James Baldwin : Collected Essays : Notes of a Native Son / Nobody Knows My Name / The Fire Next Time / No Name in the Street / The Devil Finds Work / Other Essays (Library of America)

Amazon.com

Writer James Baldwin earnestly championed the civil rights movement in both his fiction and nonfiction, a fact which, coupled with his extraordinary writing talent, assured not only his historical importance, but also his place as one of the finest African American writers of his generation. Collected Essays is a comprehensive collection of his most memorable prose, including "Stranger in the Village," "The Harlem Ghetto," and "Many Thousands Gone." Clear in voice and vision, the essays communicate the emotions of an entire historical movement. Combining politics, prophecy, and passion, Baldwin's essays are truly as thought-provoking today as they were some 30 years ago.

Customer Reviews:

A must for the Serious Scholar's library.......2006-07-22

This collection of Baldwin's writings is priceless because not only is it a showcase of an agile and fertile mind, it also brings together in a single volume some of his most popular and more famous as well as some of his less formal writings and speeches.

Always well ahead of his times, Baldwin's essays remain fresh and as relevant in today's more quiescent racial times as they were during the more troubled times of his life. They remain fresh because they tell in Baldwin's own inimical and elegant way, the deeper truths about our troubled racial past and present. Most of all they reflect how Baldwin used his quick and restless mind to critique the social and artistic scenes of our troubled era: His strategy, reflected in this collection, was always to mine the substance from the subtext upwards. Those of us who try to mimic his techniques can learn a lot from this and the companion volume of his collected works.

At the same time, Baldwin's psychological analysis remains unerring and at least as sharp as, if not sharper than those of some of his French contemporaries, including his friends and compatriots in the struggle, Franz Fanon and Jean Paul Sartre, who also were both not only revolutionaries and revolutionary thinkers like Baldwin, but also a Psychiatrist and a Philosopher, respectively.

No library on the history of race in America or France is complete without this well designed and well-organized volume. Five stars.

Like Nothing Else You've Read.......2005-06-03

A lot of reviewers have talked about owning this book if you are distinctly interested in collecting works by black authors or in black studies. I think that this book is an essential element to anyone's library, in particular people interested in the craft of writing. Toni Morrison calls Baldwin the greatest essayist of the 20th century and I couldn't agree more.
In this collection of essays, it becomes clear that Baldwin has truly perfected the craft of the essay. Not only is Baldwin's content, his concepts of honesty and truth, of light and dark, right and wrong, of white and black, and much more straight up revolutionary, but he manages to have his content reflected in the craft and style of each essay, which should really be the goal of all writers.
More than anything, Baldwin has an exquisite ability to reveal a complex truth in a simple concise way. All of these essays, indeed all of Baldwin's works, have one common thread. And that is that TRUTH is found within contradiction, because contradiction is honest. I think anyone who browses this page should immediately try and at least check this out of their libary (though it's definitely worth owning, every time I reread it I discover new things) because it really will effect you in meaningful ways.

A great book -- A worthy part of a great series.......2004-02-23

I love James Baldwin--I think he's a tremendous writer, so Toni Morrison could hardly go wrong in selecting essays for this volume. All of the selections are excellent. Notes of a Native Son contains a touching eulogy for Richard Wright ("Alas, Poor Richard"), explaining the lonliness and problems Mr. Wright had at the end of his life. Baldwin displays his tremendous range as both a political commentator and a literary critic. The Devil Finds Work, in particular, is very insightful--and several parts humourous.

What I don't understand--and why I struck a star off this collection--is why Ms. Morrison did not include "Evidence of Things Unseen," Baldwin's analysis of the Atlanta child murders from the early eighties. Perhaps Library of America is planning later volumes of Baldwin's works--The companion volume to these essays is his "Early Novels," most notably "Go Tell It on the Mountain" and "Giovani's Room." I can't imagine that Library of America would not produce a volume including Mr. Baldwin's later works--especially "Just Above my Head."

This particular edition is well worth having--despite the price. First, this is a good collection of Baldwin's essays, many of which are difficult to find. Second, the Library of America really does a commendable job in paper quality and binding. This is not a leather bound edition on 50 pound paper, so stiff you can't open it and printed so the back binding looks impressive on your bookshelf--this is tightly bound, cardboard cover that lies flat, and is easy to read. The paper is not heavy--but acid free, and tear resistant. The Library of America series are good collections that are meant to be read many times, by many people--these books hold up very well.

