Am I Blue?: Coming Out from the Silence

Book Description

Original stories by C. S. Adler, Marion Dane Bauer, Francesca Lia Block, Bruce Coville, Nancy Garden, James Cross Giblin, Ellen Howard, M. E. Kerr, Jonathan London, Lois Lowry, Gregory Maguire, LeslÉa Newman, Cristina Salat, William Sleator, Jacqueline Woodson, and Jane Yolen

Each of these stories is original, each is by a noted author for young adults, and each honestly portrays its subject and theme--growing up gay or lesbian, or with gay or lesbian parents or friends.

Customer Reviews:

Am I Blue?.......2007-06-13

This book is dedicated, "for all young people in their search for themselves." These are short stories about teenagers who are trying to find their identity, Teenagers face who they are and find support from their parents and friends. In some stories, they do find support from school, parents and friends. In additional some even find the right person to be with. There are three scenarios: teenagers not being accepted from others, not getting support from others and themselves being confused with their identity.

My favorite story from the book was Parents' Night. This story was about a teenager who had her girlfriend but her parents didn't know, they thought they were just friends. At the beginning of the story she says that her father didn't give her a rose in her birthday. This was because they were at dinner when Karen gave them the news; she told them that she was involved in a club at school. This club was the Gay Straight-Bisexual Alliance, which every one in that club they were going to represent in on Parents' Night. Karen tells her parents that she was going to be there with her girlfriend Roxy. Her father wasn't happy with the news, so he didn't agree and he was really mad. In Karen's birthday her father was really quiet and he didn't give her a yellow rose like he used to every year. My favorite part of the story was when her parents go to Parents' Night and her father gives Karen a rose. He tells her that it was a little late and that he is happy that she got a really nice girlfriend. This part really got me, Karen was crying and my eyes were watery. She knew that her parents were now accepting her the way she was.

All stories have a main idea. The writer sends messages that after reading each story you might think differently. The idea is to understand and support those who are in situations like that. I think that people don't have to experience first in order for them to write stories. All these authors give really good stories, which really touch the readers heart and at the end of the book you put it down and have a different view of those who are confused with their identity.

The book has sixteen stories. The story Am I Blue talks about a gay teenager who has a fairy godfather who helps him out throughout his time of not knowing what he wants. The stories were different but they had the same idea in all of them. In Michael's Little Sister, his sister shows him that it's okay to be that way; she gives him support and understands him. Slipping Away is a story where a gay teenager tells his friend Maria who likes him, that he is gay but like any other girl she got mad at him instead of supporting him. Running from the book is really interesting; it's about a girl that starts seeing her sister's friend differently. Sheila was Heather's friend who brought her because she was having problems at home, and that's how Heather's sister meets Sheila. All these stories are really interesting and they throw good messages in each story written.

I like this book mostly because in each story the writer gives an idea why he wrote that story and why he/she wants us to read it. Also when the reader reads the story, the writer clearly states how the person feels. It is really important for those who read this book to understand what and how it feels when a person who is in a position like that might feel when he/she doesn't have any support or is not accepted from others.

Courtesy of Teens Read Too.......2006-04-18

Written over ten years ago, AM I BLUE? is still as important today as it was then. A short-story collection dealing with GLBT (gay/lesbian/ bisexual/transgender) issues by some of 1995's top authors, this book is a true gem for teens searching for their identity--or just looking for a good read. With stories ranging from contemporary paranormal, to ones set in the 1950's, to one based during the Vietnam War, and even one in another world of Amazon warriors, there's something here for everyone.

Stories include:

AM I BLUE? by Bruce Coville
WE MIGHT AS WELL ALL BE STRANGERS by M. E. Kerr
WINNIE AND TOMMY by Francesca Lia Block
SLIPPING AWAY by Jacqueline Woodson
THE HONORARY SHEPHERDS by Gregory Maguire
RUNNING by Ellen Howard
THREE MONDAYS IN JULY by James Cross Giblin
PARENTS' NIGHT by Nancy Garden
MICHAEL'S LITTLE SISTER by C. S. Adler
SUPPER by Leslea Newman
HOLDING by Lois Lowry
BLOOD SISTER by Jane Yolen
HANDS by Jonathan London
50% CHANCE OF LIGHTNING by Cristina Salat
IN THE TUNNELS by William Sleator
DANCING BACKWARDS by Marion Dane Bauer

It's hard to pick a favorite from this collection, as each story has something different to offer. From allowing everyone in the world to see who is gay, to wondering what it would have been like to have two gay shepherds at the birth of Christ, to manning a booth about gays and lesbians at a school parents' night, each short story has an engaging story to tell.

The only thing that would make this book better is to have a part two--another AM I BLUE? published in 2006 with some of today's best GLBT authors like Julie Anne Peters, Brent Hartinger, David Levithan, and more.

