Saints at the River: A Novel

Saints at the River: A Novel
Average customer rating:

A Wonderful Surprise!!

Shall we gather at the river, where bright angel feet have trod?

Whose Side Would You Be On???...

Seldom

Historical fiction?

Saints at the River: A Novel
Ron Rash
Manufacturer: Picador
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Eureka Mill

ASIN: 0312424914
Release Date: 2005-06-16

Book Description

'A compelling novel....Rash tells his story with subtlety and with the best kind of empathy.' -The Wall Street Journal When a twelve-year-old girl drowns in the Tamassee River and her body is trapped in a deep eddy, the people of the small South Carolina town that bears the river's name are thrown into the national spotlight. The girl's parents want to attempt a rescue of the body; environmentalists areconvinced the rescue operation will cause permanent damage to the river and set a dangerous precedent. Torn between the two sides is Maggie Glenn, a twenty-eightyear-old newspaper photographer who grew up in the town and has been sent to document the incident. Since leaving home almost ten years ago, Maggie has done her best to avoid her father, but now, as the town's conflict opens old wounds, she finds herself revisiting the past she's fought so hard to leave behind.

Customer Reviews:

A Wonderful Surprise!!.......2007-01-09

I had never read this author before this book and I was wonderfully surprised to find a new favorite author. Mr. Rash does a great job of capturing the real culture and language of the mountaion people while weaving a plot that will keep you glued to the pages until the end. I literally could not put this book down until I finished it. I've already ordered his other books.

Shall we gather at the river, where bright angel feet have trod?.......2006-09-17

"Shall we gather at the river,
Where bright angel feet have trod,
With its crystal tide forever
That flows by the throne of God?

Yes, we'll gather at the river,
The beautiful, the beautiful river,
Gather with the saints at the river
That flows by the throne of the Lord."

The words of that old hymn have always haunted me, maybe because a large portion of my childhood was spent on the banks of a beautiful river, tucked up in the mountains, where I felt God and the angels walking with me. When I first saw this book on the shelf, I knew immediately where Ron Rash got his title and the whole time I was reading this book, the song would filter through my mind. Oddly enough, I finished the book while up in Rabun County, Georgia, across the wild and scenic Chattooga River from Oconee (it may be Occonee-- I have to double check) County, South Carolina, where the book takes place.

This is not an easy book to read. The opening scene is the death of a twelve-year-old girl, who drowns in the Tamassee River and her body is trapped in a deep eddy, impossible to recover by the usual means. The small town that perches at the riverside is soon forced into the national spotlight as a conflict arises between the girls parents, who want her body recovered, and environmentalists who want to protect the river from the permanent damage rescue attempts will cause, and prevent future damage to a river which, after a long and hard fight, bears the protection of federal preservation. Throw into this Maggie Glenn, a photographer from a Columbia SC newspaper, who grew up in the area (and has demons from her own past to fight). Maggie was involved in the battle that helped the river earn its "wild and scenic" status, and in this story, finds herself documenting the drama of the river, observing the people she grew up with, and face to face with a father she had a falling out with years before.

Like I said, it's not an easy read, or it wasn't for me, because of the conflicts between the two camps-- those that want to help the family come to closure and bury their daughter so they can begin to heal, and those that want to protect a spot on earth from further damage from mankind. I know which group I'd be in, but I came to understand a bit more the viewpoints of the other. I like a book that makes you dig in and explore your own deep eddies and currents. And I like a book that allows me to gather at the river, with the saints and the angels, once again.

Did I mention this was based on a true story?

Whose Side Would You Be On???..........2006-08-28

This was a really good book. I must admit that I didn't like it as much as his first novel, 'One Foot In Eden', but it was good nonetheless. As I read this story I kept asking myself whose side I would be on, and just when I thought my mind was made up, the other side made a very good point, and a very sad one.

12 year-old Ruth Kowalsky drowned in the Tamassee River during a family outing, a river that is protected by the Wild and Scenic River Act. This means that nothing can be done to this river to change or alter it in ANY way. Mr. and Mrs. Kowalsky want to retrieve their daughter's body, but because it lies in a dangerous part of the river known as a hydraulic, divers can't simply go in and get it. A temporary dam needs to be built to get her out. And this dam violates the Scenic River Act.

Maggie, a photographer from the area who now lives in Columbia, has been sent to her hometown with reporter Allen Hemphill to cover the growing problem. The town and the parents are at odds when it comes to retrieving Ruth. The town says no, she belongs to the river now, and are not willing to break the law to get her out, while the parents just want their daughters body so they can give her a proper burial back home. Seems pretty cut and dry huh? I had no doubt who's side I was on at the beginning of this book. But by the end my opinion had changed.

Mr. Rash is an exceptional writer. He makes you feel like you're right there on that river with everyone else. He makes everyone involved feel so real, like they're distant relatives of ours. Just as I recommended his first book, I absolutely recommend this one as well. Mr. Rash is a very talented author who definitely should not be missed. I can't wait for his next novel.

