Product Description

Customer Reviews (5)

Hurricane - great book
Boys and girls love this book.It stimulates the imagination and our sons love it read over and over again.

Title Misleading!
"Hurricane" was more than I expected. Two boys on an adventure after a big storm, and the adventure took place in the neighbor's yard. The illustrations were exceptional and the reading was simple enough for my 7 year old grandson.The memory of this book will remain with the young and old for many years. My grandsons and I have locked this away in our minds as a pleasureable experience. It indeed is a "gold medal" book!

Excellent Product & Prompt Delivery
This item was exactly as described in the item description. It was in the original packaging and is in excellent condition. I am very satisfied and I highly recommend this seller and product to everyone. This is an excellent book by an excellent author!

Kat's Kind Review
The book Hurricane by David Wiesner was an excellent book. It teaches children that you don't have to always have the new hi-tech toys to have fun. All you need is your imagination. I would recommend this book to all ages. It was about 2 brothers who are waiting for a large hurricane to arrive in their town. When the storm finally hits both of the boys get really scared. After the hurricane lets up and is over the boys notice that there is a large tree that fell down right next to their house. It wasn't their tree it was the neighbors but they decided to play on it one day because they were extremely bored. They played on the tree so much that it became their little adventure world. They would spend as much time as they could with that tree. They felt safe and protected when they would play. But one morning the boys awoke to the sound of chainsaws and axes hacking away at what sounded like... A TREE!!! Could it have been their tree???

Hurricane
Excellent book about two great boys who lived through a terrible hurricane and almost fell in love with a tree.It had a little sadness and happiness.Great illustrations!One of the best children's books I have ever read!The two boys showed a bunch of love for the tree, unfortunately, it would go in the end.Overall, an excellent book for all ages!!!!!! ... Read more

Product Description
In the tradition of "The Perfect Storm, Sudden Sea" harkens back to a natural disaster that struck terror in the hearts of many. In this narrative, readers experience The Great Hurricane of 1938, the most financially destructive storm on record. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (60)

Excellent book.Vividly describes the Great Hurricane of 1938.
I was born only a few months after the Great Hurricane of 1938.However, having heard so much about its effects from my older family members, I was very interested to read something more in-depth than newspaper articles commemorating this tragic event."Sudden Sea..." creates a vivid account of the storm and individual families' amazing survival as well as the tragedies others suffered.I highly recommend this book, especially for other New Englanders such as myself.

sudden sea
Excellent book. I'm from R.I. Growing up my grandmother always talked about the hurricane of 1938. She pasted away this past spring, so I decided to read a book on the 38 hurricane. I'm glad I chose this one. Very good reading.

Excellent Reading!
I really like this book. Its very interesting. It tells the readers exactly what a hurricane is like. Some people may think that a hurricane sounds exciting. However,after reading Sudden Sea: The Great Hurricane of 1938 one quickly realizes how deadly and destructive hurricanes are. I was glad to find the book. There really aren't a lot of books written about hurricanes.
The book arrived on time and was in good condition. I would definitly buy from the seller again.

Terrifying Look at the Hurricane That Changed New England
Occasionally, people ask me, "How do you decide what to read?" I can answer that when it comes to this book.

One night, while watching American Experience on PBS, I learned about The Great Hurricane of 1938 that ravaged New England. The hour long documentary was not enough to time for me to learn about this devastating event, I wanted to know more. A quick search of the internet turned up several books on the topic, but the one that seemed to be the best of them was R. A. Scotti's Sudden Sea: The Great Hurricane of 1938. Coming at the end of the Great Depression and shortly before the outbreak of World War II, this hurricane seems to have been "lost" in time, or, at the very least, not well known outside of the affected area. For those that watched American Experience, and like me want to know more, this is an excellent choice.

Contents: Prologue: Gone with the Wind; A Perfect Day; The Way it Was; A Shift in the Wind; Hurricane Watch; At Sea; All Aboard; A Bright Young Man; Upside Down, Inside Out; Battening the Hatches; A One-Hundred-Year Storm; How Do You Lose a Hurricane?; The Long Island Express; Crossing the Sound; The Atlantic Ocean Bound Out of Bed; The Dangerous Right Semicircle; Providence; The Tempest; Cast Adrift; All Quiet; The Reckoning; The Last of the Old New England Summers; Afterword; Appendix: A Nickel for Your Story; Author's Acknowledgements; Sources and Chapter Notes; Selected Bibliography; Index

As Sudden Sea: The Great Hurricane of 1938 opens, R.A. Scotti introduces the reader to people, families, and areas along the New England coast. It is a quick, but intimate look into daily life of 1938 along the coast, interspersed with some historical perspective to provide the reader with the reasons for particular settlements, the rise of housing on barrier beaches, and the influx of the "summer people." Scotti is able to connect the reader with the many people who lived, and died, in the hurricane. For example, Joseph Matoes, who watched as his children were swept way from their school bus as a giant wave washed over the bridge connecting Jamestown, Rhode Island, with the island of Beavertail. Or the two young lovers, out for a stroll along a beach in Napatree, Rhode Island, when the hurricane came roaring up the coast. By the time these people, and more (including actress Katherine Hepburn), realize that the storm that is brewing off of the coast is more than the usual early season storm, it was too late. By the time the hurricane passed over the area, entire stretches of beach homes were gone, washed away, Providence, Rhode Island, was submerged under seventeen feet of water, entire families were dead, children were orphans, parents found themselves childless. The hurricane, which struck without warning, changed the landscape, geographically, economically, socially.

An excellent, fascinating, and compelling narrative of The Great Hurricane of 1938, Sudden Sea will take the reader back to the summer of 1938 as it existed before the weather changed everything for New England. The hurricane, which was forecasted to strike the Miami area, veered away from that area, and was lost by the National Weather Service. The story of how it was lost, resulting in no warnings, is almost as tragic as the resulting damage. Adding to the book, R.A. Scotti includes many pictures of the hardest hit areas, in before and after shots. She also includes a few maps, however there are none that show the track the hurricane took, which is the only disappointment in the book. For those not familiar with the area, this is a disservice to the reader. Scotti provides a very accessible primer on how hurricanes are created, weather and sea conditions that foster them, and references to earlier storms that have struck New England. In all, Sudden Sea: The Great Hurricane of 1938 is an exceptional account of the destructive power of a Category 5 hurricane and the devastating effect it had on New England.

