, and the conflict is palpable throughout the book. (I have a new appreciation for gays in the priesthood.)
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Subjects:  1. Armed Forces    2. Biography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Gay Studies    5. Gays    6. Gays in the military    7. Government policy    8. McGowan, Jeffrey    9. Military    10. Social Science    11. Sociology    12. Specific Groups - Male Gay Studies    13. United States    14. Social Science / Gay Studies   

Reviews (11)

Very good
Author is very famous, sharp, straight-to-the-point and clear. He uses a very descriptive language and fascinating the world. This is truly a work of art of a genius. His experience enriching and nourishing for his reader.

a heroic work
I was so impressed after I read Pramoedya Ananta Toer's deft review of Eduard Douwes Dekkera's "Max Havelaar" in the NY Times, that I knew I had to find other works written by him. Fortunately, I found the "The Mute's Soliloquy" shortly thereafter. I thought Indonesian literature had no hero
As a gen-xer, I grew up in Indonesia not knowing anything about Pram.Hewas a figure who popped up in the newspapers once in a while for receivingthis or that award or when each of his new publication was banned by theregime.Possessing his book was a crime punishable by law.As a teenager,I saw his book, "The House of Glass" (rumah kaca) in a Singaporelibrary, I was really curious, and felt compelled to pick it up. However, Iwas brought up never to challenge the authority so I stared from afar,hesitating whether to pick it up or not.I decided against it.Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography & Autobiography    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Biography/Autobiography    4. Literary    5. Specific Groups - General    6. Biography & Autobiography / Literary    7. Biography: general    8. Political imprisonment   

Editorial Review

Readers may well find themselves looking nervously over their shoulders after finishing this memoir by Candice DeLong, who met a lot of Hannibal Lecter's soul mates during her 20 years as an FBI agent. An early practitioner of profiling, the analysis of crime data for what it reveals about the perpetrator, DeLong handled such ugly cases that she and her partner at one point were known as "the Gruesome Twosome." Her arrests included child molesters, rapists, and serial killers; among the book's useful features are her tips on what to do if you or your child is attacked. (Yell "Fire!" rather than "Help!" she advises; it attracts more attention.) Not that human nature's darker side was a surprise to DeLong, who came to the FBI from a job as head nurse in a maximum security psychiatric ward, where a violent paranoid schizophrenic crooned at her, "You better pray I never get out of these [restraints]. I could cut your head off. Or do you want me to tear your heart out?" The frank, conversational text ably captures the forceful personality of a female pioneer. The bureau had only been accepting women for eight years when DeLong joined in 1980, and her training at Quantico included brutal harassment by instructors determined to "wash out" any female applicant. Yet she had the toughness to survive and the good sense to know when to ignore her male colleagues' barbed jokes and when to kid them right back. Ultimately, she made friends and got ahead. As well as chronicling a stream of fascinating (and often deeply disturbing) high-profile cases such as the Unabomber, DeLong's narrative portrays a changing FBI, now valuing the special perspective contributed by female and African American agents it once scorned. Read more

Reviews (57)

Waste of money unless you want pure fiction
This book should be listed under "fiction," because that's what it is.Ms. DeLong is a legend in her mind and her mind only.Anyone who reads this and believesMs. DeLong actually did the things she claimed to do is living in a dream, just like Ms. DeLong.Don't waste your money.Ms. DeLong is as much a real life Clarice Starling as Barney Fife is Elliot Ness.I would recommend the book if you are looking for a good laugh.I rated this garbage one star because I wasn't given the choice of zero or negative stars.

It Takes a Woman to do a Man's Job!
This was an interesting book about Candice Delong written by Elisa Petrini. Before becoming connected with the FBI, she'd been a nurse in a psychiatric ward. She was a divorced mother then, still something of a stigma in the early 1980s. In the late '80s she was assigned to the cocaine trafficing in Chicago.
Candice gives as good as she gets!
What an excellent read!The characters and relationships are very intriguing-the author's world is filled with both obvious and subtle villains, as well as obvious and subtle heroes.Candice herself is fun, likeable and strong enough to give as good as she gets.Though she is being constantly second-guessed, undermined and underestimated, she ends up turning her "weakness" into advantage time and again.The author sets up the rivalry between the FBI and the DEA and her unique role walking between the two. Highly recommended. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography & Autobiography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Biography/Autobiography    5. Criminal investigation    6. DeLong, Candice    7. Federal Bureau of Investigatio    8. Infamous Crimes And Criminals    9. Officials and employees    10. Policewomen    11. Political Freedom & Security - Law Enforcement    12. Specific Groups - General    13. United States    14. Women    15. Women In Police Work    16. Biography & Autobiography / Women   

Editorial Review

Without the third season of MTV's Read more

Reviews (35)

A truly touching portrait...
Judd Winick's "Pedro and Me" does what the most highly regarded graphic novels do-it captures a particular moment in time and depicts the human condition like the best in literature and film do, much like art spiegelman's acclaimed "Maus," another highly regarded story told in sequential art.
a great book!
I barely remembered the show real world when pedro was on.I happened to find this book in a library when I was waiting for the bus.I read this book in one sitting.It is a beautiful story about Pedro.It also tells a lot about the real world experience.I do think that this book should be read by all teenage students for the way it was written.It is written in a cartoon style..........anyone could read it, it really has a lot of information about aids prevention with out getting all preachy. When I finished reading this book , I felt emotionally drained.I really wish I could have met Pedro.
Wonderfully haunting..
I have never seen 'The Real World', nor had I heard of Pedro. I merely picked this book up on a whim, and discovered an amazing tale of friendship, both beautifully drawn and exceptionally realised. Brief, but hard to forget.
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Subjects:  1. 1972-    2. AIDS (Disease)    3. AIDS activists    4. Biography    5. Biography & Autobiography    6. Biography / Autobiography    7. Biography And Autobiography    8. Biography/Autobiography    9. Cartoons and comics    10. Comic books, strips, etc    11. Diseases - AIDS & HIV    12. Fine Arts    13. Graphic Novels - General    14. Health    15. Humor    16. Patients    17. Personal Memoirs    18. Specific Groups - Male Gay Studies    19. United States    20. Winick, Judd    21. Zamora, Pedro    22. Family & Relationships / Death, Grief, Bereavement   