Seldom.......2006-08-15

Seldom does a book make me choke up or shed a tear, but SAINTS AT THE RIVER was able to affect me emotionally as few other books in my life ever have. Perhaps it's because this story is from the south and after leaving the south a few years ago, I am often brought to tears when thinking about it because I miss it so much. Perhaps it's the lyrical way Mr. Rash has told this beautifully eerie story of the south that captured my heart. Perhaps it's the story itself, the death of a child in the first few pages that brought the tears. You be the judge. As I pack the book up and send it to my son, as I recommend it to a friend who I think might feel and appreciate what I did when I read it, I will again and again feel extremely lucky to have found it. As you read this you will find lines that are meant to touch you and do, that pull you into the middle of what everyone is living and feeling and dealing with in their own unique and personal ways. Don't pass this up.

Historical fiction?.......2006-06-26

I enjoy Rash's poetry and prose, and was very excited to read this particular novel. Text at the beginning of the book disclaims any connections with actual events or persons, but most anyone who lives in the southern Appalachia knows the story Rash is telling - from the partial description of Raven's Chute, to the gruesome details of dismemberment in a recovery at left crack. I think Rash is fantastic, but I'm wondering where/when the decision to cross the line blurring fiction and nonfiction is made or can be made.

Average customer rating:

Great book
A Futuristic Thriller
Terrific read
harrison bergeron meets holes
Fast-paced yet thoughtful

Rash
Pete Hautman
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Dairy Queen
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Life As We Knew It

ASIN: 0689868014

Book Description

"Of course, without people like us Marstens, there wouldn't be anybody to do the manual labor that makes this country run. Without penal workers, who would work the production lines, or pick the melons and peaches, or maintain the streets and parks and public lavatories? Our economy depends on prison labor. Without it everybody would have to work -- whether they wanted to or not."

In the late twenty-first century Bo Marsten is unjustly accused of a causing a rash that plagues his entire high school. He loses it, and as a result, he's sentenced to work in the Canadian tundra, at a pizza factory that's surrounded by hungry polar bears. Bo finds prison life to be both boring and dangerous, but it's nothing compared to what happens when he starts playing on the factory's highly illegal football team. In the meantime, Bork, an artificial intelligence that Bo created for a science project, tracks Bo down in prison. Bork has spun out of control and seems to be operating on his own. He offers to get Bo's sentence shortened, but can Bo trust him? And now that Bo has been crushing skulls on the field, will he be able to go back to his old, highly regulated life?

Pete Hautman takes a satirical look at an antiseptic future in this darkly comic mystery/adventure.

Customer Reviews:

Great book .......2007-10-01

this was a great book it's funny to hear an idea of what the future will be like and what the people living in the future think of our lives right now. Great book by Pete hautman looking foward to reading more of his books

A Futuristic Thriller.......2007-08-26

Rash by Pete Hautman is a great futuristic adventure that is impossible to quit reading. In this book the United States government has legislated safety in every aspect of life.

There were so many laws concerning safety that you could not even run track without wearing all kinds of silly pads and liners to prevent scrapes and chafing. You were required to take medicine called Levoular to slow your reflexes and give you more time to think about your actions. Is this what our society will be like one day?

Bo Marsten comes from a family with the genes of a temper problem, and as you can imagine it would be very hard to live in an environment like this with this kind of problem. Because of various events involving him getting in trouble he is forced to work at a Mc Donald's Pizza factory in Canada (which has now been annexed by the country) instead of going to prison.

While at the factory he made the Goldshirts football team. Now it is illegal to play football. There is no way for him to back out of playing but why would he want to? There is no way to get caught, because the head of the factory started up the team. And players also get some extra privileges. This is a funny part about the book and a great reason to read it.

One of the really amusing parts of the story is when the factory head, also the coach, talks about "destroying" the Red shirt team at the rival Coca Cola plant nearby. He says this so many times that it reminds you how opposite from society this guy really is. Beside from being in a jail kind of environment this sounds like a very fun place to be, if you were a Goldshirt. Although Bo was a Goldshirt he still wanted to find a way back to his old life.

Read the book to find out what happens next. Why would anybody not want to read this book? It is full of entertainment, funny, not hard to read, and a taste of hopefully what our future will not be.

Terrific read.......2007-06-05

Hautman's Godless remains one of my favorite teen books, and this one is almost as good. Like many other great science fiction novels, this is social commentary in disguise: Hautman conjures up a sinister future world that has taken some of our current obsessions to extremes, yielding nightmarish results. While I usually think the age recommendations for fiction are too low, the recommendation for this one is too high: middle schoolers will enjoy this book too.

harrison bergeron meets holes.......2006-11-25

Bo Marsten is living in the tail end of this century in the "USSA", a place where beer and french fries are outlawed, a good percent of the population is on a Ritalin-like drug, sports can only be played with maximum protective clothing, and manual labor is performed by people arrested for "rage" crimes. Bo's speech and action will seem like a normal teen's to the reader, but he winds up incarcerated for fighting with a classmate over a girl (using his fists, not weapons). He is placed in a work camp run by McDonald's and set in the frigid wilds of Canada. Like "Holes," the wardens are corrupt, the other inmates aggressive, and the environment punishing. Bo manages to become part of an elite group of boys who play football, the old-fashioned kind that is outlawed in the rest of the country. Meanwhile, an A1 program that Bo created in school has mutated and acquired a "life" of its own. The creation, called a web ghost, may just be able to spring Bo from his sentence early.

