The House of the Scorpion

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Fields of white opium poppies stretch away over the hills, and uniformed workers bend over the rows, harvesting the juice. This is the empire of Matteo Alacran, a feudal drug lord in the country of Opium, which lies between the United States and Aztlan, formerly Mexico. Field work, or any menial tasks, are done by "eejits," humans in whose brains computer chips have been installed to insure docility. Alacran, or El Patron, has lived 140 years with the help of transplants from a series of clones, a common practice among rich men in this world. The intelligence of clones is usually destroyed at birth, but Matt, the latest of Alacran's doubles, has been spared because he belongs to El Patron. He grows up in the family's mansion, alternately caged and despised as an animal and pampered and educated as El Patron's favorite. Gradually he realizes the fate that is in store for him, and with the help of Tam Lin, his bluff and kind Scottish bodyguard, he escapes to Aztlan. There he and other "lost children" are trapped in a more subtle kind of slavery before Matt can return to Opium to take his rightful place and transform his country.

Nancy Farmer, a two-time Newbery honoree, surpasses even her marvelous novel, The Ear, The Eye and the Arm in the breathless action and fascinating characters of The House of the Scorpion. Readers will be reminded of Orson Scott Card's Ender in Matt's persistence and courage in the face of a world that intends to use him for its own purposes, and of Louis Sachar's Holes in the camaraderie of imprisoned boys and the layers of meaning embedded in this irresistibly compelling story. (Ages 12 and older) --Patty Campbell

Book Description

Matteo Alacrán was not born; he was harvested. His DNA came from El Patrón, lord of a country called Opium -- a strip of poppy fields lying between the United States and what was once called Mexico. Matt's first cell split and divided inside a petri dish. Then he was placed in the womb of a cow, where he continued the miraculous journey from embryo to fetus to baby. He is a boy now, but most consider him a monster -- except for El Patrón. El Patrón loves Matt as he loves himself, because Matt is himself.

As Matt struggles to understand his existence, he is threatened by a sinister cast of characters, including El Patrón's power-hungry family, and he is surrounded by a dangerous army of bodyguards. Escape is the only chance Matt has to survive. But escape from the Alacr n Estate is no guarantee of freedom, because Matt is marked by his difference in ways he doesn't even suspect.

Customer Reviews:

Whats there not to like.......2007-09-18

Its a highly addictive book that keeps you wanting more. I have to read this for my English class and I can't stop reading, When I first got this book I thought it was going to be "Another one of those books" so to speak. It's an experience that can't and shouldn't be passed up. Once you start reading this book it becomes hard to put down there is nothing I can say bad about this book 5/5

Great book!.......2007-08-22

This book is a must read for any person, but there are drugs and violence, and the plot might be a little scary for some people.
This is one of my favorite books, as it doesnt just include one element. it has sci-fi, moral issues suspense, humor, and even a bit of (GASP!) romance!!! it doesnt get too intimate though, just kissing. i would reccomend this book to anyone four and up on the reading experience scale.
although it seems like a thick book, its a really fast read!

The House of Scorpion.......2007-08-18

The book was great, but the ending seemed like it should have another book (series).

The Ethical Dilemmas of Cloning.......2007-08-06

Imagine being harvested, not born. Imagine having no mother or father. Imagine being the exact replica of a feared and reviled drug lord. Imagine having a life expectancy of 14 years, for unknown yet fearful reasons. This is life as young Matteo Alacran knows it, and his story is what makes Nancy Farmer's THE HOUSE OF THE SCORPION a terrifically engaging book.

Rich in both plot and characterization, SCORPION opens with a boy locked in a house and kept by a kindly servant who works for El Patron, a 140-year-old (that is not a typo) drug lord whose real name is also Matteo Alacran and who rules a futuristic land, called Opium, that lies between the United States and the former land of Mexico (now called Aztlan). Matt's guardian is Celia, but her secret spills out into the open when Matt is discovered by children who wander far from the Big House where El Patron's rather nasty family lives.

Farmer provides a helpful family tree in the beginning, but it's not too difficult to keep track as only a few of the characters play a larger role -- chiefly young Maria, who bucks the trend of the entire family (spare El Patron) by lavishing attention on the reviled clone (our young protagonist, Matt). Then there's her step-brother, Tom, who makes a terrific antagonist -- all red hair, freckles, and guile. Tom's mother Felicia, a drug and alcohol-laden Cruella De Ville type, bears watching. And then there's El Patron himself, a Godfather figure who Matt loves despite foreshadowed warnings that begin to show their dark and sinister heads as the plot advances.

One huge plus for the book is the character of Tam Lin, a Scottish bodyguard assigned to Matt who proves a true mentor and savior in a most unexpected package. One slight minus for the book is the last section, "La Vida Nueva," which is almost like a sequel (though it ties in with previous material at the end) and isn't quite as strong as the beginning 2/3rds, due to a number of strong characters being missing from the action.

Still, it's a small complaint. This is a book of ideas capable of yielding rich discussion about the ethics of cloning (for various reasons that I can't get into here). An excellent plot will engage reluctant readers, and rich characterization will enchant readers who like to really get to KNOW their characters as flesh and blood people. When you enter this world, you won't easily forget it, even after you've long put the novel down. Can there be higher compliment for a book?

Packs quite a sting.......2007-07-15

A young clone, Matteo "Matt" Alacrán (scorpion in Spanish), lives a secluded life in a desolate house within the poppy fields owned by a man he has never met. His only human contact is with his caregiver, Celia, a servant of the master, El Patrón, who goes to great lengths to exceed his life expectancy. Her stories are his only source of information about the world. Early on, he encounters some of the children of whom he knows only through her stories. Injured during the encounter, he is taken to the main house and treated kindly. But in the time it takes for a scorpion's tale to inject its venom, everything changes with the revelation of his true identity. Eejits and clones are center stage in this story of a family set amidst a variety of societal issues; communism, Catholicism, drug trafficking and immigration as well as the distorted family ties that bind the members together.

Taking place in three countries: America, no longer a world of milk and honey (as many people emigrate as immigrate), Aztlán (formerly Mexico) and the land between, Opium, it follows the life of Matt, an unlikely hero, whose will to live and persistence pay off when faced with a series of obstacles. A book geared towards teens, it's written at a high school level. Although it is interestingly complicated and includes a clarifying Cast of Characters and Family History, similar stuff has been written in books like Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro, published later, shares similar themes.

Average customer rating:

Another great McGarvey saga
Hagberg is always excellent
TIMELY, PRECISE, REALISTICALLY WRITTEN
Action Packed Book!
Maybe His Best Yet!!

