Contemporary Issues in Crime and Criminal Justice: Essays in Honor of Gilbert Geis

Amazon.com

Bill Bonanno could be just another 66-year-old retiree, gone to Tucson, Arizona, to live out his remaining years in a hospitable climate. But he's not. "I come from a long line of Mafiosi," he informs us, taking pains to establish the difference between Mafiosi, a term "rooted in the character and the values of the men and women who were the everyday makers of Sicilian history," and the fictional Mafia. (Bonanno knows from crime fiction: there are those who say that he's the real-life model for Michael Corleone, and he does not deny it.) Bound by Honor is as much a family saga as it is a true crime story, and Bonanno's insightful self-reflection guarantees a distinctive degree of honesty and depth.

Book Description

A young mafioso being groomed for leadership spends his nights at the Stork Club in New York City, rubbing elbows with the likes of Tony Bennett, Marilyn Monroe, and Mickey Mantle....Two proud men, one named Bonanno, the other named Kennedy, dream of their sons taking over their dynasties-each taking a different, but equally powerful pat....A sudden spray of bullets rips through the salon in Manhattan's Park Sheraton Hotel; moments later, a major figure on the organized crime scene-slumped over in midshave-lies dead in his barber chair....These are stories not from Mafia movies, but from real life....a way of life which may be gone, but is long from forgotten. Bill Bonanno is the authentic article-born into a powerful mob Family and married into another, he has seen it all. Widely reputed to be the model for Michael Corleone in The Godfather, Bonanno tells the astounding story which only he can tell in Bound By Honor: of the Five Families and their stormy infighting for control over organized crime; of his father's close friendship with Joe Kennedy and the truth about JFK's assassination; and of a world born of respect and loyalty....and etched in violence and blood.

Customer Reviews:

Good Book.......2007-10-01

This was a very interesting book. It had some fascinating insight into the world of Mafiosa.

Bag of Wind.......2005-11-16

I have read nearly every book written about the Mafia, both good and bad. Let me say this: Bill Bonanno's book goes beyond bad. It's absolutely awful.

The title itself, "Bound by Honor", is soaked in irony. Where is the honor in breaking the law, going to prison, living a lifestyle that includes trampling on the rights and lifestyles of other people?

My own father truly was a Man of Honor. He got up everyday and went to work and made an honest living. He may not have gotten rich, but he never served a day in prison or lied to save his own skin. But Bonanno has done both. Where is the honor in that?

As I read one of the book's passages about a gunfight that Bonnano was in, it struck me that his vision of that shootout was rooted more in stupidity than in danger.

While Mafia books do interest me, the lifestyle itself disgusts me and makes me glad that I live a clean life.

My biggest regret concerning Bonanno's book is that I spent money on it- even if it was on sale. It was a waste of money written by a blowhard who wasted a college education and probably put a good wife through hell. Some Man of Honor, that Bill Bonanno.

So the bottom line is this: don't waste your money. His story isn't worth reading, he isn't worth respecting, and there isn't one scintilla of honor to be found in the activities of his family.

Legend of his own mind.......2004-03-22

The book as such is an easy read and has some amusing stories, it is, however, filled with appearent contradictions and self promoting spins on most of the events.
The writer is clearly unable to put is own life into perspective and believes he has done no wrong........but that the government is at fault for hunting down organised crime, mostly himself and his father (who is depicted as the role model mobster).
The book is worth reading if the subject itself is of interest to you. For most readers it will become clear that the writer is a complete and total loser.

Don't Miss the Point.......2003-06-25

This book isn't about crime; it's about a broken heart. Like Michael Corleone, what Bonanno did to preserve his family destroyed it; like Corleone, once he got involved, he couldn't get out. This explains his fatalistic feeling that his role in life was preordained at birth.

Contrary to other reviews here, Bonanno DOES give new details, like why Bugsy Seigal was killed and who the second shooter was in Dallas. His explanation of who killed the Kennedys and why is worth the price of the book. He shouldn't be expected to give details about his own capers, not only because this would be self-incriminating, but because he was a strategist, not a soldier or capo. He's a policy wonk of crime.

He says the U.S. Government is the biggest mob around. If true, this not only justifies why Sicilians are as they are, but burdens the rest of us with a warning. Even if false, it indavertently supports his point that "the life" came to an end when those practicing it entered into a war of attrition with a foe more capable of maintaining it. Maybe greed wasn't to blame; maybe it was hubris.

Even if the book is self-serving or written for profit, that it exists is omerta's epitaph. It demonstrates that action for its own sake can be as addictive as heroin and harder to shake. It restates two great truths--"whatever is taken by force must be maintained by force" and "force feeds on force." It also proves that two cultures can't exist in the same place at the same time; one absorbs the other or eliminates it. A war between the Mafia and America could end in only one way. Bonanno says that his father knew this; I believe him.