I am afraid that Mr. Baldwin's works and opinions may fall by the wayside as time passes. The fact that Ms. Morrison--one of our best and most respected authors--put these collections together will certainly help keep Mr. Baldwin's works alive. But if you have any interest in what it means to be African American--in the twenties, to contemporary america--through even tomorrow--You need to read and appreciate Mr. Baldwin's insights. And you will also enjoy his clear, careful, and pointed writing.

review.......2002-05-10

This book was very interesting and i enjoyed the courage of a young black man to stand up for his rights.

A painful, powerful experience.......2001-10-11

In Egypt, I met an extraordinary American.
"I was born in New York, but have only lived in pockets of it. In Paris, I lived in all parts of the city - on the Right Bank and on the Left, among the bourgeoisie and among les miserables, and knew all kinds of people from pimps and prostitutes in Pigalle to Egyptian bankers in Nueilly. This may sound unprincipled or even obscurely immoral: I found it healthy. I love to talk to people, all kinds of people, and almost everyone, as I hope we still know, loves a man who loves to listen," he said.
"The perpetual dealing with people very different from myself caused a shattering in me of preconceptions I scarcely knew I held. This reassessment, which can be very painful, is also very valuable."
His name is Mr. Baldwin, and I cherish this new acquaintance because his ideas have had such profound impact on my views of Egypt. I wanted to know the people, but as I reach out for them, sometimes, I'm shocked by what I see. I see people sleeping on the concrete patios along the Nile - many of them have migrated from the farmlands because they can make more money for their families if they work in Cairo. But desert nights can be bitter cold in January, and it cuts my heart. Yet, Mr. Baldwin's message is well heeded. The same problems of inner city growth that come with development in Egypt also came with development in Britain one hundred years ago. American inner city schools and slums still reflect this challenge.
Would I have walked into the slums of Chicago if I were there? Would I have strolled through the southwest side of Kansas City or east St. Louis? Would I have walked into the anti-developing city blocks of L.A. if I were in America? Of course not. So why is it that traveling abroad opens my eyes to poverty in America? Why couldn't I see it when I was there? I don't know why this happens, but James Baldwin was right - absolutely right when he said that this reassessment, which can be very painful is also very valuable.
I have been told that the housing shortage in Egypt provided the impetus for many people to move into the spacious mausoleums in the old city graveyard. The international visitors call it, "The City of the Dead," and tourists go there and gawk at poverty creating a makeshift freak show out of human suffering. Then I learned that the housing shortage in Los Angeles provided the impetus for many people to move into mausoleums, but no one goes to gawk at them. In fact, there seems to be a kind of American denial that such things could ever happen in the land of milk and honey.
As I hear of people talking about human rights violations in Egypt, I think of the title of James Baldwin's book: Nobody Knows My Name. I think of James Byrd who was dragged to death behind a pickup truck. I think of the threats of millennium violence that frightened black American families so much that they bought guns and stayed home for the New Year. I think of the tiny city in Texas who voted Spanish as their city's official language and then received death threats from all over the nation. Of course, if you asked any American about human rights violations, they would tell you that this is something that happens in China or Africa. It's a painful realization that it might happen in MY country. Growing up in the American school system, I came to idolize Abraham Lincoln's courage and George Washington's integrity. The universal ideas of human value and dignity that we believe to be inalienable are not, as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. so wisely told us, being applied universally in our country. These facts go against the ideals and values of our nation - they don't support the concepts of the free and the brave.
"It is a complex fate to be an American," Henry James observed. James Baldwin awakened me to that complexity in a way so subtle, so gentle and yet, so powerfully painful.
He awakened me to the hard realities of the American people, most of whom will never read or digest his work. They would dismiss him. But his vision is not to be dismissed. His writing illustrates that the responsibility of this future lies in the hands of blind people. People who refuse to see American neighborhoods and American people for what they really are. We can't improve until we accept the starting point. This lofty ideal of what we should be and blind obstinacy to what we are is killing us.
"Europe has what we do not have yet," Baldwin said. "A sense of the mysterious and inexorable limits of life, a sense, in a word, of tragedy. And we have what they sorely need: a new sense of life's possibilities."
Egypt has what we do not yet have - a clear and present sense of unity - an admiration for sacrifice for the whole of the group - the nuclear family, the extended family, the community. And we have absolutely nothing that Egypt needs, except, if you ask the younger generation: Nike shoes. In fact, this is precisely what Egyptians do not need. They do not need the destructive, greed-inspiring and greed-glorifying economic development of the West.

