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Ex-military cop Jack Reacher is the perfect antihero--tough as nails, but with a brain and a conscience to match. He's able to see what most miss and is willing to do whatever it takes to get the job done. Each book in Lee Child's smart, addictive series (The New York Times has referred to it as "pure escapist gold") follows the wandering warrior on a new adventure, making it easy to start with any book, including his latest gem, Bad Luck and Trouble. However, be forewarned...once you meet Jack Reacher, you'll be hooked, so be prepared to stock up on the series. --Daphne Durham
Who Is Jack Reacher? A Video from Lee Child
Watch the video
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A Note from Lee Child
Two years ago I was on a book tour, promoting that year's new Jack Reacher novel, One Shot. One particular night, the event was held in a small town outside of Chicago. The date was June 21st. As I was giving my talk and answering questions and signing books, that date was nagging away at the back of my mind. I knew it had some significance. I started panicking--had I forgotten my anniversary? No, that's in August. My wife's birthday? No, that's in January. My own birthday? No, that's in October.
Then suddenly I remembered--it was ten years to the day since I had been fired from my previous job. That was why and how I had become a writer. That night in Illinois was a ten-year anniversary of a different sort, somewhat bittersweet.
And ten is a nice round number. So I started thinking about my old colleagues. My workmates, my buddies. We had been through a lot together. I started to wonder where they all were now. What were they doing? Were they doing well, or struggling? Were they happy? What did they look like now? Pretty soon I was into full-on nostalgia mode. Ten-year anniversaries can do that to a person. I think we all share those kind of feelings, about high school, or college, or old jobs we've quit, or old towns we've moved away from.
So I decided to make this year's Jack Reacher book about a reunion. I decided to throw him back among a bunch of old colleagues that he hadn't seen for ten years, people that he loved fiercely and respected deeply. Regular Reacher readers will know that he's a pretty self-confident guy, but I wanted him to wobble just a little this time, to compare his choices with theirs, to measure himself against them.
The renewed get-together isn't Reacher's own choice, though. And it's not a standard-issue reunion, either. Something very bad has happened, and one of his old team-members from the army contacts him, by an ingenious method (it's hard to track Reacher down). She gives him the bad news, and asks him to do something about it. He says, "Of course I'll do something about it."
"No," his friend says. "I mean, I want you to put the old unit back together."
It's an irresistible invitation. Wouldn't we all like to do that, sometimes? --Lee Child
Secrets of the Series: A Q&A with Lee Child
Q: Why do you think readers keep coming back to your novels?
A: Two words: Jack Reacher. Reacher is a drifter and a loner with a strong sense of justice. He shows up, he acts, he moves on. He's the type of hero who has a long literary history. Robin Hood, the Lone Ranger, Aragorn from The Lord of the Rings, Jack Reacher--they're all part of the same heroic family. Reacher just ratchets it up a notch. Maybe more than a notch. Why is he so appealing? Most often people say to me it's his sense of justice; he will do the right thing. Even though there is no reward in it for him, even though there is often a high cost to be paid by him, he will always try to do the right thing and people find that reassuring in today's world when not too many people are doing the right thing.
Q: Jack Reacher gets compared to James Bond, Jack Bauer and Jason Bourne, each of whom now has a "face." In a movie, which actor do you think could fill Reacher's shoes?
A: That's the toughest question. The thing about Reacher is he's huge; he's 6'5" tall and about 250 pounds. There aren't any actors that size--actors tend to be small. So we aren't going to find a physical facsimile for Reacher because there aren't any. We have to find someone who is capable of looking big on the screen. Many people have said to me a young Clint Eastwood would have been perfect--we need someone like that who has the vibe of a big intimidating man. Hopefully there will be somebody available like that. It's also a question of finding somebody ready to sign up for more than one movie. They want to make a franchise, minimum of three, and that makes it a little bit harder.
Q: What research is involved in writing one of your stories?
A: My research is all kind of backwards. I don't go to the public library for three months and take notes in advance; instead my best research is by remembering and adapting. I read, travel, and talk to people just for the fun of it, filing away these interesting little snippets to the back of my mind and eventually they float to the surface and get used. The problem is, I approach writing the book with the same excitement and impatience that I hope the reader is going to feel about reading it. But even so, I need a certain measure of technical intrigue in the story. There is specific research I have to do as I go along, anything that's a small detail; a car, a gun, a type of bullet. I will check that out at the time. But, that's what I call the detail--the broad stuff is the stuff I already know.
Meet Jack Reacher
The Killing Floor |
Die Trying |
Tripwire |
Running Blind |
Echo Burning |
Without Fail |
Persuader |
The Enemy |
One Shot |
The Hard Way |
Book Description
From a helicopter high above the empty California desert, a man is sent free-falling into the night…. In Chicago, a woman learns that an elite team of ex–army investigators is being hunted down one by one.... And on the streets of Portland, Jack Reacher—soldier, cop, hero—is pulled out of his wandering life by a code that few other people could understand. From the first shocking scenes in Lee Child’s explosive new novel, Jack Reacher is plunged like a knife into the heart of a conspiracy that is killing old friends…and is on its way to something even worse.