Honorable Mention.......2003-03-17

Most people would agree that the word "honor" is a fairly abstract one that means different things to different people. That is, in essence, the biggest problem with Bill Bonanno's book. Although written in what seems to be straightforward English, the values he espouses and particularly the manner in which he espouses them are so impenetrable to the average reader that BOUND BY HONOR might as well be written in Sanskrit.

Part autobiography, part history, part memoir and part apologia, BOUND BY HONOR is Salvatore "Bill" Bonanno's personal record of growing up inside one of New York's Five Families. Bill Bonanno was the first of the Mafiosi to go public with his written reminiscences, being the subject of this book and Gay Talese's HONOR THY FATHER which is also recommended.

As autobiography, BOUND BY HONOR is engrossing, although it is clear almost from the outset that Bonanno is not a reflective man able to step outside himself and evaluate his life with any real objectivity. The truth is that Bonanno is more comfortable with the concept of living in eighteenth century Sicily than twentieth century America, and apparently internalized and romanticized the values of the Sicilian Vespers without questioning them. Bonanno speaks well of "family," "honor," and "pride," and deplores their erosion in the United States, speaks robustly of "our world," but never remarks on the inherent contradictions of internecine gangland warfare which pitted brother against brother, literally, too often ending in death.

Bonanno handles his history fairly well, although to hear him tell it, the Bonanno Family was the most powerful, most well organized, and most effective of the Five Families (other authors would dispute this hotly). He claims that his father, Joseph Bonanno was the inspiration for "The Godfather," Vito Corleone and that he himself was the inspiration for Michael Corleone. (This reader at least saw in his actions more of Sonny Corleone.) He also spends much of the earlier portion of the book drawing parallels between his father and Joseph Kennedy, and himself and JFK. Bonanno utterly misses the irony in comparing even Joseph Bonanno the Mafioso to the base, amoral, manipulating and serpentine senior Kennedy, never recognizing that that such a comparison is no honor to his own father.

As memoir, Bonanno is careful to move deftly around self-incriminating facts and circumstances. Since there is no objectivity between these covers, there is no way of assessing whether he has altered the facts to fit his view, but that is a virtual certainty. He attempts to minimalize the urban "Banana War" of the mid-1960s, reporting that little violence actually occurred, but he is unable to explain away (nor does he try to explain) the deep schisms in the Bonanno Family which led to this conflict. He denies and ignores the Bonanno Family's documented involvement in the drug trade. He describes the ill-fated Commission meeting at Apalachin (broken up by the local police) as a comedy of errors, but he cannot ignore the long repercussions of that day in 1957. Vice, illegal gambling, and other illicit activities are described as of minor importance to the Family and of no real harm to the community. Bonanno, however, is indefatigable in recalling his involvement with every subpoena, every grand jury, every hearing, every wiretap, and every government-machinated attempt to discredit the Families. His sense of outrage at having to do prison time for credit card fraud is manifest, though he glosses over most of his jail time and the reasons for it in a brief paragraph toward the close of the book.

In his apologia, Bonanno blames the downfall of the Families on attrition, essentially on the succession of "Americanized" leaders over the older Sicilians as they died off. In this, he may well be right. The stable nexus of "Family" unquestionably withered as the old Sicilian blood ties were replaced with alliances of convenience. He derides a rat like Valachi and a histrionic Don like Gotti with venom, pointing out that the "Dapper Don" ruled his Family for mere years not decades. More to the point, Bonanno sees the downfall of "his world" not as the result of vast societal changes in the 1960s and 1970s, but as the result, ultimately, of a single act, the assassination of John F. Kennedy. He posits that it was one of Sam Giancana's crew, Jimmy Roselli, who was the triggerman in Dallas. Since Roselli is dead and there is no corroboration available, Bonanno ends his book, Sphinxlike, with an intriguing, but essentially unanswerable riddle.

Hot Air: The (Mostly) True Story of the First Hot-Air Balloon Ride (Caldecott Honor Book)

Average customer rating:

Fun to Read!
My son enjoys this
Barnyard Animals Aloft
Congratulations on your 2nd Caldecott Award!!!
Stratospherically Sublime

Hot Air: The (Mostly) True Story of the First Hot-Air Balloon Ride (Caldecott Honor Book)

Manufacturer: Atheneum/Anne Schwartz Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Europe | History & Historical Fiction | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

Humorous | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

Fiction | Science, Nature & How It Works | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

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

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

General | Europe | History | Subjects | Books

General & Reference | Technology | Science | Subjects | Books

History of Technology | Technology | Science | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0689826427

Book Description

The first "manned" hot-air balloon is about to take off! But what are those noises coming from the basket?

