In the Country of Men

Average customer rating:

Going nowhere

Remarkable!

1984 on the Mediterranean

Flawed but powerful and moving

Beautiful, wrenching

In the Country of Men
Hisham Matar
Manufacturer: The Dial Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0385340427
Release Date: 2007-01-30

Book Description

Libya, 1979. Nine-year-old Suleiman’s days are circumscribed by the narrow rituals of childhood: outings to the ruins surrounding Tripoli, games with friends played under the burning sun, exotic gifts from his father’s constant business trips abroad. But his nights have come to revolve around his mother’s increasingly disturbing bedside stories full of old family bitterness. And then one day Suleiman sees his father across the square of a busy marketplace, his face wrapped in a pair of dark sunglasses. Wasn’t he supposed to be away on business yet again? Why is he going into that strange building with the green shutters? Why did he lie?

Suleiman is soon caught up in a world he cannot hope to understand—where the sound of the telephone ringing becomes a portent of grave danger; where his mother frantically burns his father’s cherished books; where a stranger full of sinister questions sits outside in a parked car all day; where his best friend’s father can disappear overnight, next to be seen publicly interrogated on state television.

In the Country of Men is a stunning depiction of a child confronted with the private fallout of a public nightmare. But above all, it is a debut of rare insight and literary grace.

Customer Reviews:

Going nowhere.......2007-10-05

This book was an excursion to nowhere. I did not feel it gave a great sense of country and there was not much of a story. In the last few months I have read "What is the What", (a great book), "A Long Way Gone" and "Don't Let's Not Go To The Dogs Tonight", all set in Africa, and they all gave the reader a great feel of the countries in which there were set.
They also had a more interesting story progression, although they were more autobiographical. I never got a great feel for Libya in this book. Try another book.

Remarkable!.......2007-09-09

I occasionally see someone so clumsy that I think to myself how lucky everyone is that they don't do heart surgery. Reading In the Country of Men reminds me that I should be very thankful that I never aspired to becoming an author. The craftsmanship that Mr. Matar displays throughout this book is simply humbling. I can't write well enough to do it justice. I can only suggest that you buy it and see for yourself.

1984 on the Mediterranean.......2007-07-26

I heard about this book from an interview of Terry Gross on NPR's Fresh Air with the author Hisham Mater. In the interview Mater talked of his own life experience as a boy watching interrogations on Libyan TV and the eventual detention of his father and the exile of the family first to Egypt then England. The author came across as a very thoughtful and articulate, his description of his experience as a child coming so close to the horrors of torture clearly left its mark on him.

In the Country of Men, belongs to the semi fiction genre, it is based on real events witnessed first hand by the author but clearly the author let his very creative talents take over and weave a number of other interesting patterns on the same basic setting of Libyan social and political life in the Seventies.

Hot Mediterranean summer days, lots of white sand and the beautiful blue Mediterranean, a nine year only child living with a mother suffering from depression and alcoholism trying to make the most of a bad marriage. A father, who is somewhat remote and a bit caricature like is a businessman turned activist obsessed with making Libya a better place. Libya is very much right out of 1984 with much of the horrors, brain washing and denials and a great "Guide" too.

Mater's developed his own child character and that of his mother's superbly into complete multi dimensional human beings. The cruelty and contradictions in the child were masterfully portrayed. Also his sense of place and time is remarkable, Mater makes you virtually taste the beautiful delicious mulberries or sense the heat burning your feet from walking in the hot afternoons to the Tripoli beach.

The disappointing parts of the book were just two aspects; the limited development of the character of the father who was clearly central to the story. While it may have been Mater's intention to paint a picture from the eyes of a 9 year old and as a result a sketchy picture of the father may have been appropriate, this somehow jarred with me as the narrative was that of a more mature adult reflecting back on childhood days. This maturity came across in many ways but fell short when discussing the father. The second disappointing aspect of the book was the relationship with Karim, the childhood friend. Mater was brilliant in the way he dealt with the Karim relationship throughout the book but somehow appear to have felt compelled to tidy things up for a semi happy ending.

The interview with Terry Gross, revealed the true experience of Mater's life and the real life ending was far worse than the one he offered. Perhaps this would explain Mater's need to retain a distance from his father, even in a work of semi fiction and the relatively rushed ending of the book.

I strongly recommend this book as another beautifully written work in English with a strong Arab Mediterranean sensibility.

Flawed but powerful and moving.......2007-07-22

Hisham Matar's "In The Country of Men" is the third (and best) of six Man Booker Prize nominated titles last year which takes a child's perspective of the confusing adult world around it as its starting point. Suleiman, growing up in Gaddafi's terror regime in Libya in the late 70s/early 80s, senses something amiss when he spots his father in the market square one day as if in the guise of another person he doesn't know or recognise. His mother is jumpy, nervous, weepy, and frequently taking solace in a secret brew when she's not telling her young son the history of her own childhood, the tyranny of her own father, uncles and brothers and how she came to be married to her father. Soon after his best friend's father is arrested after being visited upon at night by men in black, problems arise for Suleiman's father and his likeminded counter revolutionary friends. Though Gaddafi is hardly mentioned by name - he is but a shadowy presence throughout, only materializing in a picture hung above the mantelpiece - everybody lives in fear of the unexpected knock on the door in the night that could change one's life forever.

Not surprisingly, blood will be spilt and an innocent man will go to his death in a brutal public hanging that will leave you shaking. There will be compromises made - is capitulation cowardice to be ashamed of, or is it courage to want to live to fight another day ? The grown up Suleiman, now living safely abroad, may look back and think he understands the madness that went on in his country before but as an adult, can he avoid judging his parents a little unfavourably, a little unfairly perhaps, for their decision ? Like the mad neighbourhood beggar the boys likes to taunt, the boy Suleiman may not be able to make sense of the adult world around him but emotionally he was always connected and tapping right into the love of his parents. So, which of the two perspectives is truer ?