Overall a great book!.......2005-02-01

There are some stories in this book that are absolutely phenomenal. "Am I Blue" is one of them, and it is a great first story of the book. This books helps people to understand what it is like to be GLBT from many different viewpoints. "The Honorary Shepherd" is probably the story that impacted me the most, as it deals with interracial relationships as well. Having bought this book on accident, I am glad I did. I've probably read the book 15 times through and I don't know if I'll ever tire of it.

Helped me out.......2004-07-18

Reading this book helped me to figure out who I was, that I am gay. I'd been wondering for years, literally, but afraid to decide and not really sure either what it meant, but one day, at the North Shore Library this book caught my eye and the next day after reading it I came out to myself.

I've never been happier. I didn't have to go through the long process of feeling alone and abandonded, wondering if I was the only one in the world. This book helped me skip over all of that. If you've been wondering, or if you just want to see - get it...

Should be Required Reading in All Classrooms!.......2004-01-19

_Am I Blue?_ is a brilliant YA anthology that should be required reading in every classroom! Dealing with homosexuality in teenagers and their parents and friends, these stories will move any reader--gay, straight, questioning, or bisexual. This anthology helps gay kids understand that they are not alone, while shining a light on what it feels like to be homosexual for straight readers. The stories have similar themes, but range in genre, giving every reader something to thoroughly enjoy. I can't recommend it strongly enough!

Book Description

Continuing her sparkling, sexy Stewart Sisters trilogy, bestselling author JoAnn Ross pens a romantic suspense story set in the glorious Great Smoky Mountains, where a tough man and a passionate woman find love amid danger.

Lark Stewart is on the run from a singing career that skyrocketed out of control...and from someone who's bent on murder. When one of her band members is killed in New Orleans, Lucas McCloud -- her first love and a former FBI agent -- takes Lark home. But the remote Stewart family resort offers no protection from the madman who's working his way across the mountains.

A Desert Storm hero and FBI sniper, Lucas is haunted by a tragic mission in his past. But with the mysterious killer stalking Lark, Lucas is forced back into the life he left behind. For Lark is the only woman he's ever loved, and the only person who can save his soul...provided he saves her first.

Download Description

"Continuing her sparkling, sexy Stewart Sisters trilogy, bestselling author JoAnn Ross pens a romantic suspense story set in the glorious Great Smoky Mountains, where a tough man and a passionate woman find love amid danger. Lark Stewart is on the run from a singing career that skyrocketed out of control...and from someone who's bent on murder. When one of her band members is killed in New Orleans, Lucas McCloud -- her first love and a former FBI agent -- takes Lark home. But the remote Stewart family resort offers no protection from the madman who's working his way across the mountains. A Desert Storm hero and FBI sniper, Lucas is haunted by a tragic mission in his past. But with the mysterious killer stalking Lark, Lucas is forced back into the life he left behind. For Lark is the only woman he's ever loved, and the only person who can save his soul...provided he saves her first."

Customer Reviews:

Good Series.......2007-06-23

I think that overall this is a good series of books. I loved the first one and liked the second. The third was the weakest and it was only okay...mainly due to the herione. All in all, it is a good solid purchase.

Long and Boring.......2005-12-29

I was hoping, like her Callahan brothers trilogy (Blue Bayou, River Road), that this book would be really engaging that I couldn't put the book down... but I had to constantly put the book down. It took me months to get to the beginning of the end, and then I had to skim pages; I couldn't get into it. The villian's character was the only one I could get into. Otherwise the book just dragged. I'm very disappointed... I am kind of hesitant to even read the rest of this trilogy.

Fast-paced and full of suspense.......2004-08-13

I liked the flashbacks and gradual exposing of the past relationship between Lark and Lucas. This book started off with a bang and kept me interested all the way through the last twist of the plot. Reminded me of Nora Roberts/J.D. Robb books.

The story had potential but . ........2004-05-11

It was written in such a disjointed manner that it really lacked the impact it could have had. The main characters have great potential but the story just didn't hold together. My biggest problem was that the background on the main characters and the dastardly villian who is after them was so poorly described that I found myself saying, "WHAT? Wait a minute, that doesn't make sense." I quickly found myself losing interest in these people when I couldn't even understand their history. Other annoying moments included when one character mentions, " so and so just told me . . . " but,you guessed it, the story never indicated that conversation had happened! A convincing and enjoyable story is all in the details for me. This writer needs a better editor.

I agree with the "Cash" reviewer!.......2004-04-21

I, too, was extremely disappointed in this book. I expected better by JoAnn! I totally agree with the reviewer named "Cash." That review pretty much mirrors what I have to say about it. Nuff Said!

Odd Boy Out: Young Albert Einstein (Bccb Blue Ribbon Nonfiction Book Award (Awards))

Average customer rating:

Relatively (ha ha) good
Odd boy out is one great book!