The book is an original, thought-provoking read. Just a decade ago, kids didn't wear bicycle helmets; could mandatory law be possible in the future? The only flaw is that apart from Bo and the A1, there is minimal character development. In "Holes" the relationship between Stanley and Zero helped give Stanley's character more depth. I also wanted more backstory on Bo. Had he really always had a bad temper, or did it develop when he became a teenager? Did the government/school do other things besides prescribe meds for people who were potential discipline problems?
How did he deal with his father leaving the first time? But I guess those questions were outside the scope of the book.

Fast-paced yet thoughtful.......2006-11-08

This is a real page-turner of a novel which also made me think and stayed with me after I got to the end. The narrator is a product of a disturbing future in which society has over-protected itself in a ridiculous but scary manner. Along with the dangers of bears, bullies, and brutal football is fun humor and winningly eccentric characters, including Bo the main character who has a wry, engaging voice. One of my favorite books of 2006.

Color Atlas & Synopsis of Pediatric Dermatology

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Dr.Azeem Alam Khan.M.B.,B.S(QAU),M.Sc(UK),FACP(USA).

Color Atlas & Synopsis of Pediatric Dermatology
Kay S. Kane , Jennifer Bissonette , Howard P. Baden , Richard. A. Johnson , and Alexander Stratigos
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill Professional
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0070062943

Book Description

The book's organization reflects the "tried and true" format of the best-selling "Fitz" Color Atlas: for each condition, there are one to two color photographs coupled with salient points of epidemiology, history, physical exam, differential diagnosis, laboratory and special examinations, disease course and up-to-date treatments.

Look for these important highlights:
*an extensive collection of exquisite new photographs for each condition as they present in children or adolescents
*a concise summary of etiology, physical findings, laboratory tests and prognosis for each condition
*emergency skin signs of life-threatening conditions in children, including infectious diseases, adverse drug reactions, and more
*new theraputic recommendations including the recently approved exciting topical immunomodulators for atopic dermatitis (tacrolimus) and HPV infections (imiquimod) with dosages and indications for the pediatric population

PEDIATRIC COLOR ATLAS features:
*493 new, crisp, clear color photographs from many previously unpublished collections
*straight-forward, user-friendly organization
*excellent, up-to-date management and therapy section approved pediatric dosages

A remarkable dollar value, this new PEDIATRIC COLOR ATLAS is an unbeatable visual guide to confirm your next diagnosis.

Customer Reviews:

Dr.Azeem Alam Khan.M.B.,B.S(QAU),M.Sc(UK),FACP(USA)........2003-05-07

I bought this marvelous book a week ago and find it very informative,too the point,precise and easy to understand.
All the pictures are very clear with proper headings,titles are easy to pick.It is a useful book for exams and one can gain allot from it in little time.
I highly recommend this book to all dermatologists and paeditricians.

Average customer rating:

Awful...
Just loved it...uniquely constructed
My Best Read this Summer
Beautifully written book.
Appalachian mystery

One Foot in Eden: A Novel
Ron Rash
Manufacturer: Picador
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Binding: Paperback

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The World Made Straight: A Novel
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A Parchment of Leaves (Ballantine Reader's Circle)

ASIN: 0312423055

Book Description

Will Alexander is the sheriff in a small town in southern Appalachia, and he knows that the local thug Holland Winchester has been murdered. The only thing is, the sheriff can find neither the body nor someone to attest to the killing. Simply, almost elementally told through the voices of the sheriff, a local farmer, his beautiful wife, their son, and the sheriff's deputy, One Foot in Eden signals the bellwether arrival of one the most mature and distinctive voices in southern literature.

Customer Reviews:

Awful..........2007-10-12

I tried, but couldn't get into this book. I got to maybe page 100....just slow moving, hard to keep attention. The book changes narrators...which is confusing.

Disappointed, since it had such "great" reviews.

Just loved it...uniquely constructed.......2007-07-24

I loved the construction of the book. It was very unique (I won't describe what I am talking about because that would spoil the fun). The prose was GORGEOUS, which is amazing considering that it was in an appalachian dialect. It wasn't hard to read because of the dialect at all (don't think Tom Sawyer).
It was a gripping story... I am not sure if I like how it was told or the story itself. It was just a gem.

I was surprised the author didn't draw out the penultimate climax (won't give it away). It was so emotionally charged and the overall climax was drawn out well...but the penultimate portion of that climax was almost underplayed. Again, I won't be more specific because it would spoil it.

Don't think twice about this book...just ORDER IT!!!

My Best Read this Summer .......2007-06-18

I was within 40 pages of finishing One Foot in Eden and I was quickly drawing it to a close during my lunch break tot he point of actually sitting in my car to finish. Ah, for me, the sign of a truly good read.

There is no need to given extensive summary as the reverse of the book and the plot summary on Amazon is adequate; instead I want to say that this is not only a great example of Southern Literature but a model of powerful fiction in general.

It is very obvious from reading this book that Ron Rash is a poet. He has powerful imagery running throughout this Southern gothic, mystery etc story told from the viewpoints 5 different characters.

If there was any detraction I would pay to the novel it is the following two (which is why I didn't give this really great read 5 stars): 1-the novel starts a bit slowly and I think it is because the vernacular seems a little forced in the beginning but settles in once we get to the 2nd speaker 2-the novel almost has two endings. The 4th speaker's section has an amazing ending that left me thinking but I understand why the 5th speaker was brought in to close out some other pieces of the story.