Disclosure:
Obtained from: Library
Payment: Borrowed

"All kinds of things were floating in it...as if the contents of the town...had been emptied into the cove by mistake"
Some books leave me with a little sadness when they are finished because I enjoy reading them so much it is bitter sweet when they end.Unfortunately, "Sudden Sea" I could not wait to finish.Even though it is only 244 pages of main text with a blank page between some of the chapters, it seemed to take a long time to get through.The story of a hurricane, with no warning to the residents, rampaging through seven states in seven hours certainly has the makings of an excellent book, but "Sudden Sea" did not live up to that potential.

Other reviewers have noted factual errors, but those were things I would not have noticed.For me, the reason I did not enjoy the book was that there was not much cohesiveness to it.It covers the stories of several people who either survived the storm or were lost and skips around to the different stories.It was difficult to keep track of all the people and families as well as the different parts of New England they resided.Where the book does keep its focus, it is usually on subjects that could be minimized, i.e. Grady Norton and Gordon Dunn tracking of the early route of the hurricane from the Weather Bureau at the Florida Keys and the history of Rhode Island founder Roger Williams.Three pages on the Great Colonial Hurricane of 1635 was dropped well into the book between accounts of those trying to survive in 1938 (pp. 182-84).Horrifying deaths and heralding survival stories are followed by the next story that begins when it is calm.It just jumped around a lot.

The book includes a glossy section of photographs and an appendix listing some of the additional "strangest, saddest, or most amazing stories".What was the most impressive about the storm was that it changed the landscape carving a new coastline, causing places that were once covered with beautiful houses to be uninhabitable (Napatree) and turning open fields into jungles through the seeds it carried.The story is definitely worth reading, but I recommend finding another book on the subject first before or instead of "Sudden Sea." ... Read more

Product Description

That lovable, under-undermedicated dispenser of truth, justice, and trivia is back with a vengeance—just as his cherished home state is about to take a beating from a conga line of hurricanes bearing down on the peninsula. But as Serge and his burnout buddy Coleman go storm-chasing, bodies begin turning up at a disturbing rate, even by Florida standards. It looks like a serial killer is on the loose—another serial killer—which highly offends Serge's moral sensibilities. And he vows he'll stop at nothing to unmask his thrill-killing rival and make All Things Right—though Coleman's triathlete approach to the sport of polyabuse binging threatens to derail the mission more completely than the entire combined Sunshine State police community could ever hope to.

Customer Reviews (33)

Hurricanes, alcohol, and murder - what more do you want?
Serge is a completely unbelievable, but fascinating, character.And I very much enjoy his off-beat humor and witty banter, but... I still feel as if the author is using him to convey a bit of a preachy message to the readers.There's something just a little off about the tone of parts of the books, especially the ones that deal with politics.And there's no particular reason for those sections to be in there, other than to make little jabs at the government.This depresses me, because I read to escape reality, and Serge is such an eccentric character it should be possible to dismiss reality entirely when reading about him.

There's also a lot about historic Florida that flies over my head, as I've never been to Florida.But this lack of knowledge doesn't detract from the storyline, Serge lets you know everything you need to in order to keep up with the story.

The story itself was well-done with a great plot twist at the end, and it kept me hooked throughout the story with bizarre situations, quirky side-characters, and Serge's trademark murders.Anyone who likes a slightly more off-beat murder-mystery story will enjoy this, and I'd recommend it to anyone with a quirky sense of humor.

A lesser entry, but still solid fun
Serge and Coleman spontaneously road-trip through Florida via staying in the eyes of hurricanes. Serge is in denial about having a mid-life crisis, and is all-the-while plotting his "comeback" serial killing spree. Unfortunately, he has copycat competition who is stealing his thunder...

Yep, that about sums up the plot threads... this is one of those books where the storyline is incidental to the characters and "Florida flavor" that are the series high points.

Dorsey seemed to be going for a hard-boiled noir-esque vibe in this (emphasized by recurring cop/nemesis Mahoney's dementia fixation with the medium) which is fine by itself, but unfortunately it backfired with allowing at least one minor and one major glaring plot hole/inconsistency to slip through -- I won't mention them here as they're spoilers. It's probably a forgivable error for most fans, though it was a speed bump for me as I like to try to guess the twists in mysteries and said plot holes threw off my rhythm. I'll get over it, of course, and I think most readers will, too.

Despite that, this is still a fun book, replete with staples like dark humor, obscure history/pop culture references, and Serge's trademark: new and unusual ways to kill people who annoy him. Obviously you have to like that sort of thing -- and I do, which is why I keep coming back to this author for more -- but of course it's not for everyone, especially "mainstream" readers who can't grasp the "fun" of an anti-hero.

Although this is a comparatively weak offering in the Dorsey canon, fans of the books are still encouraged to check it out. If you're new to Dorsey, though, start elsewhere (such as 'Triggerfish Twist' or 'Cadillac Beach') to see better examples of the author's output before backtracking to this one.

A fun book in a fun series.
I think "fun" is a good way to characterize this book and all in the series.

Please look for my review of Florida Roadkill, dated December 23, 2008, for a review of the whole series.

Note that the author recommends reading these in order of publication. If you are new to the Dorsey books, you should start with Florida Roadkill which is the first of the series.

If you are an old hand at the Dorsey books all I can say that you don't already know is that this one did not disappoint.

PLOT REMINDER: Serge the storm chaser is chasing the Eye of the Storm.