Based on the (POSSIBLY) true report of a day in 1783, this si the story of (PERHAPS) the bravest collection of flyers the world has ever seen, as (SORT OF) told to Marjorie Priceman.

Customer Reviews:

Fun to Read!.......2007-09-04

This book has a great story line with a sense of humor. Young kids love to hear me read it when I visit their classrooms.
I recommend you buy it as one of the books your primary grade kids will fight over.

My son enjoys this.......2007-05-12

This book wasn't what I had imagined it to be. The first several pages contain a lot of words, and the last several pages are just pictures. My 6 year old son really enjoys this book, though, and asks for it at night.

Barnyard Animals Aloft.......2006-01-31

Starting with the historical facts of the first hot-air balloon ride, which took place in Versailles, France in 1783, Priceman lets her imagination - and illustrations - run wild. The first hot-air balloon aviators (i.e., the guinea pigs) were a sheep, a duck and a rooster. After a few introductory pages of text, Priceman depicts the flight with a series of wordless illustrations. The complex pictures lend themselves to careful inspection to catch all the elements of the story. In the end, our barnyard aviators land safely, which I hope this is one of the true facts of this story. 2006 Caldecott Honor Book.

Congratulations on your 2nd Caldecott Award!!!.......2006-01-27

I love this book and my children love it more. The story is hilariously told through the beautiful illustrations. The Caldecott committee made an excellent choice. This book would appeal to children of all ages.

Stratospherically Sublime.......2006-01-27

In Hot Air: The (Mostly) True Story of the First Hot-Air Balloon Ride, author and illustrator Marjorie Priceman shows once again why reviewers have christened her "the master of whimsy." Recounting the Montgolfiers 1783 test run of their balloon and imagining, with postmodern verve, the story of the duck, sheep, and rooster who formed the first flight crew, Priceman's narrative is sure to delight both young readers and parents alike. (Reassurance: no animals were harmed in the telling of this Enlightenment-era tale). But the illustrations are the real treasure here (and the Caldecott committee concurs). While infused with the same spirited energy as her earlier books--How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World, Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin, Emeline at the Circus--the panels in Hot Air glow with a luminosity that outshines even Priceman's earlier work.

An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793 (Newbery Honor Book)

Average customer rating:

A non-fiction book that reads like good fiction
An American Plague - One Review
This book is great!
This book is alright
Riveting and Terrifying History

An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793 (Newbery Honor Book)
Jim Murphy
Manufacturer: Clarion Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0395776082

Book Description

1793, Philadelphia. The nation's capital and the largest city in North America is devastated by an apparently incurable disease, cause unknown . . . In a powerful, dramatic narrative, critically acclaimed author Jim Murphy describes the illness known as yellow fever and the toll it took on the city's residents, relating the epidemic to the major social and political events of the day and to 18th-century medical beliefs and practices. Drawing on first-hand accounts, Murphy spotlights the heroic role of Philadelphia's free blacks in combating the disease, and the Constitutional crisis that President Washington faced when he was forced to leave the cityand all his paperswhile escaping the deadly contagion. The search for the fever's causes and cure, not found for more than a century afterward, provides a suspenseful counterpoint to this riveting true story of a city under siege. Thoroughly researched, generously illustrated with fascinating archival prints, and unflinching in its discussion of medical details, this book offers a glimpse into the conditions of American cities at the time of our nation's birth while drawing timely parallels to modern-day epidemics. Bibliography, map, index.

Customer Reviews:

A non-fiction book that reads like good fiction.......2007-06-21

This is the story of the Yellow Fever epidemic of 1793 that decimated Philadelphia. Most folks don't know much about this plague; I didn't til I had to research it for a class I'm taking (for a class I would teach).

This book, written for young adults, is captivating. The illustrations are relevant and extremely interesting; the text flows and is full of foreshadowing and detail that are the hallmarks of good writing. It's short enough to finish in a timely manner, and has all sorts of "excerpt" quality passages that one could read to students.

Although it would be best placed as a resource book in a classroom, I found it entirely readable as a book on its own. Though I got it for a class, it will stay on my shelf as a favorite. That's a rare accomplishment for non-fiction, in my world!

(*)>

An American Plague - One Review.......2007-03-17

I found this book to be very informative. Although aimed at grades 6-10, it would be a great read for any age. There is much about epidemics and medical practices that is not included in the typical history of our country, but they are important to the complete historical picture. Mr. Murphy has done a great job in relating a story in such a compact way. The only fault I find is that he did not include who history gives the most credit to in eradicating yellow fever and malaria - William Crawford Gorgas. Overall, this book would be a great addition to a classroom.