Allah's Scorpion (McGarvey)
David Hagberg
Manufacturer: Forge Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0765306239
Release Date: 2006-12-26

Book Description

Under the cover of a moonless night, al-Qaida operatives made their way inside the infamous Camp Delta prison on the American base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Their goal was to free five prisoners, but they failed. The rescuers and prisoners, all former Iranian Navy submarine crewmen, were killed. Investigators discover that this mission was supposed to be the first step in unleashing a deadly act of terrorisman operation code-named Allahs Scorpion. The CIA and Kirk McGarvey are called in, but first McGarvey must stop the destruction of the Panama Canal by a Venezuelan oil tanker rigged to explode in one of the locks. What seems at first to be an unrelated attack turns up the same cryptic code name. Allahs Scorpion may prove to be the ultimate strike against America, a grand finale to what began on 9/11. A pair of Russian nuclear missiles that were spirited into Libya just before the invasion of Iraq have turned up in transit to a undisclosed launch site in the Atlantic Ocean. Kirk McGarvey is the only man in position to stop themthe only man capable of knocking out Allahs Scorpion.

Customer Reviews:

Another great McGarvey saga.......2007-08-09

In this latest edition of the Kirk McGarvey series, Hagberg again presents the reader with an action-packed page turner. The story itself starts out with Kirk McGarvey coming out of retirement in an attempt to foil an al-Qaeda plot code named "Allah's Scorpion." Hagberg effectively weaves events and characters from previous books to add depth and context. The story moved along at a fast pace, with Hagberg's usual abundance of action and suspense. Give this a read...long-term McGarvey fans and newcomers alike will enjoy the ride.

Hagberg is always excellent.......2007-03-14

A good mixture of action, suspense, and details without getting boring.

TIMELY, PRECISE, REALISTICALLY WRITTEN.......2007-02-05

AS USUAL, HAGBERG CONTINUES TO KEEP HIS READERS' DEFT ATTENTION TO
DETAILS AND STORYLINE AMAZINGLY GRAPHIC. COULD, WOULD, MIGHT THIS
SCENARIO OCCUR, - ABSOLUTELY. ARE WE PREPARED FOR ANYTHING SIMILAR TO
THESE ESCAPADES, - NO ONE KNOWS, BUT CAN ONLY PRAY AND HOPE WE ARE.

HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS NOVEL, RAPID, SUREFIRE READING, AND PROJECTS
WHAT WE EXPECT FROM THIS NOVELIST. KEEP UP THIS GREAT WORK, PLEASE.

Action Packed Book!.......2007-01-31

This newest Hagberg book starts off with a bang and never lets up.The
book begins with an Osama bin-Laden planned raid on Guantanamo Bay'sCamp Delta.The al-Qaida mujadeen are going to break four Iranian Navy men out of the facility for a terrorist mission.After a battle two American CIA agents pursue the escapees and al-Qaida agents.The agents Gloria Ibenez and Robert Talarico give chase.The al-Qaida warriors and the Iranian are killed as a result of suicides.Ibenez's pardner Talarico is also killed.
The action moves to Venezuala.Former British Royal Navy captain Rupert Graham in the employ of Osama bin-Laden seizes an oil tanker named Apurto Devlan.He plans to explode the tanker in the Panama Canal stopping all
shipping traffic for an indefinite time period.Our hero Kirk McGarvey has
entered the picture.He thwarts the attack.
At the funeral of Talarico al-Qaida terrorists launch an attack to get
MCGarvey.They once again miss him.
Captain Graham and al-Qaida have ontained a Libyan FoxTrot submarine named Shehab.They plan to launch a nuclear missile on Washington D.C.This plot is once again battled by Kirk McGarvey.It turns into quite a battle.
McGarvey decides to hunt Osama bin-Laden down and kill him.This makes for an exciting finish to the book.Be sure to read this one.
In the meantime al-Qaida and Cap

Maybe His Best Yet!!.......2007-01-26

It is a trite and over used phrase to describe a book as "hard to put down" or a "page turner." The problem is that neither of those phrases do this book justice. Once you pick it up and start reading about the world according to David Hagberg you have entered a time and place that seem all too real, all to possible and sometimes, all too likely.

The ninth installment on Kirk McGarvey's adventures introduces us to a new foe, a former British Royal Navy submarine captain named Rupert Graham. Graham was one of their brightest sub drivers, but was cashiered after he began to lose his judgement following the death of his wife which resulted in several international incidents. Following that he became a pirate in the South China Sea making a name for himself and eventually attracting the attention of Osama bin Laden. Graham is not a jihadist. He is a mercenary which makes him even more cunning and dangerous. Bin Laden is the one who gave him the nickname of "Allah's Scorpion." It fits.

The novel involves plans by bin Laden to blow up an oil tanker in the Panama Canal as well as acquire a submarine from which he will launch an attack on Washington D.C. Capt. Graham is very much involved in these episodes as is former CIA Director Kirk McGarvey who is attempting to thwart both plans and also to eventually try and complete his own quest to assassinate bin Laden, something he once failed to do. For first and foremost, ahead of all the various hats that McGarvey wears, he is at heart an assassin and one of the best.

To tell the plot beyond that is too difficult without giving it away. There are many twists and turns and moments of peril for all concerned. The story bristles with authenticity and keeps the story line totally within the bounds of plausabililty.

One wishes there was a Kirk McGarvey out there and as long as there is a talented author such as David Hagberg, there will be.

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What if the Girl You Loved was a Scorpion
Deadly Bad Guys, Thrills, Chills and a Scorpion
Doggone Good Sea-Going Adventure Tale
Simply a Fantastic, Wild Ride!
She loves me, she loves me not

Scorpion
Jack Stewart
Manufacturer: Bootleg Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 097452462X
Release Date: 2005-09-13

Book Description

The blast ricochets through the plane. A Bomb. Bill Broxton looks to the last row in first class, checks to see if the prime minister is safe. Broxton works for the DEA and his assignment is to protect the Prime Minister of Trinidad from an assassin's bullet. Prime Minister Ramsingh has been shutting down the Salizar drug cartel's money laundering operations in Trinidad and Attorney General George Chandee, who is secretly working with the drug lords, has hired Scorpion, a professional assassin to take him out. After a harrowing ride, the pilot lands the plane safely. The Scorpion's first attempt on the prime minister has failed, but he will try again. And Broxton must stop him.

Customer Reviews:

What if the Girl You Loved was a Scorpion.......2006-11-30

Scorpion is a sea going adventure story that takes place in the Caribbean. The Prime Minister of Trinidad has been targeted by a drug cartel because he has been trying to close down their operation in his country. The bad guy drug smugglers have hired the international assassin called the Scorpion to deal with the PM and the U.S. Government has sent DEA agent Bill Broxton to protect the PM. However, the PM doesn't want American assistance and to make matters even worse for Broxton, the assassin is the woman he wants to marry, only he doesn't know it. Fortunately for Broxton, another lady enters his life, so his heartbreak will be brief, but his actions will put her in jeopardy.

And that, my friends, is a very brief description of what goes on in the beginning of this action-adventure thriller. Sailboats, smugglers, an evil woman assassin, a guy too good for his own good and more. This is just a super book and I really liked it.

Deadly Bad Guys, Thrills, Chills and a Scorpion.......2006-09-21

SCORPION is a stay up all night thriller that moves from Trinidad in the Southern Caribbean to South Texas, to Venezuela and back to Trinidad and you can feel the heat and humidity of those places as you read. Mr. Stewart puts you right into the action as you move through the pages, so when you join DEA agent Bill Broxton as he tries to stop an assassin, be prepared for some serious escape time.