Imagine Dexter meets SNL
This book was absolutely hilarious.The storyline despite being totally tongue in cheek manages to still be compelling and unpredictable.The author makes excellent use of the more annoying aspects of pop culture and stereotypes such as the "hip hop redneck" to send the protagonist Serge off the deep end.I dont condone violence but it certainly is satisfying in this book.
If you enjoy dark off beat humor, this book will make you laugh out loud as you follow the antics of Serge and Coleman as they spread good natured mayhem across the state of Florida while being tracked by an equally eccentric FBI profiler named Mahoney.

watch the reader
These books are an excellent example of how the reader can influence the story. When Serge goes on a manic rant, George Wilson's interpretation makes you want to sell your house buy a six pack and get in the car with him.When Oliver Wyman reads the same monologs you want to stop the car and throw the irritating little motor mouth out on the street and leave him there. Wilson's Serge comes off as a big eccentric genius who you want to listen to and learn from. Wayman's Serge is an irritating nut case Joe Pesci character who just won't shut up.
When he started my wife said "That's not Serge, that's a little New Jersey guy named Vinnie." Coincidently, a little guy from New Jersey named Vinnie shows up later in the story and when they start talking it gets very confusing because you can't tell which voice is which.

I loved these stories, but I will always look closely at the readers name and I won't by anything else read by Wayman. ... Read more

Product Description
Take refuge, settle down to a few drinks of rum and rain, and soon you'll be raucously entertained with these 16 stories of madness and mayhem, of life afloat and ashore in the Caribbean.Meet colorful drunks, gamblers, sailors, pirates and prostitutes. While many stories are based on truth, characters and scenes have been disguised and fictionalized to protect the guilty, the famous and the infamous. Each one of these wild and bawdy Caribbean tales will keep you smiling all day long.The flavor is definitely Caribbean and the laughs are universal.You won't regret plunging into the cool pages of this red-hot book. Unforgettable, original characters serve up a fine feast of island life,replete with laid-back sea-to-shore attitudes and spicy inimitable Caribbean spirit. So put on your sunglasses, pick up a nice cold drink, and lay back in your hammock. Let these tall tales and loose lies melt your troubles away in the uncharted waters of fun. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (28)

Great Read
Miss Mermaid sure knows how to make a person feel as though they're really on the islands with her witty and funny stories.A great read.Thoroughly enjoyed it!

Fun summer read
Very entertaining summer read.Made me wish I was on the islands....any island.The author has a nice 1st person voice.Enjoyed the book.

Lived there and loved her stories
Miss Mermaid is a great writer and story teller and I enjoyed the book very much.Having lived on St. John and Tortola I could relate and recognize people, places and things.Thanks for a good read.

Laughing all the way to the Islands...
I picked up this book in June when we were planning a trip to the Virgins and started laughing out loud from page one.If you've ever been to the islands, many of the stories will ring familiar.If you haven't, you'll want to pack your bags.Tourists will recognize the places, the sounds and scents and vibes, and the sense of "island time" that prevails. But the little everyday details of island life is what makes this book especially fun and interesting. The characters (real island folks) are a hoot, and the tales of life after a hurricane are at once sad and funny, believable and unbelievable.There is a hodge-podge of modern-day pirates, 1960s drop outs, ordinary folks, and the rich and famous.It's a must-read for anyone who loves visiting the islands or is thinking about moving to the sunny climes.

This IS island life
Before I went to the West Indies I read Herman Wouk's 'Don't Stop the Carnival' which at the time I thought could only be a fantasy. It wasn't......he got it right. I've waited some 20 or more years to find another read which captures 'island life' and Dear Miss Mermaid tells it vividly. Centered on her experiences in the Virgin Islands from her American viewpoint, she encapsulates the essence of living and working afloat and ashore in the Caribbean in all 16 of her colourful stories. A 'Must Take' if you are fortunate enough to be going to any of the magical Caribbean islands of sun, sea and sky,......and if you are not....dream on. ... Read more

Product Description
ATAC BRIEFING FOR AGENTS FRAND AND JOE HARDY

THIS MESSAGE WILL BE ERASED IN FIVE SECONDS. ... Read more

Product Description
For a brief but brilliant season beginning in the late 1960s, American Indians seized national attention in a series of radical acts of resistance. Like a Hurricane is a gripping account of the dramatic, breathtaking events of this tumultuous period. Drawing on a wealth of archival materials, interviews, and the authors' own experiences of these events, Like a Hurricane offers a rare, unflinchingly honest assessment of the period's successes and failures. Amazon.com Review
This highly readable history documents three turbulent yearsin the history of Native America, beginning in the early winter of1969, when a few dozen activists occupied Alcatraz Island in SanFrancisco Bay. The American Indian Movement became prominent by thataction, and Chaat and Warrior chart its fortunes through the threeyears culminating in both Nixon's reelection and the siege at WoundedKnee, South Dakota, where armed AIM sympathizers held off federalagents for eight weeks. The period between Alcatraz and Wounded Knee,the authors write, "was for American Indians every bit assignificant as the counterculture was for young whites, or the civilrights movement for blacks." ... Read more

Customer Reviews (14)

Almost brand new!
In excellent condition, better than described.I think it may have been brand new! Great seller.Would definitely consider buying from them again. :)

Great book
This book focuses on AIM (American Indian Movement). It follows the movement from Alcatraz to Wounded Knee. The thing I like best about this book is that the author shows how AIM failed but shows that AIM failed due to internal divisions as opposed to outside forces. The indian movement was radical and young, which cause many of the elder Indians to avoid the movement.

Good insight into the movement of indian rights!
as a supporter for the AIM , this book is important reading for the activist for human rights movement.