Odd Boy Out: Young Albert Einstein (Bccb Blue Ribbon Nonfiction Book Award (Awards))
Don Brown
Manufacturer: Houghton Mifflin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0618492984

Book Description

When he was born in 1879, Albert was a peculiarly fat baby with an unusually big and misshaped head. When he was older, he hit his sister, frustrated his teachers, and had few friends. But Albert's strange childhood also included his brilliant capacity for puzzles and problem solving: the mystery of a compass's swirling needle, the intricacies of Mozart's music, the secrets of geometryset his mind spinning with ideas. In fact, Albert Einstein's ideas were destined to change the way we know and understand the world and our place in the universe. In spare, precise text filled with graceful detail and accompanied by sometimes humorous, sometimes lonely portraits, Don Brown introduces us to the less than magnificent beginnings of an odd boy out. The result is a tender rendering of the adventures of growing up for one of the most important thinkers of the twentieth century.

Customer Reviews:

Relatively (ha ha) good.......2005-10-03

If every adult biographer has his or her own personal style, why should the case be any different for children's book biographers? And when it comes to picture book biographies, certain names come to mind. David Adler, of course, though his books are so uncommonly dull that I tend to pity the children I hand them to (being a children's librarian and all). Peter Sis, though his bios require a great deal of time and patience to parse. James Rumford to some extent, though "Sequoyah" is probably his best bio to date. No, when it comes down to it Don Brown is the picture book biographer that nine of ten kids prefer every time. I don't have any actual statistics to back that statement up, I just say what I see. And what I see is an author who is able to take unknown heroes (Mary Kingsley, Alice Ramsey, Ruth Law, etc.) and too well-known heroes (Albert Einstein, Mark Twain, etc.) and give them interesting picture book biographies that kids will both relate to and love.

We all know some basic facts about Einstein. He was a guy with a head of white unruly hair. When you yell, "Hey, Einstein!", you are making reference to the fact that he was once a genius. So how much do you know about this great man as a child? In this book, Brown introduces us to Albert from day one (March 14, 1879, to be exact). As a boy, Albert has his good moods and he has his bad moods. In a good mood he can create a house of cards fourteen stories high and ponder the mysteries of a compass for fun. In a bad mood he is prone to hitting his little sister, terrifying his tutor, and getting so upset that his nose turns white. As we watch, Albert is given an amazing amount of freedom. He wanders the Munich streets alone at the age of four. He discovers geometry with the help of a friendly medical student. The book progresses and we learn a little about Albert's personality from offhand comments. "Soldiers on parade excite the boys. They disturb Albert". At end of this journey, Albert comes up with theory of relativity and, "For the world, Einstein comes to mean not fat baby, or angry child, or odd boy, but great thinker". And now our children can understand where all genius has its beginnings. In the ordinary and familiar.

What I enjoyed about the book was that Brown doesn't linger on just the good things in Einstein's life. No child's a saint, and Albert is no exception. Brown humanizes this latter-day god, giving him a family, a childhood, and a history that kids today (in spite of their love of computerization and high-tech toys) will understand. Who amongst us doesn't recognize Albert's reluctance to engage in organized sports as something we, or someone we know, have also felt? The story is laid out beautifully. The illustrations are little more haphazard. Granted, I really liked the picture of Albert engaged in a temper tantrum. His little fists are clenched and his nose, true to the text, is a slightly whitish color. By and large these pen and ink pictures colored in with watercolors work well. There's just the occasional oddity. When teachers wonder if Albert is dull-witted, Brown illustrates a disturbingly glazed-eyed kid who reinforces their concern. It's a peculiar picture, but there's no denying that it conveys the text well.

I saw Mr. Brown speak not too long ago to a gathering of librarians, and I found that I was not especially impressed with him as a person. Nonetheless, the man does nice work. And of the work that he has done, "Odd Boy Out" is probably one of his best. It's a beautifully rendered story that kids will prefer far above and beyond similar Einstein biographies. Not genius, but pretty darn close.

Odd boy out is one great book!.......2004-11-15

Odd boy out is a wonderful book with nice illustraions of the life of Albert Einstein.
Albert was born a fat baby with a big head. He had a bad temper
and was condsidered very odd. He didn't like to play sports, and he was disturbed with the things other boys liked. Einstein grows and soon becomes what we know as the famous scientist Einstein.

Out of the Blue: A 24-Hour Skywatcher's Guide

Average customer rating:

Out of the Blue: A 24-Hour Skywatcher's Guide
John Naylor
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Astronomy | Astronomy | Science | Subjects | Books

Rivers | Earth Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books

General | Science | Subjects | Books

Weather | Environment | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0521809258

Book Description

Why is the sky blue and why are sunsets red? When can I see a rainbow? Why is the moon sometimes visible in daylight? In Out of the Blue skywatcher John Naylor offers practical advice about where and when you can expect to see natural phenomena, what you will see and how to improve your chances of seeing it. Naylor takes in both the night and the day sky, and deals only with what can be seen with the naked eye. Drawing on science, history, literature and mythology, and assuming only basic scientific knowledge, Out of the Blue is for everyone who enjoys being outdoors and who feel curious or puzzled about things optical and astronomical. John Naylor was born in England, but spent his childhood in Peru. A graduate of London University with a degree in philosophy, he teaches physics at a secondary school in London.

