Peace Like a River

Amazon.com's Best of 2001

To the list of great American child narrators that includes Huck Finn and Scout Finch, let us now add Reuben "Rube" Land, the asthmatic 11-year-old boy at the center of Leif Enger's remarkable first novel, Peace Like a River. Rube recalls the events of his childhood, in small-town Minnesota circa 1962, in a voice that perfectly captures the poetic, verbal stoicism of the northern Great Plains. "Here's what I saw," Rube warns his readers. "Here's how it went. Make of it what you will." And Rube sees plenty.

In the winter of his 11th year, two schoolyard bullies break into the Lands' house, and Rube's big brother Davy guns them down with a Winchester. Shortly after his arrest, Davy breaks out of jail and goes on the lam. Swede is Rube's younger sister, a precocious writer who crafts rhymed epics of romantic Western outlawry. Shortly after Davy's escape, Rube, Swede, and their father, a widowed school custodian, hit the road too, swerving this way and that across Minnesota and North Dakota, determined to find their lost outlaw Davy. In the end it's not Rube who haunts the reader's imagination, it's his father, torn between love for his outlaw son and the duty to do the right, honest thing. Enger finds something quietly heroic in the bred-in-the-bone Minnesota decency of America's heartland. Peace Like a River opens up a new chapter in Midwestern literature. --Claire Dederer

Book Description

Leif Enger's rhapsodic novel about a father raising his three children in 1960s Minnesota is a breathtaking celebration of family, faith, and America's pioneering spirit. Through the voice of eleven-year-old Reuben, an asthmatic boy obsessed with cowboy stories, Peace Like a River tells of the Land family's cross-country search for Reuben's outlaw older brother, who has been controversially charged with murder. Sprinkled with playful and warmhearted nods to biblical tales, classic American novels such as Huckleberry Finn, the adventure stories of Robert Louis Stevenson, and the Westerns of Zane Grey, Peace Like a River brilliantly incorporates the best elements of all these genres and ultimately earns its own prominent and enduring place on the shelf among them. Reuben Land was born with no air in his lungs, and it was only when his father, Jeremiah, picked him up and commanded him to breathe that his lungs filled. Reuben struggles with debilitating asthma thenceforth, but he is a boy who knows firsthand that life is a gift, and also one who suspects that his father can overturn the laws of nature. When Reuben's older brother, Davy, kills two marauders who have come to harm the family, the town is divided between those who see him as a hero and those who see him as a cold-blooded murderer. On the morning of the trial, Davy escapes from his cell, and when his family finds out they decide to go forth into the unknown in search of him. With Jeremiah -- whose faith is the stuff of legend -- at the helm, the family covers territory far more glorious than even the Badlands, where they search for Davy from their Airstream trailer. By the time the journey is over, they will have traversed boundaries of a different nature entirely. Marked by a soul-expanding sense of place and a love of storytelling, Peace Like a River is at once a heroic quest, a tragedy, a romance, and a heartfelt meditation on the possibility of magic in the everyday world.

Customer Reviews:

a matter of taste.......2007-09-18

This book came highly recommended to me by a long time friend I didn't enjoy it nearly as much as she did. There is a very persistent and deep religious theme which might appeal to a lot of people but which I found tiresome
The author tries to achieve a combination of Mark Twain americana and a strain of magical realism but the writing style wears thin. The narration is from the point of view of an 11 year old boy who is a sympathetic character but it has a tone of irony which is unconvincing for the time and place and the characters
The basic story is too thin for the number of pages and stream of consciousness taken to tell it and rather than wishing it would never end I found myself thinking "WILL it never end?"
Nonetheless, I think for a reader less analytical and more sentimental than I am, it would be a totally satisfactory, memory piece I can see why some reviewers are rhapsodic, but it didn't have that affect on me.

It was okay!!.......2007-09-12

The book was enjoyable but very verbose. At times I found myself wondering which story was I reading for, to me, there was too much story within a story.

My oh my..........2007-08-10

As I read this book I had to keep going to the back flap to stare at Mr. Enger's face. I am not sure why except that I needed to see the face of the person who wrote this most incredible, lovely story.

I looked back at some of the other reviews and you should know by now what this story is about.

What you don't know until you read it is how beautifully it is written. I can't find the words to describe Mr. Enger's writing style - except to say as a writer I am jealous. He uses words unlike any other author I have read before.