Book Description

Deputy Chief Coleman has taken a basic, no-nonsense approach toward helping you understand and implement the incident command system in a methodical and effective way, beginning with an introduction to the system and an explanation of command operations. Staging and sectors are discussed to ensure that adequate personnel are available to command and arrive at the scene in an organized manner. Mission statements are covered to help explain the responsibilities of the various fireground sectors and the integration of "command" into their operations.

Customer Reviews:

easy reading.......2007-09-01

this book offers good advice to the newly appointed fire officers/acting officers for fire incident managment.

one of the best.......2007-07-13

This book is helpful in every way. The writing is clear and information is realitive to day to day work.

Incident Management for the Street-Smart Fire Officer.......2000-05-14

A very good book but Mr. Coleman relates a little too much about his department (Toledo Fire Department)when providing examples. I understand that's the way they do it in Toledo, but in other areas of the country things operate differently.

Fire in the Streets: The Battle for Hue Tet 1968

Average customer rating:

A Place in History
A Battle that has earned it place in History
A trip back in time . . .
I was a radioman attached to the Fifth Marines

Fire in the Streets: The Battle for Hue Tet 1968
Eric Hammel
Manufacturer: Pacifica Press (CA)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Asia | History | Subjects | Books

Southeast Asia | Asia | History | Subjects | Books

Strategy | Military | History | Subjects | Books

Vietnam War | Military | History | Subjects | Books

General | World | History | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Marines in Hue City: A Portrait of Urban Combat, Tet 1968
Phase Line Green: The Battle for Hue, 1968
Battle for Hue: Tet 1968
Valley of Decision: The Siege of Khe Sanh
Tet Offensive 1968: Turning Point in Vietnam (Praeger Illustrated Military History)

ASIN: 0935553185

Customer Reviews:

A Place in History.......2000-12-02

I was one of those corporals that Eric Hammel mentions on page 303 who served as a platoon commander of Bravo 1/5. Mr. Hammel has meticulously constructed a book that is an enjoyable read and an important one for everyone who wants to understand what it was like to participate at the front line. It is, I believe, an important body of information in the history of the war in Viet Nam.

Hue was a unique battle in Viet Nam and "Fire in the Streets" is the best, most informative, most complete, and, from what I know, the most accurate description of the events before, during and after the event. I say this from the perspective of someone who not only lived the battle but has read every book on the subject that I can find. I think any student of this war can better understand the grunt's perspective of Hue and Viet Nam after reading this book.

I need to point out, however, that Lance Corporal Paul Cheatwood (page 286) was a mortarman with Bravo Company, not Charlie. I was his squad leader at the time of the ambush described. I had passed through the ambush when the machine gun opened up and I was forced to take cover between a dead pig and a concrete wall about 24 inches high. Everytime I moved I could hear bullets thudding into the pig and bouncing off the concrete. I had taken bullet fragments in my hand and one of my associates, for reasons that escape me, popped a CS (tear gas) canister upwind. I was considerably distressed by my situation and not coming up with a plan when I heard Cheatwood yell, "I see them!" He stood up firing his M-16. When it ran out of ammo he picked up another M-16 and walked deliberatly toward the ambush firing into the soldiers there. When the second M-16 ran out of ammo he pulled two grenades off his vest and threw them into the building. When they exploded he leaned in with a .45 and made certain that they had gone on to their reward.

Further, and more incredibly, Cheatwood didn't lead a patrol, as outlined on page 289. As the rest of us dragged the wounded to safety he gathered up all of the hand grenades he could carry and went BY HIMSELF, on his own initiative, behind enemy lines and personally inflicted some serious damage on the NVA. His courageous actions and self-sacrifice bought us enough time to get our act together.

The ambush put us in a very precarious position and, had the enemy counterattacked, we would easily have been overrun. I believe they didn't because of Cheatwood's one-man assault. Several of us put Cheatwood in for a Congressional Medal of Honor and I am, to this day, chagrined that he did not get it. Paul Cheatwood suffered permanent, grievous disabilities from the injuries that he suffered that day. I personally believe that he was denied the Medal of Honor because he was an enlisted man recommended by enlisted men. He deserves everything the Medal of Honor represents and it is a great shame that he did not get it.

One way or the other, the men of Bravo 1/5 owe Cheatwood a great deal.