Very Balanced Story of the Radical Indian Movement AIM
Well written book by Native Americans who write an objective history of the 60's style Indian movement that merged into Dennis Banks' American Indian Movement. The first section about the Alcatraz take over is very informative about the Bureau of Indian Affairs plan to move Indians off the reservation to assimilate them in Cities. Unfortunately, many of the Indians that relocated off the reservation ended up in their own Ghettos in poverty. However, these urban Indians such as the Mohawk Russell Oakes get personally involved in the take over of Alcatraz. The authors define well how the plans to take over landmarks comes about, the value of publicity and they bluntly
describe the failures in organization. The failures botch attempts to take Ellis Island and leave the Trail of Tears caravan virtually without shelter which inadvertently results in the take over of the BIA building. Unfortunately, the movement seems to falter with acts of vandalism, burning of a building in Custer, South Dakota and the destructiuon of buldings at the seige of Wounded knee and the unfortunate circumstance of kidnapping. The damage to property, reports of alchol abuse such as the get together in Warrenton, VA. undermines the movement in my mind. Thse acts seemed to diminish the goals of the Indian Movement although the authors make a point that even Martin Luther King could not control all the elements of his movement.Although the actions of AIM do obtian publicity and sympathy for their movement, the authors ironically note that their followers never materialize in large numbers. The book peaks with the reoccupation of Wounded Knee that succeeds as a great reminder of the mistreatment Indians in the past and invoking tribal rivalry between the current council President and AIM. In the finale, the authors note the failure of AIM to maintain itself after many of its leaders such as the charismatic Russell Means are put on trial or in some cases put in jail. The authors quote admirers and critics of the movement which is punctuated with the lack of concrete ideas that could translate to realistic acheivable goals and a lack of organization. Overall a very fascinating book that I wish spent more time on the transition of its main leaders to "Reborn Capatalists" (Banks)
and movie Stars (Means - Pochohontas and "the Last of the Mohicans). In addition, I wish the book provided more detail on the desires of reservation Indians, their problems and ideas for positive change. Very unfortunate that Clyde Warrior,one of the main leaders of the 60's rebirthing of an idealistic Indian movement, dies in the late 60's at the youthful age at 29. If he could have maintained his health and vision, his impact on AIM might have led to greater organization and acomplishments.

It was interesting to note that the authors refer to Sitting Bull as a Oglala Sioux when in fact he was a Hunkpapa Sioux (page 190).

Chaos Reigns
I am a grad student who read this book in preparation of a paper on the movement.I did not know my precise focus, but after reading this book I thought my focus should be the disunity of the leadership of AIM.This book presents a leadership that could not seem to come together on a precise mission.The key figures seem well-intentioned but their lack of agreement on direction seemed to tear things apart.

This book has a lot of great information about the leadership and it is a excellent reference for learning about the seizure at Alcatraz, the Native American Embassy and the second seige at Wounded Knee.I think my problem with the book was that I had heard of these events for years and had romanticized them and to read the problems AIM faced internally left me surprised and let down. ... Read more

Product Description

"Brings history to life in a book as readable as any novel." --Good Old Boat

On Friday, November 7, 1913, after four days of winds up to 90 miles an hour, whiteout blizzard conditions, and mountainous seas, 19 ships had been lost on the great-lakes, 238 sailors were dead, and Cleveland was confronting the worst natural disaster in its history.

David G. Brown combines narrative intensity with factual depth to re-create the "perfect storm" that struck America's heartland. Brown has created a vast epic ranging over Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, and Erie and echoing down the decades.

Customer Reviews (21)

Very good book.
I was very pleased with this book: the content, time it took to arrive, the condition it was in, price. I would not hesitate to purchase from this seller again. Thank you.

Great, unexpected book!
I love historical books about a crisis.This is my favorite genre.I have been disappointed by a few purchases due to the poor writing and lack of details that make these stories relevant.Not with this book!I compare this one very favorably to the somewhat ficionalized, "Isaac's Storm".It was as good a read as that book and I picked it up on the disount books table at Barnes and Noble for the amazing price of $1.80 for the hard-back version!

I heartily recommend it to anyone wanting a non-fiction, exciting book!

Not a "Perfect" Storm
A good book, but frustrating because it could have been so much better.

Things that would have made it better:

1.More pictures.

2.More maps.Specifically, charts in smaller scale to show why the boats were maneuvering as they were.And modern weather maps.The author makes a big deal about using modern weather reporting techniques to explain this event; modern weather maps shwoing what he was talking about would have been helpful.

3.Drawings/diagrams would have been very useful to detail ship conditions/damage.

4.Lose the Cleveland chapter.At the height of the storm action, we get an entire chapter that details how the storm affected Cleveland.Interesting stuff, but not what the book is really about.

5.Be the historian.Again and again the author comes up with Great Lakes "Lore and Legend" not fitting in with historical fact.And again and again he keeps trying to split the difference and explain it away -- he wants the lure of legend even if the history won't back it up.

6.Rethink the whole chronologial approach.So many ships in so many different places; it's really hard to figure out who's who lots of the time.

7.Another re-write.The first 50 pages are super.They really drag you in.But the prose slips, and by the time the storm is over, the final 50 pahes are a real rough read.

Worth buying twice
I had actually started reading this book and left it on an airplane.I found the story so captivating that I had to buy it again.The author took a now obscure storm and made it urgent for a modern reader. The book's style (episodic entries regarding particular ships at particular parts of the storm) really makes you crave more.This was a really enjoyable book.

Mostly unknown storm of 1913 brought alive.
As a resident of the Lake Superior port of Duluth, I have had a passing interest in the storms and shipwrecks of the Great Lakes.Somehow, I was unaware of the 1913 storm so eloquently described by David Brown in the White Hurricane.This very well-written and documented book brought me back to that time and helped me understand the enormity of the multiple tragedies that occurred during that November storm.White Hurricane also put into perspective how crude weather forecasting (by current standards) and the lack of modern technology, such as radar and radio communications, made sailing the Great Lakes in 1913 even more of a challenge than it is today.The book is a great read and is hard to set aside. I highly recommend this book!
... Read more