Average customer rating:

High Hurdles - by Lauraine Snelling
A Real Cliffhanger!
HorseCrazyElder
A wonderful book for people determined with goals.
A must read for all horse lovers!I love it!

Out of the Blue (High Hurdles #4)
Lauraine Snelling
Manufacturer: Bethany House Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Issues | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 1556615086

Book Description

An unexpected phone call from the biological father DJ Randall has never met leaves her reeling. Why, after fourteen years of silence, is this stranger named Bradley Atwood suddenly interested in getting to know her? And how will this affect DJ's relationship with Robert Crowder, her soon-to-be stepdad?

Nervous yet exicted, DJ breaks the news to her mother, who is furious with Brad for disrupting their lives. How can he just waltz back into her daughter's life and expect a place in it? But Lindy's fears of an ugly custody battle convince her to allow DJ to meet her father much to DJ's surprise.

Armed with questions, DJ prepares to meet the mysterious man who is her father the man who supposedly shares her love for horses. Will her butterflies ever settle down?

This is one upset DJ never dreamed of-.

Customer Reviews:

High Hurdles - by Lauraine Snelling.......2006-10-20

I like horses and have taken lessons. This book is all about horses and a young girl who has a dream to ride a horse of her own in the Olympics. The author, Lauraine Snelling, does a great job describing very realistic details and does an excellent job bringing the characters alive. The main character, DJ, was someone I could have known in my life. She wants her dream to come true, she prays ever night and works every day to save money. Her determination is something to admire and it teaches the readers that they can have dreams and if they dedicate themselves these dreams can come true. The only part of the book that I did not klike was her mother was always arguing with her mother. I don't think this helped the story at all. Otherwise, I found the book to be dramatic, exciting and fun to read. I definitely would recommend this book.

A Real Cliffhanger!.......2005-10-08

This book couldn't get more mixed-up with the whole situation about Brad Atwood and his ranch. Especially when Lindy reveals to her daughter her past with Brad. And how she disapproves of her spending time with her biological father. Then comes the exciting exit to the book with Major in a ravine and DJ hanging onto a cliff branch for dear life. That hopeless situation and how she got out of it really keeps the reader intrigued. DJ, still as bold as ever, with even more thoughts to keep her occupied, helps you explore yourself as a teen even more. The concept and lessons in these books with such complex characters are so deep that these can teach the young and old about something more than nothing. Out Of The Blue, this book, appropriately named, was one of my favorites in the series. Simply out of the blue.

HorseCrazyElder.......2004-05-05

This book is sooo awesome!
Any teenage girl who likes horses
will love this book. The whole
series is great very capturing.!
I would recomend 12 and older to
read this book.

A wonderful book for people determined with goals........1999-11-03

DJ Randall starts to feel like a tornado is taking over her life when her true father calls after many years. Her soon-to-be father and her real father is too much! She is angry because of the phone call and is flustered. She finds out that her true father has many surprises for her, though.

A must read for all horse lovers!I love it!.......1999-09-09

This book was great,I like this book because I finaly found out who DJ dad was.And she got to go to her dad's beautiful ranch,and ride her dad's prize winning arabian horse.Also she get her dream saddle,from her dad' for christmas!!Everone that love horses should get this book.And find out the rest!!!Also DJ mom gets mad about her dad coming all out of the blue,what will happend,her dad wants her but her mom wants her too."HURRY AND GET THIS BOOK!!!!!!!!"I GIVE IT TEN STARS IF I COULD.

Average customer rating:

Butch to Butch
essential queer / feminist reading
Stone Butch Blues
Life Changing
Understanding Gender and Sexual Orientation Challenges

Stone Butch Blues
Leslie Feinberg
Manufacturer: Firebrand Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Transgender | Nonfiction | Gay & Lesbian | Subjects | Books

General | Romance | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 156341029X

Book Description

Published in 1993, this brave, original novel is considered to be the finest account ever written of the complexities of a transgendered existence.

Woman or man? That's the question that rages like a storm around Jess Goldberg, clouding her life and her identity. Growing up differently gendered in a blue--collar town in the 1950's, coming out as a butch in the bars and factories of the prefeminist '60s, deciding to pass as a man in order to survive when she is left without work or a community in the early '70s. This powerful, provocative and deeply moving novel sees Jess coming full circle, she learns to accept the complexities of being a transgendered person in a world demanding simple explanations: a he-she emerging whole, weathering the turbulence.