This book is great!.......2006-10-09

I loved this book. It is very descriptive and made me feel as though I was there. I don't think that four year olds can understand it though.

This book is alright .......2005-11-29

From what I've read of the book, An American Plague by Jim Murphy I think this book is okay. I thought that all the pictures in the story were unnecessary. But I liked the information it gave, in most stories the author won't show every theory from scientists. If you are really interested in the yellow fever it is recommended that you buy this book.

Riveting and Terrifying History.......2005-07-01

This dramatic account of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793 is riveting. It is packed with historical facts and presents the horror of the disease, the implications for the city of Philadelphia and neighboring areas, and the reaction of both the townspeople as well as those in power with vivid detail.
Politicians, the medical community, common people, orphans, the poor are all brought to life before our eyes and we feel their pain, we share their misery, and we gain insight into what life was like for them during this terrifying time.
Author Jim Murphy chronologically follows the beginning of this epidemic, making us feel as if we were actual witnesses to this American Plague, using quotes from those who were there, newspaper clippings, period engravings and portraits.
Additionally, we are shown true acts of courage and selfless behavior as Mr. Murphy tells us of great men and woman who risked their lives to help their fellow people, and some who ultimately sacrificed their lives. He also unravels the controversies, particularly among the medical community in regards to the reaction to the disease and discusses bloodletting, ingesting poisons, bathing in vinegar, purging air with gunpowder, inhaling black pepper as well as other practiced modes of treatment.
Some people may find the descriptions of the disease and the progression of the illness horrifying, but it is truth nonetheless, Yellow fever is nothing short of horrific. I believe this fascinating book is truly deserving of the many awards it has earned. This very visual and brilliantly written book is a great tool for you to use in teaching this part of our nation's history to your children.

Blood and Honor: Inside the Scarfo Mob, the Mafia's Most Violent Family

Average customer rating:

T.Feret
best mob book ever!!
Blood and No Honor
Quick Read
One of the best books I've read.

Blood and Honor: Inside the Scarfo Mob, the Mafia's Most Violent Family
George Anastasia
Manufacturer: Camino Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Organized Crime | True Accounts | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0940159864

Book Description

Here is the critically acclaimed inside story, now in an expanded edition, about the rise and fall of Philadelphia's notorious Scarfo organization. Blunt and unsparing, it is a first-hand account of murder, money, and corruption told by wiseguy-turned-witness Nick Caramandi, whose testimony put Nicky Scarfo and many of his associates behind bars for the rest of their lives. A prime target for hit men to this day, Caramandi continues to survive only through the government's Witness Protection Program. In this updated edition of Blood and Honor, author George Anastasia picks up the story where he left off, filling us in on the fates of all the characters--major and minor--in recent years.

Customer Reviews:

T.Feret.......2007-05-09

A very informative book and interesting. Since i am locale it sure is mind boggling to know about the mob and how they operated in the Phila. and N.J. areas. Read a lot of books on the mob and this one beats them all on the Scarfo family. Best book I read for a very long time.

best mob book ever!!.......2006-05-09

once you pick this book up, you won't be able to put it down.
I aftoo admit I have a little more interest than your average
reader ,since i was raised in south philly , and I was friends
and enemies with a few of the people. The philadelphia crime family is the most interesting . Starting with Don Angelo Bruno
one of the most powerfull an smartest godfather with illegitimate and legitimate businesses in philly new york,florida, and even London. He was the only godfather outside of ny to sit on the commision in NY .
Once he was murdered ,It was the beginning of the end for philly.

Blood and No Honor.......2006-02-07

"Blood and Honor" is a well-researched account of the Philadelphia/Atlantic City Mafia family headed by Nicky Scarfo. The primary source of the author's information is Nick Caramandi who turned to the witness protection program once he became one of the many people on Nicky Scarfo's hit list. Caramandi is a low-life crook and murderer who claims of duping and robbing only the greedy, not the innocent. However, it is evident that anyone from whom he could make a dollar was fair game. For example, the young pharmacist he scammed didn't know that Caramdi was connected and eventually committed suicide once he knew he was in over his head. Nicky Scarfo was the volatile and paranoid Family boss who killed his most loyal people one-by-one at the slightest bit of perceived threat. The story of this family and Caramdi's account of the events are interesting and gripping at times. This Mafia Family could be described as backstabbing, violent, disorganized, and greedy, but not the "most violent". Anyone interested in the most violent family of organized crime, should read the "Murder Machine" which describes in great detail the brutal murders committed by Roy Demeo's gang - a faction of the Gambino crime family. Finally, there are so many names mentioned in "Blood and Honor" that the who-and-what of the story is sometimes hard to follow. Had the author not included a special section for the names of the people involved, the story would've been even harder to follow.

All in all, "Blood and Honor" is an interesting book for those interested in factual accounts of Organized Crime.