A decade postmilitary, Reacher has an ATM card and the clothes on his back—no phone, no ties, and no address. But now a woman from his old unit has done the impossible. From Chicago, Frances Neagley finds Reacher, using a signal only the eight members of their elite team of army investigators would know. She tells him a terrifying story—about the brutal death of a man they both served with. Soon Reacher is reuniting with the survivors of his old team, scrambling to raise the living, bury the dead, and connect the dots in a mystery that is growing darker by the day. The deeper they dig, the more they don’t know: about two other comrades who have suddenly gone missing—and a trail that leads into the neon of Vegas and the darkness of international terrorism.
For now, Reacher can only react. To every sound. Every suspicion. Every scent and every moment. Then Reacher will trust the people he once trusted with his life—and take this thing all the way to the end. Because in a world of bad luck and trouble, when someone targets Jack Reacher and his team, they’d better be ready for what comes right back at them…
Customer Reviews:
Bad luck for the reader.......2007-10-16
This was my first (and last) Jack Reacher story. The guy is an arrested adolescent, with 1960's ideas about living a life unencumbered by possessions, taking idiotic chances in implausible situations. He leads a band of cohorts who are said to be the best and brightest, but who show total devotion to their leader, the dimmest of losers.
The narrative is divided into short chapters, each meant to leave the reader panting to find out what happens next. What does happen next is another tedious description of Los Angeles traffic and highways: much of it has all the excitement of your car's GPS guidance system.
When we get to the action parts, we descend to cartoon adventure. For example, a secure, fortress-like installation is built with fences low enough and close enough that the hero can assault it with homemade Molotov cocktails.
This is the sort of book we end up reading while waiting for Nelson DeMille to produce more of the real thing.
An Open Letter To Lee Child.......2007-10-16
First of all, presuming of course that you are reading this Mr. Child, let me start by saying that I loved this book more than any other Reacher novel yet, which is saying a lot. Something about the build up, the foot work, the set up for the final few chapters---it really and truly worked. But want to know why I really liked it?
Because FINALLY, the punishment fit the crime.
And this is a lament I've had with a few of your other novels (most notably Die Trying and The Hard Way). When the bad guy finally goes down, it's not nearly satisfying enough. The villains you create are so truly despicable, so awful and vile, that the reader WANTS to see them pay. We WANT repercussion to be SIGNIFICANT. Yet too many times the punishment passes by in the blink of an eye, when it should be the crowning point of the book instead. It's something we want to SAVOR!
And that's why this book is different. The ending was stupendous! All that pent up anger and frustration I felt was appropriately relieved. Please keep this up. I've almost put your books away for good, several times, after being let down by your endings (especially after such FABULOUS beginnings and middles!). This, however, was a much needed step in the right direction.
Thank you!
My First Reacher Novel, Probably My Last.......2007-10-06
I picked up Bad Luck and Trouble because it sounded like an interesting book. I must say, though, that it was not my cup of tea. I, on the whole, enjoy crime novels and spy thrillers in the vein of Vince Flynn and David Baldacci. Lee Child most likely fits here nicely.
The story is about Jack Reacher, a former military policeman. He receives a call for help from one of his former teammates. It seems that several members of the unit have disappeared and Reacher needs to find out why. Interesting premise, but it quickly devolves into a revenge novel with a little bit of "let's stop the terrorist" thrown in to make the story timely.
I have no problem with the writing of the book. Mr. Child is a very talented writer. I just did not enjoy the story. Revenge for the sake of revenge is not my idea of a good time.
disappointing.......2007-09-27
Unfortunately, in my opinion, this book cannot be compared the The Hard Way. That one was taut, thrilling and extremely gripping. This one was drowning in minutiae, far too many 'filler' details. It took 250 pages to even know what the characters were trying to stop. From then on, you just knew Reacher would get the bad guys and the climax was pretty standard 'shoot 'em up', no surprises or twists at all. I expected so much more. Pass this one by.
Best Yet.......2007-09-25
I have enjoyed the seris, and liked this one the best, because of the former team members, they give some real balance to Jack...
Book Description
Like his celebrated ancestors who tamed the wilds of Arizona, Jesse McKettrick's Indian Rock ties run deep. The Triple M Ranch is in his blood, along with the thrill of risk. But with his land at stake, Jesse won't get involved in Cheyenne Bridges's scheme-- despite the temptation she brings.
Cheyenne grew up in Indian Rock and left its painful memories behind to become a self-made woman. Now her job is to convince Jesse to sell his property. Jesse's not the kind of man Cheyenne could ever forget, but he's too wild and dangerous for a woman committed to playing it safe. Yet sparks of attraction fly, tempting Cheyenne to lay it all on the line for the passion she sees in Jesse's eyes.
Customer Reviews:
Read all three Mekettrick men seriesbooks........2007-09-04
Mckettricks luck, pride and heart all three Great books. Was worried the three books would be too similar. They were not and all three very enjoyable.
Miller shines!.......2007-05-15
I actually read McKettrick's Heart first, not really realizing this was a trilogy. McKettrick's Luck is a well written, light read that was hard to put down. Jesse and Cheyenne were wonderful together and I particularly liked Jesse's relationship with her brother, Mitch. All in all, a great read.
Book #1 in this Triology Set.......2007-05-07
This was the first book I read by this author. I was pleasantly surprised by this "modern day western/romance." Wonderful story. Liked both main characters. Jesse was so nice! Kind of like a Cinderalla story.... I found this book easy to read, well written and moved right along. I like alittle "steam" with my romance books and this one certainly had that! I went right into book #2 after this, but that's another review...