I highly recommend this for summer (or anytime).

Beautifully written book........2007-04-20

Ron Rash has proven his measure as a writer in his first novel, One Foot in Eden. This book is beautifully written. The vernacular takes the reader right into each scene. The characters of the Sheriff, Amy, and Billy were individually drawn and believable. Motives were understandable. I was pulled into the story of their lives that covered the first three-fourths of the book. The last fourth fell off just a bit, and is the reason this book is receiving a rating of four stars instead of five. I was disappointed with the outcome. I thought maybe that I had read it too fast and missed something, so reread it. No, the ending, especially the last ten pages of the son's story, seemed hurried and the impact was lessened because of it. The final chapter, the Deputy, also lacked the impact I think the author was trying to convey. Was the author trying to paint the universality of superstition in that culture? Because I didn't feel she deserved it. But even with the ending not going the way I wanted it to go, I loved this book. I devoured it, and I'll pass it on to my friends. Great book, overall.

Appalachian mystery.......2007-01-06

Ron Rash introduces strangers to the world of Appalachia and also sheds new light for those who know it well. His use of symbolism creates
a rich environment for a murder mystery. Well-drawn characters. Highly recommended!

Average customer rating:

I have a new RASH
The Straight Stuff
"What can be spoken is already dead in the heart."
DOWN AND DIRTY, GOOD READING!!!!
Hillbilly Opera

The World Made Straight: A Novel
Ron Rash
Manufacturer: Picador
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0312426607
Release Date: 2007-03-20

Book Description

Travis Shelton is seventeen the summer he wanders into the woods onto private property near his North Carolina home, discovers a grove of marijuana large enough to make him some serious money, and steps into the jaws of a bear trap. After hours on the forest floor, hes released from the trap by the shrewd and vicious farmer who set itbut he can no longer ignore the subtle evils that underlie the life of his small Appalachian community. Before long, Travis has moved out of his parents home to live with Leonard Shuler, a one-time schoolteacher who now deals a little pot to make ends meet. Travis becomes his student, of sorts, and the fate of these two outsiders becomes increasingly entwined as the communitys violent past and corrupt present bear down on each of them from every direction.

Customer Reviews:

I have a new RASH.......2007-07-26

Ron Rash manages to combine beautiful prose with an entirely unpredictable plot. His gift is that he doesn't allow the plot to overwhelm the language of the Carolina mountains. The native patwois seems beautifully logical and proper in Mr. Rash's creative hands.

The Straight Stuff.......2007-05-18

Though Rash tends more toward the lyrical than the abbreviated, Cormac-esque renderings of Larry Brown, one can't help but be reminded of Brown's best work here. The characters exist along the line where civilization and the hardscrabble underbelly of civilization intersect. Travis, the seventeen year-old protagonist, while characteristically unaware of the effect of his decisions on others must decide which world he will inhabit.

While not quite the equal of his benchmark effort, One Foot in Eden, The World Made Straight contains some of Rash's best writing and most convincing characters. Although the stunningly violent climax might be off-putting to some readers, it rings true and provides an appropriate parallel to the novel's historical subplot.

"What can be spoken is already dead in the heart.".......2007-04-14

The past reaches long, cold fingers into the present as seventeen-year-old Travis Shelton searches for identity in North Carolina. A high school drop out, Travis is the child of an unhappy home, a solicitous, if helpless, mother and an always dissatisfied father who never has anything good to say about his son. While trespassing after fishing nearby, Travis happens upon a marijuana crop and cannot resist the urge to cut down some of the plants. Travis delivers this bounty to the dilapidated trailer of a local dope dealer, Leonard Shuler. Shuler accepts the pot, no questions asked, so Shelton returns a second time. On his third visit, Travis meets with a predictable "accident", his leg caught in a bear trap set by Carlton Toomey, the one man no one wants to fool with in this part of the country. Toomey releases the boy, first exacting a promise that he will never tell about the illegal plants or the trap. Desperate and in pain, Travis agrees.

After his release and a few days in the hospital, Travis returns home only to receive more abuse from his father. Tired of years of disrespect, Travis shows up on Shuler's doorstep, suitcase in hand. The ex-school teacher turned drug dealer doesn't turn the boy away, although he can't justify the decision to let Travis stay either, especially since he already has a female guest, the battered Dena, just a step from the gutter. The three coexist, Travis even acquiring a girlfriend, a candy striper he met in the hospital. It seems there is a place in the world for three castoffs, at least temporarily. Leonard even discovers Travis' curiosity about his own history, a family connection with the Shelton Laurel Massacre. Supporting the boy's interest in his ancestry and a general willingness to learn, the two visit the site of the killings. After a while, Travis even considers getting his GED. Then fate intervenes, as it always does, once more in the form of Carlton Toomey.

In a country that breeds such men as Toomey, there are many who fall victim, neither Leonard nor Travis exceptions. But Leonard has unwittingly nurtured something more in Travis, the beginnings of self-respect and an innate sense of injustice. A sudden violence brought to its logical conclusion in the rugged hills, the very same area where Travis' relatives were mowed down, the boy-about-to-become-man finds that he can no longer countenance his own inaction in the face of brutality. Regardless of the consequences, Travis takes his lessons to heart. Luan Gaines/2007.