However, this is about "Fire in the Streets." I am personally grateful to Eric Hammel for his book. It provides a level of recognition and dignity to those of us who fought in Hue and I urge anyone who is reading this to read the book. It's complete, its well done, and its important.

Mark Mead (former sergeant, USMC Bravo 1/5) soltura@hotmail.com

A Battle that has earned it place in History.......1999-12-20

I'm proud to be able to say that I my unit supported the 1st and 5th Marines in this historic battle.

The battle would make a great movie. I would love to see Stephen Speilberg tell this story on film.

The book was outstanding, I loved it

A trip back in time . . ........1999-03-17

Like a Time Machine, Fire in the Streets catapulted me 31 years back into the battle for Hue City. Eric Hammel's account is a historical, vividly accurate account of what every Marine would surely describe as their time in hell. It certainly was mine. Mr. Hammel's research enabled me to know the why's and the where's of my unit's activities, and gave me a much broader understanding of what the grunt Marine accomplished in the month long house to house fight. This is an excellent book!

Dennis Freed, Lima 3/5 WIA 2/24/68 - Hue City

I was a radioman attached to the Fifth Marines.......1997-07-08

I was temporarily assigned to the Fifth Marine Regiment Combat Control Center from my parent unit - the 7th Comm Battalion. I was not supposed to be involved in the kind of infantry fighting that took place there. My job was to work at the Regimental level in combat net communications but the intensity of the battle in Hue City changed all of that. I went in with Hotel Company on the first of February and came out with what was left of it on the 25th. My regret to this day is that I was not a permanent member of Hotel company, just temporarily assigned. Shortly after the battle, I was moved on by 7th Comm to another assignment. This book is absolutely accurate in its record of the fighting in Hue. It is incredible that Hammel could achieve the detail he did. Anyone wanting an explicit description of the fiercest battle and longest battle of the Vietnam War should read this book. Anyone studying the Vietnam War or The General Uprising should read this book. Absolutely the best.

Street Smart Firefighting: The Common Sense Guide to Firefighter Safety And Survival

Average customer rating:

RIGHT ON THE MONEY!
Street smart firefighting and thought provoking read.
an excellent overview
Very Informative, Easy to Read
Great Gift!!!!!

Street Smart Firefighting: The Common Sense Guide to Firefighter Safety And Survival
Robert C. Bingham
Manufacturer: Valley Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Education | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Adult & Continuing Education | Education | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Hazardous Materials Incidents: Surviving the Initial Response
Branningan's Building Construction for the Fire Service
Developing the Leader Within You
From Buddy to Boss: Effective Fire Service Leadership
The Firefighter's Workout Book: The 30 Minute a Day Train-for-Life Program for Men and Women

ASIN: 0974844705

Product Description

Finally, An Exciting New Approach To Really Improve Your Fireground Operations! Listen to what the fire service leaders have to say about Bob Bingham's new book, "Street Smart Firefighting." This book is the most practical, no no-nonsense and "tell-it-like-it-is" resource you will find. It is an immensely useful guide, filled with new ideas you can use. The advice is sound, insightful, and can be used by rookie firefighters, experienced chiefs, and everybody in between. Bob tells many true stories and speaks in a down-to-earth style, and that makes for a good easy read. The book is filled with common sense and introduces new concepts. When you are finished reading this book you will be better prepared to do your job, and it could save your life! --- This is what fire service leaders are saying about this new book: "This isn't just big city stuff, there is a wealth of information for the small town volunteer. This book is a must read for all firefighters." --- William (Sonny) Mullikin, Woodstock Volunteer Fire Department.--- "A tremendous book, that uses a logical and fresh approach to ensure that all our members return to the station every time." --- Dennis L. Rubin, Fire Chief, Atlanta, Georgia.--- Key features to help your operation: * How to reduce fireground injuries. * Recognizing dangerous situations. * How to avoid being lost or trapped. * Operating under-staffed firegrounds. * Basement fires the smart way. * Really fast ventilation. * Quickly developing a fireground plan. * Avoiding kamikaze roof work. * Developing street smart SOPs. * New attic fire methods. * Improving weak truck operations.--- About the Author: Chief Robert C. Bingham, a 31-year veteran of the fire service, served as a deputy chief in the District of Columbia Fire Department, where he was a command officer for 15 years. He has also taught at the National Fire Academy.

Customer Reviews:

RIGHT ON THE MONEY!.......2007-08-23

I think that this book is extremely informative. It is presented from a fire fighter's point of view which is quickly adaptable. Their is so much info. and great suggestions i will be rereading it. Any new Officer should make this a must read and reread,extremely helpful.
The author does respond to emails which demonstrates his professionalism.
Good read, Easy read, Highly recommend! Full Time Paid Fire Fighter.