Reviews (12)

Educational and Inspirational
I currently have a class with Gumby (Soc of Sport @ UCI), and reading this book was one of the requirements.However, it wasn't just another class textbook--in addition to being educational, it was extremely inspiring.I have not been exposed to many gays or lesbians (maybe a few lesbians and bisexuals here and there, but I was never close to them), in fact, I have been exposed to more conservative, anti-homosexual, and heterosexist views for most of my life, so many of the things Gumby brought up in his book were new to me.For instance, I never really thought about how hard it must be not just for a person to come "out of the closet" but how it would affect his close ones.Though I'm not close to Gumby, I learned a little more about how and why he thinks certain ways, mainly due to his treatment and experiences before and after "coming out".In addition to learning about issues on homosexuality, heterosexism, and how hegemonic masculinity can be, I learned more about how these issues are dealt with in the school administrative and sports arena through Gumby's experience.If you are interested in these sociological issues, or just want inspirational/motivational support in coming out as a homosexual, then READ THIS BOOK!It has definitely changed my view on homosexuality forever.

Breaks the Ribbon
I am no fan of athletics or stories about same, but I found Eric Anderson's book an engaging memoir.He keeps the whining down to a minimum and provides instead a truly inspirational piece about an individual who would just not give up on attaining his goals, no matter what obstacles were strewn in his way.Sometimes I found myself skeptical at how easily and immediately accepting his friends, family, colleagues and students were of his homosexuality, but I am inclined to give Anderson the benefit of the doubt.He strikes me as an honest man.His life could certainly serve as some sort of model for young folks of all and any persuasions or predilections: perseverence is the key to success; hard work is unavoidable. Trailblazing Through Orthodoxy
I am usually loathe to read biographies of individuals under the age of 40.As Benvenuto Cellini once wrote:Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography & Autobiography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Gay Studies    5. Gay coaches (Athletics)    6. Gay men    7. General    8. Sociology    9. Specific Groups - Male Gay Studies    10. Sports - General    11. Track and field    12. United States   

Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Colonial period, ca. 1600-1775    3. General    4. History    5. History: American    6. Indians of North America    7. Native American    8. Sociology    9. Sources    10. United States - General    11. American history    12. History / General    13. History of specific racial & ethnic groups    14. USA    15. c 1600 to c 1700    16. c 1700 to c 1800   

Reviews (5)

I brought this book everywhere with me this summer!
I highly recommend Last Moon Dancing, a memoir of a Peace Corps Volunteer's experience in Africa, by Monique Maria Schmidt.Schmidt's plan was to teach, sacrifice and contribute to an African village.She soon realizes, however, that she has brought more to Africa than planned.Woven into her journey are the memories of her own childhood on a farm in a Mennonite community in South Dakota. Schmidt humorously tries to make sense of it all and soon realizes she is surrounded by love.Schmidt's writing style is engaging and ranges from poetic & profound to blunt & to the point.
Enlightening!!
I thoroughly enjoyed reading "Last Moon Dancing."The author's candid descriptions about her experiences in an African village while serving in the Peace Corps keep this book interesting and fresh.I enjoyed the "Dear Angela" letters the most.My favorite letter was "Dear Angela, If you want to know what kind of day I've had, smell me."Schmidt's ability to find humor in the day-to-day stress of her African experience makes one marvel at the strength and tenacity of the human spirit.A definite Must-Read!!

OVERWHELMING EMOTION
Once I started reading Last Moon Dancing I could not put it down. I felt all emotions from desperate to amused but the most dominate thing I felt was pride. I am proud that young people have the courage and ambition to commite themselves to the aid and education of those with less. It is an awe inspiring story and one that is so fantastic it couldn't be anything but admired ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Benin    2. Biography    3. Biography & Autobiography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Biography/Autobiography    6. Educators    7. Humanitarians    8. Personal Memoirs    9. Specific Groups - General    10. Volunteer workers in social service    11. Women teachers    12. Women volunteers in social service   

Reviews (49)

truly remarkable...
I really enjoyed this book. I have read all of E. Lynn's work and by far this was the best. I cried, laughed and got upset several while reading this book. Truly it was remarkable.

My first E. Lynn book...
It was interesting. I've always heard people talking about his books but never got around to reading one. I wanted to read this particular one because I thought that because it was his memoir it would be a good introduction to his writing.After reading it I'm a little depressed; not the subject matter that I was expecting. Overall the book was well written, informative, and interesting. However, I don't think that I will be reading anymore of his books; this one didn't put me into the "fan" frame of mind like some other authors' work has.

What Becomes of the Brokenhearted
Being a big fan of E. Lynn Harris, I was very interested in getting to know him on a personal level. His novels have amused, intrigued and left his fans hungry and yearning for more.
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Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. African American novelists    3. Biography    4. Biography & Autobiography    5. Biography / Autobiography    6. Biography/Autobiography    7. General    8. Literary    9. Novelists, American    10. People of Color    11. Specific Groups - Male Gay Studies    12. Biography & Autobiography / Personal Memoirs   

Reviews (8)

We have a heritage
Mzee is deep,truly. Too bad I wasn't born early enough to experience him.
Gikuyu 101
A good sample of a typical african traditional government. A historical account of the Agikuyu.

Amazi