Matar's debut novel is powerful and moving but it is less than polished in some essential aspect. For instance, the author started promisingly on the back story of Suleiman's mother which would have been a perfect way of revealing more about Libyan society to us but inexplicably, he lost interest in developing it further and left the thread of it hanging without any follow through. A pity. Such flaws aside, "In The Country Of Men" is an excellent read and highly recommended.

Beautiful, wrenching.......2007-06-17

This is a beautiful, wrenching book. Each page is dense with description and events, and the author makes each word count double or triple. This simplicity allows the story to come through with heartbreaking clarity.

My only quibble is that the boy seems a bit too naive to make his age, supposedly nine, seem realistic. I'd think that a nine-year-old might be a little more clued-in to some of what's going on in his country, especially a nine-year-old sensitive enough to be burdened with his mother's reminiscences. The fact that he didn't realize what her "medicine" and "illness" were also seems a bit hard to believe, but perhaps in an Islamic country a child wouldn't know.

Anyway, a beautiful, wonderful book. I look forward to other efforts by this author.

Average customer rating:

Great Motivational book for children
Almanzo's Childhood: Preparing for His Life and His Wife (His Bride)!
Farmer Boy
...makes it impossible for readers to follow the saying 'early to bed, early to rise'...keeps you reading long into the night
Read it aloud yourself, please.

Farmer Boy (Little House)
Laura Ingalls Wilder
Manufacturer: HarperTrophy
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0064400034

Book Description

The story of a boy named
Almanzo Wilder . . .

While Laura Ingalls grows up in a little house on the western prairie, Almanzo Wilder is living on a big farm in New York State. Almanzo and his brother and sisters work at their chores from dawn to supper most days-no matter what the weather. There is still time for fun, though, especially with the horses, which Almanzo loves more than anything.

Farmer Boy is the third book in the Laura Years series.

From shearing sheep and milking cows to training young calves, Almanzo Wilder worked very hard on his family's farm in New York. But when his chores were all done, Almanzo could go to his favorite place in the whole world -- the Horse-Barn. Although his father wouldn't let him handle the frisky colts, Almanzo could still look at them and dream of one day having a horse all his own!

Customer Reviews:

Great Motivational book for children.......2007-05-17

If your kids complain that you give them too many chores to do and they never get any time to have fun this book should be a must read! Not only does it contain numerous lessons about farming techniques and problems but it also shows how much a little boy of 10 years is capable of doing and how willing and proud he is of doing it. I was very impressed with the book and found myself reading it on my own, without my child. Laura Ingalls Wilder has quite a talent in putting pictures down in words. Almanzo Wilder's one year in this book was facinating and enlightening. I have a much larger appreciation for both what times were like and how much easier they are now.

Almanzo's Childhood: Preparing for His Life and His Wife (His Bride)!.......2007-04-27

Of all the Laura Ingalls Wilder "Little House" books, FARMER BOY is, hands down, my very favorite.

The book covers a portion of the boyhood of Almanzo Wilder, who was to grow up to become Laura's husband. Almanzo grew up on a thriving, successful farm in New York state. Almanzo's father was especially known and respected for raising top-quality horses. Almanzo's mother had her own home business ventures and was known for making top-quality butter, fetching top dollar, to be served in some of the finest restaurants in New York City.

I could probably write a book about this book and why I love it so much. Through the examples of the Wilder family, its strengths and limitations, the author puts forth some enduring lessons about hard work, mutual respect, the value of time and money, hope... and more. FARMER BOY stands out among the other "Little House" books because: a) it is about Almanzo, long before he ever met Laura, ten years his junior (so Laura was not even born yet at the time this book starts its story); and b) the Wilder family, like the Ingalls family, faced hardships, but not to the relentless and ridiculous level that the Ingalls family seemed to do so, leaving more room to delineate normal, day-to-day life, which itself was incredibly rich and interesting.

During the time that Laura, many miles away, was an infant and young child, Almanzo was growing up in New York, developing his love of horses and skill in working with them. During the time he was a young man venturing out west, Laura herself was developing her love of horses and skill in riding them. That they were both "horse lovers" provided a lovely and important common ground later when they met, courted and married.

Almanzo James Wilder was born February 13, 1857 and died on October 23, 1949, at the age of 92. Laura Elizabeth Ingalls was born on February 7, 1867 and died on February 10, 1957, at age 90. They were married on August 25, 1885. These details mean that Almanzo was very much alive in 1933 when FARMER BOY was published, and presumably, very much available as a resource for his wife Laura, the author. To me, that is precious and relevant, for it attests to longevity (both of their marriage and their lives) and to the presumption of authenticity regarding this wonderful book. Highly recommended!

Farmer Boy.......2007-04-03

Farmer Boy

Do you like farms? Well, this boy certainly does! This boy named Almanzo is a boy who just loves the farm. Farmer Boy tells you how farming was done in the 1870's. It describes how they used to have to spend two weeks cutting hay, and how they had to wake up at three o'clock in the morning on Independence Day just to save the corn. It tells what it was like to live in the house with his two parents, and his annoying big brother and sisters! This is the life of a true farmer! I thought that this book was great, and I really encourage you to read it.
Farmer Boy is recommended for kids eight to twelve. Personally, I think that this book is great for people8 and older. I know s that still like it, and I know that I do! Even though a lot of people over twelve do not give it a chance, I hope that you will.
The words in this book are very easy to understand, and there is no inappropriate content either. For example, in the book it says, "The ice-house was built of boards with wide between. It was set high off the ground on wooden blocks, and looked like a big cage."(Sic) You can see just from this quote that it is easy to read, and Laura Ingalls Wilder did a great job of describing things.
Farmer Boy is also a good chapter book for visual learners. In every chapter there is at least one picture. This helps you visualize what is happening in the book, and it helps you understand what is going on.
I thought that Farmer Boy was a great book. I really learned a lot about life and farming in the 1870's. This book is perfect for people who love history and biographies. The best part of the book is at the end when Almanzo gets a big present; it is something that he has always wanted. The only way you will find out what it is is read the book!