McKettrick's Luck.......2007-05-03
I thought this was a good book. I read it pretty fast, although I skipped some parts. I thought the plot was interesting. I normally read Christian fiction, so the only complaint I have is that there are some pretty raunchy sex scenes. I bought the book in a grocery store, there wasn't much to choose from. During the sex scenes, I felt like some kind of pervert, like I was standing in someones bedroom! I think some things are better left to the imagination than soooooo spelled out! I like Christian fiction better because you still get all the great romance just without all the junk. It's like comparing Pride and Prejudice to Nine 1/2 Weeks. If you would like to read some really good romance with some things left to the imagination then you should try reading: Secrets of the Wind by Stephanie Whitson, A Bride Most Begrudging by Deeanne Gist, Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers, Treasures of the North by Tracie Peterson, Tomorrow's Treasures by Linda Chaikin, or Leather and Lace by DiAnn Mills. Give them a try, you will not be disappointed!
You absolutely MUST READ this book!!!.......2007-04-16
This was my first Linda Lael Miller book, and all I can say is it won't be my last! I picked up this book in a bookstore while looking for a good contemporary western romance. I had definitely heard of this author and thought I would give her a try. WOW! I read this book in one day and can't wait to read the two follow-up books.
Linda Lael Miller has a wonderful way of creating believable, likeable characters that are not completely perfect. Isn't that what people are really like?? The two lead characters of Jesse McKettrick and Cheyenne have a sexual chemistry that is absolutely palpable from chapter one until the end of the book. This is a couple that you will really love and want to see together. There are only two love scenes in this book, but they are Hot! This book is very strong on plot-line and character development. I can't say enough great things about this book! Read it!!!
Book Description
Unplanned events — chance occurrences — more often determine life and career choices than all the careful planning we do. A chance meeting, a broken appointment, a spontaneous vacation trip, a fill-in job, a hobby — these are the kinds of experiences that lead to unexpected life directions and career choices. LUCK IS NO ACCIDENT is the first career planning book that actively encourages readers to create their own unplanned events, to anticipate changing their plans frequently, to take advantage of chance events when they happen, and to make the most of what life offers. Krumboltz is one of the most honored and highly respected psychologists in the career development field.
Customer Reviews:
It's No Accident this Book is a Winner!.......2006-04-29
If you've read the bestseller The Purpose Driven Life and still don't know what to do when you grow up, read Luck is No Accident.
In just ten short chapters, professors Krumboltz and Levin will help you jump start your career and life in a new, more satisfying direction.
Each chapter begins with inspiring and humorous quotes--from Gandi to Yogi Berra--and includes real-life anecdotes from career seekers in their own words. Comic strips and cartoons appear in every chapter, from The Family Circus to Dilbert. And in thought-provoking "exercises" that wrap up each chapter, readers can start taking concrete steps to "learn how to change."
An enthusiastically recommended addition to any self-help reference collection or supplemental reading list.......2005-11-14
For most of us, our present life and career circumstances are often the result of unplanned events and chance occurrence. Of being in the right (or wrong!) place at the right (or wrong!) time, of "fill-in" jobs, hobbies, broken appointments, or having a particular friend who had a particular opportunity for us. In Luck Is No Accident: Making The Most Of Happenstance In Your Life And Career, co-authors John D. Krumboltz (Professor of Education and Psychology, Stanford University) and Al S. Levin (Professor of Counselor Education, California State University, Sacramento) collaborate to encourage the reader to prepare for the unexpected, to take advantage of chance events, and to make the most of the random "happenstances" that we encounter in the course of our life. Readers will learn that it's perfectly okay to try something, to take a chance -- even at the risk of making mistakes. That we can get the job first and then learn the skills for succeeding in that job second. But above all, to enjoy ourselves and that it is the balanced life that is the good life. Of special note is the chapter devoted to overcoming self-sabotage. Enhanced with an Annotated Bibliography and a comprehensive index, Luck Is No Accident is an enthusiastically recommended addition to any self-help reference collection or supplemental reading list!
Valuable Tool for Any Stage of Life.......2005-01-10
Whether you're 21,51,or 81, it's never too late to create a satisfying life for yourself" and this book tells you how in a quick and easy read. The book encourages you to follow your dreams, not to feel stuck in your present situation, to be open to changes and to watch for circumstances and happenstances that are life-changing opportunities. Don't take the attitude of having to decide what you'll do the rest of your life...you'll change and so will your opportunities. Watch for them and mine them. Day dream and learn from yourself what you want to do and where you want to go in life. Don't allow yourself to remain in situations, jobs, or relationships that you don't enjoy. "Put yourself in charge of creating a satisfying life." If you can't say " I love going to work," this book gives you many, many guides to changing that. The author offers numerous ways to make contacts, to try new ideas and situations and people, and to get excited about your life again...by first removing your fear of failure and by recognizing that no one's life goes "according to plan" because circumstances always change and unexpected events occur. Learn to view these as opportunities and they will lead you to a better life than you could have planned, if you learn to stop sabotaging yourself by your expectations or those of others. In the book you will learn how to overcome obstacles and to know that "failure is a normal part of life and learning." The book is a valuable tool for people at any stage of life, and especially for students about to graduate and look for a job in this dismal job market. A perfect gift book.