DEA agent Bill Broxton has been assigned to protect the Prime Minister of Trinidad from the Scorpion, an assassin hired by the Salizar drug cartel, because his girlfriend Dani, who he soon hopes to make his bride, is the daughter of the American Ambassador. It's because Broxton is so close to the ambassador that makes him perfect for the assignment, as the Prime Minister has refused American help, instead turning to his own Justice Minister for security.

So Broxton is supposed to use his connection with ambassador to get close to the PM, however Dani isn't as pure as the driven snow. Broxton may be carrying a torch in his heart and a ring in his pocket, but she's been carrying an assassin's guns and playing the field. She is the Scorpion who has been hired to take out Broxton's charge. And who is she working for? None other than the justice minister in charge of keeping the P.M. safe.

SCORPION has it all, foreign intrigue, deadly bad guys, a good guy in over his head, romance, terrific chase scenes and best of all, an ending you'll never see coming. I couldn't put this one down and I don't think you will be able to either.

Doggone Good Sea-Going Adventure Tale.......2005-09-23

Bill Broxton is a DEA agent who has been assingned to protect Prime Minister Ramsingh of Trinidad. His superiors want the man protected, because he has been co-operating in the war against drugs. They've learned that the drug barons from the Salazr Cartel want the prime minister dead, but Ramsingh complicates Broxton's life by refusing his protection, as he believes his own justice minister can do the job.

Meanwhile the drug lords have hired the international assassin called the Scorpion to assissananate Ramsingh and guess who is part of the cartel. You guessed it, none other than that justice minister who Ramsingh is counting on for protection. Now make the mix here a bit more interesting by making the Scorpion the girl Broxton wants to marry and you really have the makings of a good story. One I couldn't put down.

This book takes place in the Caribbean and Mr. Stewart uses quite a bit of sailing terms in the book, but he does it in such a way that it adds, rather than detracts from the story. It's easy to see he knows what he's talking about when he describes the scenes at sea. In addition to the convincing scene setting and description, Stewart has also painted people we care about and who seem real. I enjoyed this sea-going adventure story and I think you will too.

Simply a Fantastic, Wild Ride!.......2005-07-03

"Scorpion" is about DEA agent Bill Broxton. His assignment, protect the Prime Minister of Trinidad against evil drug smugglers who are using that country to transfer their drugs to the United States. However the international assassin called the Scorpion has been hired to kill the PM and unknown to Agent Broxton the Scorpion is none other than the woman he loves. Fortunately for him, another woman enters her life, unfortunately for him, she is married to one really bad cop named Earl. Earl and the Scorpion team up and now there is nothing between them and the PM except a determined Bill Broxton. Oh, did I forget to mention that the PM doesn't want Broxton's help? Well, he doesn't, but he's getting it anyway in this book that I couldn't quit. Just simply a fantastic, wild ride.

She loves me, she loves me not.......2005-06-23

Scorpion is one of those stories where the characters (good and bad) are all interconnected and intermixed as to be improbable.

One of the book's tensions is between the a DEA analyst who is assigned to protect the PM of Trinidad, and the US Ambassador's daughter, who is a master assassin. They also happened to be best buds growing up together.

Then there is a Texas Sheriff, who is real crooked, leaves a string of dead bodies behind, flies to Trinidad to catch up to a wife he really doesn't like.

I think the book's basic idea is okay, but the characters and the pacing just didn't work for me.

The Raj Quartet: The Jewel in the Crown/the Day of the Scorpion/the Towers of Silence/a Division of the Spoils

Average customer rating:

Raj Quartet
Masterpiece Literature
An unquestionable masterpiece.
The Art of the Novel
a millennial work

The Raj Quartet: The Jewel in the Crown/the Day of the Scorpion/the Towers of Silence/a Division of the Spoils
Paul Scott
Manufacturer: William Morrow & Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0688042120

Customer Reviews:

Raj Quartet.......2007-04-15

Paul Scott's following is small, but Loyal. He is a fantastic writer. The Raj Quartet by far, is my favourite favourite series of books by him because of its complexity and such extraordinary characters. His charactres are so indepth, so well played out that the reader feels that he or she knows them thouroughly. Its a historical epic, very well written, and its absolutely a must read.

Masterpiece Literature.......2006-12-01

About 25 years ago I got a list of the best 100 books of all time, and found "The Raj Quartet" by Paul Scott listed. I started at the beginning with "The Jewel in the Crown" and got bogged down. Coincidentally, PBS started its Masterpiece Theatre version. I watched a few of the episodes (actually all of them, eventually) and got back to reading. What I discovered was the best set of novels I've ever read, and each one an individual "jewel" as well. A pebble thrown, the towers of silence, and many other images stay with me, as well as the memory of Scott's beautiful writing and well-developed, complex characters, and the scope and importance of the story. If there wasn't so much else to read, I'd reread the whole set--sounds like a good retirement project some day.

An unquestionable masterpiece........2006-02-19

It has been too long since I read this book [probably 15 years ago] for me to offer an erudite and detailed analysis. But I do remember vividly that when I read it that the word "masterpiece" came repeatedly to my mind. In a league with Thackeray's "Vanity Fair" and Naipaul's "A House for Mr. Biswas". Find the time to read it; you won't regret it.

The Art of the Novel.......2003-01-16

The Raj Quartet (comprised of four novels) is in my ultimate top ten of great novels and my favourite work of fiction for the twentieth century. Paul Scott is up there up with Tolstoy and Jane Austen. The Raj Quartet is exquisite to read, every word and every sentence appears to have the perfection that Jane Austen bestowed on her works but on the majestic scale of Tolstoy's War and Peace.

The Raj Quartet is multi-layered, complex, beyond the apparent. Is it about a country? Or is it about two countries? Paul Scott deals with the years of the "great divorce" as it were, but now at the beginning of a new century the continuing implications of the historic British occupation are as fresh as ever, both in India and the UK, one example being the the unforseen post war immigration and lifting of racial barriers between two peoples (I myself am a product of a post war marriage between an Indian father and British mother).

The question of identity is explored. What makes an Indian? (still a relevant question in a subcontinent of such diverse cultures, religions, languages, outlooks, etc). What happens to a group (the Raj British) who are no longer needed in either India or Britain? (I recommend Staying On by Paul Scott which deals with a minor character who does stay on in India.)

Beyond the themes of history, colonialism and imperialism, there is the theme of the universal human experience. Who are we all really? Should we let our nationality and culture define who we are? Or as one character, Sarah Layton, finally have the courage to break free and define our own identity. Sarah at first is apart from "the other", then in one revealing scene (the ride with Ahmed) she subconsciously turns to face "the other" though unsuccessfully and finally in the beautifully written and incredibly sensual scene where she decides to dive into the forbidden (the seduction by Clark, who I see myself as Eros or the Hindu God of Love, Kama) she breaks through into her individuality, her "grace".

a millennial work.......2002-08-17

An outstanding piece of writing and a masterpiece, the Quartet compresses in four novels the essence of individual lives caught in the matrix of history. What is karma and dharma? The novels examine these as best Scott can in trying to articulate his artistic vision of the tragedy of history and of individual lives. History is impersonal and is from a God's-eye view, our own lives are subjective and given differing perspectives and are all that we have to imperfectly cling to. In that personal vantage point is salvation and hell all in one. Check out Scott's "Staying On" as well which is his farewell to the Indian scene and the characters we've come to know. A sliding farewell into oblivion, just as Scott himself fell into his twilight years.