Quick Read.......2005-09-06

the book makes you feel like you are there.Awesome book and a quick read!I went through it in 2 days on the beach.

One of the best books I've read........2003-02-01

This is the book which got me started reading mob books. If ever there was a book written from the street level perspective of organized crime this is it. Caramandi and Anastasia have it down, scam to scam, hustle to hustle, score to score that a mobster makes just to stay afloat when he's starting out. Then as the Crow starts to move up in the criminal ladder he launches into long stories about mafia politics and the power struggles and the jealousy and the double cross that was his every day life for 10 years.. It's absolutely fascinating stuff. It's worth every penny one pays for it. I've read it four times.

A Man of Honor: The Autobiography of Joseph Bonanno

Average customer rating:

a man of honor
A little dull at times and not a complete tell all
Man of Honor provides history
more to the matter
Self-serving, yet illuminating...

A Man of Honor: The Autobiography of Joseph Bonanno
Joseph Bonanno
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Paperbacks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

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

True Crime | True Accounts | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

jp-unknown1 | Specialty Stores | Books

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

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

ASIN: 0312979231

Book Description

"Friendships, connections, family ties, trust, loyalty, obedience-this was the 'glue' that held us together."These were the principles that the greatest Mafia "Boss if Bosses," Joseph Bonnano, lived by. Born in Castellammare del Golfo, Sicily, Bonnano found his future amid the whiskey-running, riotous streets of Prohibition America in 1924, when he illegally entered the United States to pursue his dreams. By the age of only twenty-six, Bonnano became a Don. He would eventually take over the New York underworld, igniting the "Castellammarese War," one of the bloodiest Family battles ever to hit New York City....Now, in this candid and stunning memoir, Joe Bonanno-likely a model for Don Corleone in the blockbuster movie The Godfather-takes readers inside the world of the real Mafia. He reveals the inner workings of New York's Five Families-Bonanno, Gambino, Profaci, Lucchese, and Genovese-and uncovers how the Mafia not only dominated local businesses, but also influenced national politics. A fascinating glimpse into the world of crime, A Man of Honor is an unforgettable account of one of the most powerful crime figures in America's history.

Customer Reviews:

a man of honor.......2006-01-12

This was a very good read as I enjoyed the information that this book made available.

Sincerely,
Kathy Klein

A little dull at times and not a complete tell all.......2006-01-07

The book was a decent read but I found Bonanno to be quit repeatative at times. He goes on and on about the Sicilian way of life, and how American's more or less don't understand it. Furthermore he tiptoes around all violence that comes with being in the "Family" as he so eloquently puts it. I found it to be a little dry, not so "tell all", and in the end I find Mr. Bonanno using his Sicilian background and way of life as justification for being in organized crime. Although he himself would never admit that the "Family" he was apart of was organized crime, the crux of the book. He calls himself a "Man of Honor" yet he admitly cheats on his wife and lived a life ingrossed in organized crime, hypocritical to say the least.

Man of Honor provides history.......2005-09-29

Great historical piece although quite biased. Gives the reader good insight into the Sicilian philosophy of life and business. Excellent read if you have an historical interest in the mafia and organized crime.

more to the matter.......2003-10-01

The book is well written and very interesting. But it seems to sugarcoat the "mafiaoso" world. Where are the stories of violence that the "Tradition" is known for? Incidents like cutting off ears and fingers, horseheads in beds, general thievery and intimidation. Is all that just Hollywood embellishment or did Mr. Bonanno perfer to leave the
unsavory side of Mafia life out of his book?

Self-serving, yet illuminating..........2003-04-22

Of course, he doesn't tell about the times he had to order that someone be "whacked." But he does go deeper than any other "Mafia memoirs" such as _The Valachi Papers_ ever did.

Or did he? Towards the end, I began wondering if, in his effort to portray himself merely as a misunderstood Sicilian businessman, his book proved that Mario Puzo had done extensive research for _The Godfather_, or if Bonanno had simply used that saga to explain the Mafia's history.

Either way, it's very readable, and very entertaining.

Counting Coup: A True Story of Basketball and Honor on the Little Big Horn

Average customer rating:

Look up "hubris" in the dictionary
basketball story about a basketball player
Brave young women
Suzanne
Season on the brink: Compelling, yet frustrating true story

Counting Coup: A True Story of Basketball and Honor on the Little Big Horn
Larry Colton
Manufacturer: Grand Central Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Basketball | Sports | Subjects | Books

General | Sports | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0446677558

Book Description

Sharon LaForge is a 17-year-old Native American basketball player who lit up the gym with talent, spirit, and a fierce will to win a young woman engaged in a heroic struggle not only to lead her team to the state finals, but to save herself from a life of poverty and loss. Through her eyes we witness a harrowing battle with alcoholism, a shattered family, racial conflict, and growing up.