DOWN AND DIRTY, GOOD READING!!!!.......2007-03-26

I have never read a Ron Rash novel before; believe me, this will be the first of ALL of his books that I will read. I found the writing to be excellent, true to life, and very, very gripping.

Meet Travis, a young teenager in North Carolina. Travis finds some marijuana in the woods, and steals it and keeps going back for more. You know his luck can't hold out and it doesn't -- he gets caught in a bear trap no less and his troubles begin.

Enter the Toomeys -- gosh darn, they scared me! The writing is so great and vivid I could actually see, hear, and smell these drug dealing losers. They are a father/son team, nasty, vicious, low-life. They doctor Travis' injuries he got from THEIR bear trap, threaten him, let him go.

Things go downhill for Travis then -- he gets into it again with his father, gets beaten, leaves his home and moves in with Leonard. Wow, I loved Leonard. Leonard is also a drug dealer, living in a nasty, run-down trailer, but he is a former school teacher and smart as the day is long. He is so interested in the Civil War and the people from the past who were in the Civil War in the area where Leonard lives . He has actual journals from the war in his possession. Now in his possession is Travis and also Dena, a down-on-her-luck druggie who also lives with Leonard.

Leonard and Travis become close as can be. Travis admires and looks up to Leonard and Travis becomes the son Leonard never had. They seem to pull each other up and out of the pits they have fallen into. Life gets better for both of them. They study the war, they read constantly, go to the library, they talk, they become true friends. The three of them form a deep relationshihp. They all care for each other, Leonard however is the person who takes care of them all.

Without giving away too much of the story, Leonard, Travis, and Dena become involved with the nasty, mean, deadly Toomey men. I found the end of the book gripping and scary and full of action and surprises. I hoped and prayed for a happy ending. Read the book and find out more.

The story moves and flows and is never boring. You will find out interesting facts about an actual event in the Civil War. The characters are true to life and you will become fond of them. Becoming "friends" with book characters and caring and worrying about them means one thing - the author has done a great job of writing! Getting the reader to care takes talent. And Ron Rash has that talent!

Get this book and enjoy it. I will be getting the others by Ron Rash, ONE FOOT IN EDEN and SAINTS AT THE RIVER. He also writes poetry. Such a talent.

Settle in, get comfortable, and read this great book.

Thank you! Pam

Hillbilly Opera.......2007-01-28

I agree with the reviewer who wrote that The World Made Straight offers the reader a - for the most part - well-oiled plot, and does so with great lyrical prowess. The World Made Straight has literary merit and is a good yarn too.

To quibble, however, I might question if Leonard is constant enough throughout the book. He seemed to be a real rebel when Travis first met him in his trailer. While he joked with Travis about the nature of ignorance, he didn't lay claim to any kind of superiority and came off like a hick. For me, the "academic mentorship" theme came of left field and felt removed from the back country setting of the otherwise drawling hillbillies and hip-pocket moonshine. Leonard valued education greatly. But given all that he'd been through, with his academic career, I would have thought he would be more jaded.

My favorite character was Dena. She was real and I think she changed during the novel. The story really happened to her. She was flawed, of course, but she was also redeemable in some way. If only she could be the person she had the potential to be, if only she could end the cycle of a useless life.

The Toomey pair were good too. A bit stereotyped but they broke through that stereotype and were true characters of their own.

The prose is lyrical, and the language is rooted in the soil of Madison county. Rash uses metaphors that involve allusions to nature and these people's dirt-under-the-nails experience of it. On one occasion, the author describes a truck driving down a road. He doesn't reference the truck's direction in terms of the white and yellow markings on the blacktop but by the stream that runs beside it. The road and car travel nearer and closer to the more important winding of the stream. It's clear by the writing that when the stream winds away from the road, the stream remains the focus point. The road moves relative to the land, the land stays where it is.

Helmet-Mounted Displays: Design Issues for Rotary Wing Aircraft (SPIE Press Monograph, Vol. PM93) (SPIE P.)

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Helmet-Mounted Displays: Design Issues for Rotary Wing Aircraft (SPIE Press Monograph, Vol. PM93) (SPIE P.)

Manufacturer: SPIE Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0819439169

Book Description

The incorporation of new technology into aviation has had an enormous impact. Advances in microelectronics, stealth technology, engine design, and electronic sensors and displays have converted simple aircraft into formidable flying machines. In this book, recognized experts in aviation helmet-mounted displays summarize 25 year of knowledge and experience in HMD visual, acoustic, and biodynamic performance, and user issues such as sizing, fitting, and emergency egress.

Riding The American Dream: Surviving Road Rash & Living To Tell About It: The Official Story of Excelsior-Henderson Motorcycles

Average customer rating:

"Failure" now reviewed in MBA class
Pro Editor required
Enlightening and Educational

Riding The American Dream: Surviving Road Rash & Living To Tell About It: The Official Story of Excelsior-Henderson Motorcycles
Dan Hanlon
Manufacturer: Union Hill Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Company Profiles | Biography & History | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

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Harvard Business Review on Business and the Environment (A Harvard Business Review Paperback)

ASIN: 097423026X

Book Description

This true story is the remarkable, modern-day story of a brutally intensive business start-up—that dared to cross swords against the industry giants. As told by Dan Hanlon, founder of Excelsior-Henderson Motorcycles, this book gives an insider's view of the company that set out to accomplish what no other independent American start-up had achieved in nearly a century. This amazing saga, which has been compared to the Tucker Automobile company of the 1940s, and the DeLorean Motor company of the early 1980s, chronicles the good, the bad, and the ugly while raising nearly $100 million—from a public offering on Wall Street, to burnouts on Main Street. And, not one dollar from a venture capital firm.