You can learn to get lucky!.......2004-10-30
Those of us familiar with the theory and stories of happenstance have been awaiting this book a long time. Thank you, authors, for making your theory available to anyone in need of inspiration. Thanks, also, for validation of those magic moments that have opened doors for us all at one time or another.
We career counselors encourage our clients and students to minimize the quest for the perfect resume format or interview outfit. They should rather maximize encounters and opportunities. When our coaching about the need to network is met with a glazed look, let's try recommending this book instead. It makes the point that failures, mistakes, rejections, and random encounters can be the seeds of a meaningful career direction. So go forth - speak to your neighbor, thank a former teacher, chat with the person behind you in the grocery line. To Krumboltz and Levin, it's not just whom you know, but what you do about it that will create your luck.
Luck is ironic--or not?.......2004-09-11
I just finished reading Luck is no Accident today. It's a remarkable book that I couldn't put down. Believe it or not, this book came into my life just at the right time. Let me explain myself...
I'm a senior at the University of Southern California. As you can imagine, I'm currently trying to figure out my entire life in the next 10 months. That's supposedly when I'm going to enter the "real world." Everyone has a different opinion on which way I should go except for me. I have no clue what my calling is quite yet. But this book taught me that it's alright to not be completely sure of your life plan at 21.
I think what I like best about Luck is No Accident is it's incredible way of helping you unlearn all the "junk" that people have told you your whole life. We learn that we have to be just like all the other sheep in this world--following some predesigned plan that will guarantee success. However, this isn't true and most people still think that it is! This book demonstrates through numerous accounts that the best experiences in life are the unplanned ones--something so true.
I encourage all people--no matter what stage of life you are in--to read this book. And I especially hope that college students read it! Who knows, maybe one of your professors will assign you this book(like mine). Trust me, it won't be by accident :)
Book Description
Is this a great country or what? You can bet on the turn of the card, a roll of the dice—but also the NFL, the NCAA, and which Olson twin marries first. We bet $80 million a year, the amount growing wildly as more and more people gain access to this huge American wheel of fortune. No longer quarantined in Las Vegas, gambling has become as local as our neighborhood cineplex. It's no wonder that we spend more money gambling than we do on movies, music, sports, video games, and theme parks combined! If there's not a casino around the corner, there's one on your laptop computer.
In Jackpot Nation, acclaimed Sports Illustrated writer Richard Hoffer takes us on a headlong tour, alternately horrifying and hilarious, across our landscape of luck, discovering just how ridiculously determined we are to gamble. Whether he's trying to win a side of bacon in a Minnesota bar, hustling a paper sack filled with $100,000 cash across Las Vegas parking lots, poring over expansion plans with a tribal chief in California, or visiting a retired bus salesman with a poor understanding of three-game parlays in his New York prison cell, Hoffer finds a national inclination—a cultural predisposition, even—to take a chance.
Hoffer shows us how Americans—adventurers at heart—have embraced this ability to take recreational risks with a surprising gusto. But as he pokes into this country's far corners, traveling coast to coast with odds as his copilot, he uncovers more than just the playful exercise of that age-old fantasy—something for nothing. He discovers that the very institutions that used to regulate this workout are now its biggest cheerleaders. Whereas government, religion, and business once restricted our ability to gamble, making it taboo even, they have now taken ownership of the pastime. Yesterday's numbers racket is today's state lottery; yesterday's mobbed-up casino is now part of a Fortune 500 company. It's one thing to recognize the house edge, but sometimes it's quite another to figure out who actually owns the house.
Still, Hoffer manages to find the fun in all this, as equally delighted with the delirium of a slot machine trade show as the religious risk of an underground poker game, almost right beneath the spires of the Mormon Tabernacle. He concludes that people are, mostly, having a good time. If he also uncovers a downside—the outlandish vigorish that comes with its growing acceptance—well, that's why they call it gambling.
Average customer rating:
- An Easy, Compelling, Informative Read
- Top notch insites into the field of technology...
- Real experience in a book
- Common Sense over Dogma
- A must for any software developer who is passionate about developing software
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Joel on Software: And on Diverse and Occasionally Related Matters That Will Prove of Interest to Software Developers, Designers, and Managers, and to Those Who, Whether by Good Fortune or Ill Luck, Work with Them in Some Capacity
Joel Spolsky
Manufacturer: Apress
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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Ethical and Social Issues in the Information Age
ASIN: 1590593898 |
Book Description
This is a selection of essays from the author's Web site, http://www.joelonsoftware.com. Joel Spolsky started the web log in March 2000 in order to offer his insights, based on years of experience, on how to improve the world of programming. His extraordinary writing skills, technical knowledge, and caustic wit have made him a programming guru. This log has become infamous among the programming world, and is linked to more than 600 other websites and translated into 30+ languages!
This book covers every imaginable aspect of software programming, from the best way to write code to the best way to design an office in which to write code. The book will relate to all software programmers (Microsoft and Open Source), anyone interested in furthering their knowledge of programming, or anyone trying to manage a programmer. Spolsky will be writing an introduction for the book.
Customer Reviews:
An Easy, Compelling, Informative Read.......2007-09-02
In this book, Mr. Spolsky makes dozens of apt, lucid observations and suggestions about the state of the industry and the practice of software development as it applies to developers, managers and CEOs alike. Don't be discouraged by his occasionally flippant treatment of some issues--whether you agree with him or not, it would be downright foolish to do anything but devour the veritable fountain of knowledge contained within this book. Mr. Spolsky clearly shows an honest and empathetic concern for the health of the software industry and ALL of the people involved in its enrichment.