Silent Steel: The Mysterious Death of the Nuclear Attack Sub USS Scorpion

Average customer rating:

Poorly-written journalism, definitely not naval science
Requiem at 12,000 Feet
The Benchmark on the Subject
Engrossing, well-written
The death of the USS Scorpion

Silent Steel: The Mysterious Death of the Nuclear Attack Sub USS Scorpion
Stephen Johnson
Manufacturer: Wiley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0471267376

Book Description

Praise for Silent Steel

"The magnitude of the tragedy of the USS Scorpion is matched only by the depth of the mystery surrounding her loss. Stephen Johnson has done a remarkable job of shining new light on this dark moment in U.S. submarine history."
—Sherry Sontag, coauthor of Blind Man's Bluff: The Untold Story of American Submarine Espionage

"What happened to the USS Scorpion? The question has vexed submariners for almost four decades. Now, with meticulous research and incredible attention to detail, Stephen Johnson examines and dissects one of the most tragic and mysterious submarine accidents in U.S. Navy history."
—Douglas Waller, author of Big Red: Inside the Secret World of a Trident Nuclear Submarine

"Stephen Johnson has crafted a forensic masterpiece that leads the reader back through time to unravel the gnawing enigma of the tragic 1968 loss of the nuclear attack submarine USS Scorpion. Sifting through a maze of conflicting theories, he meticulously lays out a tale of undersea detectives searching for conclusive evidence to one of the most baffling mysteries of the cruel sea."
—Rear Admiral Thomas Evans, author, analyst specializing in submarine history and operations, and former officer on the Scorpion

"The manuscript arrived with yesterday's afternoon mail. I finished reading it by nightfall. It's that good! Thoroughly researched, impeccably documented, with an appealing and literate style, Silent Steel should become essential reading for submarine enthusiasts and for anyone else who enjoys an engaging and informative yarn."
—A. J. Hill, author of Under Pressure: The Final Voyage of Submarine S-Five

Customer Reviews:

Poorly-written journalism, definitely not naval science.......2007-08-05

This book contains 241 pages of disconnected, repetitive prose, of which about 100, at best, are informative and useful in understanding the loss of Scorpion. Are there no editors at publisher John Wiley & Sons, Inc.?

Requiem at 12,000 Feet.......2007-07-23

Nearly four decades after the tragic and mysterious loss of the nuclear fast-attack Scorpion, it seems her 99-man crew is finally getting its due. At the time of the Scorpion's disappearance, the story was lost in the tumultuous 1968, with the assassinations of both Bobby Kennedy and Martin Luther King, and a media entranced with a rising Viet Nam body count, the Scorpion quickly fell from the front page. Of the two recent books illuminating the events, much from previously classified Navy documents, one, "Scorpion Down", by Ed Offley, chooses to sensationalize Scorpion in Cold War intrigue and Pentagon conspiracy. "Silent Steel", by Stephen Johnson, is the other, and for my money, the better. Rather than trying to grab headlines of his own, Johnson's documentary paints an accurate and surprisingly lively portrait not only of what is know about the last days of the Scorpion, but also of life aboard a US Navy nuke during the Cold War.

Painstakingly researched but told in the vernacular, Johnson steps through the various theories of the Scorpion's demise: was it the accidental detonation of one of its own torpedoes, failure of a weld in the pressure hull, an explosion in the main battery compartment, or the highly unlikely attack by a hostile Soviet sub? Johnson is at all time is respectful of the sacrifices of the submarine service, and, in treatment reminiscent of Robert Kurson's "Shadow Divers", places the dignity and sanctity of the crew's eternal resting place above all else. While recounting the evidence as cited in a string of official investigations, Johnson also weaves in a strong and poignant dose of personal interest, bringing to life the officers and crew so long forgotten by so many. Ultimately, while the author offers no final solutions, he does the US Navy a great favor by shedding light on the clandestine operations of "the silent service". In short, a quick, intelligent, and educational read that is long overdue. Highly recommended.

The Benchmark on the Subject.......2007-06-30

With "Silent Steel", Stephen Johnson has written the most well-researched and comprehensive book on the Scorpion disaster to date. His exceptional human insight and unwavering devotion to the facts set this book apart from similar books on the subject. There is no smoking gun in this book; no government conspiracy, and no UFOs. Instead there is a comprehensive report on the brave men who took Scorpion on her final dive.

Sadly, other new books on the Scorpion disaster have glamorized the conspiracy theory, using this incident to sell books. When reading Stephen Johnson's book, you may find yourself thinking "Okay, come on, you've obviously done a ton of research on this...let's hear your theory about the Soviet Echo-II that sank the Scorpion". Fortunately, he doesn't go there. I think that's because he's done the research and knows better.

I just retired from the US Navy after 23 years. Half of that time was spent in the Integrated Undersea Surveillance System, tracking submarines around the world, and the other half was spent as a Submarine Sonar Technician, on submarines around the world. There is no conspiracy.

Stephen Johnson did justice to USS Scorpion and the families of the crew. He didn't follow hare-brained theories or threads of circumstance; he merely reported what happened in a riveting book. This is a book for anyone...average citizens, military historians, or scientists. Read this book before or after you read any of the other current books on USS Scorpion; this will set you straight.

Brett Beedles

Engrossing, well-written.......2007-05-02

Stephen Johnson's "Silent Steel: The Mysterious Death of the Nuclear Attack Sub USS Scorpion" is a highly detailed account of the last months of the US Navy nuclear submarine, lost in the Atlantic off the Azores on May 22, 1968, and of the various official investigations aimed at uncovering the reasons for that loss. Johnson follows the official chronology established by the Navy (in contrast to Ed Offley in "Scorpion Down: Sunk by the Soviets, Buried by the Pentagon, The Untold Story of the USS Scorpion") but reaches a different conclusion as to the underlying cause of the disaster (the Navy inquiries in general favored a torpedo accident of some kind, but Johnson believes some other equipment failure - perhaps a battery explosion or maybe merely a trash disposal unit that failed to seal properly - that led to an uncontrolled descent to a depth where the great pressure crushed the hull). The evidence for and against each proposed cause is examined in detail. All in all, an engrossing and well-written book.

The death of the USS Scorpion.......2007-03-11

As someone has already stated, this is a nice comprehensive overview of the loss of the USS Scorpion. I think the author did a very credible job of looking at all the theories of why this boat sank. As the author states, we probably may never know for sure. I don't think he means to throw away Craven's views. It is just hard to argue Craven's viewpoint when the scant evidence is against it.

The USS Scorpion was in bad shape. Many things were just falling apart, but yet the Navy sent it to the Med to conduct exercises. The armed forces really haven't changed much-especially with non-armored Humvees being used in Iraq today. A stronger captain would have told the brass to fix the submarine. These mechanical shortcomings may have caused the intial event which resulted in the loss of the boat. Ninety nine personnel died because of a poor refit.