Product Description

Product Description
In 1967, the black boxer Rubin "Hurricane" Carter and a young acquaintance, John Artis, were wrongly convicted of triple murder by an all-white jury in Paterson, New Jersey. Over the next decade, Carter gradually amassed convincing evidence of his innocence and the vocal support of celebrities from Bob Dylan to Muhammad Ali. He was freed in 1976 pending a new trial, but he lost his appeal -- to the amazement of many -- and landed back in prison. Carter, bereft, shunned almost all human contact until he received a letter from Lesra Martin, a teenager raised in a Brooklyn ghetto. Against his bitter instincts, Carter agreed to meet with Martin, thus taking the first step on a tortuous path back to the world. Martin introduced him to an enigmatic group of Canadians who helped wage a successful battle to free him. As Carter orchestrated this effort from his cell, he also embarked on a singular intellectual journey, which led ultimately to a freedom more profound than any that could be granted by a legal authority.Amazon.com Review
Here comes the story of the Hurricane: On June 17, 1966, twomen entered the Lafayette Grill in Paterson, New Jersey, and shot fourpeople, killing three. Rubin "Hurricane" Carter, a onetime contenderfor the middleweight boxing crown, and John Artis, an acquaintance ofCarter's, were charged with the murders. In a highly publicized andracially loaded trial, the prosecution hinged its case upon theconvoluted and contradictory testimonies of two lifelong criminals,and failed to present any definitive evidence of Carter and Artis'sguilt. Nonetheless, both innocent men were sentenced to life inprison. Hurricane is a detailed, inspiring account of Carter's22-year effort to exonerate himself and regain his freedom.

Carter's saga is rich and complicated, and James Hirsch deservespraise for his balanced treatment. He brings Carter's electrifying andcomplex personality alive without unnecessarily lionizing him,masterfully detailing his transformation from a defiant, intimidatingman known for his dangerous temper and stubborn pride into aenlightened one who defeated despair and unimaginable injustice. Uponincarceration, Carter refused to behave like a guilty man--by defyingthe rules: rejecting prison garb and keeping his jewelry, shunningprison food, and failing to see a parole officer. His defiance earnedhim cruel punishment, but he compelled the rigid, unforgiving systemto come to terms, at least in certain instances.

Though he began an earnest study of the law in order to issue his ownappeals, he could not have won his freedom without the astonishingcollective effort of others. After a 1974 front-page story in TheNew York Times revealed his plight, there followed an outpouringof public support that included celebrity endorsements from, amongmany others, Muhammad Ali, Jesse Jackson, and Bob Dylan, whoimmortalized him in the famous song "Hurricane". Though allthe publicity turned Carter into an icon for a time, ultimately it wasthe efforts of a group of enigmatic Canadians and a team of persistentlawyers that helped Carter achieve justice.

He lost his family, his boxing career, and 22 years of his life, yetin the end, he refused to allow bitterness to consume him. When thecharges against him were finally dropped in 1988, he spoke at a pressconference:

If I have learned nothing else in life, I've learned thatbitterness only consumes the vessel that contains it. And for me topermit bitterness to control or infect my life in any way whatsoever,would be to allow those who imprisoned me to take even more than thetwenty-two years they've already taken. Now, that would make me anaccomplice to their crime...

Customer Reviews (45)

Watch the movie instead
I really wanted to like this book because I was so intrigued by Rubin Carter's story. Unfortunately, the book was dry and difficult to get into. I think I finally gave up without ever finishing it. If you're interested in the story, watch the movie.

Great story
If one does not have access to a good lawyer: This is what happens. I still can not understand how Mr.Carter found the strength to keep his fight ?!

A fascinating read
I bought this book for my husband after we watched The Hurrican movie. He loved this book from the first page to the last. It is such a compelling true story of the strength of the human spirit.

Engligh 9 review, Ms. Till
This is a good book that has a positive message, but it also exposes some of the evils in human nature.Two men, Rubin Carter and John Artis, are convicted of murders they didn't commit and are sentenced to life in prison.This story shoes the struggles that Carter goes through in prison and it is only his knowledge that he is innocent that gets him through it.He changes from an angry and confrontational person into someone wiser with a better understanding of his role in the world.Carter's story is an excellent example of determination and perseverance.

My Journey to Rubin
I loved this book almost as much as I loved the movie.For me it was one more step to tracking down the man, the legend.This is a wonderful book for anyone to read, from juveniles through senior citizens.The justice that eventually prevailed is of the feel good sort.It was such an incredible coming together of so many elements.I think that it should be included on recommended booklists in middle and elementary schools. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (18)

A feel-good read for young readers!
A knowledgeable librarian recommended this touching story of two surviving animals during Hurricane Katrina.These animals were inseparable.Towards the end of the story, there is a real moving part that is disclosed between the cat and the dog.Surely a book that will be a favorite for any young animal-loving reader!

A truly inspiring story of devotion
"Two Bobbies: A True Story of Hurricane Katrina, Friendship, and Survival"--this story touched my heart profoundly, beginning with the cover illustration and the title. But then I know the story of Katrina and its devastation. I know that animals were left behind, not out of indifference or neglect, but out of necessity. Who knew that people wouldn't be returning to their homes any time soon? That means animals essentially, through no one's fault, were abandoned. Artist Jean Cassels captures the essence of devotion behind this oh-so-poignant story: dog looking at cat with closed eyes. A flooded street is depicted in the background. These two were "abandoned." But there is much more to this story.

Typically, when I write reviews of children's books, I test the book on at least one group of students in my school library. I am the librarian. This time the book arrived in a box of books via Fed Ex after school closed, so I am the testee. Frankly, I was moved to tears by this story. Much of it is speculation. How could Kirby Larson and Mary Nethery know exactly what Cat and Dog did during their journey to the animal shelter? But the two animals had to have a history together, so the two writers imagined one.

Young cat, young dog, both bob-tailed, perhaps were taken in together by their owner as two of a kind. Perhaps the dog was chained when the floods came, when the owners left, thinking they would return soon. Perhaps these owners left enough food for a few days. When days turned into weeks, apparently Dog broke his chain and he and Cat took off together. Perhaps they came across other strays, big and vicious. Perhaps they starved a bit (when they were finally taken in, their ribs were showing).

Whatever their scenario, they survived together for several months after the hurricane and before the next set of humans adopted them. The two companions, Dog and Cat, finally found a work site where a worker was keeping his dog. These two had a place and sure food--finally--for just one week. That's when the boss man said the two had to go.