...makes it impossible for readers to follow the saying 'early to bed, early to rise'...keeps you reading long into the night.......2007-01-24

Nine-year-old Almanzo "Manzo" Wilder has a delightful family, complete with three older siblings (Royal, Eliza Jane, and Alice), along with two loving parents, and never wants for anything - especially not food, as the table is always laden with lavish spreads of food, from mashed potatoes to chicken, and pumpkin pie to apples and onions. But now, as Manzo begins preparing for school, he realizes that there's something he wants more than anything, and that's a colt of his very own. Pa, however, doesn't believe that Almanzo is old enough to break a colt. He feels that Almanzo's duties lie more within weeding the fields, and training a team of young oxen to pull carts, and assist with the daily chores. So Almanzo decides to prove to his family that he has the strength, and the maturity, to have his own colt. From sun up, until sun down Almanzo works as much as he possibly can, helping his father with everything from seeding to weeding, and pulling to sheering. It is only, however, when the New York State resident realizes that skipping school all the time to work among a farm, and neglecting his studies to play with his friends and spend the day sledding, that Almanzo learns that proving your responsibility doesn't only take a lot of manual labor, but labor for your mind, as well.

As an avid viewer of the "Little House On the Prairie" TV show, I wasn't exposed to the character of Almanzo Wilder until he was well out of childhood, and considered a man. So I was quite excited to have the opportunity to learn more about his quirks as a pre-pubescent boy growing up in northern New York State. Almanzo, even at the age of nine, was a responsible boy who grew up to be a responsible man. He worked hard, but never forgot to enjoy his youth by getting into all sorts of mischief - from overeating ice cream, to staining the family's parlor wall with blacking. His interactions with his older brother and sisters are comical, as he is treated like a baby more often than not, and appears to resent it more than anything. As strange as it sounds, I was a big fan of Almanzo's mother throughout the tale. Talk of her days and nights slaving over a stove, preparing the most mouth-watering meals known to man really gave me an accurate depiction of the amount of work that took place during the frontier years, while at the same time leaving me with a serious craving for a thick slice of pumpkin pie. As with the previous book in the series, LITTLE HOUSE IN THE BIG WOODS, FARMER BOY includes a biography about the author, Laura Ingalls Wilder, along with a brief history on two very important subjects (the county fair, and school days), the lyrics to a song (Yankee-Doodle), and a recipe (Pulled Molasses Candy). FARMER BOY makes it impossible for readers to follow the saying "early to bed, early to rise," for it will keep you reading long into the night.

Erika Sorocco
Freelance Reviewer

Read it aloud yourself, please........2006-11-29

I love all of the Little House books, and have since I was a little girl. I can spew out more information about the books than most readers, and have visited all the Little House sites. I love that I am getting to do this all over again with my daughter, and that she loves the books too.

That said, I do not like the CD versions of the books. There is an insincerity that comes across in the readings of the books, almost a mocking. Cherry Jones' accent is actually very distracting from the story. Her sense of the writing in the story, and how it would be delivered is very off. I'm not sure why anyone would have approved of the readings much less printed them and sold them at such a high price.

I know that Ms Jones is an accomplished actresses. That's why it's so sad that these wonderful stories are mangled by someone who should be able to give them the beauty they deserve.

Mightier Than the Sword: World Folktales for Strong Boys

Average customer rating:

Stories of clever boys
Great Folktales for Boys & Others!

Mightier Than the Sword: World Folktales for Strong Boys
Jane Yolen
Manufacturer: Silver Whistle
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0152163913

Book Description

From China to Burma, Afghanistan to America, this collection of fourteen familiar and little-known stories tells the tales of sons, brothers, kings, and trolls--men and boys united by a common heroism that comes from strength of character, wisdom, and compassion. These stories show that brains trump brawn every time.
Renowned storyteller Jane Yolen has created an exciting companion book to her Book Sense 76 Pick Not One Damsel in Distress. An inspired collection of dramatic tales, Mightier Than the Sword will inspire boys and girls alike.

Customer Reviews:

Stories of clever boys.......2004-08-19

This is an excellent collection of folktales featuring heroes who overcome adversity using their wits rather than brute force. My six-year-old son absolutely loves this book, his favourite story is The Devil with Three Golden Hairs, but he loves them all. I enjoy reading most of the stories to him myself, though I admit I found a couple of them a little dull, but most of them are wonderful. The stories come from many different cultures, but all feature clever, likeable heroes .This book should appeal to any boy with imagination.

Great Folktales for Boys & Others!.......2003-10-16

This is a great collection of folktales specifically selected for the author's sons and grandson. The stories are interesting and exciting - they'll hold the attention of the most reluctant reader. Disguised under the fun tales are great lessons of character and integrity that boys today need so desperately to hear. I highly recommend it to parents, teachers, and kids!

Average customer rating:

A Great Graphic Novel
Talented Lat gives us a glimpse into traditional Malay village life
Great for any age.
Long ago (circa the 1950s) and far away (re: Malaysia)

Kampung Boy
Lat
Manufacturer: First Second
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1596431210
Release Date: 2006-09-05

Book Description

Kampung Boy is a favorite of millions of readers in Southeast Asia.With masterful economy worthy of Charles Schultz, Lat recounts the life of Mat, a Muslim boy growing up in rural Malaysia in the 1950s: his adventures and mischief-making, fishing trips, religious study, and work on his familys rubber plantation.Meanwhile, the traditional way of life in his village (or kampung) is steadily disappearing, with tin mines and factory jobs gradually replacing family farms and rubber small-holders.When Mat himself leaves for boarding school, he can only hope that his familiar kampung will still be there when he returns.Kampung Boy is hilarious and affectionate, with brilliant, super-expressive artwork that opens a window into a world that has now nearly vanished.

Customer Reviews:

A Great Graphic Novel.......2007-10-18

Kampung Boy is one of the sweetest and lovely graphic novels I have read in a long time. A pre-quel to Town Boy, Kampung Boy gives us a first hand account of Lat's early growing-up years in his tiny village in Malaysia. Intricate drawings capture the stance and the expressions of his family and neighbors beautifully; they convey the flavor and atmosphere of his little town; the words are just right; the sentiment is nicely doled out & not treacle-y.