This is a very interesting account of the loss of the USS Scorpion. For those interested in naval affairs, this is a nice book to have. I thought a diagram of the purposed structural theories that led to the loss of the submarine might have added clarity to the book. It would have taken a couple of pages to put in, and describe what the authoriities thought happened to the sub. Other than that, a well written book.

Average customer rating:

Scorpion in the Sea
An Outstanding, Terrific, Accurate, Gripping Read
Gritty and Real
My Favorite Book
A thrilling & exciting novel!

Scorpion in the Sea
P. T. Deutermann
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Paperbacks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0312951795

Book Description

On a calm night off the Florida coast, a fishing boat vanishes without a trace. Something deadly is hiding in U.S. waters, and the Navy brass would rather bury the truth than face it.It's Montgomery's war now. Brash and unconventional, Mike Montgomery is hardly regulation Navy. At his side, Diane Martinson, the Chief of Staff's wife-smart, tough....and his lover. Under his command, the USS Goldsborougha WWII-era destroyer thundering toward a showdown of water and fire.With the arrival of P.T. Deutermann-retired Navy captain, former arms control negotiator within the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and ex-commander of at destroyer squadron-today's naval thriller just climbed to a whole new level.

Customer Reviews:

Scorpion in the Sea.......2007-04-06

As a destroyer skipper like Captain Deutermann, we both operated out of Mayport (Jacksonville, FL). It was so realistic a story I was spellbound the entire read. I have passed copies on to other sailors who say the same thing. I'm trying to order the other Deutermann books, but I am having trouble using my account; it has sent purchases to other than the shipping I indicated/it has duplicated items to the wrong person/I can't change shipping and billing forms. I would like to erase/cancel my account and start over.Louis Colbus

An Outstanding, Terrific, Accurate, Gripping Read.......2005-08-09

I'll admit it - I've become "hooked" on P.J. Deutermann. This is one of his best. Could have been written after 9/11, but was actually done some years before. Authentic dialog, flesh-and-blood characters, accurate naval detail, highly enjoyable.

Gritty and Real.......2004-08-11

I've spent a lot of time in the "tin can navy" and can tell you that Deutermann knows his stuff. His ability to describe the machinations of Navy polictics is unparalleled. I cannot recommend his books too highly.

My Favorite Book.......2002-06-24

This story of a destroyer captain with a parrot who gets drunk and passes out everynight in a drawer is the best story I've ever read. I recommend it strongly.

A thrilling & exciting novel!.......2002-04-09

Scorpion in the Sea was a very good novel. It tells of Captain Mike Montgomery and his ship the U.S.S. Goldsborough sent out to investigate a possible Russian submarine in the Mayport opareas. I don't want to give too much away in case you haven't read the novel, but I thought it was very good. Before reading this novel, I also read P.T. Deutermann's Train Man, which was also very good.

Secret Weapons: Defenses of Insects, Spiders, Scorpions, and Other Many-Legged Creatures

Average customer rating:

One of a kind
Beautiful Photo-log and Chemical-Defense Attributes of Insects
Lavishly illustrated; thoroughly professional
The Wars of the Multilegged
Excellent Book About Arthropods

Secret Weapons: Defenses of Insects, Spiders, Scorpions, and Other Many-Legged Creatures
Thomas Eisner , Maria Eisner , and Melody Siegler
Manufacturer: Belknap Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Reference | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0674018826

Book Description

Mostly tiny, infinitely delicate, and short-lived, insects and their relatives--arthropods--nonetheless outnumber all their fellow creatures on earth. How lowly arthropods achieved this unlikely preeminence is a story deftly and colorfully told in this follow-up to the award-winning For Love of Insects. Part handbook, part field guide, part photo album, Secret Weapons chronicles the diverse and often astonishing defensive strategies that have allowed insects, spiders, scorpions, and other many-legged creatures not just to survive, but to thrive.

In sixty-nine chapters, each brilliantly illustrated with photographs culled from Thomas Eisner's legendary collection, we meet a largely North American cast of arthropods--as well as a few of their kin from Australia, Europe, and Asia--and observe at firsthand the nature and extent of the defenses that lie at the root of their evolutionary success. Here are the cockroaches and termites, the carpenter ants and honeybees, and all the miniature creatures in between, deploying their sprays and venom, froth and feces, camouflage and sticky coatings. And along with a marvelous bug's-eye view of how these secret weapons actually work, here is a close-up look at the science behind them, from taxonomy to chemical formulas, as well as an appendix with instructions for studying chemical defenses at home. Whether dipped into here and there or read cover to cover, Secret Weapons will prove invaluable to hands-on researchers and amateur naturalists alike, and will captivate any reader for whom nature is a source of wonder.

Customer Reviews:

One of a kind.......2007-08-06

Plot: How bugs defend themselves

Pros: Really, really interesting. Lots of color pictures. One of a kind work.

Cons: Lots of big words and chemistry stuff I have forgotten.

Other Thoughts: Bugs are neat. Many of them taste bad to predators, sometimes they sting you, or bite you, or have venom. Ants seem really annoying (even to other bugs). Reminds me why science is cool as some insects have neatfully (a new fake word!) ingenious adaptations.

Grade: A

Beautiful Photo-log and Chemical-Defense Attributes of Insects.......2007-04-24

This book has beautiful color photos (note the front cover for an example) of a good array of mostly North America insects along with their taxonomic order and common names and with brief explanations of their ecology and specific defense mechanisms coupled with detailed chemical analysis.

The book finishes with photos and explanations of essential insect collecting gear and lab analysis equipment.

Over-all, I was struck with the incredible dynamics of insect defenses and how researchers are finding ways to harness these chemicals for a host of products such as medicines, bug repellents, plant defenses, etc. Medical researchers, biochemists and laymen alike, should find this information most helpful and interesting.

Lavishly illustrated; thoroughly professional.......2006-08-05

The "weapons" in the title are mostly chemical. They are poisons that insects and their kin use to protect themselves from predators. Spiders, insects, snakes and other animals use poisons to subdue their victims as part of their preying arsenal, but what the authors focus on in this unusual book are chemicals used by "many-legged creatures" as defensive weapons. Pick up certain beetles or fly larvae or especially some grasshoppers and caterpillars and they will vomit noxious stuff on you. It will smell bad, it may contain harmful bacteria, and it will be "spiked" with deterrent chemicals stemming from plants eaten by the insect.

Or the insect may defecate on you. Imagine that you are the size of the insect, one of its predators. Imagine the effect of copious amounts of feces coming at you. The authors show how these defenses actually work on predators like wolf spiders and even small rodents. I was especially struck by how often these defenses apparently evolved as defenses against ants.

Of course many insects spit, spray, sting, and bite in response to being disturb or threatened. This is how they deliver their noxious chemicals, their poisons, their foul-smelling stuff, their stuff that stings, debilitates and even kills. Eisner, Eisner and Siegler give numerous disquieting examples of exactly how this is done in 69 very creepy chapters. Each chapter is dedicated to a particular creature or Family of creatures from vinegaroons (Chapter 1) through bombardier beetles (Chapter 35) to the honey bee (Chapter 69). Millipedes, cockroaches, ants, aphids, termites and many others make their gruesome appearance.