Street smart firefighting and thought provoking read........2007-05-07

One of the best StreetSmart firefighting and thought provoking books in a while. Provides ideas and concepts by both theory and real life experiences. A great reference for those looking to advance in the fire service.

an excellent overview.......2005-12-07

A good summary of tactics, this book does not go into the detail of some other texts (see Norman's book) but provides a street level view of what you need when you need it. It keeps it simple, and when the situation is really bad, simple is what you will remember.

Very Informative, Easy to Read.......2005-11-23

Must have for the entry level ff to chief, provides a practical, experienced based no-nonsense review of ff tactics and strategies.

Great Gift!!!!!.......2005-08-15

Got this book as a graduation gift for a fire science major who is also doing Volunteer fire fighting. He LOVED it!!!

Average customer rating:

Southern Mystery from the 60's
A NEED TO READ BOOK
Forgotten simple decency? Retrieve your memory here!

Streets of Fire
Thomas H. Cook
Manufacturer: Warner Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Mystery | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

General | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

City When It Rains
Flesh and Blood
Sacrificial Ground
Mortal Memory
Instruments of Night

ASIN: 0446359726

Customer Reviews:

Southern Mystery from the 60's.......2004-05-20

Streets of Fire is historical fiction. It tells the heart break of a South that needs to change. I enjoyed the fact that the book was from both ends of the debate. The mystery almost takes a backseat to the racial fights going on in the book. But it is still a great mystery.

A NEED TO READ BOOK.......2001-03-30

I HAVE JUST FINISHED THIS COULDN'T PUT DOWN BOOK. I THOUGHT THE BOOK WAS EXCELLENT! IT WAS WELL WRITTEN, HISTORICAL, THOUGHT-PROVOKING, AND A BOOK I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE ON MY SHELVES TO SAVE FOR MY CHILDREN TO READ SO THEY CAN UNDERSTAND THE HORROR AND HISTORY OF THAT PERIOD. THIS BOOK IS ONE I HIGHLY RECOMMEND.

Forgotten simple decency? Retrieve your memory here!.......1998-09-16

"Let righteousness flow like a mighty river, and justice roll down like an everlasting stream..." Martin Luther King led the Civil Rights marches in Birmingham with those Biblical words. In Thomas Cook's novel, Streets of Fire, we find the city of Birmingham as it was during those days, a city parched and thirsting for righteousness and justice. The novel gives a fascinating and stirring portrait of the city in those tense and exciting days. But as "all politics is local" so, Ben Wellman finds, justice resides first in the individual geography of the heart. Wellman, a police officer, World War II veteran and loner, takes refuge from the political turmoil of the marches by investing himself deeply to solve a single, vicious crime. A little girl from the city's Bearmatch neighborhood is found buried in an arid ballfield. His absorption in this single crime leads him--and those around him--to confront deeper patterns of bigotry, exploitation, and political manipulation in others, and in themselves. The plot is complex, but satisfying and dramatic in its conclusion. Cook's writing, in this as in later novels, offers many beauties, as well as a quality of serious, plain good prose. In this novel, the idea that overarches the plot development is that of water, or drought. Cook reflects the distortions of an unjust way of life in an arid ballfield, a filthy, dried-out storm drain that holds a man's murdered body, a leaking roof, the torrent of water from the city's fire hoses, the tide of emotion rising within Wellman, which will carry him forward into a new life. If the novel has a fault, it's that the several minor characters around Wellman in the Birmingham police department are not well distinguished one from another. Since plot development hinges on several of these characters, their vague outlines sometimes make it difficult for the reader to figure out who is doing what to whom. This novel takes the reader back to a cleaner time in the national memory--a time when great evil was certainly done, but also a time when simple decency seemed the best way to respond. Cook's main character is the sort of man who says little, but doggedly does much, by simply being considerate of others, firm in his allegiance to human dignity, passionate in his defense of innocence. For Wellman, "race relations" are just human relations. He insists on treating them that way. He distinguishes only between vicious and virtuous behavior, awarding contempt to the first and honor to the second evenhandedly. The complexities and evasions and institutionalized resentment and restitution that mar race relations in our time are not part of this novel. It takes us back to a simpler time, when we hoped we could all be judged by the content of our character. It was a great pleasure--a deep satisfaction in fact--to be reminded once again how men of my father's generation addressed these evils: by just behaving with impeccable decency.