It is the story of the passionate grassroots heroes who endeavored to achieve the impossible.

The pioneer spirit is alive and well in America today. Entrepreneurs, inventors, and everyday citizens alike pursue the American Dream with the vigor and determination of our founding fathers, blazing new trails across dangerous territory to accomplish their goals—except the wilderness now is the modern-day business world. These visionaries inspire us to reach higher, to battle the odds and live our dreams, to achieve our own levels of greatness.

Rediscover the pioneer spirit in the Excelsior-Henderson family story as told in this true, compelling, often humorous tale written by company founder Dan Hanlon. With unequalled passion and a devotion to creating a top-quality product, this team built, from the ground up, a new American motorcycle company that raised nearly $100 million in capital from investors around the globe. Learn how they conquered the elements, battling industry giants, skeptics, and critics to bring their vision to life. Share in the Road Crew's boundless energy, enthusiasm, and commitment to their pursuit and savor their moments of victory—an endeavor that reminds us what it means to dream, and more importantly, how to achieve our dreams.

This poignant, behind-the-scenes tour of the company's operations is one Ride you will never forget.

Customer Reviews:

"Failure" now reviewed in MBA class.......2007-01-03

We read the book as part of a business strategy class in my MBA program.
The book is very insightful. Besides the fact, that the venture ultimately went belly-up, Hanlon describes his methodology for raising capital. He raised +$90 million over 7 years - a significant achievement, considering that he did not have huge investors right away, but focused on "grass-roots" fund raising.
I was impressed and took many lessons learned away from his approach.
He details his milestone fund raising and the principles he founded the company on. The book furthermore is an application guide on how to identify your target customers and on how to market towards them, so that they will not only buy your product, but also help you finance the venture that designs and manufactures the product - quite impressive and an absolutely novel approach.
Before you pass judgement, based on what you have read in the press, I recommend highly to read Dan Hanlon's account of the dream he lived and embarked on realizing. If you still think Hanlon was full of it, well that is an opinion, too, but at least you have exposed yourself to both sides.

Pro Editor required.......2004-02-03

Not sure of the complete story of what happened with EH, I was curious to learn more. The history of the start up venture was interesting as were stories from Sturgis. Even the section of the "gearhead" related topics weren't too hard to follow, as I was afraid I'd be confused. But overall, I don't really understand what happened except that the financing options ran out. But why? That area is foggy and seemed condensed in the later chapters. It makes you wonder what the 2nd side of the story is. I think some professional editing would've helped in the story, as well. The writing was obviously as Dan Hanlon would speak aloud. But that tone gets tiresome and he sometimes gets off on tangets. Perhaps the book wouldn't have been as long either.

Enlightening and Educational.......2003-12-19

Some of the best books ever, are the ones that friends give me. Of course, it helps to have smart friends! My brother bought an Excelsior-Henderson motorcycle. He loves it. Convincing my other brother to buy all three of us Dan Hanlon's book.

It is first of all, a great recap of the seven plus years of E-H's struggle from the man at the helm. But is really is a great business "how to" or perhaps "how not to" launch a capital intensive manufacturing business. The tales of fund raising are not for the faint of heart.

Serious about a startup business? Read this book first. It is so fast paced, that I was able to read the whole 401 pages in just two sessions. Some great photos included, as well as some corporate documents like the list of E-H dealers.

Even if you are not going for a capital intensive venture, it will still help. The passages on corporate culture were great. And the interaction with Wall Street was fun reading. Oh yea, everyone that knows anything about E-H has second guessed Hanlon. He convinced me that every single criticism was for the most part, untrue. One example is the building. It just "looks" expensive. The true costs were amazingly low.

Book Description

Raising the Dead is Ron Rash's third book of poetry. The overall theme is loss, both the social loss from the disappearance of communities due to the external effects of technology, and the personal loss from the death of a family member. The book is divided into five sections with the first and last dealing with the social impacts of the flooding of the Jocassee Valley on the border of North and South Carolina.

As in his other books, Rash is very precise in his use of language, with the prosody being informed by Welsh forms. Many of the poems use a style of syllabic verse featuring seven- syllable lines with internal echos, but most readers will not notice the craftsmanship of these poems because they flow so naturally. There is great narrative intensity in these poems with short poems of short lines telling detailed and vivid stories.

Customer Reviews:

Rash on the Rise.......2007-01-21

Ron Rash is an up-and-coming Southern writer. Content and language captures the South of today and yesterday. Quick reading with both the humorous and serious mixed in such a fashion that the reader wants to get to the next page, the next scenerio, the outcome. I have several of his works and they are all terrific.

RAISING THE BAR.......2002-05-03

In RAISING THE DEAD, Ron Rash not only raises the bar for himself but also for anyone else that chooses to write Appalachain-based verse. As in AMONG THE BELIEVERS, this poet demonstrates an uncanny ability to create rhythmic short lines (seven syllables).

