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Review Date: 8/3/2010
Helpful Score: 1
This is an outstanding book, that even though 15 years old, still speaks powerfully about the state of poverty in the most prosperous nation on earth, and it is set in New York City. The stories are profound, moving, and, surprisingly, full of hope, in a sea of despair and gloom.
Highly recommended, especially if you teach social studies or social justice classes.
Highly recommended, especially if you teach social studies or social justice classes.
Review Date: 3/24/2014
The story line was a bit convoluted but the characters were quite interesting. Because it is a relatively short book, there was not much room for character development, such as in the reeve and the apothecary mistress, but their was some background material in the main characters.
Overall, I found the book interesting enough to want to see how it would end although I don't think I would want to read a sequel to it.
Overall, I found the book interesting enough to want to see how it would end although I don't think I would want to read a sequel to it.
Review Date: 8/28/2018
I hadn't read any of Lehane's other books, but from the very onset, his style of writing mesmerized and engrossed me--I felt pulled into almost every scene. The two main protagonists lives (an Irish cop and an African-American) cross in a very turbulent time in Boston at the end of World War I. For me, the writing was so immersive, that I not only saw the many characters clearly in my mind, but I felt the rawness of their emotions. Even the settings were described so potently, that I could sense the dirt, grime and squalor of the poor contrasted with the elegance and pomposity of the rich. Finally, the book was filled with many recognizable characters from that era, including Babe Ruth, Samuel Gompers, Calvin Coolidge, and a very young J Edgar Hoover.
Of all the audio books I've listened to over the years, the narrator in this one is one of the very best I've ever heard. The ease with which he changed voice, tone, and accent of each character was amazing. He became each character from Boston Irish to African-American cadences, capturing all the accents, including many foreign ones and even females extremely well. Also, in the many emotional scenes, he nails the character's feelings perfectly.
I always listen to audio books when I'm traveling in my car, and the writing in this one was so very good that I found myself thinking of errands to run so I could drive my car somewhere and listen to another chapter or two!
Of all the audio books I've listened to over the years, the narrator in this one is one of the very best I've ever heard. The ease with which he changed voice, tone, and accent of each character was amazing. He became each character from Boston Irish to African-American cadences, capturing all the accents, including many foreign ones and even females extremely well. Also, in the many emotional scenes, he nails the character's feelings perfectly.
I always listen to audio books when I'm traveling in my car, and the writing in this one was so very good that I found myself thinking of errands to run so I could drive my car somewhere and listen to another chapter or two!
Review Date: 9/8/2009
This is an excellent introduction to modern poetry and the many styles it has evolved into. The poems can sometimes seem raw and unstructured but there are palpable messages that, for this listener, resonate within me. I find that listening to these poets describe their craft and then perform a work or two really brings to life what the poem itself is trying to convey. At times, the poems can seem far removed from the lives of the poet.
An example is the whimsical poem "Valentine for Ernest Mann," by Naomi Shihab Nye, a poet and songwriter born in 1952 to a Palestinian father and American mother. She grew up in St. Louis, Missouri, Jerusalem, and San Antonio, Texas. Both roots and sense of place are major themes in her body of work. Her first collection of poems, "Different Ways to Pray," explored the theme of similarities and differences between cultures, which would become one of her lifelong areas of focus. However, in "Valentine for Ernest Mann," she takes another path beginning her piece by saying, "You can't order a poem like you order a taco." Then, there is the marvelous imagery of poems "hiding in the bottoms of our shoes," and "shadows drifting across our ceilings the moment before we wake up." The poem goes on to tell of a man who gave two skunks to his wife on Valentine's Day. He couldn't understand why he was crying because "I thought they had such beautiful eyes." He re-invented the skunks as valentines and to him they became beautiful. Then in an amazing turn back to the original idea of poem hiding from us, Ms Nye writes this line: "And the poems that had been hiding in the eyes of the skunks for centuries crawled out and curled up at his feet." A profound statement of seeing beyond how one would normally react to skunks and seeing them in a beautiful light.
If you love poetry and are open to new expressions of this ageless art, then you will find much to like in this collection!
An example is the whimsical poem "Valentine for Ernest Mann," by Naomi Shihab Nye, a poet and songwriter born in 1952 to a Palestinian father and American mother. She grew up in St. Louis, Missouri, Jerusalem, and San Antonio, Texas. Both roots and sense of place are major themes in her body of work. Her first collection of poems, "Different Ways to Pray," explored the theme of similarities and differences between cultures, which would become one of her lifelong areas of focus. However, in "Valentine for Ernest Mann," she takes another path beginning her piece by saying, "You can't order a poem like you order a taco." Then, there is the marvelous imagery of poems "hiding in the bottoms of our shoes," and "shadows drifting across our ceilings the moment before we wake up." The poem goes on to tell of a man who gave two skunks to his wife on Valentine's Day. He couldn't understand why he was crying because "I thought they had such beautiful eyes." He re-invented the skunks as valentines and to him they became beautiful. Then in an amazing turn back to the original idea of poem hiding from us, Ms Nye writes this line: "And the poems that had been hiding in the eyes of the skunks for centuries crawled out and curled up at his feet." A profound statement of seeing beyond how one would normally react to skunks and seeing them in a beautiful light.
If you love poetry and are open to new expressions of this ageless art, then you will find much to like in this collection!
Twelve Mighty Orphans: The Inspiring True Story of the Mighty Mites Who Ruled Texas Football
Author:
Book Type: Hardcover
5
Author:
Book Type: Hardcover
5
Review Date: 8/3/2010
A real-life "Rocky" story set during the depression in a small Texas town, where 12 woefully young boys rock the football establishment. It is a great read whether you are a sports fan or not, but especially if you grew up in a small high school where football reigned supreme as I did in the early 1960's. Jim Dent's storytelling kept me mesmerized almost through the entire book.
I especially liked knowing what happened to the boys and coach afterwards. Highly recommended!
I especially liked knowing what happened to the boys and coach afterwards. Highly recommended!
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