A real love letter to his childhood!

Talented Lat gives us a glimpse into traditional Malay village life.......2007-10-14

Having spent most of my childhood in Malaysia, I grew up reading Lat comics. As I grew older, I began to collect his works and even after more than two decades, I still treasure his works, and find them to be great character studies of ordinary folk, as well as an authentic portrait of life in Malaysia.

In Kampung Boy, Lat revisits his childhood days in a Malay village located in the tin-mining district of Perak. His drawings are simple, and even a bit stereotypical [based on the usual profiles of the different ethnic races, be it Malay, Indian or Chinese], yet they aptly capture various emotions such as joy, anger, frustration etc. The stories are wonderfully authentic, for I myself have spent some time in small Malay villages, and know exactly how it was like back then. Things have changed now of course, with the inevitable rapid development that has characterised much of Malaysia. This makes Lat's work all the more important - for it captures a bygone era, a more innocent time, when kids were left to their own devices to entertain themselves [having no TV, computers or other modern amenities]. Fishing, swimming in the river, even tin panning[!] kept Lat and company occupied back then.

I hope Lat's work gets wider recognition [he is a legend in the annals of Malaysian comics], and I think Kampung Boy is definitely a book that will appeal to most kids, and even adults who enjoy simple, heartfelt stories peopled by memorable characters.

Great for any age........2007-03-30

This is quite a wonderful graphic novel and should be in every k-12 school library -- probably several copies because once parents get their hands on it they'll want to keep it. It provides an engaging glimpse into growing up as a boy in a Muslim Malaysian village where the traditional agricultural life is on the verge of disappearing. For history/social science teachers it provides great material for talking about the practice of Islam outside the Middle East, industrialization, education, friendship and childhood rites of passage, -- how to have fun without screens. When someone (firstsecond books?) publishes the follow-up volume, Town Boy, there is terrific material for discussions of multiculturalism. But apart from all these classroom excuses, it is hilarious and will just make you happy.

Long ago (circa the 1950s) and far away (re: Malaysia).......2006-09-11

Everybody talks about how important it is to promote multiculturalism to our children. Kids are fed the usual everybody's different/everybody's the same stuff year after year, sometimes illustrated with color pictures in a social studies textbook. The obvious conclusion to draw from this would be to think that this would mean that the world of publishing books for kids would be rife with writers from all over the world. Yet one of the biggest shocks I received when I became a children's librarian was to see the lamentable lack of books for the kiddies from any countries aside from the U.S., Canada, Great Britain, and sometimes Australia. I was baffled. We hardly get any books from India? But aren't they an English speaking country anyway? And how about, oh I dunno, the ENTIRE CONTINENT OF AFRICA? Nothing? Nada? Oh, I was pissed, no question. Since that time, I've put a fair amount of energy into trying to read every little tiny children's book from another continent, no matter how small. Lately, however, I've been falling down on the job. I don't know if it's ennui or the fact that I've been reading a lot of books solely from the U.S. lately, but when "Kampung Boy" flew out of left field and ker-whalloped me upside the head, I never saw it coming. Sweet child of mine, this isn't just a graphic novel (with far more emphasis on the "novel" part than usual). It's a graphic novel originally set and published in Malaysia. And the year it was originally published in Malaysia? 1979. Now the book, all thanks to First Second Books, has come here to the U.S. o' A. and I couldn't be happier. Let's practice a little of what we preach, okay? You believe in multiculturalism? Then give this book to a kid right now.

Mat was born in Malaysia to a stern but pleasant mother and a deeply warm and caring father. Raised in a kampung (or village), the reader watches as he goes through the basic day-to-day events of growing up. The kampang is situated beside a rubber plantation and a tin mine and young Mat spends his days growing and learning. He attends school so as to learn Tajwid (reading Arabic with the proper enunciation). He makes friends with some of the local boys and spends his days swimming and checking his fish traps. At ten he's ritually circumcised (and it turns out to be far more boring than painful). Of course, Mat would love to spend his days just fishing and hanging out with his friends. His father, on the other hand, would like him to do especially well in his studies so that he can be admitted to a boarding school in another city. Mat isn't too thrilled at first, but then his father reveals to him that his inheritance is a great deal of land. Land that will be his if he passes his examination. Altogether, this is the story of one boy trying to figure out what he wants out of life. Does he stay with what he's familiar and comfortable with? Or does he leave the kampang he loves in search of better things?

Lat. You ever heard of him? No? Well, I'm basically talking about "one of the most beloved cartoonists in Southeast Asia", or so the bookflap says. So why the 27 year old gap between the book's appearance in Malaysia and its sudden cropping up here? Dunno. Perhaps, and stay with me on this one, American publishers weren't convinced of the crossover appeal. I know. Shocking. Credit First Second, of whom I am rapidly becoming a fan, with bringing books of this nature to the graphic novel (to say nothing of librarian) market. The writing itself is methodical, but never really ever dull. There's a great deal of humor here alongside the storytelling. It also impressed me deeply that Lat took the time to show significant moments, like his ceremonial circumcision, alongside small family memories that smack of the truth. There's a great moment when Mat's dad attempts to impress his offspring with diving stunts of various styles. Or, more significantly, when his dad would take Mat to the tiny village railroad station to watch the enormous 5 o'clock mail train whiz by.

The design of this book was one I haven't seen much of before. Rather than the standard panels, speech bubbles, and other graphic novel tropes, "Kampung Boy" seems far more inclined towards fitting descriptions and text in where the illustrations allow for white space. Dialogue, when it appears, is quoted as you would find it in a book rather than a graphic novel. The illustrations themselves are just pen and ink, but they have a kind of goofy sophistication. My husband glanced through the book and remarked that there were times that he was reminded of that old Mad Magazine comic artist Don Martin. Lat also isn't afraid to engage in silent and entirely visual passages, as his characters dash from mischief to avoiding punishment what they've just done. The characters themselves are fabulous too. It's all barrel-chested adults and squat roly-poly kids. Noses tend to look like a lowercase letter "w", but with an extra loop for good measure. Individuals, by the way, are very easy to pick out. I was especially fond of the kooky cock-eyed circumciser who sits with a perpetual and never changing smile in his face.