Average customer rating:

The Practice of " Magic"
'Circle of fire'
nameless
My Review
Thriling,mysterious,exciting to the end!mmmmm loved it!

Circle of Fire #11 (Fear Street)
R.L. Stine
Manufacturer: Golden books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Horror | Teens | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

HEART OF THE HUNTER FEAR STREET SAGAS 9 (Fear Street)
The CHILDREN OF FEAR FEAR STREET SAGAS 7 (Fear Street)
Dance of Death Fear Street Sagas 8 (Fear Street Saga)
Forbidden Secrets: Fear Street Sagas #3
The SIGN OF FEAR: FEAR STREET SAGAS #4 (FEAR STREET SAGA)

ASIN: 0307248003
Release Date: 1999-12-31

Customer Reviews:

The Practice of " Magic".......2002-11-06

Mia a lonely girl that goes to a private college now is in to something she would had never tought of doing withtout little help of her new friends. One night she cought some girls doing black magic in the barn next to there college and gets involved, she is the 5th wheel as you would want to call it. Well i am not going to tell you anymore!! You see for yourself.

I would recommend this book to everyone that likes to read and make it fun. I think this book was great, it catches the readers attention and makes it so you can't put the book down. When I read this book I just wouldn't put it down, I wanted to find out what was about to happen in the fallowing chapter. The suspence is just something that can't be beat, its great. I am glad that i own this book and some of the other books R.L. Stine has writen and i would suggest that you take the time out to read this book, if you dont have it barrow it from and friend or go out and buy it for your joy!!

'Circle of fire'.......2002-01-07

Circle of fire was a great book, but like R.L. Stine's previous books, it's VERY scary. Unlike most horror books,it isn't boring in the beginning. One of the reasons it's so great is that you can relate to the main character, Mia. Mia is just another girl at school until she joins a group that practices the dark arts. But will they let her survive leaving it? Very suspensful. A must buy.

nameless.......2001-05-04

I don't remember the little stuff of the story because i read this last year but it's a totally great book and a master bonechiller.this is an exiting story about a girl named Mia Saxton who doesn't have any friends at her all-girl school.this group of girls asks her to be in there group to form rituals.it's really creepy.my friend let me borrow it and when i got home i couldn't put down.the book people die in it too!it's so COOL!!!I'm telling you that you should really read this book!im really suggesting this book!!!!later peeps!

My Review.......2000-01-06

I think that this book is a master piece from R L Stine.The main idea of this book is really original.While reading this book we never get bored and this whole book is full of suspense and horror. I really loved this book.

Thriling,mysterious,exciting to the end!mmmmm loved it!.......1999-01-03

Since I'm into wicca ,I had to read it , also helped with my english.I was so impressed with the DOOR OF DEATH as well,my advice to u is read this BOOK and alsoTHE DOOR OF DEATH because if you liked th circle of fire you'll love DOOR OF DEATH!!!

Average customer rating:

Duncan's "superromance" is one of the best romances ever.

Streets Of Fire (Superomance, No 407)
Judith Duncan
Manufacturer: Harlequin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Romance | Subjects | Books

Regency | Romance | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Tender Rhapsody (Worldwide Superromance No. 51)
Better Than Before (Silhouette Intimate Moments, No 421)
Marriage Of Agreement (Conveniently Wed) (Silhouette Intimate Moments, 975)
The Return of Eden McCall (Wide Open Spaces) (Silhouette Intimate Moments, No. 651) (Silhouette Intimate Moments, No 651)
That Same Old Feeling (American Hero, Wide Open Spaces) (Silhouette Intimate Moments, No. 577) (Silhouette Intimate Moments, No 7577)

ASIN: 0373704070

Customer Reviews:

Duncan's "superromance" is one of the best romances ever........1997-06-05

Duncan has written a superior romance in Streets of Fire (Harlequin Superromance #407, 6/90). It concerns recovery on several interlocking levels. There's the central situation (fairly common in category romances) of confronting an old relationship that hit the skids. But what a difference in this treatment of it--the woman (Sydney Foster) has managed to deny her incestuous relationship with her father, which led her to a life as a prostitute on the streets. She's now a successful entrepreneur. Her old lover (Nick Novak), the policeman who rescued her and later got shot in the line of duty, comes back into her life when he needs help recovering from a catastrophic brain injury. This relationship is highlighted by the orphaned girl Sydney takes in, and through whom she must confront her past and true present. The setting of Calgary here is convincing and effective. Best of all, the descriptions of depression and its aftermath give the lie that category romances are only lightweight wastes of time. The book has some of the inflated prose of other Harlequin titles, but its subject, characters and plot put it in a class of its own. Strongly recommended