But this is such a sweet, sad, simply wonderful story. Treat yourself to a scrumptious read.

Read it to your kids.......2007-08-09

I've just re-read Peace Like a River, this time aloud to my nine-year-old daughter. There's much in Enger's prose that flew as high over her head as a Canada goose. But not the story, or Enger's richly-drawn characters, or the hope that a miracle might arrive at just the right time.

It is a magical thing to see this story unfold through a child's wide eyes. I watched my daughter literally jump up and down with delight when Jeremiah set out to court Roxanna... saw her scowl upon each arrival of the "putrid fed" Andreeson, hating him every bit as much as Swede... felt her squeeze my hand tight as we came to the book's climax, and then smiled as she took a long, deep breath and told me, "Okay. You can finish."

And what conversations we had as we were reading! We talked of honor and faith and loving our enemies. She wants to know more about Huckleberry Finn and Robinson Crusoe and Butch Cassidy. She wants to know how I "courted" her mom. She wants an Airstream trailer.

She'll come back to this book, I'm sure. Each time she does she'll find something new to enjoy. And I imagine that years from now she'll find a battered old copy at a garage sale or used book store, and she'll read the story to her nine-year-old. Peace Like a River has the markings of a classic.

Powerful.......2007-07-30

This is one of the best books I've ever read. I wasn't sure if I'd like it in the beginning when the plot seemed to be heading in a bleak direction, but I'm glad I stayed with it. It's a book that uplifts your spirit and gives you hope. I highly recommend it.

Average customer rating:

Surprise Ending
Great Children's Book
What a Good Book!
Gentle Humor About Children Emulating Daddy
Just Like Daddy - review

Just Like Daddy

Manufacturer: Aladdin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Baby-3 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

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

Look Inside Children's Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

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

ASIN: 0671664573

Customer Reviews:

Surprise Ending.......2006-08-14

I won't give the ending away, but this story is sweet, simple and the art is old fashioned, which is always a treat! Whether Mom or Dad read this one, it always seems to bring a smile to the little one's face when the last page is read aloud.

Great Children's Book.......2005-10-20

This is a great book as a read aloud and read along. It's patterned text is very appealing and the surprise ending is great. I give this book as an extra baby gift, because it is so cute. I have probably purchased 10 of these already!!

What a Good Book!.......2005-06-08

Frank Asch was on my entering kindergartners Summer Reading List (they simply stated "anything by this author") and to tell you the truth we were not familiar with his work.

Boy were we missing out. We love his stories. They are simple and sweet and really manage to spark a child's imagination.

The other reviewers' have done an excellent job outlining the story, so all I will add is that our household was captivated by this book. We go around finding things that we do "just like daddy".

Lots of fun and a good read.

**See also, www.frankasch.com for the author reading some of his stories. My kids just loved it!

Gentle Humor About Children Emulating Daddy.......2001-05-31

This book will be most appealing to 2-4 year olds. Although it seems to portray a boy and his father, my younger daughter emulated me at those ages just as much as my sons did. This book describes her behavior just as well as it does the boys' emulations.

The book opens with images of big shoes that are not filled. The symbolism is obvious and rewarding.

The book features three bears, a Daddy and Mommy bear and a young bear. The book has a series of lines about what the young bear does, each of which ends with a refrain "Just like Daddy."

"When I got up this morning I yawned a big yawn . . . " "Just like Daddy."

"I washed my face, got doressed, and had a big breakfast . . ."

"Then I put on my coat and my boots . . ."

"I picked a flower and gave it to my mother . . ."

" . . . I put a big worm on my hook . . ."

Then the last line is:

"I caught a big fish . . ."

and you see a big fish being held by another hand on the side.

And the finish is: " . . . Just Like Mommy!" Mommy has caught a big fish, too, while Daddy has a minnow. In the final scene, each bear is cooking her or his own fish in a separate frying pan over a campfire.

The illustrations are unusually large, clear, and simple. This complements the book's simple humor. It is that combination that pegs this book for 2-4 year olds. The book can be a good basic reader, as well, for 3-5 year olds. On the other hand, if you child loves it at 6, that's great, too!

After you finish this story, think about how other people emulate you. What can you do to make that process easier and more successful for those doing the emulating?