Top notch insites into the field of technology..........2007-07-05
Though you probably won't agree with everything Joel says about the development and use of software in the technology realm, he presents his viewpoints in a way that will make you think through your argument and come out on the other side with a more thorough understanding on the subject and its role in business.
He presents multiple delicious morsels of knowledge that stem from his professional experience (both good and bad) that make you say "well, duh!! That makes sense." A very easy and enjoyable read.
Real experience in a book.......2007-06-09
I like most the lively style of the book. Reading this kind of excellent stuff reminds me that sometimes there are authors that goes so deep in theory that forgets about reality.
For example, I am not an enthusiast of any operating system but his explanations about Ms Esxel gives quite a lot of light on the subject. Each chapter is a good combination of hands-on experience and easy reading.
...it is only 20$! if it is bad (and I am wrong) you will not loose to much.
Common Sense over Dogma.......2007-04-10
This is a great book for the techie-turned-manager, and for the career manager with an open mind. I can see Joel's philosophy enraging the typlical corporate middle manager who is steeped in "methodologies" and "certified processes". And that's a good thing. Joel takes an empirical approach, describing his experiences, and what he has learned that works or does not work.
Those who disdain wry wit will be frustrated with this book. Those who savor it will feel like they're being taught by one of their own. The writing style is loose and light, and easy to read. If software design documents were written more like this, they'd be far more readable -- and in fact, far more pleasant to write.
One thing to note is that it can often seem like the examples discussed do not apply to your type of organization. To appreciate the author's understanding of that issue, I recommend that you read through chapter twelve, "Five Worlds", early on. You'll see that he does understand the different kinds of organizations and software projects.
This is one of those books that belongs on the "close at hand" shelf of just about anyone in the software business. It empowers the reader to strive for the common sense approach over "heavy iron" dogma in developing a management style and in making decisions. This book makes a great gift for anyone you know who is moving into a software management role, or anyone who is frustrated with "management by tradition" and the status quo.
A must for any software developer who is passionate about developing software.......2007-01-22
I took this book with me on my island holiday and consumed it faster than my cosmopolitan cocktails. Everything in this book rings true and it is a must read for any software developer that cares about improving themselves and others.
Average customer rating:
- mostly lived up to the hype
- my son insisted we read it five times in a row
- Superb
- very happy to see this book reprinted
- Life is exciting
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Fortunately
Remy Charlip
Manufacturer: Aladdin
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ASIN: 0689716605 |
Book Description
Fortunately, Ned was invited to a surprise party.
Unfortunately, the party was a thousand miles away.
Fortunately, a friend loaned Ned an airplane.
Unfortunately, the motor exploded.
Fortunately, there was a parachute in the airplane.
Unfortunately, there was a hole in the parachute.
What else could go wrong as Ned tries to get to the party? Readers will cheer as Ned's luck turns from good to bad to good again, while clever illustrations tell the story of his wacky adventure and narrow escapes.
Customer Reviews:
mostly lived up to the hype.......2007-09-27
I read a rave review of this book and sometimes it is really hard to live up to that kind of advance notice. It is a small book and it has some big ideas and it tells it's story economically. I am planning on giving it to my nephew who, I am certain, will enjoy what it has to say.
my son insisted we read it five times in a row.......2007-07-14
I bought this book for my son's fourth birthday. We sat down to read it at bedtime, and he was completely riveted. When we finished, he said "read it again, Mommy." We went through this four more times, then I had to promise we'd read it again the next day in order to get him to go to sleep.
The story is gripping, and the artwork is amazing. Switching between color and black/white for the fortunately/unfortunately pages is a stroke of genius. My son has flipped through these pages on his own, staring at the pictures and telling himself the story. Wonderful book.
Superb.......2007-06-25
A wonderful book to use as a Read Aloud to teach the concept/meaning of "fortunately" and "unfortunately". Lovely colorful illustrations, a fun twist at the end that kids will love. A lively, clever picture book, a must have for every elementary library in my opinion.
very happy to see this book reprinted.......2007-05-17
this is one of the books that i remember reading as a child. so now i am happy to be able to share it with my own child.
Life is exciting.......2007-01-15
This has been my favorite book since I was 3 or 4. Before I learned to read, I had someone read it to me over and over again (the Japanese version with excellent translations!). After I learned to read, I read it to myself again and again, day after day. To me, this book is a lot more exciting and entertaining than most Hollywood movies. As a child, I got the very basic idea of life from this book: THINGS JUST HAPPEN in life, good or bad, but you can keep going by quickly accepting the reality and by being natural, spontaneous, responsive, etc. The more I live, the more I like this book. To me, it is very philosophical. And it's funny, too!
Average customer rating:
- Amy Tan has a gift with words.
- Good novels bring inspirations to readers
- A Book Remembered After 13 Years
- Mothers and Daughters
- Please enter a title for your review
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The Joy Luck Club
Amy Tan
Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Movie Tie-Ins
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Tan, Amy
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Amy Tan's the Joy Luck Club (Cliffs Notes)
ASIN: 0804106304
Release Date: 1990-04-30 |
Amazon.com
Four mothers, four daughters, four families whose histories shift with the four winds depending on who's "saying" the stories. In 1949 four Chinese women, recent immigrants to San Francisco, begin meeting to eat dim sum, play mahjong, and talk. United in shared unspeakable loss and hope, they call themselves the Joy Luck Club. Rather than sink into tragedy, they choose to gather to raise their spirits and money. "To despair was to wish back for something already lost. Or to prolong what was already unbearable." Forty years later the stories and history continue.