Download Description

An acclaimed journalist tells the story of a girls' high school basketball team in Montana that carries the hopes and dreams of a Native American tribe on its shoulders for an entire season.

Customer Reviews:

Look up "hubris" in the dictionary.......2007-10-11

And you'll find a picture of Larry Colton. I'd think 15 months would be long enough to find out Montantans can READ. At the very least he could have changed the names of minors before discussing their intimate lives.

basketball story about a basketball player.......2007-07-12

It is written by a male.....lots of the individual basketball player's feelings were not there.....I would of liked to hear about the feelings of the Crow people.....the facts however were very interesting.

Brave young women.......2007-02-17

Raw telling of a tough story. Captivating, heartwarming, heart stopping; leaves the reader in awe of the young women portrayed in the book; their struggles and triumphs gritty and real. It's a page turner.

Suzanne.......2006-03-10

The minute I picked up this book I could not put it down. Basketball is a large part of the Indian school systems and culture. This tells of the huge obsticles that Indians have to overcome to succeed and survive. I read this book at least once a year and am overwhelmed each time by the adversity that the Indian culture has to deal with. They are children with dreams but often do not have the environment and support they need to succeed and leave the reservation.

Season on the brink: Compelling, yet frustrating true story.......2006-01-16

Writer/journalist Larry Colton went to the Crow Indian reservation in southern Montana to write a magazine story on high-school basketball and discovered something else altogether: the life-and-death struggle of a native American culture struggling to survive in a world of poverty, alcolholism, racism and shattered family values.

The story is familiar to anyone who has spent time on the reservation or peeked behind the curtain of today's native Indian society beyond that presented by Hollywood or weekend tourist pow-wows.

Colton's first-person account revolves around a 17-year-old girl basketball player who stars on the court, but off it skips school, smokes pot and has unprotected sex with a 20-something loser who couldn't care less about her -- or anything else, for that matter.

Sharon LaForge is a reluctant anti-hero, who takes the reader on a roller-coaster ride split between periods of pulling for her to succeed and hating her for wasting every opportunity that miraculously manages to come her way.

Every time the reader wants to give up, turn their back and walk away from Sharon as a lost cause, she does something to pull them back on her side -- all of this transpiring, ironically enough, within the shadows of the monument marking Custer's Last Stand at the Little Big Horn.

This book won the Frankfurt eBook Award for Best Nonfiction Book and the Alex Award in 2001 and earned praise from the New York Times Book Review, Library Journal, Parade magazine, and Keith Olbermann, among others.

You can't go wrong here. Strongly recommended.

I am an American: A True Story of Japanese Internment: (ALA Notable Children's Book, Horn Book Fanfare Honor Book) (American History Classics)

Average customer rating:

THEY DESERVE BETTER
Dear Fellow Adolescents,

I am an American: A True Story of Japanese Internment: (ALA Notable Children's Book, Horn Book Fanfare Honor Book) (American History Classics)
Jerry Stanley
Manufacturer: Crown Books for Young Readers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Japanese | Ethnic & National | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Military & Wars | History & Historical Fiction | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

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

ASIN: 0517885514
Release Date: 1996-03-26

Book Description

Illustrated with black-and-white photographs. Young Shi Nomura was among the 120,000 American citizens who lost everything when he was sent by the U.S. government to Manzanar, an interment camp in the California desert, simply because he was of Japanese ancestry.

Customer Reviews:

THEY DESERVE BETTER.......1999-05-17

I read this boook because I had a history project all about Japanese Internment. Before I read this book I thought Japanese Interment was only about the Japanese in some camps. I didn't realize the injustice that we set upon these noble and great people. After reading this book I felt enraged at how the Japanese would have to sell or burn their beautiful and valuble items. I think they deserve so much more than a letter from the President. We should have a much better tribute toward them. I have always been proud of living in such a great state such as California, but I am not proud that they were the least tolerant of the Japanese.