I was somewhat amazed to see that in the Publisher's Weekly review of "Kampung Boy" (quoted as saying, "with humor and affection, Lat makes the exotic kampung feel familiar."), there is an assumption that this book is better suited for fans of Marjane Satrapi. I can only assume that the author of the review was aware of very few graphic novelists when they wrote such a comment and rather than compare Lat's work to Art Spiegelman, they grasped at the only other artist they could think of. I'm a huge fan of Marjane Satrapi, don't get me wrong, but what (aside from the graphic novel format and the fact that author/illustrator is not American) similarities exist between "Kampung Boy" and "Persepolis"? "Persepolis" is a deeply personal and political adult treatise on living in a repressive state. "Kampung Boy" is far better suited for a child audience, with far more attention paid to the main character's personal growth than that of a nation as a whole. I've said it before and I'll say it again... give "Kampung Boy" to a kid, pronto.

As pointed out in a review of this book by Read About Comics, there is no formal storytelling structure to "Kampung Boy". Also, the ending leaves you hanging. Our last image, not to give anything away, is of Mat in the back of a bus headed away from the only place he's ever lived. I suspect that those who feel a connection to Lat's tale will be clamoring for First Second to publish the follow up novel, "Town Boy". There are few graphic novels that could do more than this book to bring entirely new worlds to the attention of their child readers. This is one of those very few. I'm a little worried that the design of the cover won't immediately attract young readers. Still, if they just read a couple pages, some (if not all) of the graphic novel enthusiasts will find a kid here worth rooting for. Engaging, fun, and deserving of its praise.

The Irish Cinderlad (Trophy Picture Books)

Average customer rating:

Not bad
Wonderful change from the traditional Cinderella story.

The Irish Cinderlad (Trophy Picture Books)
Shirley Climo
Manufacturer: HarperTrophy
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0064435776
Release Date: 2000-01-26

Book Description

A hero's feats?

Ever since he was a baby, Becan's only worry has been his big feet--until his widowed father remarries. His new stepmothr and her three daughters feed him crusts of bread and banish him to work in the fields. So Becan runs away.

With the help of his only friend, a magical bull, he defeats a giant, slays a dragon, and rescues a princess. But before she can thank him, Becan disappears, leaving behind him one of his enormous boots. The princess scours the kingdom for the owner of the giant boot. Will Becan's feet give him away? And what will his fate be if they do?

Folklorist Shirley Climo retells an age-old Irish tale that is an unusual twist on the popular Cinderella story. Just like his female counterpart, Becan has a mean stepmother and stepsisters. Unlike Cinderella, Becan has large feet and a magical bull for a fairy godmother. He defeats a sword-swinging giant, slays a fire-breathing dragon, and rescues a princess. But before the princess can thank him, he runs off, leaving her with only an enormous boot to aid her in the search for her rescuer. And, as in all Cinderella stories, true love prevails.

Customer Reviews:

Not bad.......2006-08-05

I enjoyed this reversal (in more than one way) of Cinderella. Here its a boy--with big feet. (Made me wonder if Tolkein had read this somewhere along the way). He is mistreated by his stepmother and sister, but instead of a fairy godmother, gets a magic bull. (This really proclaims the irishness of the story to me, instantly bringing Cuchulain to mind).

The story is fun and I really loved the last line that the princess has. I liked the illustrations, for the scenery, but the people were weirldy childish looking to me, especially in comparison to the magnificent bull that we get to see our hero befriend.

Wonderful change from the traditional Cinderella story........2000-04-24

The Irish Cinderlad is a continuation of Climo's journey in theCinderella folktales. Children can see how a boy can also be part ofthe Cinderella story. Educators can use this story to demonstrate thesimilarities between different cultures around the world. The illustrations in this book continue with the high standards set in the other "Cinderella" stories in this series.

The Go-Between (New York Review Books Classics)

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Quo Vadis?
A superb examination of youthful naivete
Deeply psychological novel
Easy to see why this book is still a classic!
Totally convincing

The Go-Between (New York Review Books Classics)
L.P. Hartley , and L. P. Hartley
Manufacturer: NYRB Classics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0940322994
Release Date: 2002-03-31

Book Description

"The past is a foreign country: they do things differently there."

Summering with a fellow schoolboy on a great English estate, Leo, the hero of L. P. Hartley's finest novel, encounters a world of unimagined luxury. But when his friend's beautiful older sister enlists him as the unwitting messenger in her illicit love affair, the aftershocks will be felt for years. The inspiration for the brilliant Joseph Losey/Harold Pinter film starring Julie Christie and Alan Bates, The Go-Between is a masterpiece—a richly layered, spellbinding story about past and present, naiveté and knowledge, and the mysteries of the human heart. This volume includes, for the first time ever in North America, Hartley's own introduction to the novel.

Customer Reviews:

Quo Vadis?.......2005-11-29

This is a fine, well-penned book, dealing, ultimately, with loss of innocence and with human selfishness and self-deception. But I'm not so sure that all this twaddle about the horrors of the Twentieth Century and what many readers, and certainly Hartley himself, regarded as the motif for this work (to wit, "The Past is a different Country. They do things differently there.") will really do. It reminds me of Tolstoy's remark that small minded people think that the human condition changes with each generation.

Hartley was more than a bit of a blimp (Americans, read "reactionary") in his later years, and most of his later novels are deservedly forgotten because of their tendentious invectives against the modern world.---He frequently went out of his way to refer to the Working Classes as the "WCs" -another blimpish drollery which I shan't bother to explain to my Transatlantic cousins not familiar with "water closets."