Gruesome...? Well, it's all in the eye of the beholder, I suppose. The many photos of the creatures that accompany the text are arguably beautiful. With some detachment I can see the earwig (Doru taeniatum) shown in all its black and brown and tan glory on page 77 as quite attractive. (However the beauty of the photo of the cockroach with its egg case hanging out the back on page 59 is a bit beyond my ability to fully appreciate.)

Nonetheless I realize that people who collect and study insects do find them attractive, and properly seen they are as beautiful as...well, Penelope Cruz. Insects are marvelous beings with the most amazing talents, their abilities well beyond that of modern science to emulate. Would that we could build robots with the ability of the ant! Still I must say that for many readers this book could prove an unsettling experience. But in truth the photos are amazing. They are brilliantly colored and sharply focused, showing the creatures in various poses, eating, mating, being eaten, fighting, secreting, guarding eggs, etc. And there are some very nice shots taken through microscopes that reveal wondrous detail.

Clearly "Secret Weapons" is a book for enthusiasts and professionals. Not only are the scientific names given for each creature along with the common names, the authors also give schematic drawings of the elemental composition of each of the chemicals used by the many-legged creatures! Furthermore there is a chapter on "How to Study Insects and Their Kin" in which the kinds of equipment (plastic bags, forceps, nets, vials, hand lenses, scalpels, petri dishes, insect pins, etc.) used by professionals are not only listed and described but presented in color photos. Each chapter concludes with scientific journal and book references for further study.

The Wars of the Multilegged.......2006-07-08

Even if you live in the city, you probably encounter insects or spiders every day. Such animals are enormously successful almost anywhere you go, except for marine environments. There are many reasons for their success, but in _Secret Weapons: Defenses of Insects, Spiders, Scorpions, and Other Many-Legged Creatures_ (The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press), the concentration is on defensive strategies, diverse and strange. The authors, Thomas Eisner, Maria Eisner, and Melody Siegler, are biologists with a mission, to show largely in photographs some of the defenses, especially chemicals but also mechanical measures, mimicry, camouflage, and warning colors. The authors say this is the first photographic introduction to the defenses of arthropods, and it is a book of wonders. It consists of 69 short chapters, each featuring one arthropod and concentrating on a particular method of defense. There are "sprays, oozes, sticky coatings, ... enteric fluids, feces, or systemic toxins." Some insects produce their chemical defenses as part of their physiology, but others grab toxins from the outside and eat them or smear them on themselves to get protection. The toxic or irritant chemicals are shown here in diagram form. The degree of sophistication of defenses among these most humble of creatures must incite any reader's admiration.

There is one surprising tactic after another on these pages. It is amazing, for instance, that any creature is able to use hydrogen cyanide as a weapon; cyanide is an almost universal poison, blocking the chemical cycles of oxidation. Soil centipedes, however, have pores along the body that secrete a sticky substance with cyanide in it. The cyanide forms outside the centipede's body where precursor molecules meet after being ejected. There is a picture shown of a centipede maternally guarding her eggs, ready to launch a cyanide attack on any ant or spider of which they are the natural prey. Acetic acid is familiar as the sour flavor in vinegar. The arachnid named the "vinegaroon" is so called due to the acetic acid in its spray. Vinegar has only a few percent acetic acid, and the vinegaroon's spray has 84%, the highest concentration in nature. Not all the defenses here are chemical; some are mechanical. The bristle millipede looks like a bottle brush. The tufts at the rear of the millipede are actually bunches of hairs with tiny grappling hooks on them. If an ant attacks the millipede, it touches a tuft to the ant, and the hooks attach to hairs on the ant's body. There are barbs on the shaft of the hook as well, and so the millipede's hairs interconnect, immobilizing the ant in a network of locked hairs; when the ant tries to clean itself, it only gets more tangled. Green lacewings lay their eggs on stalks to protect them, and on the stalk leave droplets of oil that repel ants. Once the egg hatches, however, the larva itself can ingest the oil on the way down. Lubber grasshoppers vomit copiously when attacked, and seem to eat noxious food just to make sure the point gets across. Tortoise beetles contract themselves into an almost perfect hemisphere with no folds or cracks on which a predator might make purchase; they also use an intricate system of oil and bristles on their feet that adhere them to a surface so strongly that no attacker can take them away. The larva of another tortoise beetle has a special fork extending up from its tail; it is a feces fork on which the larva hangs, well, feces, and it keeps the feces even in successive molts. The feces form a shield that can be rotated for protection against ants and spiders. Bombardier beetles spray their toxins at the temperature of boiling water; some spiders know to wrap and entangle the beetle gently without causing the discharge, and only to bite down when the rear end is completely enveloped. Sophisticated tactics and counter-tactics seem to be deployed in an ever-increasing cycle. _Secret Weapons_ is beautifully illustrated, and provides hundreds of astounding instances of the baroque lengths to which evolution has driven chemistry, morphology, and behavior.

Excellent Book About Arthropods.......2006-01-25

Although small in size, insects and other arthropods dominate Earth at least in sheer numbers. This is because they have developed various and sundry defensive mechanisms to protect themselves. These weapons are often of a chemical nature. There are also behavioral or morphological means of defense as well.

This book is heavily illustrated with color photographs. This excellent book focuses on 69 different species of arthropods and is an work that is useful for students and experts alike.

Blind Man's Bluff: The Untold Story of American Submarine Espionage

Average customer rating:

Blind Man's Bluff
Finally the Silent Service has a voice
Finally!
Well Researched and Written
Blind Man's Bluff (Book Review)

Blind Man's Bluff: The Untold Story of American Submarine Espionage
Sherry Sontag , Christopher Drew , and Annette Lawrence Drew
Manufacturer: PublicAffairs
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1891620088

Amazon.com

Little is known--and less has been published--about American submarine espionage during the Cold War. These submerged sentinels silently monitored the Soviet Union's harbors, shadowed its subs, watched its missile tests, eavesdropped on its conversations, and even retrieved top-secret debris from the bottom of the sea. In an engaging mix of first-rate journalism and historical narrative, Sherry Sontag, Christopher Drew, and Annette Lawrence Drew describe what went on.

"Most of the stories in Blind Man's Bluff have never been told publicly," they write, "and none have ever been told in this level of detail." Among their revelations is the most complete accounting to date of the 1968 disappearance of the U.S.S. Scorpion; the story of how the Navy located a live hydrogen bomb lost by the Air Force; and a plot by the CIA and Howard Hughes to steal a Soviet sub. The most interesting chapter reveals how an American sub secretly tapped Soviet communications cables beneath the waves. Blind Man's Bluff is a compelling book about the courage, ingenuity, and patriotism of America's underwater spies. --John J. Miller

Book Description

The dramatic history of America's highly clandestine, dangerous, and sometimes deadly submarine espionage missions is a real-life Hunt for Red October.