Dear Fellow Adolescents,.......1999-02-05

In this book called I Am An American that I read is a really good book because it is for the kids at the reading level of 9-12 (ages to). If you wanted to know the story. Well in the story their is a yough boy and his family that were intered with others. Also in this story is based one a true one, it is almost like a biography. As I was thinking about this story I realized that is was a very educational it makes you think about the world itself. When I was reading some other reviews I saw one and it caught my attention and I had to write about it. It was about a girl who had experienced what went on in the book. As I was reading on in this review it said that the girl and her family were interned too, just like the boy in the girl in the review. The girl's name that was interned with her family was Shi Nomura. I think being interned is like you having to pack up all of your things and then moving out of the place where you were and then never returning. I think that is just like being interned because you can never go back. And then I started to read another review and it mentioned that this whole thing happened during World War II, and that was one of the worst wars that went on in the world years ago. They said that Japan and many other countries were over world order. "Freedom has a Tousand charms to show". I used this because the people that were interned probably thought that they were going to be free because it makes it seem like they were going to be free but they weren't, going to be free at all. I think that it was a good book because it tells how badly people were treated, it had said that it was a good book. Some people may say that it was not a good book because it might make kids think that when they grow up they will be treated that way. It also might make it seem that this is still going on. It also might make teens think that the world around them is unfair to different people (races). Then it might make teens feel that some people in the world are disrespectful to different people (races), and should be respect to them no matter what race the people are. And it could make them think that people have no kind of respect for others and instead of being mean to them. It is a good book however kids can read it, get an educational idea of their life and the world that surrounds it. I Am An American can get a teen or a child to start reading at the reading level of 9-12. If you by this book then you will enjoy reading it because it will tell you what went on in the world back then instead of now. If you read this book now you will think that "Life isn't the same".

Book Description

This powerful story documents the Battle of Iwo Jima from the perspective of extraordinary navy corpsman George Wahlen. After decades of silence, this survivor of one of World War II's most horrific battles divulges the gritty details of his incredible experiences. Upon landing with a company of 250 marines, Wahlen fought alongside them. Under repeated grenade and mortar fire himself, Wahlen refused evacuation, preferring to aid those he perceived to be in greater danger. Witnesses of his heroics remain dumbfounded he survived, and while his incredible feats of bravery saved countless marines, the intensity of the battle left few men of the company unscathed—they suffered the highest killed-in-action ratio of any marine company during a single battle in U.S. history. The significance of his story lies in the historic context of the battle for Iwo Jima; while many remember the iconic flag-raising photograph captured during this conflict, few realize the battle was the most costly of World War II for America. After receiving a Medal of Honor from President Harry Truman in 1945, Wahlen has been the quintessential quiet hero, refusing the adulation usually bestowed on nationally recognized veterans.

Download Description

This powerful story documents the Battle of Iwo Jima from the perspective of extraordinary navy corpsman George Wahlen. After decades of silence, this survivor of one of World War II's most horrific battles divulges the gritty details of his incredible experiences. Upon landing with a company of 250 marines, Wahlen fought alongside them. Under repeated grenade and mortar fire himself, Wahlen refused evacuation, preferring to aid those he perceived to be in greater danger. Witnesses of his heroics remain dumbfounded he survived, and while his incredible feats of bravery saved countless marines, the intensity of the battle left few men of the company unscathed-they suffered the highest killed-in-action ratio of any marine company during a single battle in U.S. history. The significance of his story lies in the historic context of the battle for Iwo Jima; while many remember the iconic flag-raising photograph captured during this conflict, few realize the battle was the most costly of World War II for America. After receiving a Medal of Honor from President Harry Truman in 1945, Wahlen has been the quintessential quiet hero, refusing the adulation usually bestowed on nationally recognized veterans.

Customer Reviews:

This book Says it all! Navy Corpsmen Rock!.......2007-08-17

The book tells the story of a Hospital Corpsman who was thrust into the bloodiest battle in the Pacific. It was well written and really explained the horrors of what a Navy Corpsman has to go through to do his job. To keep as many Marines at as many guns for as long as possible. Armed with only a 45 and his vast ability to operate under extreme fire and his limited medical skills Pharmacist Mate Second Class George E. Wahlen shows us readers in the highest way possible what it means to be a US Navy Corpsman! Warning! Once you pick up this book you won't be able to put it down!

Uncommon Valor was a Common Virtue.......2007-04-11

George E. Wahlen was born in Utah on August 8, 1924. By February, 1945, George would be many miles from his beloved family and friends. He was stationed on a remote volcanic island in the Western Pacific. In the two weeks that George was on the island, he would distinguish himself many times and earn the respect of his fellow men. The name of the island was Iwo Jima, and George served as a Marine combat medic.

In his younger days, George dreamed of becoming an aircraft mechanic, but his father refused to let him enlist in the Army. So, George volunteered to be drafted. He was sent to California for basic training, where he was trained as a medic. Despite his love of repairing airplanes, he quickly adjusted to his new role as a medic and he became proficient in his new job.