With wit and sensitivity, Amy Tan examines the sometimes painful, often tender, and always deep connection between mothers and daughters. As each woman reveals her secrets, trying to unravel the truth about her life, the strings become more tangled, more entwined. Mothers boast or despair over daughters, and daughters roll their eyes even as they feel the inextricable tightening of their matriarchal ties. Tan is an astute storyteller, enticing readers to immerse themselves into these lives of complexity and mystery.
Book Description
"Brilliant....Each story is a fascinating vignette, and together they they weave the reader through a world where the Moon Lady can grant any wish, where a child, promised in marriage at two and delivered at 12, can, with cunning, free herself; where a rich man's concubine secures her daughter's future by killing herself, and where a woman can live on, knowing she has lost her entire life."
WASHINGTON POST BOOK WORLD
A stunning literary achievement, THE JOY LUCK CLUB explores the tender and tenacious bond between four daughters and their mothers. The daughters know one side of their mothers, but they don't know about their earlier never-spoken of lives in China. The mothers want love and obedience from their daughters, but they don't know the gifts that the daughters keep to themselves. Heartwarming and bittersweet, this is a novel for mother, daughters, and those that love them.
Customer Reviews:
Amy Tan has a gift with words........2007-06-23
I read this book a little over a year ago for my ap english 2 class. I really
liked how it displayed the Chinese culture and values. It is basically a book of mother-daughter relationships. There are four mothers and four daughters. The mothers are Chinese women who immigrated in the United States. The daughters are Chinese-American. It shows how people (like those in the United
States) tend to take their heritage for granted and just label themselves as Americans. When in reality your heritage will always be there and when you finally except wonderful relationships and things can come out of it.
thank you for your time,
Loran
Good novels bring inspirations to readers.......2007-05-28
I am a high school freshman in the United States. I was assigned to choose one of five novels and read it throughout this semester. This novel, The Joy Luck Club, by Amy Tan was my first choice because the story is about Chinese culture plus Mandarin is my native language. I believed that I would enjoy reading something that relates to my culture and actually I did. It is different from other novels since the whole story is separated into different little stories and put in different orders. Each little story represents a mother and daughter's marriage or family conflict.
In my opinion, the conflicts are caused because of mothers' and daughters' generation gaps and growing backgrounds. The mothers grow up in China where has many traditions and rules to follow. However, the daughters who grow up in San Francisco can choose their lives and want to be what they want to be. This makes the mothers think their daughters have lacks of consideration about their own lives. Therefore, the mothers want to control their daughters' lives since they used to follow those rules which tell them to do all the things considerable.
This novel has magic because every time I read this novel I would compare the way mothers treat their daughter in the book and the way my mother treats me. I would also ask questions to my self by saying "Does this mother use the same way to treat her daughter as the way my mom treats me?" The answer can be varied. Some of them are yes and some of them are absolutely no. For example, the way Suyuan's mother tells her that it's too late to change the reality that she is her mother makes me think it can be the way my mother tells me. For the reasons that, this statement makes sense that it's impossible to change the reality of a blood relationship so I would also accept this very logical sense. However, Lindo's mother left her in a rich family in order to gain some respects back makes me think it is not the way my mother would ever done to me. Since my mother sacrifices a lot in order to raise me up and lets me receive the best education, she wouldn't want to destroy the bitter that she has eaten and pave that she has built for me. Therefore, I recommend this book for teenagers to read because it is an inspired book that can make adolescences to think about their lives and observe their surroundings
A Book Remembered After 13 Years.......2007-04-06
The Joy Luck Club had stayed with me all these years even when I examine my own personal life in the current time. I had read the book when I was in the seventh grade and had a remarkable teacher. She was Mrs. Lattimer (and yes, she was white), a Harvard graduate teaching at an impoverished neighborhood from where I used to grow up. Sometimes, I wondered why she never taught at one of the more prestige middle schools even right now. Still, it was a book that we middle school students had to read and analyze. The class was actually an advance seminar class. Even to this day, I am surprised that we middle school students got a chance to watch a rated "R" movie. It was a "never" to watch a rated "R" movie. The only movies that I can remember watching that were rated "R" were movies in my former AP english literature class-Othello (which actually contained nudity). It's funny because from what I recall, I had couple of friends from the regular classes and they have never seen a rated "R" movie shown in an educational setting. Perhaps being in a gifted class really did come with all the special privileges(even though I was never identified as "gifted"; I was recommended). It just seemed that every book my classmates and I read in AP english could never resist incorporating some kind of sexual element. Indeed, the literary works were very great. And of course, sex is also shown in this movie.