Leslie Feinberg is also the author of Trans Liberation, Trans Gender Warriors and Transgender Liberation, and is a noted activist and speaker on transgender issues.

Customer Reviews:

Butch to Butch.......2007-09-21

Leslie's book is not easy for many because of the truth behind the story. Butch, by Jay Rayn is a great book based on poignant truth and is now combined(Butch I and Butch II) in its re-release. Get all three. True insight into a Butch's world.

essential queer / feminist reading.......2007-06-25

As a working-class butch dyke, words cannot describe how important this book was to me growing up; there really are very few honest portrayals of blue-collar LGBT people out there (though Dorothy Allison's work also comes to mind). I'm in the middle of re-reading this one for the third time, and it still moves me to tears to see printed on these pages things I've experienced in my own life that I've never seen portrayed so wholly and nakedly anywhere else (if at all). Yes, times have changed - but hatred of the gender-variant hasn't gone away, it's just gotten quieter and more insidious. We genderqueers may not be quite as likely to die or be seriously injured in a hate crime as we used to be, but we are still all too likely to die of the thousand small cuts we receive every day we're out in the world at large (check the modern suicide rate among the gender-variant). If you've ever wondered why this gender thing is so important, or if you're a 'girly man' or manly woman and trying to finally find a story that describes your life, too, check out this book. You'll be hard-pressed to find an accounting of a gender-variant life that's more brutally honest.

Stone Butch Blues.......2007-03-11

I was required to read this book for a class in college. I would never have picked it otherwise. I learned that these people are just as messed up as the rest of us, fighting and clawing their way through life. It was an honest depiction of lesbian life and I do commend it for this.

Life Changing.......2007-02-19

Stone Butch Blues is written in a way that pulls the reader into the action. It is not often a reader feels the same pain, joy, disappointment, triumphs, emotions, etc the characters do. The ideas proposed in this novel challenge norms, comfort zones, and preconceived notions a reader may have. This is a read you will not want to put down and will ponder long after the last page is finished. Truly life altering. Excellent for the advancement of all people.

Understanding Gender and Sexual Orientation Challenges.......2007-02-03

The reason I had to order a second copy of this book is that I leant out my last one, and I didn't get it back. I want to be able to lend this book to others, so they might understand the fictional story of survival of Jess Goldberg, and also read about the history of a variety of things including gender and sexual orientation challenges. I loved this book, and I felt like I was living inside Jess as I read her story. The way she reacted to the situations she faced really made sense to me.

Average customer rating:

Out of the Blue: Poems About Color
Hiawyn Oram
Manufacturer: Hyperion (Juv)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1562824694

Out of the Blue: A Narrative of September 11, 2001

Average customer rating:

Ok but not the best one I've read on 9/11
Definatly worth the time to read
"Once it has happened,it has happened forever."
Sheds light on a difficult topic
The story of 09/11/2001.

Out of the Blue: A Narrative of September 11, 2001
Richard Bernstein , and The New York Times
Manufacturer: Times Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Terrorism | Current Events | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

September 11 | Current Events | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Church & State | Religious Studies | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0805074104

Book Description

ollowing the lives of heroes, victims, and terrorists of September 11, 2001, Richard Bernstein, one of The New York Times's most skillful journalists, weaves the complex tale of a multitude of lives colliding in conflagration on that fateful morning. Bernstein takes us inside the al-Qaeda organization and introduces us to police officers and firefighters as well as some of the Trade Center workers who were lost on that day. And we follow the lives of the rest of America in the hours and days after the attack. This riveting, incisive, and authoritative account is destined to stand as the essential chronicle of this singular moment in our history.

Customer Reviews:

Ok but not the best one I've read on 9/11.......2006-09-02

While this book was OK, I found too much about bin Laden within the pages. I felt that part should be a separate book. All-in-all it was a fast read and somewhat informative. Good book for students to use if they are looking for both sides of the story.

Definatly worth the time to read.......2006-02-01

I found this book to be very good. It introduces you to many people involved to day.....from Mohammed Atta to the pilot of flight 11 to firefighters. I felt the book did a good job of portraying the events of that day from many different points of view. If you are looking for a book with lots of photos, this isn't the book. There's a small section of photos of some victims and photos of every hijacker involved that day. It also gives a detailed description of Osama Bin Laden and why he feels the way he does towards the U.S. The only part I didn't like is it kind of jumped around a little bit in the beginning. It starts with how different people started their days. It takes you almost up to the point when the first plane hit, then for several chapters talks about Osama Bin Laden. I actually skipped the whole Osama part until I had read everything else in the book. That's my only complaint. The last few chapters I found so gripping that I couldn't put the book down. I would def. recommend this book