They were taken to one of the animal shelters that spring up when animals need taking in. This is the place where an amazing discovery was made. When Cat and Dog were separated by race, Dog howled and barked and carried on until Cat was put in his cage with him. Finally, a human made the discovery that Cat was blind and Dog was his seeing-eye dog!

Now look again at the cover. Go back through the book and regard each illustration again. Cassels shows the viewer/reader this little tidbit--the cat's blindness, the dog's solicitude--in each illustration, but subtly.

The story does have a happy ending. The two are adopted together. This part of the story is also precious.

Bobbie (the Dog) and Bob Cat survived the storm, the flooding, and hardships lasting months. Their friendship and their survival are doubly special because of their unique situation and circumstances. Because of the merger of wonderful illustrations and a sensitively rendered story, this book is highly recommended!

heartwarming

This is a beautiful heartwarming story about two abandoned pets, a dog and a cat. They stay together, and struggle to survive for four months without human assistance after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans in 2005 before they are rescued and taken to an animal shelter by a kind construction worker. The two animals were briefly separated at the shelter but Bobbie the dog howled inconsolably and Bob Cat paced back and forth in his cage until the next day they were brought back together. Then the shelter workers realized that Bob Cat was blind, and all this time had been dependent on Bobbie for his survival. After being featured on CNN, the two were adopted together by a wonderful woman named Melinda. The realistic illustrations are lovely. The authors are donating 10% of their proceeds to the Best Friends Animal Society that cared for Bobbie and Bob Cat and many other desolate animals in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

the power of friendship
As an aspiring author/illustrator of children's books, I read a lot of them. But this is the first one that ever made me cry! I don't have any kind of insightful critique to write about this book. I will just say that Its narration is simple and straight forward. And its illustrations are done in a realistic, but warm style. Simply put, it is an incredibly powerful story of love and friendship.

Two Bobbies: A True Story
Geez, my eyes are getting misty just thinking about this one.A very touching story.
If more people were like these 2 animals, the world would definitely be a better place.
... Read more

Product Description
When Ms. Frizzle's class takes a field trip to the local weather station, they end up in a hurricane. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

Fantastic! Fun and educational!
This is one of the best Magic School Bus titles, as far as my family is concerned. It explains what makes weather on a local and global scale with the usual good humor and entertainment of the MSB series. Thoroughly illustrated and full of informative side bars, this book tackles a subject that is relevant everywhere! There is another title called "MSB Kicks Up a Storm" which is only a shadow of this much more detailed book, part of the TV-series off-shoot (we still enjoy those books, though they do not reach the quality that the core books of the original series attain).
by Nadine Slavinski, author of Lesson Plans Ahoy!: Hands-on learning for sailing children and home schooling sailors

My daughter loves this book
My daughter loves MSB books....There is a lot of educational information within the stories.

did not cut corners on science, yet fun - go Frizz!
This is a great, almost un American book in that kids are told that it's OK, even wonderful and wondrous to be science geeks, be curious.Love the Frizz when she says "take chances, get messy, make mistakes," and encourages her students to explore.In a society that elevates sports and violence for boys, and beauty and cattiness for girls, this series stands out for encouraging gender neutral intellectualism and academic achievement.My geeky 5 year old can't get enough, having finally found fictional characters that reflect her and encourage her.Factual substance-wise, I as a 40 year old have learned tons.

Another good one.
My kids enjoy all the Magic School Bus books, especially the original ones by Joanna Cole.This one is great too.

The Magic School Bus
This is a great educational series.The kids don't even know they are learning. ... Read more

Product Description

Product Description

Hurricanes. Typhoons. Cyclones. No matter what you call them, these formidable, swirling storms are the most devastating events in nature. hurricanes takes young readers on an in-depth exploration of one of the most awe-inspiring phenomena on Earth! This dramatic account of hurricanes and the disasters they leave behind, including Andrew and Katrina, are intensified through arresting full-color photographs and satellite images. Award-winning science writer Seymour Simon has teamed up with the Smithsonian Institution to bring you a new, updated edition of his acclaimed look at this astonishing, and often terrifying, natural disaster.

Customer Reviews (3)

Great book for the elementary-age set
This book was purchased as a gift for my 8-year-old son who is very interested in natural disasters.I read it aloud to him and to my 6-year-old daughter, both of whom enjoyed it.

The text is very thorough in explaining how hurricanes develop, the categories of hurricanes, how they are predicted, and how to be safe when a hurricane threatens.Hurricane terms are defined in text, but other difficult words that are less central to the narrative are defined in the glossary in the back (e.g. moorings).It is this more challenging vocabulary that makes this book a read-aloud in the lower elementary years, so that an adult can explain challenging vocabulary.A child would probably need at least a 4th grade reading level to have reasonable understanding on their own.My son reads on a 5th grade level and can understand most of it by himself, except for the odd word.My daughter reads on a 2nd grade level and would be lost by herself.I homeschool and think it's critical to be reading aloud a lot to children in this age range, so it's not a big deal to me.But, this wouldn't be a good book to buy and expect to just hand over to the average 4 to 8-year-old it's recommended for.

Each two page spread is half photograph.In general the photos were very interesting and illustrated the power of a hurricane, but one or two of them were somewhat blurred as if the picture had been blown up too big.I'm sure they could have found other pictures that were sharp and detailed (one depicted aftermath, not hurricane itself), but it's not that big a deal.The kids probably won't even notice.

I would definitely recommend this book on hurricanes.It's extremely thorough and educational for adults as well as children.I have also read the author's book on Tornadoes, which was good as well, so I'd recommend his books in general.As a side note, this book was updated in 2007 and does mention Hurricane Katrina.

my child loves it!
There are tons of pictures and alot of information and it's suitable for some younger children

Good book
I bought this book for my son who has taken an interest in hurricanes and he loved it.He enjoys looking at the pictures and has learned alot about hurricanes. ... Read more

Product Description
When Hurricane Katrina tore through New Orleans and the Gulf Coast, hundreds of thousands were left behind to suffer the ravages of destruction, disease, and even death. The majority of these people were black; nearly all were poor.