Firefighters! (Sesame Street® Elmos World(TM))

Average customer rating:

Firefighters! (Sesame Street® Elmos World(TM))
Naomi Kleinberg
Manufacturer: Random House Books for Young Readers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Board book

Careers | People & Places | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

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

Firefighting | Obsessions | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

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

Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books

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

Police Officers! (Sesame Street® Elmos World(TM))
Balls! (Sesame Street® Elmos World(TM))
Elmo's World: Opposites! (Sesame Street® Elmos World(TM))
Puppies! (Sesame Street® Elmos World(TM))
Babies! (Sesame Street® Elmos World(TM))

ASIN: 0375833722
Release Date: 2005-09-13

Book Description

Elmo explains in simple terms what firefighters do, with help from two brave firefighters, Sean and Susan. The book covers the basics of uniforms and equipment as well as fire safety. Sure to fan the flames of toddlers’ firefighter fascination!

Average customer rating:

Absurd and Mean-spirited
Heart Pounding
Jack Liffey is hot!
Why the Kids?
Emotionally gripping adventure

Streets on Fire: A Jack Liffey Mystery
John Shannon
Manufacturer: Carroll & Graf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Mystery | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

Hard-Boiled | Mystery | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

General | Thrillers | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

Suspense | Thrillers | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

General | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

City of Strangers: A Jack Liffey Mystery (Otto Penzler Books)
The Orange Curtain: A Jack Liffey Mystery
The Poison Sky (Jack Liffey Mystery)
Terminal Island: A Jack Liffey Mystery
Dangerous Games: A Jack Liffey Mystery

ASIN: 0786710187

Book Description

In the gripping fifth novel of what the Philadelphia Inquirer calls a “lean and literate” crime series, Jack Liffey—the rough-edged, compassionate private detective who garners even more enthusiastic reviews and fans with each new case—once again searches the volatile and dangerous ethnic communities buried in the urban sprawl of Los Angeles for another of the city’s mysteriously lost. This time out, Liffey is looking for a prominent 1960s civil rights campaigner’s adopted son, who has gone suspiciously missing in the wake of an unsettling run-in with a motorcycle gang at a local jazz club. The whole city is unsettled, in fact, by the choke-hold death of Abdullah-Ibrahim—a black Muslim and the Dodgers’ new ace spitball pitcher—at the hands of the L.A. police. In the course of his investigation, Liffey runs afoul of skinheads, white supremacists, and black separatists. He also confronts his own latent racism before the city erupts into the full-fledged civil riot that could cost Liffey his life.

Customer Reviews:

Absurd and Mean-spirited.......2006-12-21

I have in the past enjoyed John Shannon's books about Jack Liffey. I think I reviewed one here a week or two ago, and was more positive about it than this one. While this book is reasonably well-written, the book's plot and setting are constructed such that you wind up feeling pretty bad about life and everything else by the time you're done.

This time around, Liffey's hired by a Black couple from South Central. Their grandson, a college student who was dating a white girl, has disappeared (with her) after a confrontation with local white supremacist bikers. As Liffey wanders the city looking for the kids, he first confronts the bikers, then others who might be involved in the disappearances.

Shannon's got a strange, skewed perspective, and I think it's finally gotten to be a bit too much for me at times. He seems to see Los Angeles as terminally weird and disreputable, distasteful, downright nasty at times. Part of the backdrop of this book is a riot brought on by the LAPD macing a black pitcher for the Dodgers. I suppose that could happen, but if it did the Police helicopters wouldn't be strafing the crowd with beanbags as they looted. Shannon introduces a white separatist or supremacist group, vaguely religious, and tells you they're "like the Promise Keepers," who, whatever their faults, aren't racist at all, but determinedly multi-ethnic. Shannon would say, I'm sure, that his readers are smart enough to know the difference, but I suspect he's hoping that the inference people take away is that PK is racist too.

Also, his view of Los Angeles is decidedly weird. It's as if Shannon moved here from someplace "normal" and just decided that everything here is strange and weird. So Liffey sees things like a man juggling chainsaws on a street corner, weirdly constructed buildings, odd happenings and events. It all has something of an outsider's feel to it. Those of us who have lived here all our lives know that it's not *that* weird here. It can be strange, sure, but not on a day-to-day basis. I myself have probably seen strange things a dozen times or so, and I'm 47. Jack sees them pretty much every time he leaves the house.