Rash closes a poem as well as anyone writing today. As a result, the ghosts in these poems, of the Jocassee Valley and its aqua-burial and of the revisited ancestors and historical figures will haunt the reader beyond the pages of the book.

Finally, what sets Rash apart from many of his contemporaries is his ability to recognize and to develop valid poetic topics. There is nothing superficial, superfluous, or forced in the pages of this volume. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

On RAISING THE DEAD by Ron Rash.......2002-04-30

Raising the Dead, Ron Rash

This book, both inside and out, is a work of art, equal to and even surpassing the others Iris has done. I opened it as soon as it arrived, knowing Ron Rash and Iris and knowing that this would be a once-in-a lifetime experience, and it was--and is.
To begin with, the book is physically beautiful, the cover design an invitation, even an enticement into the poems themselves. After reading the poems, one is drawn back to the cover, realizing the profound implications of the photo. Even the colors chosen complement the content of the book.
Ron's poems are so provocative and so keenly crafted that one reading is never enough. The images are so strong that they take the reader by the throat and heart right through the experience and emotion of the poem, and then the image echoes like a song repeating and repeating itself both awake and in dreams. I will never get over "Under Jocassee" and "Whippoorwill" and "Speckled Trout" and "Brightleaf" and "At Reid Hartley's Junkyard" and ....
Ron's poems are so moving that one can read only one or two poems at a time. Almost every piece is so rich with implication and surprise that it's like reading a powerful short story, like having lightning strike right in your own backyard.
I will be using many of the poems in Raising the Dead not only in poetry workshops as examples of the BEST in contemporary poetry but also in my bereavement counseling and medical ethics group sessions.
Wow! What a treasure!
In short, this book not only enriches but deeply affects--changes--the reader's life. What more could a poet or a publisher or a reader desire?

Raising the Dead: Profound Yet Readable.......2002-04-26

Raising the Dead is a book I could not put down. During my second reading I began a list of favorite poems. However, I soon abandoned the idea because the list took on the appearance of the table of contents.
The underlying theme of the work is loss. Overlaid on that theme Ron Rash has wrapped astounding imagery in Appalachian family stories and folk tales to create a masterful protest of the Jocassee Reservoir.
Book arrangement is superb. Poems provide a series of knockout punches with very little breathing room between them.
Despite his daily academic environment, Rash has avoided the temptation to bury his stories and images in literary language. His ability to produce profound poetry in everyday words is reminiscent of Billy Collins.
This outstanding book must be included in the library of any poet or lover of poetry.

Raising the Dead Brings Legend To Life.......2002-04-07

Only several pages into Ron Rash's Raising the Dead, I was struck by the artful, highly effective arrangement of the poems. At times the shorter pieces seem like fragments, but they function as transitions into the longer, narrative poems with their haunting personal voices. I often had the sense I was reading a novel, or in section three, a memoir. Poetry collections tend to lend themselves to browsing. Raising the Dead is a rare exception. I didn't want to put the volume down. I found myself reading on for "story," knowing more would be revealed in each subsequent poem.

Average customer rating:

60's Era Espionage for the Kiddles
Get Smart and read this book!
Another great book
Puts a smile on anyone's face!

Agent A To Agent Z
Andy Rash
Manufacturer: Arthur A. Levine Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Action & Adventure | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

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

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

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

General | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0439368820

Amazon.com

Can Agent A complete his mission and uncover a rogue spy? Find out, in this silly, spy-themed alphabet book by illustrator-author Andy Rash (The Robots Are Coming) as you walk through the alphabet one letter (and one secret agent) at a time.

Agent A receives an urgent mission from the boss: "Every spy who is official/ uses words with his initial./ But one spy is out of line./ I need to know his name by nine." So the faithful agent takes off, racing through the alphabet to find the troublemaker: "Agent B correctly chooses/ Blue and so the Bomb defuses"; "Agent C is Crawling up/ the window using suction Cups." Crossing suspects off his list, Agent A works his way through a goofy, bumbling crew of colleagues who wear all sorts of crazy gear to complete their missions: "Agent I is Incognito,/ posing as a large mosquito". All the stories check out, until Agent A makes a startling discovery that could get him kicked out of the agency (and make him miss the big Agent Dance!).

Rash keeps the pace fast and funny, drawing dynamic spreads that maintain the book's mock-serious, Get Smart tone while still providing plenty of colorful, comedic details, from surreptitiously poisoned martinis to a gadget-equipped circular agent bed. (Ages 4 to 8) --Paul Hughes

Book Description

Agent A is on Assignment to find the spy not in alignment --Whose actions don't quite match his name. Want to join A in the game? It might look easy, but it's not. Here's one alphabetic lot:"Agent B correctly chooses Blue, and so the Bomb defuses.""Agent C is Crawling upthe window using suction Cups."All the way from A to Z, not one dud rhyme will you see.And it's all drawn with style and flash by the amazing Agent Rash.Enjoy the mission! Best of luck. And now this page will self-destruct.

Customer Reviews:

60's Era Espionage for the Kiddles.......2006-08-29

This is a FANTASTIC children's book (easily the most creative ABC book I've ever run across)! The rhymes are funny and well thought out, and the illustrations have an amazing retro spy feel. This book is dark and funny at the same time, and the illustrations are worth a long second look. I can't wait to read this book to a storytime group!!