"Once it has happened,it has happened forever.".......2005-01-27

This is,without doubt,the best book I've come across about that dastardly act committed on 9/11.We have all watched many hours of televised newscasts and specials covering this event;but what this book does is put human faces on the people who were involved.
The perpetrators of this act were filled with hatred and represent the many thousands of others like them who have bought into or have sympathy for an unbridled hatred called jihah.In contrast to them,are all the people who fell victim to this hatred and had their lives stolen from them, their families and friends.This book shows what it means to have good or evil in people's hearts.Unfortunately,the fight against terrorism will be long and difficult,but as history has shown time and time again,that good always prevails over evil.
This book presents the facts and shows how the terrorists set out to attack America,the bastion for freedom and liberty for the world.They were encouraged by a lack of action,and further, took advantage of the freedoms enjoyed in the country and the great benefit of doubt given them by a country whose fundamental concept is of freedom and liberty of the individual,whoever he is.While they like to demand,and take advantage of this free society,would themselves deny it to others,and seek to destroy it while imposing their own sick oppression,tyranny and hatred on their own people and anyone else they can.
While most of this book is very good,I take great exception to the attempt to compare 9/11 with Hiroshima,on page 247.
"Perhaps the only comparable event in history was Hiroshima,but even Hiroshimahad had taken place in the context of a declared war.Hiroshima was a surprise attack but not a sneak attack.Sept 11 was both.Pearl Harbor,maybe,but no warped stretch of any demented imagination,can a comparison of 9/11 and Hiroshima be made!Any such thinking is deplorable.
20 years of terrorist attacks going unanswered forced America to embark on The War on Terror.There is only one outcome that can be an option;and that has to,and will be, complete victory.Anything else is unthinkable.
And then again, on page 251,"What happened in Hiroshima and in the terrorism [in New York] is the same because there are many people who can't recover one tooth or one nail."Again,an unbelievable notion.
A very important paragraph on page 250 deserves quoting.
"Why were we hated so much? Hadn't we been on the Muslin side in Afghanistin? Didn't we help Muslims in Bosnia and Kosovo? Wasn't it the case that millions of Muslins ,as
president Bush pointed out in his speech before Congress,practiced their religion freely in the United States of America,to which they had come of their own free will? Clearly,we had something to learn about the unreasoning and unreasonable anti-American fury that existed in the Muslin world,where Osama bin Laden was being treated not as a villain but as a hero.There was a lesson there someplace,and it would be contemplated for a long time into the future.In the meantime,public support quickly built, not just for a retalitory strike,a few cruise missles launched at a target,but for a long and complicated war against an only semivisible adversary.The Bush administration vowed to fight that war for a long time ,against the terrorists themselves and against those who harbored terrorists,which in the first instance, meant Osama bin Laden and the Taliban of Afghanistan."
How can anyone who is unwilling to fight for freedom expect to live in freedom?
I am writing this review just 4 days before the FREE ELECTION is to take place in Iraq.
Many countries have failed to support America,and it appears many would be joyful if America fails in her War on Terror.America won't fail and is in for the long haul;just as she was in WW1,WW11,struggle against Communism and other wars.These countries should ponder the President,s words."Either you're with us or against us."
On page 187 we are reminded of what the President said on Septmber 11,2001:
"Terrorism against our nation will not stand."
He has remained true to that promise.
God Bless America!

Sheds light on a difficult topic.......2003-08-14

The beginning of this book is very difficult to stomach. Although it has been almost two years since this horrific event, it still seems like yesterday to me. Right from page one, the author begins to talk about the people who jumped from the Twin Towers. He continues talking about this for a few pages. For me, seeing people jump is the one very vivid image that still haunts me. He goes into very graphic detail about the jumpers. About how one man was impaled on a street sign. Reading this book was like reliving Sept 11 all over again. If you're not ready to relive the experience, please do not read this book. The rest of the book gives a short bio on some of the terrorists and some of the innocent people who were killed on 9/11. The book also documents the growing hatred of Amercia and how the terrorists came to be. It was surprising to note just how much the FBI knew but how little they actually did.

The story of 09/11/2001........2003-02-10

This is the story of the attack on our country on 9/11/01. The story goes all the way back to the late 1980's and originates in Afghanistan. Berstein does a good job of describing how bin Laden and his group of thugs got their grounding in the basics of terrorism. Not only bin Laden but some of the other members (Atta) are described in their early life.
Along with the story of the terrorists, there are stories of some of the victims of 09/11/01. Bernstein does a good job in describing their lives, so we know what America lost in this attack. Unlike other journalists, Berstein gives reasons why the FBI/CIA did not pick up on the attack.
This is a good summary of the attacks and the reasons they originated. The title sums up the surprise Americans felt when the attack came.