I was raised in upper middle class England during the age of tellies and all sorts of talk about sex. Yet, I still feel that, if confronted, as Leo was, with a similar situation at his age, I would have responded, inwardly and outwardly, much the same: Found myself enchanted with the lovely Marian, awed by the viscount, etc This is why this book, unlike Hartley's other later works, has stood the test of time, it truly does touch on things universal, even if one of those things is nostalgia.

A superb examination of youthful naivete.......2005-10-06

Leo Colston is an exceptionally naive 12-year old when he goes to spend many weeks one early 20th century summer at a friend's English country home. Soon he becomes caught up in the comings and goings of two lovers with a world of class differences between them. Yet he still manages to retain his innocence, a situation author L. P. Hartley makes completely believable. Hartly pulls off the enviable trick of making Leo three-dimensional and fully fleshed-out despite his youth and his obtuseness. This ability to be unruffled by the passions around him is employed as a devastating counterpoint to the emotional implosion that rocks the family when the lovers are exposed.

My only real complaint with the book was the introduction of Leo as a grown man towards the end. It felt tacked on, and as though the book would have been better without it--as a sort of fever dream, beautifully written and left alone to stand on its own without the hard addition of reality and adulthood.

Deeply psychological novel.......2004-10-23

Reminiscent of BRIDESHEAD REVISITED, THE GO-BETWEEN is a very similar coming of age tale. Two young school friends spend a summer together, and one of the two carries love notes between two young lovers. Ultimately this leads to a tragic suicide. Fans of psychological literary fiction, and such authors as Iris Murdoch, Ian McEwan, etc., will greatly enjoy this story.

Easy to see why this book is still a classic!.......2004-07-22

On the surface this is a story about a boy's unwitting involvement in facilitating a love affair at the turn of the century (1899 or so), told retrospectively by that boy as a man in his 60s.

On a deeper level one could say it's about our capacity for self-deception, or about the agonies of going from the intense and uncomplicated pleasures of childhood to the tortuous emotions of adulthood. But this makes the book sound detached and overly literary, which it's definitely not. It's involving and dramatic instead.

Hartley's commanding style makes this story extremely gripping; because it's told in retrospect the narrator is as articulate as an adult, yet the emotions expressed (and somehow the ones the reader feels) are the intense and confused ones of a child. Everything seems vivid and yet nothing is completely understandable, just as it is for us as children.

This lends the book a very bittersweet feeling and a magnificent aura of mystery. It's hard to imagine this book will ever go out of style.

Totally convincing.......2004-04-13

A tale of innocence betrayed, in which a school boy is used as go-between in an affair between the lady he worships and a farmer. A vivid picture of Edwardian England, in which the natural ebullience, complacency and optimism of the age give way to emotional defeat for all concerned. Also a good movie, with a screenplay by Harold Pinter.

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Xenophobic cartoon
I'm Not An Espionage Fan...
disappointment
Disappointed
Across time and space

Old Boys
Charles McCarry
Manufacturer: Overlook Hardcover
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1585675458

Book Description

Charles McCarry is considered by many to be the master of world-class spy fiction, garnering praise from peers and critics alike for his riveting novels. Christopher Buckley wrote that McCarry “is not only one of the best writers in America but one of the most important. He dazzles, from epigraph to epilogue,” and the Los Angeles Times hailed his work as “first rate, in the tradition of the best espionage fiction, John Buchan to Eric Ambler and John le Carré.” In this magnificent new novel, which the Washington Post named a Best Book of the Year, McCarry returns to the world of his legendary character Paul Christopher—who has mysteriously disappeared. Led by Christopher's cousin Horace, a group of his retired colleagues—the “Old Boys” from the Outfit—embark on a thrilling worldwide search for the master spy and an ancient scroll that may reveal an unspeakably dangerous truth.

Customer Reviews:

Xenophobic cartoon.......2007-07-02

I could have been okay with this book as a light summer read, what else could it be with its grossly exaggerated characters and comic book plot. The deal breaker turned out to be that I couldn't stand the protagonist and threw the book in the garbage 2/3s of the way through it. The character celebrates the worst stereotypes of a right wing, ethnocentric US government operative. He belongs to a club that is (apparently) for whites only, all the cabbies are shady South Asians, all the Russians are smelly crooks, all the Arabs are backwards savages, etc. The last straw came when the character talks about Judas Iscariot being a diabolical genius (fine) and that someone like that only comes along once in a millennium, and that it wouldn't happen again until "bent genius" Mohammed came along. Yet whenever anyone's alone with the Jesus scroll a strange spiritual presence is felt and angels sing. The whole thing is SO biased against anyone who's not a white Christian male. It's like the writer is injecting his own personal, xenophobic slant into the novel. He's like the character Welch from Sam Shepard's political comedy The God of Hell, only here I'm supposed to root for him instead of laugh at him. His helpers are always white, midwesten farm boys who swoop in to save him, etc. It felt like it was written by whoever writes the NRA magazine, or an 8th grade white boy in the midwest who's really into church and 24. I couldn't take it anymore. If you want some real, smart intrigue check out Umberto Eco instead. McCarry's a joke.

I'm Not An Espionage Fan..........2007-04-24

...but I'm a big fan of the work of Charles McCarry. This is the best flat-out adventure novel he's ever written and it's obvious that he had a great time doing it. Oddly enough, in all the good reviews this novel has received, there has been very little praise given to the humor it contains. 'Old Boys' is not only beautifully written, well-plotted and marvelously paced, it's very humorous...in a very quiet way. I enjoyed and admire this book a great deal.

disappointment.......2006-12-24

Charles McCarry is one of my favourite writers, and his book The Last Supper is excellent. After I read another of his accomplished works, Second Sight, I bought his last offering Old Boys. I've been eagerly waiting for this book for many years as I wanted to know what had happened with Paul Christopher and his mother Lory and to get to the end of this very enthralling and captivating story.

In his last book, Old Boys, McCary writes an amusing and interesting story (although the last chapters are terribly boring), but I lowered the usual five stars of his previous works to only three stars. The reason of this is moustly based on the large number of improbabilites found in this book.