Besides the entertainment value of the movie and the book, as well as the complex relationships between the mothers and the daughters, it was certainly a movie about survival. Presently, as I sit in my comfortable room, I could only relate to the need to survive and live a fulfilling life, a life that is so wonderful and full of bliss. Life is about survival. The word "survival" will always vibrate and echoe inside my ears and in my mind. It is a word that summarizes the very essence of life. When you're child or an adolescent, it is about surviving through school. Once you graduate from high school, a new level of survival comes into play; and that is to make a living. Let's face it. Life really does center around making a living. We all need and want to live a life free from having to live a low standard of living like poverty and shortages of healthy food and crapy material possessions. Virtually everyone desires to have a career and be financially stable. In times where the poor are getting poorer and the rich are getting richer, insecure feelings arise and stays in tact somewhere in our minds. The desire to be married to wonderful wife or husband, the desire to feel safe living in a dream home, the desire to not feel frieghtened when you are heavily sick, the desire to give your children and your grandchildren the best possible life, and the list can go on forever...-Indeed, let's face it, MONEY MAY NOT BE EVERYTHING, BUT IT IS CERTAINLY SOMETHING WE ALL STRIVE TO OBTAIN IN ITS VARIOUS FORMS. Money does have its value contrary to the popular belief that you hear about how money isn't everything or how money can't buy love. Like the feather of the swan-This feather may look like any other feather and seem worthless, but "it comes from a far away distance and contains all of my good intentions."
Mothers and Daughters.......2007-04-05
Any mother or daughter will love reading this collection of interwoven stories of family relationships. Some parts are graphic, but it makes for an important novel.
Please enter a title for your review.......2007-04-03
the one brief section that felt forced (dwelling on the significance of the ink used to sign a check) helped emphasize what is so effectively authentic about the writing of this novel generally. the origins and implications of an event are both presented as having equal substance, it never seems like something is just a bridge to get to a meaningful predecided outcome. aside from an occasional flaunted apathy to animal rights it's a good book.
Average customer rating:
- Very Complicated And Often Tedious.
- Beyond Spectacular.
- Book Review for "The Joy Luck Club"
- 'Uncle Tom' Author Perpetuates False Stereotypes
- The Joy Luck Review
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The Joy Luck Club
Amy Tan
Manufacturer: Penguin (Non-Classics)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
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Tan, Amy
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Contemporary
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Literary
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Family Saga
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ASIN: 0143038095 |
Customer Reviews:
Very Complicated And Often Tedious........2007-09-02
When I recieved my list of Summer 2007 reading assignments, I'll come right out admit that I chose to read Amy Tan's "The Joy Luck Club" for the simple reason that I actually heard of it. I went in not expecting much, and came out with my feelings confirmed.
I do understand that this book is often regarded as a classic, but I for the life of me can't say this book being anything more than merely average. Tracing the life of a group of Asian families whose head leader has passed on, leaving her daughter with the unpleasant task of filling her shoes, "The Joy Luck Club" deals with topics such as death, family, marriage, divorce and togetherness. All of which are intriguing at first, but ultimately amount to little.
The book overall lacks a cohesive flow. I found myself confused at many points in the book to the point where it was useless for me to even try to even pay attention to the book. Tan's writing style is also very simplistic, lacking any real originality and leaving very little to the imagination.
Overall, I can't for the life of me see why this book is as highly regarded as it is. Perhaps it's just not my type of book. Nonetheless, I am befuddled as to why it is a classic piece of literature.
Beyond Spectacular........2007-07-04
You know, it is funny, I have read Amy Tan's The Bonesetter's Daughter and The Hundred Secret Senses, adoring them both beyond words--why it took me this long to get to her first work is nothing short of inexcusable. Not unlike Louise Erdrich's first novel, Love Medicine, this debut of Tan's is absolutely spectacular (it boggles my mind that first time authors can produce such seemingly flawless, multi-voiced narratives). Given the fact that Amy Tan was so young when she wrote this book blows my mind simply because the wisdom and expertise inherent in her storytelling go far beyond her years. In fact, I think this is my new favorite Tan novel, and not only do I believe she is the best Chinese American novelist out there, but at the top of the list of all authors, period. True storytellers are few and far between. Tan straddles the line between academic literature and pleasure reading, which, unfortunately, is not often accomplished.
I have been a devoted student of literature for over six straight years now (specializing in American minority literatures), and the other day, I was talking with a fellow colleague and classmate about this book. When she told me, in her "yawny" way, that she felt it was boring, I realized for the first time, that regardless of "smarts," there are actually literature students out there without one iota of literary taste. What a shame.
This book is truly phenomenal and speaks volumes about what it means to be a woman, for better or worse. I cannot recommend this book, or this author enough.
Book Review for "The Joy Luck Club".......2007-06-08
Each and everyday, our generation continues to expand its range of different ethnicities and backgrounds as more families immigrant to the U.S. What Amy Tan's The Joy Luck Club proves to show is the universal yet distinctive everyday conflicts of ethnic parents raising American children.
In this novel, readers begin a journey with four Chinese mothers and daughters through series of storytelling-including all woman taking a flashback to their childhood or some previous memory.
Moreover, the novel extracts how the American lifestyle that is somewhat different to the lifestyle the mother's were accustomed to creates a gap between the mother and daughters. The Joy Luck Club itself is a club where one mother, Suyuan Woo, created with three other Chinese woman in order to save and collect money as a group and bring up the spirits through the hard times of WWII. After Suyuan dies, her daughter, Jing-mei, has to fill her spot in the club as she finds out more about her mother than ever before, for example, Jing-mei discover she has two half-sisters. This novel creates a character that is able to grow with the reader as she finds out more about her mother's life and ultimately her own life as well. The discoveries allow not only Jing-mei but the readers as well to leave the book with hope as a closer bond with her mother is formed. Jing-mei creates closure with her mother's death as the readers and Jing-mei herself learn the sacrifices and loyalties of all for mothers when raising their daughters.