Average customer rating:

Wide Ranging. Honest but Guarded. Light.
Reassuring
More a memoir of life as an anchor-woman than as life with bipolar disorder
Less Than Meets The Eye
Very Disappointing

Skywriting: A Life Out of the Blue
Jane Pauley
Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

Entertainers | Arts & Literature | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Television Performers | Arts & Literature | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Women | Specific Groups | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Journalists | Professionals & Academics | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Memoirs | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Performing Arts | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Biographies & Memoirs | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books

Memoirs | Biographies & Memoirs | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books

All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0812971531
Release Date: 2005-05-31

Book Description

“Truth arrives in microscopic increments, and when enough has accumulated–in a moment of recognition, you just know. You know because the truth fits. I was the only member of my family to lack the gene for numbers, but I do need things to add up. Approaching midlife, I became aware of a darkening feeling–was it something heavy on my heart, or was something missing? Grateful as I am for the opportunities I’ve had, and especially for the people who came into my life as a result, I couldn’t ignore this feeling. I had the impulse to begin a conversation with myself, through writing, as if to see if my fingers could get to the bottom of it. It was a Saturday morning eight or ten years ago when I began following this impulse to find the answers to unformed questions. Skywriting is what I call my personal process of discovery.”

And so begins this beautiful and surprising memoir, in which beloved broadcast journalist Jane Pauley tells a remarkable story of self-discovery and an extraordinary life, from her childhood in the American heartland to her three decades in television.

Encompassing her beginnings at the local Indianapolis station and her bright debut–at age twenty-five on NBC’s Today and later on Dateline–Pauley forthrightly delves into the ups and downs of a fantastic career. But there is much more to Jane Pauley than just the famous face on TVs. In this memoir, she reveals herself to be a brilliant woman with singular insights. She explores her roots growing up in Indiana and discusses the resiliency of the American family, and addresses with humor and depth a subject very close to her heart: discovering yourself and redefining your strengths at midlife. Striking, moving, candid, and unique, Skywriting explores firsthand the difficulty and the rewards of self-reinvention.

From the Hardcover edition.

Customer Reviews:

Wide Ranging. Honest but Guarded. Light........2006-09-07

While bi-polarism introduces the book and recurs, the theme is really Jane's career.

Jane was catapulted to fame not by experience, her knowledge of public affairs, or even her rolodex, but by her looks, youth, midwestern charm and ability to make interesting conversation. She tells the story of this unmerited rise in a straight forward fashion. I remember Jane and Bryant as unrehearsed, positive, informed and amazingly entertaining. Despite the lack of a resume, she clearly rose to the occasion.

The photos of her family, childhood house and home made clothes show the simplicity of her roots. The text reveals that she never lost this quality. Despite my enthusiastic read, I didn't give it 5 stars because Jane gives the issues all too light a treatment. Ironically, I held back 2 stars for the very simplicity I admire in Jane.

One of these issues is the zeitgeist of Jane's rise. It illustrates role of women in news in the 70's. A sweet non-threatening personality was preferred over experience not only by the network execs, but also the audiences. She describes the fairy tale but the analysis is inadequate.

Jane gives us some old fashioned values in discussing her style which is not to create gotcha moments or invade an interviewee's privacy. She alludes to the competition to "get". She does not discuss how this change is driving the personalities of today's journalists, and ultimately the character of the news, nor the outlook for a future personalities such as Jane.

I'd like to know more about the issues raised in Jane's "brush" with Princess Diana. The American from the Great Plains and the British Aristocrat indeed had a lot in common. Both were plucked up at young ages and put before cameras with little training or preparation. Jane relates the story and the feeling in her plainspoken way ... and that is that.

It looked like the Today show was to be a marriage of 3. All the signs and rumors were there and there was no straight talk from the execs with Jane. Jane, writes about juggling and guilt of a mom with a career. She did a pleasure/pain calculus and had the resources stay home. With career drop out of successful women being a hot media topic, I'd be interested to know if uncomfortable situations like the one Jane found herself in (Jane, not Bryant, Willard or Gene) are the common trigger for this reported phenomena.

Jane writes of her children, but not of her marriage. This is provocative, because it seems so out of character... or out of the character that I believe her to be. Gerry is not just any cartoonist, but, one of the most controversial ones in my lifetime.

There is more to know about Jane's bout with bi-polarism too. It is the stated theme of the book. It appears as an isolated thing in her life, which it surely could not have been.

Reassuring.......2006-08-24

A beautifully written account of Pauley's illness. As I have a son with bipolar disorder, I found this memoir very reassuring. I have hope that my son will, with the right treatment, reach his potential.

More a memoir of life as an anchor-woman than as life with bipolar disorder.......2006-06-28

Jane Pauley's struggle with bipolar disorder takes a backseat to her life as an anchor-woman. We are charted through an exhaustive and rather drawn-out summary of her rise to the top, her life as a wife and parent, and oh yes, the small role bipolar disorder seemed to play in any of it.