The centuries old scroll found in the sea.

The sophisticated arms that were delivered in some remote place in the middle of China, by mail, in fifteen days (in my country, Argentina, it would have taken at least several months just to get the import licence, and we are talking of a country, China, with a dictatorial government). These, perhaps, would have been a good book but only if the author had remove the last chapters taking place in China, the Amphora Scroll story, the falconry episode,the enigmatic and inconceivable explanation that the author gives to Paul's mother about her sixty years disappearance.

I've always wonderd why this very good writers sometimes cannot maintain standards in their books. We readers see this with most writers and now according to reviewers, with DeMille's last book, WildFire, and another of my favourite writers Robert Goddard in his last Never Go Back.

Disappointed.......2006-08-29

Because of the 26 rave reviews printed on and in this book, I bought it--I like spy stories. The quality of writing in Old Boys is terrific, with sensory details and impressions expressed in a highly literate style. One has to admire the craftsmanship in this book; I have reread many parts just to enjoy the observations of a truly talented author at work. That being said, I was disappointed in the story overall--the plot was a "B" action movie-travelog chock full of improbabilities. (The dowsing story for example.) Most of the good people were brave and resourceful to an unlikely degree, plus fluent in the usual as well as obscure languages and equipped with technological devices to save every situation. People were always boarding a plane and hopping across the world as if reservations were never a necessity or a problem. So--one Old Boy had heart problems, but the others, including the 94-year-old lady, had few limitations. A huge amount of gratuitous slaughter happens in the course of the adventure--one would think that men in kaiffiyehs don't matter. I didn't get the part about the Shocking religious revelation--the 17-page long chapter was mostly the translation of a 19-century-old scroll. I have some history books on my shelf with excerpts from writings of that time, and the style of the "Amphora scroll" was totally out of sync. If you are going to use a device like that to make your narrative move along, it should be totally plausible. This story-within-a-story was a distraction from the overall thread, at least I thought so. I enjoy getting lost in a well-plotted novel, but I became aggravated with this one on account of its being so full of improbabilities. I will keep the book awhile longer so I can dip into it from time to time and enjoy the skillful writing, the best reason for buying this novel.

Across time and space .......2006-08-15

McCarry (Tears of Autumn) comes out of retirement and brings back the Old Boys from 'The Outfit' (aka the CIA). His storied agent Paul Christopher comes back from the dead - well, once at least.

The Old Boys are a bunch of retired spooks trying to find Christopher and the terrorist Ibn Awad and something called the Amphora Scroll - a Roman document from an Imperial agent in Palestine regarding the exploitation of the activities of one Joshua ben Joseph - aka Jesus. Christopher is seeking his now 94-year-old mother and guess what she has. The story traces her history as Reinhard Heydrich's involuntary concubine, her escape, and her life in hiding in southwest Asia.

Back in the present Paul's cousin, Horace Hubbard leads the search for Christopher and Ibn Awad...oh, and of course the nukes. The story leads across just about every continent and several historical eras, which is both part of its charm and its weakness. Things get a might complicated and the plot is stretched, but it's a good tale with a funny twist at the end.

Recommended for fans of the spy and adventure genres.

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This is what every man's boyhood should have been like
A Review on The Old Man and the Boy -- by Marshall Richard
A book to read over and again
The Best
A Magical Book of Growing Up

The Old Man and the Boy
Robert Ruark
Manufacturer: Owl Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 080502669X

Book Description

This classic captures the endearing relationship between a man and his grandson as they fish and hunt the lakes and woods of North Carolina. All the while the Old Man acts as teacher and guide, passing on his wisdom and life experiences to the boy, who listens in rapt fascination.

Customer Reviews:

This is what every man's boyhood should have been like.......2007-02-11

This book contains 29 quasi-biographical short stories about Ruark's youth in North Carolina during the Depression and Prohibition. These stories are about fishing and hunting and appreciating nature and, most importantly, learning life's lessons. The narrator (The Boy) describes his fishing and hunting adventures with his grandfather (The Old Man). The Old Man teaches the Boy how to shoot, how to safely handle a gun, how to maintain a boat, the habits of various types of fish and game, etc. At the same time, the Old Man is giving the boy many of the more important life's lessons about respect (for both oneself and others), the value of education, women, and a sense of responsibility. This is a great book. Each of the stories is relatively short (say 10 pages) and written with an easy prose. You could easily sit down and blow through this book in an afternoon, but after I read the first few stories, I wanted to savor every one and draw it out. As you're reading these stories, you'll smell the salt air of the ocean or the smoky aroma of game cooking over an open fire. Ruark may not satisfy the literary critics and write prose like Hemingway or Faulkner, but he is certainly one of America's greatest writers. I don't understand why he isn't more widely read, I only discovered his writing about a year ago myself. In any case, I can guarantee that you will ponder your own childhood as you read this book, and by the time you finish this book, you'll be thinking about what it is you really want to do with the rest of your life. I agree with one of the other reviewers, I would give this book 6 stars if I could. These are stories about hunting and fishing, but they are also stories about growing up and about life.

A Review on The Old Man and the Boy -- by Marshall Richard.......2007-01-11

The Old man and the Boy by Robert Raurk changed my life because it taught me so much about hunting and how you should respect animals. I thought that it was very good that they called doves, ducks, and quail "gentlemen" and they didn't just treat them like slobs. He did this so that they could make hunting look better.
I thought that this book was also very good because it had rich language. Some of the chapters pulled you into the book and I could not put it down. I thought that theses chapters were extremely good were September Song, A Duck Looks Different to Another Duck, You Got to Be Crazy to Be a Duck Hunter, and Everybody Took Sick but Me. I thought that these chapters were good because they made me feel like I had done the stuff they did.
What I thought was bad about the book was some of the fishing chapters because they started so slowly and I kept on saying to myself "who cares?" I felt tired and I was about to fall asleep on these chapters because they were so boring. The chapters that I thought were bad were Thar She Blows and X plus Y to the Second Power Equals Bluefish.
What was also very good about this book was that when I read it, it felt like I was in the book doing the stuff they were doing. What the author did well in this book was that they didn't just go after one covey of quail, they only shot one or two quail from each covey and then they would look for another.
What I thought could have made this book better is that they could have made the fishing chapters more exiting with richer language.
This book could change your life just like it did to mine. I highly recommend this book to sportsmen, and people who like hunting and fishing.