Follow the best role model . . . always!

Just Like Daddy - review.......2000-04-07

What a fun book for children, especially if Daddy goes fishing! Though it seems to portray a boy who adores being just like his daddy, my two your old daughter loved the book and loved being able to predict the line "just like daddy." All three of us received a fun surprise with the ending.

Average customer rating:

It's Like This, Cat
Very Nice but....
I Recommend
I can understand why it has a newbery award
I can understand why it has a newbery award

It's Like This, Cat (Trophy Newbery)
Emily Cheney Neville
Manufacturer: HarperTrophy
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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

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

Classics | Literature & Fiction | Teens | Subjects | Books

Being a Teen | Social Issues | Teens | Subjects | Books

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

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

ASIN: 0064400735

Book Description

My father is always talking about how a dog can be very educational for a boy. This is one reason I got a cat.

Dave Mitchell and his father yell at each other a lot, and whenever the fighting starts, Dave's mother gets an asthma attack. That's when Dave storms out of the house. Then Dave meets Tom, a strange boy who helps him rescue Cat. It isn't long before Cat introduces Dave to Mary, a wonderful girl from Coney Island. Slowly Dave comes to see the complexities in people's lives and to understand himself and his family a little better.

Customer Reviews:

It's Like This, Cat.......2007-01-18

It was cool. This is probably the best book I ever read. One reason I liked this book is that I like cats. My favorite part was when Dave goes over to Kate's house and notices that a cat is hissing at a mother with kittens. Dave asks Kate to take him home, and although she is slow in letting him have Cat, she finally agrees.

This book is better than most books and Cat doesn't die like the many animal characters in others books. I recommend that you read this book!

Very Nice but...........2007-01-05

Made me extremely sad that the author had to kill off a kitten, AND in a terrible way as well.

What was the point? There were so many other alternatives for ending this book....!

I Recommend.......2006-12-15

I wonder what the target-age-group limit is on Newbery Award winners. This particular Neville title seems to be more of a young-adult book than anything else. It's about supporting character Tom, and his journey from a rough youth to a responsibly engaged man. But when the story of Tom feels like taking a break, other things pop up for us to read about. Main character Dave gets himself a girlfriend (but we never discover what becomes of the relationship), a crazy lady inherits a million bucks, red lizards are studied through research, Jewish holidays are celebrated, and Dave's cat goes around acting like a cat. I've always been a fan of such delightfully random events.

I had two major misconceptions of this novel before reading it. First, I thought the book would be about Dave telling Cat all his problems in tasteful soliloquy fashion, just to get adolecent problems off his chest. I also thought Cat was going to die after I discovered that the author's cat had passed away a year before the publication date. Well, Dave doesn't tell Cat about his problems, and a little kitten gets killed instead of Dave's cat.

I had fun reading this well-written, laid-back novel, and I'd recommend it to people of all ages. Even during the most dramatic of scenes, the book doesn't seem to shake its nice, calm mood.

I can understand why it has a newbery award.......2006-12-10

It was marvelous, spectacular, genius, excellent, ete. One of my favorite books Ive ever read. I can connect to the book a lot because I used to live in New York and the setting is in New York, I knew almost all the streets this book was talking about. This book is very good with explaining things and putting it in details, If I could I would read it again.

I can understand why it has a newbery award.......2006-12-01

It was marvelous, spectacular, genius, excellent, etc. One of my favorite books I've ever read can connect to the book a lot because I used to live in New York and the setting is in New York. I knew almost all the streets this book was talking about. This book is very good with explaining things and putting in details. If I could I would read it again.

Like Son, Like Father: HEALING THE FATHER - SON WOUND IN MEN'S LIVES

Average customer rating:

Like Son, Like Father: HEALING THE FATHER - SON WOUND IN MEN'S LIVES
GREGORY VOGT
Manufacturer: Plenum Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Self-Help | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

General | Psychology & Counseling | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

Fatherhood | Family Relationships | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Health Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Parenting Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Accessories:

Braun IRT 4020 ThermoScan Ear Thermometer

ASIN: 0306439700

A Kid Just Like Me : A Father and Son Overcome the Challenges of ADD and Learning Disabilities

Average customer rating:

A book that might change your life.
A Breath of Fresh Air
A Kid Just Like Me
lessons learned with compassion and intelligence
Father's unique understanding of his son's ability to learn