Perhaps this won't bother you if you're a great fan of Jane Pauley but since I have my Bachelor's degree in psychology I found her analysis of herself somewhat irritating and naive. If you happened upon this book looking for information about bipolar disorder, you'll be much disappointed and would be better off reading "An Unquiet Mind" by Kay Redfield Jamison. If, however, you're only looking for a memoir that would be more aptly titled "Jane Pauley: My Life as an Anchor-Woman," then, by all means, look no farther.

Less Than Meets The Eye.......2005-12-31

This book confirmed my darkest fear regarding Jane Pauley, that she is in fact the cute, perky, vacuous, elfin blonde she appears to be. When I heard about it I was heartened because I thought a celebrity not named Patty Duke had gone public on her battle with Manic Depression, thereby helping to remove some of the stigma. No such luck.

This book reveals absolutely nothing about the illness, and virtually nothing about the author beyond what could have been discovered by Googling her name. I read Skywriting incredibly quickly and when I was done I realized that the reason for this was - there's nothing in it. Skywriting indeed, because it has the consistency of cotton candy, clouds floating past your eyes.

Very Disappointing.......2005-09-04

I read Skywriting to gain insight about the bipolar disorder, learn more about Jane Pauley's media career, her co-workers, the fascinating people she has met and perhaps some personal anecdotes about her husband, Garry Trudeau. It did not happen.

Skywriting is uninformative, disjointed therapy writing.

The only redeeming value of the book is the few pages near the end where Ms. Pauley writes about the final years of her parents as they aged and passed on.

Giving this book one star is generous.

While We Were Out (Bccb Blue Ribbon Picture Book Awards (Awards))

Average customer rating:

lost in translation?
A Kid's Book on the Soft Side
One wascaly wabbit
A sweet story about a little rabbit
A Story That Makes Them Giggle

While We Were Out (Bccb Blue Ribbon Picture Book Awards (Awards))
Ho Baek Lee
Manufacturer: Kane/Miller Book Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 1929132441

Customer Reviews:

lost in translation?.......2007-03-29

i agree this is a lovely and sweet children's book. the drawings are soft, subtle, and cozy. the story is delightful and i would give it 5 stars but the text is generic.

the main character - the bunny - IMHO should have had been given a name. at mid-point i became mildly disappointed with the repeated references as "the rabbit" and "she" this and "she" that. i understand children love repetition as a rule, but from a all-around point of view, the repetition feels poorly done perhaps as a result of a translation of the original text (?i'm guessing) rather than as a fun delivery of linguistic repetition. perhaps its just a pet peeve of mine and nobody else would mind it. the book is based on the author's pet bunny named "palpary", and i wished they had named the bunny in the book as well.

a very cute and funny story, and i certainly still recommended it. its fun watching for the 'evidence' throughout the book, and as i mentioned before, the drawings are adorable.

A Kid's Book on the Soft Side.......2006-11-10

A sweet, softly illustrated children's book that touched my heart. A must have for kids and animal loving adults.

One wascaly wabbit.......2004-01-31

The sweetest little South Korean import on the market today. Admittedly, I'm not particularly familiar with a lot of translated South Korean books for children sold in America. But due to the fact that, "While We Were Out", (originally titled in South Korea, "What On Earth Happened During That Time") is twice as adorable as 95% of picture books written in the English language, it's probably a fair guess.

In this simple book, the family rabbit goes exploring in her owners' house while they're away visiting grandma. The family itself is never seen. Instead, we follow the rabbit as she traipses from room to room, exploring and testing. The rabbit applies lipstick to her face. She settles in for a good movie. She rollerblades (with the help of some strong chopsticks, of course). All the while the little rabbit is determining her own taste and in the end she fully believes she's gotten away without the family ever knowing. There's a cute (and very realistically rabbit-like) twist on the ending of this tale. Anyone who's ever had a fluffy bunny as a pet will instantly understand that this is EXACTLY how their own rabbit might explore the home. "While We Were Out" will not change anyone's life or bowl you over with its style. It is a sweet simple tale told with humor and beauty. Just the perfect book for any time of day.

A sweet story about a little rabbit.......2003-05-28

Children's books about animals are one of my favorites to review -- especially when the main character has a mind of his own :).

The book, "While You Were Out," by Ho Baek Lee, is about a little rabbit whose owners forget to lock the door to the balcony. When the little rabbit discovers this, she goes exploring throughout the house. While inside, she finds a lot of fun things to do.

MyParenTime.com highly recommends this book -- it's short sentences and simple renderings make this story very enjoyable for young children. The ending is sure to leave a trail...pun intended :).

A Story That Makes Them Giggle.......2003-04-16

This book is just right for my five-year-old bunny loving daughter. It's a simple story of what the pet bunny does when the family leaves, and he sneaks into the house. It's a little reminiscent of Alexandra Day's Carl books, in that when the pet is left alone, he takes on some human characteristics. For instance, this bunny has lunch at the table and tries out roller skating. Very cute- just the right amount of text, a great cuddle up and giggle story.

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books