As time passed, George's unit continued to train for combat, and the training became more and more difficult. Eventually, George's unit was sent to the island of Guam to prepare for the invasion of Iwo Jima. George's unit landed on D-Day, which was February 19, 1945. For the next two weeks, George spent his time tending to wounded Marines, all the while ignoring his own safety. He faced numerous Japanese mortar attacks, banzai charges, and infantry raids, but he never ignored the call of a wounded comrade. During one action, while wounded himself, he stayed in the field of fire for over twenty minutes tending to wounded Marines. During this time, he managed to save fourteen men who might otherwise have died. Another time, again while wounded, he crawled on his stomach for over fifty yards to drag a wounded Marine to safety. These selfless acts of bravery quickly earned George the respect of his fellow men. His superiors took note of his actions as well, for on September 14, 1945, George received the Navy Cross and the Gold Star. Then on October 5, 1945, he was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor by President Harry S. Truman.

George didn't retire from the armed forces after receiving his awards. Instead, he enlisted in the U.S. Army, where he served in both the Korean and Vietnam wars. He retired from military service on August 11, 1969. Not many servicemen served in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. George E. Wahlen did.

As a fan of World War II history, and especially the battle of Iwo Jima, I was very impressed with this book. I have always enjoyed reading about the lives of militaty personnel, and this book does a remarkable job in describing the heroics of one of the numerous individuals who won the Medal of Honor on Iwo Jima. Author Gary W. Toyn writes with a style that places the reader at the forefront of the battle with George as he's tending to his wounded comrades. The battle is vividly brought to life throughout the pages of the book, and I learned some things about the battle that I previously didn't know.

I recommend this book very highly. This fine biography of George E. Wahlen embellishes the epitaph of Iwo Jima; uncommon valor was a common virtue. George Wahlen upheld the code of the United States Marines to the fullest, and his life serves as an example to future generations of Marines.

The Quiet Hero.......2006-11-03

The Quiet Hero is a down to earth written story about a down to earth good guy. The author has not followed a traditional war story format, in my view at least. It is easy to read.

Stand Up and Cheer.......2006-09-07

"The Quiet Hero" is all about bravery, character, and selflessness. Not only is it a great source in examing the battle for Iwo Jima, it will also fulfill your desire to know a real hero. This book , as I finished the last page, made me want to go up on the roof of my home, wave the American flag, and yell out for all to hear, "God Bless George E. Wahlen!"

Wow... Could George Wahlen be the greatest living American Veteran?.......2006-08-16

With just a small note in the Epilogue, it was noted that George E. Wahlen is the "Quintessential American Veteran." Few people may notice (see page 207... because not everyone reads the epilogue) where it states that Mr. Wahlen served tours of duty in WWII, Korea and Vietnam. He also served all four branches of the military (He worked as an aircraft mechanic for the Army Air Force, was drafted into the Navy and became a corpsman, volunteered for combat with the Marines, and after WWII, re-enlisted in the Army and retired as a Major), He survived Iwo Jima, what many agree is the greatest battle of the modern era. (It was the only battle of WWII where the U.S. suffered more casualties than the enemy). To top it off, he is the recipient two Purple Hearts, and the Medal of Honor, the highest award this country can bestow on any American. Could any veteran make such a claim? I doubt it.

This book is well done and compelling. I read it in 17 hours straight, and just couldn't put it down. It is well illustrated with many unique archival photographs, many that I've never seen in any other battle account. I highly recommend it!

Luba: The Angel of Bergen-Belsen (Jane Addams Honor Book (Awards))

Average customer rating:

Luba by Michelle McCann
Beautiful illustrations
Beautifully illustrated
Inspiring, Heroic and Educational

Luba: The Angel of Bergen-Belsen (Jane Addams Honor Book (Awards))
Ann Marshall
Manufacturer: Tricycle Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Jewish | Ethnic & National | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Europe | History & Historical Fiction | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

Holocaust | History & Historical Fiction | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

Holocaust | History & Historical Fiction | Teens | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 1582460981

Customer Reviews:

Luba by Michelle McCann.......2004-05-18

Truly a rare addition to classic children's literature. McCann's ability to interpret this complex history of human tragedy into a meaningful children's story is unique. Daily the world reminds us of the terrible things that people do to each other. It is more important than ever, that children learn the world needs heroes.

Beautiful illustrations.......2003-10-02

I really enjoyed this beautifully illustrated, touching children's book, a great gift for children and adults. Should be part of a any good book shelf, next to the other intelligent and artful children's books.

Beautifully illustrated.......2003-09-30

I really enjoyed this beautifully illustrated, touching childrenýs book, a great gift for children and adults. Should be part of a any good book shelf, next to the other intelligent and artful childrenýs books.

Inspiring, Heroic and Educational.......2003-08-15

This beautifully illustrated children's book addresses the strength of human character that can emerge during even the worst of times. The presentation of this story engages it's young reader while effectively educating them about a very important time in history. I was impressed with Luba's ability to elicit empathy in the people she dealt with, allowing them to become more decent and humane. The story of Luba's loving and heroic soul belongs every school library.

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books