Customer Reviews:

Blind Man's Bluff.......2007-10-02

I worked alongside the members of the submarine service and can testify that their deeds were harrowing, critical to national security, and seldom appreciated. I applaud the authors (despite a little downplaying of the true nature of the HORSE COW Bar in Vallejo, California) for their tenacity in digging out the truth, their wisdom in choosing to leave out some interesting stories they doubtless heard, and their honesty in portraying the whispered role of the "silent service". My heartfelt thanks to all concerned!

G. L. Spears

Finally the Silent Service has a voice.......2007-08-15

I ordered "Blind Man's Bluff" because of a friends reccomendation. I retired from the Navy in 1992 and during my active duty time, I served on three submarines. This book brought back many memories and emotions. I want to thank Sherry Sontag for telling our story. As I read the book, I felt like I was back on my boat. I began to remember some of my deployments and my shipmates. The times at sea, the boredom and the panic. I would reccommend this book to anyone who has an intrest in submarines or submariners. I especially reccommend this book to the families of submarine crews. Finally you get a picture into our lives on the boats. For years, I could not tell my family what I did, now they can read for themselves. Please read this book and get to know some of the heros of the Silent Service.

Finally!.......2007-08-08

After years of not being allowed to tell friends or familty about what we did on submarines, this book lays out some of the missions. Now I can tell my family "Just read the book."

Well Researched and Written.......2007-06-12

As a former submariner, I have mixed feelings about this book. I am still not convinced it should be publicly available, but the book is well-researched and written.

I particularly like that there is none of the Tom Clancy hype - no supermen here - just ordinary guys doing their jobs under difficult and dangerous conditions.

The authors portray more 2nd guessing among the crew than I ever personally encountered. "Is it worth it?" is a useless question when you are doing what is necessary. Now that the first Cold War is over, I think it is easy to forget that the outcome (the West winning) was neither obvious or inevitable. I am convinced that it is only because of sacrifices like the ones portrayed in this book that we enjoy the security that we do (yes, we are much safer today, war on terror and all, than we ever were in the 50's - mid 80's)

Parts of the book were illuminating to me. I've had friends who served on all the subs discussed, but submariners don't discuss these things even amongst ourselves. The description of being stuck in the mud on the bottom of a Russian harbor is riveting and perhaps the most frightening thing I have ever read. Submarine disasters usually happen in an instant, but the really nasty ones take hours and days and maybe even weeks...

So, as I mentioned, I don't know that the book should have been written. I personally applaud the men who turned the authors over to the NIS. But, now that it has apparently been cleared for publication, I highly recommend it.

Blind Man's Bluff (Book Review).......2007-06-06

Blind Man's Bluff: The Untold Story of American Submarine Espionage by Sherry Sontag & Cristopher Drew

The book is basically about submarine espionage undertaken by the United States Navy during the Cold War. I initially thought it had a relatively boring topic, after all, what is so exciting about submarines undertaking espionage missions, which I initially thought just involved listening or gathering signal data?

But I bought it anyway, because I felt it should be well-written since it was a New York Times bestseller. So no matter how boring the topic may be, it should still be good read, because the authors know how to spin a good yarn.

Well, it turned out I was wrong about submarine espionage being boring. Yes, they do gather signal intelligence, basically listening for signals in the USSR, most of time during weapons launch, & following other subs.

The story was written so well you learn a LOT about soviet subs, underwater sea technology, etc.

Aside from signal intelligence, the USN subs also undertook even more daring missions: Tapping Soviet submarine cables (which is probably one of the best intelligence coups ever), & retrieving submarine & missile parts from the depths of the ocean.

If you are interested in military naval topics, then this book is a M-U-S-T read. You learn just SO much about submarine military technology in general just by reading it.

Book Highlights:
- Stories of the first signal intelligence gathering missions into the USSR.
- How American submarine commanders had to develop new tactics & procedures on tailing the then newer, more stealthier & more capable nuclear ballistic missile submarines of the Yankee-class.
- Secret programs to develop unmanned deep sea submersibles to locate Soviet missiles that splashed down to the sea during live-fire testing, & located sunk Soviet missile submarines.
- Additional & more accurate details on the recovery of an Echo-class submarine that sunk in the Pacific by the CIA using the "Glomar Explorer".
- How the program to tap Soviet undersea telephone line cables got underway, & resulted in perhaps one of the best intelligence coups of all time.
- Details on submarine disasters all throughout the Cold War.

Average customer rating:

Easy to say-hard to do
Scorpions by Walter d. Myers
QUICK, STOP SCROLLING AND LOOK AT THIS
Scorpions
Scorpions a review by Nick, Henry, Z-MAN and Jandro-san

Scorpions (Newbery Honor Book)
Walter Dean Myers
Manufacturer: Amistad
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0064406237

Book Description

Bad Trouble

Lately everybody's messing with Jamal. His teachers, the kids at school, even his dad. And now that Jamal's brother Randy's in the slam, Crazy Mack has a crazy idea. He wants Jamal to take control of the Scorpions and run crack.

All the gang jive--Jamal has no use for it. Unless, like some say, it's the only way to cop the bread for Randy's appeal...

The story of twelve-year-old Jamal, whose life changes drastically when he acquires a gun. Though he survives the experience, it's not without sacrificing his innocence and possibly his relationship with his best friend.

1989 Newbery Honor Book
Notable Children's Books of 1988 (ALA)
1988 Best Books for Young Adults (ALA)
1989 Recommended Books for Reluctant Young Adult Readers (ALA)
The USA Through Children's Books 1990 (ALA)
Young Adult Choices for 1990 (IRA)
1989 Judy Lopez Children's Books Award, Honorable Mention
Children's Books of 1988 (Library of Congress)
1989 Books for the Teen Age (NY Public Library)

Customer Reviews:

Easy to say-hard to do.......2007-08-08

Interesting premise- what does a younger brother owe his older brother in terms of taking his place in the gang when older brother is incarcerated?
Toss in a gun that impacts younger brother's best friend and the choices that young persons are faced with are complex for any age. The real life situations that the characters find themselves in are mirrored all over the country by the youth of today. Parents should find this an insightful easy read for material that is of concern to youth of today.

Scorpions by Walter d. Myers.......2007-04-30

By Walter d. Myers

Have you ever been asked to kill or beat up someone? Have you ever been asked to be in a gang? Well, Jamal a 12year old boy is questioned time after time this question. Since his brother Randy was the head leader of the gang "Scorpions". He is asked because his brother is put in jail. So Jamal is asked to become the leader. It's all up to Jamal will he become the leader or dead the gang. What would you do in his situation?

Jamal is a 12 year old that lives in a rough environment with his sis, (Sassy), mom and brother Randy. He is having lots of problems in life. He isn't very wealthy so he hardly has thing but his mom works hard to make a living for her 3 children. This book is a great book for me because some of the problems he faced are what I'm facing in the present. This helped me see the results of being in a gang, and the most reason to not become a gang member. Jamal is afraid of the gang that rules his neighborhood, especially since it landed his brother in jail. Randy wants his little brother Jamal to take his place and become the new leader of the scorpions. Even though his mother, sister and best friend Tito tries to talk him out of it, Jamal tries to be a sport and stand with his brother. Violence soon happens as the older gang members move in on him when Jamal tries to escape with the gun the gang gave him.