A Kid Just Like Me : A Father and Son Overcome the Challenges of ADD and Learning Disabilities
Bruce Roseman M.D.
Manufacturer: Perigee Trade
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Family Health | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books

Child Care | Parenting | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books

General | Special Needs | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books

Hyperactivity | Special Needs | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books

General | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books

General | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Health Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Parenting Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Accessories:

Health o Meter HDC100-01 "Grow with Me" Teddy Bear Scale for Babies and Toddlers

ASIN: 0399526862
Release Date: 2001-09-04

Book Description

"Like my son Joshua...I was simply a kid, considered 'unteachable' by teachers, 'unreachable' by child psychologists, and 'unbearable' by my own family. My mother's anguished refrain, 'I hope you have one just like you and then you will understand,' still resonates in my mind. I know she didn't mean it. But her wish had come true. Joshua was just like me."

When Dr. Bruce Roseman's son, Joshua, was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder, he was determined to give his son the help that wasn't available in his own childhood. Drawing on his medical training-and a lifetime of dealing with his own disability-Dr. Roseman eventually developed a system that enabled Joshua to combat his disability and learn to read.

Deeply moving and full of concrete techniques and advice, A Kid Just Like Me is not only a journey of the heart and mind, it is a story of hope for parents and children affected by this all-too-common disorder.

Customer Reviews:

A book that might change your life........2003-02-24

I suspected I had ADD for sometime, but never allowed the suspicion to become concrete in my mind. Then I found 'A Kid Just Like Me'. I could not put the book down and finished it less than 24 hours after buying it. I realized that I had read - or sometimes attempted to read - too many books dealing with ADD in abstract terms; I could not recognize myself in those pages. With Dr. Roseman's book the situation was different: His honest, accurate and detailed description of ADD and learning disabilities opened my eyes to my condition. I consider myself lucky to have found this book and wholeheartly recomend it to those who suffer from ADD, kids and adults, and those who love and want to help them.

A Breath of Fresh Air.......2002-07-04

Most childhood development books, while informative, tend to be as compelling as an encyclopedia. Not A Kid Just Like Me. Bruce Roseman's first person account of teaching his learning disabled, ADD son to read is inspiring and enjoyable reading. I think all parents can learn from Dr. Roseman's story. Dr. Roseman has been blessed with a wonderful son, Joshua, whom he loves dearly. Throughout the entire ordeal recounted in the book of dealing with educators, administrators, etc., Dr. Roseman never, ever forgot the love for his child, he never gave up, he always was his child's strongest advocate. While people were telling him and his wife that Joshua would never learn to read, he took control of the situation and taught his son to read. Dr. Roseman is also honest about himself in this book--he admits many time that he was a bit of a pill to those he encountered--again, though, all for his son. Dr. Roseman sent me this book, and asked me to review it. I am so thankful he did. It is a wonderful work that I recommend all parents read. It contains a compelling, heartwarming (although also sometimes heartbreaking) story that will inspire all parents.

A Kid Just Like Me.......2002-03-06

When I began to read this book, I thought it would be very technical. However, I found it to be a book that I couldn't put down. It is a wonderful story about a father and son and their journey through heartache, love and striving to live in a normal world. I highly recommend this book.

lessons learned with compassion and intelligence.......2001-11-15

Dr. Roseman has earned his stripes in parenthood and medicine. This book is inspiring and helpful. He and his son are courageous and capable people. Everyone can learn from this book. It is also well written and lively. I hope learning specialists and teachers at a variety of schools read this book and learn from it. They should really try to understand how parents feel about their children and how they hope for their children, and thus, how dedication and faith can win in the long run.

Father's unique understanding of his son's ability to learn.......2001-10-11

The author writes with a vivid readable style. He takes us along with him on his quest to help his son learn. Along the way, we meet a variety of clinicians, educators and other experts. Professionals might do well to read these sections to help them understand how strongly their words and actions may affect a distressed parent.

Dr. Roseman had decades of experience compensating for his own AD/HD and learning disabilities. When he discovered that his oldest son had similar difficulties, he determined that his son would have a different experience from his own. Watching his son's struggles and triumphs was an intense experience, unearthing many varied emotional reactions. Dr. Roseman recounts his own memories of the pain and humiliation he experienced as a child when his school and his parents expressed frustration. At the same time, Dr. Roseman remembers how he had been able to use his energy and creativity to find unique ways around his disabilities.