Since the novel is divided into four major parts, in which the mothers speak out in the first section, readers never seized to boredom, for there is a new exciting adventure that begins as each mother and daughter tells their own story. Even though the structure contributes to grasping the readers attention, readers may find it hard to collect and remember all the stories together.
'Uncle Tom' Author Perpetuates False Stereotypes.......2007-04-12
The author Amy Tan is an Asian female 'Uncle Tom' (look up the term) for her garbage called the 'Joy Luck Club'. It portrays all Asian men in a made-up, negative light, while causing her Asian female protagonists to marry White men, who even cheat on them in the movie, but that doesn't stop the Asian girls from staying with them.
Amy Tan is a self hating Asian female. She is like some Asian girls who grew up hating the fact that she looked so different from her classmates/peers, and fit in however way she could by acting White, and wanting only White men. Personally, she has been massively depressed most of her life (look it up), and has had a terrible marriage with a Caucasian. In her books, she tries to justify her life decisions by portraying White men as White knights, and Asian men as controlling and oppressive, when that couldn't be farther from the truth.
Amy Tan set Asian men and women back decades in this country. How come in Hollywood flicks we see mostly see Black-Black couples, or Latin-Latin couples, but the Asian women are always with a White guy? It seems like every TV show and movie in the past ten years pairs an Asian girl with a White guy romatically. Asian men are being completely suppressed in television and film. Amy Tan helped glamorize the exclusive Asian female/White male pairing that is everywhere on TV, movies, and commercials these days, at the complete suppression of Asian men.
These shows affect kids. Teens, especially girls, judge themselves on others' opinions, and are easily influenced. Young, insecure Asian girls are conditioned through social norms/media to 'act White' and want only White men, and young Asian American boys growing up in the US are conditioned to think they are unattractive.
Have you ever met any Asian families!? The Asian men are predominantly kind, quiet, giving, loving husbands, and providing fathers, and their WIVES make almost all the decisions (at least in Chinese culture). They direct the husband and kids, so to speak. I'm tired of hearing false oppression crap about Asian men from White people, and brain-washed Asian girls, just to make us unattractive in their minds. Also, here's a FACT, not a generalization - as a group, Asian men have the highest average education and income, combined with the lowest avg rates of murder, theft, infidelity, spousal abuse, rape, child molestation, divorce, and crime in this country.
The Joy Luck Review.......2006-10-24
The book opens with the story of a Chinese woman who bought a swan because she believed it was born a duck then stretched its neck to become more. The woman wished to do the same. To sail to America and make a better life for her and her children than she could have ever hoped for in China. When she arrived in America, however, they took her swan away amd she was left with nothing but a feather, and a few broken dreams.
Amy Tan's "The Joy Luck Club is the story of four women and their daughters. In a series of fladhbacks we see how each woman came to America, fleeing their Chinease past of opression and fear to build a better life for their children. Their strories are of war and ancestral pride, mariage and never losing hope. Theirs is the story of the women of China and how they rose above their place in the world, teaching their daughters to do likewise.
Book Description
Take the next step in trusting God:
Dream bigger.
Every little boy has a dream of one day doing something great. You did too…a long time ago. But the distractions and disappointments of this world seem to have stolen your dream.
That dream is still within you. And God is waiting to help you recapture it, expand it, and fulfill it. The Holy Spirit who lives within you is ready to give you the strength and wisdom you need to actualize your dream to advance of God’s Kingdom.
Just as King David tapped into God’s power and dreamed of rebuilding the temple, you too can accept and embrace the vision God has given you. This compelling new book by Kenny Luck is a daring challenge to stand up and experience the powerful, personal vision of God for your life. And it’s a companion for you every step of the way.
Dream is the second in a bold new series of resources for men like you who are ready to go to the next level in their faith–eager to make God’s vision a reality, and change the world.
Look for the Dream Workbook–
a hands-on guide for personal or group study!
Average customer rating:
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Every Young Man, God's Man: Confident, Courageous, and Completely His (The Every Man Series)
Stephen Arterburn ,
Kenny Luck , and
Mike Yorkey
Manufacturer: WaterBrook Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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Every Man, God's Man: Every Man's Guide to...Courageous Faith and Daily Integrity (The Every Man Series)
ASIN: 1578569834
Release Date: 2005-04-19 |
Book Description
Live life the way Jesus did. To the extreme.
You’re probably asking yourself a lot of tough questions these days. Like:
• Why is my faith keeping me from the fun everybody else is having?
• Why do I think about sex so much?
• Why should I obey God when nobody else seems to--even grownups?
• Is doing this okay with God?
• What do I really believe about God?
• How far is too far?
• Why does God expect so much of me?
If you want some solid answers to questions like these, Every Young Man, God’s Man will take you straight to the heart of your frustrations and fears. And give you the truth you need to hold on to–truth that will drive you forward and give you hope.
By learning to go to the dark and difficult places in your heart, and standing up in God’s power in all the battles you face, you will find yourself full of spiritual confidence and courage. You’ll see how faith makes sense in the light of who God is and how much He cares about you. And the bottom line: You’ll discover that it doesn’t get any better than living as God’s man–confident, courageous, and completely His.
Get ready for some gut-punching honesty and real-life stories about how to be God’s man. Right now.
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