Displaying the intellectual rigor, political passion, and personal empathy that have won him acclaim and fans all across the color line, Michael Eric Dyson offers a searing assessment of the meaning of Hurricane Katrina. With this clarion call Dyson warns us that we can only find redemption as a society if we acknowledge that Katrina was more than an engineering or emergency response failure. What's at stake is no less than the future of democracy. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (28)

They got both
It's not often we get a chance to look at class, poverty and race in a way which isn't almost guaranteed to be polarised at the outset.Having a disaster as impersonal as Katrina gives Dyson just the backdrop needed to show that much of what happened to the poor of New Orleans (and in particular the black poor) was the result of systemic problems; related directly to how we, as a society, treat the poor, and those whom we marginalise, caused much of what what went wrong.

The book doesn't address (at least in the first edition) why it is that New Orleans has not been rebuilt, but the same forces which neglected the city for so long, are probably critical to the lack of real rebuilding.

For anyone who wants a starting point to look at race, and poverty in the United States, this makes a good one. The writing is plain, but not dumbed down, and the bibliography is complete; so the basis for his work is there to be seen; and as a springboard the book is excellent.

Dark side of America
In past decade, one of big natural disaster was Hurricane Katrina hitting New Orleans; a lot of people lost their houses and most of them could not evacuated on time and left behind. In Come Hell or High Water Hurricane Katrina and the Color of Disaster, Michael Eric Dyson presents "unnatural disaster"- man-made disasters, such as poverty, racism and classism" beyond Katrina. Author advocates for black community, emphasizes racial issue and how this issue affects in society.
In Dyson's book, he shows that poor black Americans suffer the damage brought from Katrina. Those affected were from legacy of discrimination and racism and racism creates a gap of unequal treatment comparing with wealthy Caucasian American by the government policies.
To support Dyson's theory, first he points out the primary offenders of this disaster were Bush administration, local and federal government. He shows the detail time line of background of New Orleans, then he approaches Hurricane Katrina to racism and classism; he analyzes natural disaster correlated with unnatural disasters. By time, he explains racial stereotyping in a whole society and media coverage and portrait of blacks.
In explaining racism issue, Dyson quotes CBS's Sunday Morning that "...in New Orleans were white people, they would not have gone for days without food....." (18) By this, that means whites would get help sooner and more effectively. In other word, that is an assumption about whites and blacks are treated different. Clearly this approach was at odds with that expected by readers. That is hard to totally agree Dyson's theory. However, if Dyson emphasizes that the unequal evacuation relates with different of social economic status and people living in New Orleans are poor lower class and they are seldom to vote, so those people only have got lesser attention comparing than rich privilege class. That explanation will be more convinced.
Ironically, the weakness of Dyson's book ishis overemphasis of race. He states, "How can race possibly be quarantined from a consideration of Katrina when it so thoroughly pervades blacks culture--the choices we make, the laws we adopt and discard, and the social practices that are polluted by its pestering ubiquity?" (19). Obviously, race plays a role in society, but this is an overstatement. Most decisions people make have nothing to do with race. This overemphasis on race, I believe, leads him to find racial difference in his perception of reality.
To reinforce racism's view that Dyson points out that media exemplifies a low view of blacks. He refers to the Associated Press's report, young blacks "looted" food but whites "found" food. (164)By that caption from report, that means reporter also has its own perception and cultural bias. That is significant aspect of Dyson's book; media creates a negative stereotype of blacks. Obviously, media pay an important role of giving messages in society and media has a way with words to influent image of blacks in society.That is a good reason to explain why blacks couldn't get equal treatment with others because they have bad reputation from media's commentary.
Another questionable aspect of Dyson's book, he constantly decries the inefficiency of the Bush administration, particularly FEM incompetency during this disaster. Dyson clearly points out the incompetence of the administration, the government and FEMA really had no structure in place to handle a natural disaster, particularly their lack of proper coordinating for handling the situation. However, for the incompetency has no relation to racial issues.
Despite these criticisms, Dyson's book does have its positives and we need to judge it in terms of the author's purpose in writing it. It is intended to be a rigorous piece of academic work. After we read Dyson's biography, he is a black academic, an author, radio host and a professor of sociology. We can understand the purpose of his book; he reminds us including society and government "class issue" and "racism" still exit. We shouldn't be ignored them. I agree with Dyson that class certainly had something to do with the response to Katrina and that race probably played a role too. If we consider Dyson as a black academic, he speaks the truth about country's attitudes toward the poor, as well as government's continued refuse to response to these taboo issues. These issues didn't begin with a hurricane; it states that to remind the entire country that we are not a classless society. The book was insightful in many ways, and it provided new information about what really happened.

Interesting discussion of racial issues relating to Katrina relief--but with problems.
Michael Eric Dyson, for those who don't know, is a tireless advocate for the black community, a community that he proudly participates in and loves. For better or worse, Dyson has written many books on topics that emphasize and underscore racial issues in American society and how they affect the black community. This book is no different. His primary thesis is that the damage and suffering brought from Katrina would have been ameliorated if, instead of poor blacks, those affected were more affluent or of a whiter complexion. The primary culprit of this, according to Dyson, was the Bush administration, though his ire isn't solely directed at them. There are other emphases as well, including the interplay between racial stereotyping in society as a whole and media coverage and portrayal of blacks.

Regarding the prevalence of racial prejudice, Dyson doesn't claim that overt and explicit racism was the cause of the poor response to Katrina; rather, there was an implicit prejudice or "passive indifference" directed towards poor blacks. Unfortunately, Dyson doesn't proffer many arguments to support this position. The primary argument he gives (and it shows up several times) is simply a thought experiment: if these people were affluent whites, wouldn't help have come sooner and more effectively? He also includes a pointed example in which the media exemplifies this low view of blacks. On the same day, the AP printed two stories with stranded people wading through water with food in hand, one a black man, the other a white man and woman. The picture with the black man had the title referring to his having "looted," while the photo of the white couple was described as having "found" food. (It's hard to evaluate this example in isolation even if it is powerful, for one example does not make a strong case.) Even with the dearth of arguments for this position, some of what he writes weighs against his thesis. For instance, he constantly decries the inefficiency of the Bush administration (particularly FEMA)while giving another detail concerning the administration that (at least) undercuts the argument based upon race: incompetency. Dyson clearly accentuates the incompetence of the administration by detailing how they really had no structure in place to handle a natural disaster, particularly their lack of proper coordinating for handling the situation. Yet this militates against his main thesis, for the incompetency has no relation to racial issues; it was in place prior to the disaster. Of course, this doesn't discount the claim that implicit racism had something to do with the response, but there is an inverse relationship between incompetence and (racial) apathy. The primary problem, I believe, that besets his thesis is that it's quite difficult to argue for specific cases of implicit racism, leaving him to mostly rely upon the thought experiment example.