That means that while I enjoyed parts of the book, the overall effect is just annoying. I can't really recommend the book unless you're willing to put up with the silly politics.

Heart Pounding.......2004-06-11

In the 5th book of the Jack Liffey series, John Shannon has created dual plots that start off as two completely separate incidents, but become extremely significant to each other and to the outcome of the story. His control of these plots is very effective, never letting one storyline take over the other. Instead, he just reminds us occasionally that there is "another danger" out there.

Jack Liffey is an unofficial private detective who specialises in finding missing children. In this case, the plot that has Liffey's attention is an investigation into the disappearance of a black boy and his white girlfriend. There is a strong suggestion that their disappearance may have something to do with an earlier altercation with a bike gang.

In the course of his investigation, Liffey crosses paths with the aforementioned bike gang, has a major run-in with an unusual but extremely dangerous religious group and meets Ornetta, the delightful shining light of the story. Ornetta is an 11-year-old girl who has an incredible gift for storytelling. She steals every scene in which she appears, which is fortunately many.

The wider storyline running in parallel to the Liffey focus is a wave of rioting that has broken out throughout L.A. on the back of the knocking unconscious of a black baseball star by a member of the LAPD. The riots are triggered when the officer involved is acquitted of any wrongdoing. The ongoing riots play a major part in the story as Liffey is caught up in them in a desperate race against time while crossing from one side of the city to the other.

A much larger role in this book compared to earlier books is given to Maeve, Jack's 15 year old daughter. She has been a fringe character up until STREETS ON FIRE, merely providing a poignant side story that highlights their mutual affection for one another. Two events take place that brings Maeve to her father's place and into his investigation. The first is a run-in with her stepfather and the second is the discovery of her mother's old Nancy Drew books. She moves in with her father and gets the idea that she could try her hand at detective work a la Nancy Drew. While the results are predictable, it gives us an opportunity to get to know her better and it cements the bond between father and daughter even more than it was originally.

An instant friendship forms between Maeve and Ornetta that becomes an incredibly strong bond between two the girls who swear blood-sisterhood with each other. I felt their love and friendship was on of the strongest parts of the book, providing a counterpoint to the hate that Jack Liffey was fighting. It was inevitable that the girls are involved in the climax to the book, giving us someone to care about and then putting their lives at risk.

From a quiet start, this story builds in intensity as the unrest around the city grows and finally explodes cutting across the investigation that Jack Liffey conducts. The ending is highly charged, heart in mouth action. Overall, it's a detective story that takes us deeper into the personal life of Jack Liffey causing me to care about him and his family even more.

Jack Liffey is hot!.......2003-05-05

Once again we are treated to tales of urban L.A. with all its warts & diamonds, through the eyes of the intriguing Jack Liffey.
This book has a backdrop of the real stuff, including racial unrest & folks who rise above it, which only adds to the engaging plot. Daughter Maeve & her new friend young Ornetta play important roles, & Shannon's ability to portray kids makes it even more special to read. This is my hometown & I love the way Shannon writes about it! I learn new things about L.A. with each Jack Liffey adventure.

Why the Kids?.......2002-06-30

It's well written and literate, but its passive protagonist and children as heroes/victims just don't engage the reader. Why are these kids wandering around the middle of an urban riot? How does our hero so easily find a child stolen by bikers, who really aren't so bad after all?

Emotionally gripping adventure.......2002-05-21

When a young interracial couple vanishes, private detective Jack Liffey is hired to investigate. It isn't a good time for Jack--he's worried about his girlfriend and his daughter, and it isn't a good time for Los Angeles, racked by racial tension and riot, but Liffey goes to work. The police and even the FBI have muddied the waters but the missing man's niece gives him his biggest clue. Now if Liffey can stay along long enough, he may learn the truth. Unfortunately for him, staying alive is difficult when a well armed and determined group of Christian extremists are after you.

Author John Shannon delivers an emotionally compelling and satisfying mystery. Liffey's attempts at detection are bounded at one side by his daughter's attempts to help--which end up creating any father's ultimate nightmare--and at the other by the riots that threaten to send Los Angeles into flames. Clinging to his much abused moral code, Liffey must survive both white extremists and African-American gang bangers.

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books