This book emphasizes the need for individualized approaches for AD/HD and learning disabled children. To Dr. Roseman's credit he does not give blanket dismissals to legitimate treatments that did not work well for his particular child.

Not every parent can or should do what this parent did. Many readers will not have the energy, the time or the financial resources to teach their own child. This intense identification between parent and child can be a powerful positive force so long as the parent is able to allow space for other family members and friends.

When Dr. Roseman talks about his long intense periods with minimal sleep, I could understand the rationale of the psychiatrist who wrote a prescription for Lithium. On the other hand, I think of the intense bond between Helen Keller and her teacher. Often intense, passionate involvement enriches our world.

Average customer rating:
Like Son
Felicia Luna Lemus
Manufacturer: Akashic Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Trace Elements of Random Tea Parties : A Novel

Lipshitz Six, or Two Angry Blondes

Ask a Mexican

Some of the Parts: A Novel

The Daughters of Juarez: A True Story of Serial Murder South of the Border

ASIN: 1933354216

Book Description

Set amidst the outsider worlds of present-day downtown New York, 1990s Los Angeles, and 1940s Mexico City, Like Son is the not-so-simple story of a love-blindness shared between a father and a son. Born a bouncing baby girl named Francisca Cruz, Frank Cruz is now a post-punk thirty-year-old who has inherited his dead father's wanderlust, unrequited love, and hyperbolic tendencies.

Felicia Luna Lemus is the author of the novel Trace Elements of Random Tea Parties (Farrar, Straus and Giroux), and her writing has appeared in various magazines and anthologies, including A Fictional History of the United States with Huge Chunks Missing (Akashic Books). She currently teaches writing at The New School and lives in the East Village of Manhattan.

Average customer rating:

Even Young People can Change the World
just like martin by chris thompson
Just Like Martin
Being Just Like Martin is Great
"I Have A Dream"

Just Like Martin
Ossie Davis
Manufacturer: Puffin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Historical Fiction | History & Historical Fiction | Teens | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Teen Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0140370951

Customer Reviews:

Even Young People can Change the World.......2006-10-12

This is an excellent book for middle school children. Stone wants to be like his hero Dr. King. He is active in his church and has been chosen to be the jr. leader for the bus going to the March On Washington. But his father refuses to let him go and he has to watch it on tv. The young people are entertaining yet it is teaching a definite lesson.

just like martin by chris thompson.......2004-03-12

JUST LIKE MARTIN ...

The author is ossie Davis. The boy who is the main character is named stone. He is a African American who is trying to be non violent like Dr. Martin Luther king Jr. the story took place in the late 60's. it took place in the south. In the beginning of the story a boy named Stone he wants to go to a trip with his church class to Washington dc. He could not go because his dad Ike stone did not believe in nonviolence. Stone did not get to go to washing ton so he watched the march on Washington on television. After the march on Washington things did not get much better you should read Just Like martin and find out all that happens. I liked this book because it had real events and important people to the black culture

Just Like Martin.......2002-03-05

Just Like Martin
By: Ossie Davis

What do you get when you take out the d, I, s, c, r, I, m, I, n and put in an H before the a? You get hate! Have you e ver been discriminated before? I think everyone has been in some way. African Americans have tried their best to stop it. They seldom did anything and they were just beaten to death from people like the K.K.K.'s. People like Martin Luther King Jr. who tried to stand up for what they had believed in. I learned in the book, a reverend of the local church has been organizing a peace march with server al other church organizations, and they had members from their church ridge private busses to Washington to march. They wanted the white people to know that there was no reason for them to be treated like this. One of the fathers in the story went to war with the reverend to defend The United States of America. They were at war with Korea. Since the war, the father has been very disturbed. He now carries a gun in his glove compartment of his pick-up truck. IN December when Dr. King held a service he had asked that the people in the service sing a "Negro Spiritual" ...
I though the book was great. It gave me a taste of what it was like to live back then if I were black. IT made me really think if I were black, would I want someone to do things like hang me, throw rocks at me, shoot high pressured water at me? I though for a while, why is different bad, but I sti9ll don't understand why because people of all different races, shapes, sizes are discriminated all the time. ...