A book to read over and again.......2007-01-10

This is my first introduction to the writing of Robert Ruark, and what a great discovery. Apparently Ruark was one of the most popular US authors from the end of WWII, to his untimely death in 1965. For anyone who has hunted, or fished, or who just enjoys walking through the woods, this book is a real treat. His recollections of his grandfather, his wisdom and advice, and his influence on Ruark's formative years is heartwarming, and make up some of the best sequences in the book. I can't wait to read to the sequel. Get it for your library to read and re-read.

The Best.......2006-06-28

An amalgam of masterful storytelling,creative nonfiction and nostalgia. Easily one of the best books I ever read.You will enjoy this, especially if you hunted, fished, or spent extensive time with your Grandfather growing up.

A Magical Book of Growing Up.......2006-03-11

If you read this book once, you will read it over and over through the years. It makes a great present for young people who love the outdoors, and hunters and outdoorsmen of any age. Ryan McNabb's review says it all, this is a book about growing up to be a real outdoorsman. It is just plain beautiful outdoor writing. I have never read any better. If you liked this book there is also a great sequel called "The Old Man's Boy Grows Older" and some collections of hunting stories that are also very good. Ruark's other novels are not to my liking. Another book for readers of "The Old Man and the Boy" is Jesse Stuart's "Hie to the Hunters".

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Fantastic Book
The Sleeping Boy by Barbara J. Stewart
A story that is ... strangly expressed.
Disturbing

Sleeping Boy
Sonia Craddock
Manufacturer: Atheneum
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0689817630

Book Description

Laugh and smile. Smile and laugh. That's Herr and Frau Rosen -- so happy to have a new baby boy! But when they invite all their friends in Berlin to celebrate the birth of little Knabe Rosen, they leave out one person -- the dreaded Major Krieg. When he comes anyway, he snatches the sleeping boy from the nurse's arms and predicts: "On your sixteenth birthday you will hear the drums drumming as the army marches by. Off to war you'll go -- and you will not come home."

However, Tante Taube, the sleeping boy's aunt, hasn't given her blessing yet. "Instead of going off to war," she says, "Knabe Rosen will only sleep...sleep through poverty and war, bad times and sadness, until PEACE comes to Berlin."

In this remarkable modern allegory, Sonia Craddock weaves a story of the twentieth century into the familiar framework of the Sleeping Beauty tale. Leonid Gore's resplendent illustrations delicately capture the ethereal, timeless quality of the story while firmly placing it against the backdrop of Berlin.

Customer Reviews:

Fantastic Book.......2005-01-21

This book is a modern retelling of Sleeping Beauty with an emphasis on the power of family to help a boy through a terrible time. It is best suited for a mature, inquisitive child. War is a reality that parents should not shy away from talking about to their children.

The Sleeping Boy by Barbara J. Stewart.......2003-10-11

Every once in awhile, amazing, complex and believable characters are born - Annie Shannon is one of those characters. Most women can relate to her on some level. A real woman with regrets, who doesn't have to be beautiful, rich or famous to be a central character in a book. I hope she will be a recurring character and that this wonderful new author will bring her back into our lives again and again.

Stewart tells a gripping tale that hooked me from the first page to the very last. You get to know Stewart's characters so well that you visualize them clearly without having to be told what they're wearing that day or how they style their hair. She captures the essence of their personalities and makes them so believable that the reader buys into their motivations within the unfolding plot. The plot that unfolds is full of twists and turns keeping the reader guessing to the very last page. A remarkable accomplishment!!

I highly recommend this new book - a compelling read. I hope we'll see much more from Barbara J. Stewart.

A story that is ... strangly expressed........2002-07-05

Many people may disagree with me, but I think this book is not suitable for children. The images are taunting and very nicely rendered, however, there are some strong hidden meanings within them. Such as the imagery of soldier and violent, and especially the general's black leather glove (maybe symbolic to the idea of totalism?).
What interest me the most is the climax of the story; when the boy and his family falls into sleep, and they wake up when peace finally arrives to the country. I want to know why that symbolizes in the story, what is the author trying to describe or proof to the reader?
I think this is a book quite dangerous for parents to read for their kids at bedtime, unless you go further in describing them the history and cross-meanings of the book--perhaps that is complete package of the book, and what the author want every parent or teacher to do.

Disturbing.......2000-05-09

Although the images are very well rendered, they arefrightening. I am baffled about the impression this book is supposedto leave on children. This book may be picked up on the thought that it is a retold fairy tale, when it is an abstract and grim retelling of the horrors of WWII in Berlin. The most horrifying image is that of Major Kreig's big black gloves enveloping the body of the little boy. This book is NOT appropriate for younger readers. I can see how this book might be valuable for an alternative look at the war for middle schoolers or higher.

101 Mississippi Delta Blues Cotton Picking Guitar Licks (Book and CD) (Red Dog Music Books Fingerpicking Guitar Series)

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101 Mississippi Delta Blues Cotton Picking Guitar Licks (Book and CD) (Red Dog Music Books Fingerpicking Guitar Series)
Larry McCabe
Manufacturer: Red Dog Music Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Spiral-bound

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ASIN: B000OD4QT4

Product Description

This superb fingerpicking reference book features 101 authentic, traditional blues fingerstyle licks for guitar. The goldmine of licks is divided into the following categories: Four-beat licks; Eight-beat licks; Introductions and turnarounds. The licks are written in both standard notation and guitar tablature, and recorded at a moderate speed on the companion CD. This is not a method book for beginners, but a nice collection of licks for guitarists who have some fingerstyle ability and want to do some exploring. Another GREAT guitar book from Red Dog Music Books.

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