Get Smart and read this book!.......2004-03-19

I am *not* Andy Rash's cousin or any relation at all, but I *still* think his latest book is an absolute delight! I have a professional review posted at www.planetesme.com/dontmiss.html, but I wanted to say from a personal perspective, when I read this book aloud in the classroom, every turned page was met with laughter, groans of "cooool!" and plenty of "Wow!" The artwork is so hip and the rhymes are really creative. Even though the theme is action-packed, the level of violence stays PG. The spy dance party at the end complete with fedora-wearing record-scratching DJ was a HOOT! When I was done sharing the book with classes, boys dove after my copy like tigers on a t-bone. This book taps into what kids want to read here and now, with a finger on the pulse of the reluctant reader. It is my own son's new favorite book. If your family enjoys The Spy Kids movies, Rocky and Bullwinkle or any of the Pink Panther stuff, you've got to add this title to your shelves! I also love Andy Rash's collection of subversive verse _The Robots are Coming_, which has become one of our standard gifts for boys turning eight. Can't to see what this offbeat talent will offer up next!

Another great book.......2004-02-11

Okay, I'll 'fess up -- I might be slightly biased because Andy's my cousin. Nepotism aside, this is just a great book. It's funny in the same way Andy is and engages the reader in the story. The illustrations are amazing and perfectly suited to the text. Although now he's all grown up, as they say, Andy still has the ability to see life through the eyes of a child, and his work always connects with children and adults alike. Great job, "cuz".

Puts a smile on anyone's face!.......2004-02-11

The images are fantastic and the agent rhymes are the perfect mix of humor and wit so both kids and adults will love this book. I loved turning each page to see what the next agent was up to! I'm buying this book for all my little cousins.

The Night the New Jesus Fell to Earth and Other Stories from Cliffside, North Carolina

Average customer rating:

First Outing
Rash Rocks, Really
Fun, light reading.
A great summary of life in the south
luckily,this was a small book-I couldn't put it down

The Night the New Jesus Fell to Earth and Other Stories from Cliffside, North Carolina
Ron Rash
Manufacturer: Bench Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0930769112

Book Description

The Night the New Jesus celebrates storytelling a art and necessity. Like the best Southern writers, Ron Rash gives us funny without cornpone, irony without mockery, charm without sentimentality.

Customer Reviews:

First Outing.......2007-06-08

I was in Toronto when I first heard of Ron Rash. I saw his name on the back of the 2005 O. Henry Awards collection. I bought it because an old teacher of mine had a story in it. When I got home to Aberystwyth, I put the volume aside and somehow forgot about it. Three months ago, I finally picked it up to read. To me, one story stood tall and true above all of them. And it was 'Speckled Trout', by an author called Ron Rash. After finishing the story I felt fed but ravenous for more - the way I felt after first reading Breece D'J Pancake. Within three weeks, I bought and read all of Rash's fiction.

This, oddly, was the volume of his that I read the last. Rash loves words: he uses with them precision and care. His prose feels as carved as much as written. Like D.H. Lawrence, Rash grips his subject with both head and heart; a combination rarely seen, and even more rarely seen in balance. Religion, passion, the grip of history: they're all here in these tales. If the stories here aren't as polished as those in Casualties, and his new collection Chemistry (which reprints a selection of stories from Casualties), they're still good work. I urge your attention towards them.

Rash Rocks, Really.......2007-05-16

Ron Rash rocks as he delves into life in a small town. From character to setting, Ron gets it right and he delivers. This is more than a witty collection of stories set in a small community in Western Carolina, it's a study into small town characters, their motives, methods, and madness. I found myself laughing out loud and reading bits to a colleague in our Spindale, NC, real estate office. This is a good read. And if you live in Rutherford County - you should read it right away.

Fun, light reading........2005-04-11

I learned of Ron Rash recently when a friend mailed me a copy of his excellent short story, "Speckled Trout". After reading that I quickly picked up this collection.

These ten short stories, narrated by three citizens of Cliffside, NC evolve into a novella. Mr. Rash has an ear for earthy dialogue and his characters are real enough for anyone who has spent time among the haves and have-nots of Appalachia. His sight, sound and smell of a small mountain community rings true. There is humor in these pages touched with irony and unspoken sadness.

"There are people in this world who can be happy only if they are unhappy, " he writes, "Unfortunately, these people never want to be happy in their unhappiness alone. So they marry people like Homer."

All too rare in this work are the superbly crafted lines like the above but there is enough here to conclude that this and his other works should be read. In truth I can not say that these stories had the weight and subtly of "Speckled Trout" but I did enjoy them and fully plan to continue to read his work.

Those interested in the genre are also referred to the fine work being done by Bob Sloan, a very talented good old boy from Kentucky.

A great summary of life in the south.......1998-11-12

This is a book I give as a gift over and over because it is so well written and very entertaining as well. I highly reccomend this book to anyone who enjoys reading about characters who are so real, they jump off the page.

luckily,this was a small book-I couldn't put it down.......1998-09-16

I am a part-time media specialist at Pendleton Library and thoroughly enjoyed this book. I have three small children and they were always asking me "what does it say, mama"?

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