Being Just Like Martin is Great.......2001-12-09

Just Like Martin, I found at a bookstore when I was traveling in
Maryland. Not thinking I was down to my last few dollars I bought it. I was very disapointed until I started reading it. This book taught me to never give up and know I keep on reading it over and over. 2 big thumbs up!!!

"I Have A Dream".......2001-11-19

"I Have A Dream"

Book Description

In this Newbery Honor—winning story from 1984, a new family builds a relationship as a stepfather and stepson celebrate their differences and take heart in their similarities.

Customer Reviews:

Tender Story about Belonging in a Family.......2000-06-28

A great read-aloud for grades pre-K through 2, this is a wonderful story of a boy just trying to establish a relationship with his rough and ready step-dad. Bonus sub-plot of mom pregnant with the step-dad's twins. Heart-warming ending.

Great story for all kids, but step-parent theme makes this of special interest to families involving a second marriage, step-siblings, or step-parent.

Wonderful illustrations, too.

This book is very good!.......2000-04-27

I am 10 years old and read this book at school. It is a very good book and the story is easy to read. It teaches how a new family can come together.

Average customer rating:

Love it!
father son bonding

Just Like Dad (Little Bill)
Kim Watson
Manufacturer: Simon Spotlight/Nickelodeon
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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

Popular Culture | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Baby-3 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0689839995
Release Date: 2001-04-03

Book Description

"Hello, friend."

Children love to learn and are always figuring things out about themselves and the world around them. And the more they know, the better equipped they are to handle the challenges of growing up.

Little Bill encourages children to value their family and friends, to feel good about themselves, and to learn to solve problems creatively.

I hope young readers will see Little Bill as their friend and enjoy his real-life adventures.

Happy reading!

Customer Reviews:

Love it!.......2002-01-25

My son is 3 and loves all Little Bill books.

father son bonding.......2002-01-11

If you are looking for a book that shows a wonderful father son relationship, this is a great book. Wonderfully illustrated, playful and fun. As you go through the book you see how father and son have a loving relationship and explore a new experience with oneanother. Little Bill has the day off from school and gets to go to work with his dad. Read on to see how their day turns out as Little Bill tries to be , "Just Like Dad."

Average customer rating:

Interesting story but juvenile writing.
This Book Was Very Disturbing
Heartbreaking

Like Father Like Son
Robert Scott
Manufacturer: Pinnacle
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Criminology | Crime & Criminals | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Murder & Mayhem | True Accounts | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

True Crime | True Accounts | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

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

ASIN: 0786014954

Customer Reviews:

Interesting story but juvenile writing........2006-06-01

The story itself was an interesting one and thats the only reason I continued to read the book. Many times I would read a passage and have to stop to make sure I wasn't reading a 7th grader's "current events" paper. There is way too much repetition in the book, almost word for word describing the actual events of the murder. WE GOT IT THE FIRST TIME! Also, in my humble opinion, I believe that there were alot of "fillers" being used. I mean, come on, there is no reason to write 2 chapters about Soria Sr's Uncle's crimes. Touch base on it, but don't dwell on it.
Bottom line is, it's a good story to write/read about, its just too bad it's grade school writing.

This Book Was Very Disturbing.......2004-06-01

This book was very good, but it was also very disturbing. I personally didn't mind it much, but if you don't like violence and gore, I wouldn't recommend this book to you. However, if you think you can handle it, it is a great book and it would be worth your while to read it.

Heartbreaking.......2004-02-18

This story is truly heartbreaking, and if you can't take explicit details, don't read it. Although the book does not linger too long on the actual crimes, it is very explicit. This is a story of a man who sexually abused his son from a very early age. The man had come from a family of psychos -- his mother was brutally raped and murdered by another relative. As a teenager and young man, the son obtained young girls for his father's sexual pleasure, including his own girl friends. This young man, who worked with children in an after school program, had become acquainted with kids in the neighborhood and lured one of their friends into his apartment where the father sexually tortured her and then murdered her. The book tells of the frantic search for the little girl -- to the point where her mother was just a room away but did not know it. The investigative story is very interesting, including the tip by a passer-by that put the investigation into high gear. This story made me cry several times, and it made me sick to my stomach to think that a man could be so cruel to his own son and to innocent children. It will make you afraid to let your kids play outside.

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books