The message that Walter dean Myers is trying to get out to his readers is that people do lots of bad things in life but you have to over look that and don't let your thoughts bring you down. This book reminds me of me and my outside life because Jamal is asked to be in a gang, which is the same with me and he doesn't want to let his brother down and I didn't want to let my friends down so I joined it as well as him he did also and after I felt scared and was ready to quite and that's what he feels after. This also reminds me of the outside life we live in today because no matter where you go you will always find violence.

Walter dean Myers is a writer of children and teenagers. Walter dean Myers is a five- time receiver of lots of awards. He is a great writer, he writes books from picture to action to fiction to non fiction. He is one of the best teen writers. This is why I would recommend this book to who wonders how people in or asked to be in gangs react or some of the things they do. I would also recommend the book to people who go through these types of things, he did and does. This book is for kids like of the age of 10 and for young adults.

QUICK, STOP SCROLLING AND LOOK AT THIS .......2007-04-18

Scorpions is a wonderful book written by the fabulous author, Walter Dean Myers. This book is about a boy, Jamal, and his best friend, Tito. Jamal is about 13 and black. Tito is also about 13 and Puerto Rican and lives with his Abuela. Jamal's brother is the leader of a gang called scorpions that sell crack. Jamal's brother, Randy, was thrown in jail for murder. Jamal's mom falls apart with grief because she doesn't have the money to get him out. Jamal becomes the leader of the scorpions but Angel, Indian, and Blood don't like him. Mack, Randy's ace, is the only one who likes Jamal. Mack gives him a gun and all it does is cause trouble, and someone ends up dead.
This story takes place in the present in a small town in a bad neighborhood. This books theme is adventure. I recommend this book to anyone who loves a good book with a sad but happy ending. The moral to this story is weapons don't hurt just physically they can also hurt emotionally.

Scorpions.......2007-03-13

"That ain't real," Dwayne said.
"Come on," Jamal said. There was a taste of blood in his mouth. "You gonna see it's real." Dwayne didn't move.
Jamal held the gun pointed at Dwayne's head... Jamal is a troubled teen that has more problems than average. His brother, Randy, is in Jail and the lawyers keep on increasing the prices for their services. Then Jamal meets a former gang member, Mack, who's trying to persuade Jamal to follow his brother's footsteps and join the gun toting, case catching, robbing, Scorpions. Jamal's mother doesn't want him to meet with Mack though. She thinks that Mack is bad news. Jamal and his best friend, Tito, are stuck between a rock and a hard place. They can either join the Scorpions and get the money for his brother's appeal, or let his brother rot in jail.

Scorpions a review by Nick, Henry, Z-MAN and Jandro-san.......2007-03-13

"He could hear the sound of his own breathing and Dwayne's even heaver breathing. "That isn't nothin' but a cap pistol" Dwayne said "The Scorpions don't have no fake guns" Jamal said. "You ain't no scorpion" "I'm the leader of the scorpions." The New Berry Honor book Scorpions by Walter Dean Myers is an action-packed thriller that will have you at the edge of your seat. Jamal the main character is a young man with a lot of problems on his hands. His older brother is in jail and his family barely has enough money to meet their every day needs. Now the Scorpions need a new gang leader and Jamal is the rightful leader. Will Jamal join? Read the book to find out what happens next.
Jamal lives in a run-down area somewhere in New York. There are a lot of boarded up houses including an old shop hat sells crack. The author uses sensory images and similes to describe the area. We like the way he described the house they lived in. Our favorite part was when Jamal fought Dwayne in a locked closet. We recommend this book to kids that are 9 and up but especially middle schoolers. Scorpions is a book you'll love.

The Scorpion's Sweet Venom: The Diary of a Brazilian Call Girl

Average customer rating:

Interesting but sad
Great Book
Becoming prostitutes
Interetsing Read
waste of money

The Scorpion's Sweet Venom: The Diary of a Brazilian Call Girl
Bruna Surfistinha
Manufacturer: Bloomsbury USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1596912758
Release Date: 2007-02-06

Book Description

“If I'm going to be a prostitute, I refuse to be an ordinary one."

Known to her clients as “Bruna the Surfer Girl,” Surfistinha is the beautiful 17-year-old Brazilian run-away from a middle class family who detailed online her three years working as a prostitute in a posh Brazilian suburb. Her candid and explicit entries on life as a high-class call girl caught the attention of millions and set off a vigorous national debate about sexual identity, values, and practices. As a result, Bruna became an immediate celebrity, the Paris Hilton of Brazil. Here, in The Scorpion’s Sweet Venom, she draws back the sheets to reveal the whole story. Bruna writes passionately about her estranged family, her out-of-control drug use, her unbridled sexuality, and her unusual adventures in the world’s oldest profession. “I have seen and done everything,” she confesses. “There is nothing left that scares me.”

Part memoir, part cautionary tale, part sex guide, Bruna brings to life the raw, desperate and dangerous underbelly of the Brazilian sex trade, and shares outrageous advice for the bedroom, like what men really want but are too afraid to ask. Provocative, seductive and unforgettable, The Scorpion’s Sweet Venom is the vivid account of a young girl’s life on the street, and a fearless expression of human sexuality.

Customer Reviews:

Interesting but sad.......2007-08-27

Here are the stats: inked up in three places, pierced in two, sex with 1,000 and counting,doped up for a while but now clean. Here is her story: unhappy home life albeit comfortable, a desire to be free, stumbling into the sex trade, marketing her story to the media and getting a measure of fame. Lessons? It is better for people to express their desires than to suppress them and she helps to do that. Some of the book reads like a warmed over issue of Cosmo, especially her handy sex tips at the end of the book. But at its core she is a hurt child who is still hurting. There is one passage---she is just bubbling along about this and that, and she tells of a client, an older man. Unpleasant, and who she tries to avoid. He rapes her and hits her. The writing loses its jaunty tone, its Cosmo sheen and she writes, after he leaves and she looks at the money: "we should pity men like that, not be angry with them. He was a man who'd never been loved---he himself told me, the first time, that he'd never even been engaged. I know why, He doesn't need to say a thing because you can see in his eyes how sad and alone he is. And his aggressiveness in bed is just a reflection of the fact that he's never been loved." For all the world. you'd think is she talking about herself.

Great Book.......2007-06-13

This girl went through some things but she came out on top. Very interesting book

Becoming prostitutes.......2007-06-07

A novel about the making of prostitutes is called Naked in Haiti: A sexy morality tale about tourists, prostitutes & politicians. It might be of interest to readers of 'The Scorpion's Sweet Venom'.

Interetsing Read .......2007-05-23

Interesting insight into the path of a privileged girl into lady for sale. The author never address original saddness and glosses past sexual assault leaving you wondering what other untold stories remain.

waste of money.......2007-04-04

First off the writting is horrible. And it keeps going back and forth from her childhood to what she is doing now. Save the movey and buy a better book

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