Dyson lambastes the Bush administration throughout the book. Most of the blame for this catastrophe is placed at their feet. (On a side note, Dyson doesn't tell the reader when he thinks these missteps are the product of indifference towards blacks.) However, it seems that Dyson goes too far in his blame of the Bush administration or--at least--he doesn't adequately support his position. For instance, he complains that FEMA's head knew of the disaster that was coming to New Orleans 3 days before it hit but didn't request troops until 5 hours after it hit. This would be a powerful example if Dyson had shown that FEMA had the authority, without state and local authority, to enter into NO, but he doesn't. Also, it's unclear how much FEMA knew three days before, which is quite important for doling out blame. Further, if what Dyson claims is true, NO mayor Ray Nagin would be the real culprit here for not issuing a mandatory evacuation sooner than the day before the hurricane hit, not using the Amtrak's services before its last run out of town, and not using all of the public transportation devices that, according to Dyson, were later seen swarmed by the flood waters. Dyson is also very critical about the amount of voluntary resources that were turned away by FEMA (e.g., the US BATAAN; Florida Airboat Association). But, again, it's unclear how much blame, if any, should be put on FEMA and its employees for this. If they were obeying the law, then there may not be any blame. At least this is something that is debatable, and it brings up the question of whether blame should be put on the individuals who allowed such laws to come into existence; moreover, it raises the question as to whether less government is better than bigger government in dealing with these situations, something contrary to Dyson's political persuaion. But there is no room for a nuanced discussion on this issue with Dyson; Bush and his crew are guilty, and that's that. (It's also interesting to note that Dyson points out the bureaucratic red tape that prevented New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson from sending Coast Guard troops for quite some time, the problem coming from LO Governmor Blanco not issuing a request, yet there isn't a discussion about blame here.)

Dyson clearly holds a certain level of antipathy for Bush and his political philosophy, and this appears to cloud his judgment on issues in which Bush is related (not unlike many political pundits on both sides of the political aisle). There is a really good example of this clouding of judgment. Shortly after the Federal Government entered the environment in NO, Bush noted that the efforts from the Fed were "not acceptable." Several days later, while outlining his plan to assist NO, Bush claimed that the devastation there was simply too much for the state and local governments to handle, resulting in citizens not getting the help they need and that this was "unacceptable." Dyson claims that Bush was attempting to transfer blame from the federal government to the state and local governments through "word association" (105-06). This is an egregious interpretation of Bush's statements. He didn't even place any blame on the state and local governments in his statement but, rather, on the situation. This is a clear example of Dyson's cloudy judgment regarding Bush and justifies one taking his pronouncements on anything related to Bush with a grain of salt.

Another problem with Dyson's evaluation is his overemphasis of race. He states, "How can race possibly be quarantined from a consideration of Katrina when it so thoroughly pervades our culture--the choices we make, the laws we adopt and discard, and the social practices that are polluted by its pestering ubiquity?" (19). Yes, race plays a role in our society, but this is an overstatement. Most decisions people make have nothing to do with race. This overemphasis on race, I believe, leads him to find racial disparity in every conceivable place. For instance, he spends a few pages discussing how other minorities were affected by and treated after the Katrina disaster. He notes Latinos, Native Americans, and Vietnamese, cites a couple of facts around their departure of NO, and then refers to how the government had abandoned or mistreated them. The problem is that he doesn't really argue for this, or at least he does so poorly. He claims that Latinos didn't receive help because they were afraid to ask, fearing deportation related issues, and that of the 30,000 Vietnamese refugees many were turned away from the Astrodome, yet the precise number isn't given nor are the general numbers of those trying to get into/those rejected entry into the Astrodome.

For those who have seen Dyson give commentary on TV, it's obvious that Dyson has a way with words. He's extremely eloquent in those situations. However, this is not the case when Dyson goes to print. He seems to try too hard to sound profound by using big words and elongated sentences that obfuscate, rather than elucidate, the issue at hand. I can cite one example: "And by raising the problem of evil as an issue that is but one remove from the theological landscape when it probes human responsibility and agency, redistributive theodicy seeks to clarify the ultimate cause of human suffering and disaster" (193). It's unclear, in almost any context, what it means for something to be 'one remove' from something else, and 'theological landscape' is another obscure phrase in this context. The best I can surmise is that Dyson is referring to some sort of freewill defense toward the problem of evil here, but there are much better and clearer ways (e.g., Alvin Plantinga's works) to express this. Another example of Dyson's pedantic tendencies can be found where he explains the etymology of the work 'theodicy'. He correctly notes its origin from the Greek words 'theos' and 'dike', but, for no reason other than to display how learned he is, he provides the Greek for these words; however, there's a problem: the Greek letters he uses for 'theos' are not correct. Of course, how many people know Greek? Not many, so most will just look at this as Dyson even knowing Greek. The point is that even if he knew Greek, the reader gains nothing from this.

Some reviewers have referred to Dyson as a Marxist. I think such labels aren't helpful because they're only used in the pejorative sense. Dyson surely favors more of a "spread the wealth" political philosophy, and there's a nice quote that sums up his views on this matter that some may find informative: "Charity is no substitute for justice. If we never challenge a social order that allows some to accumulate wealth--even if they decide to help the less fortunate--while others are shortchanged, then even acts of kindness end up supporting unjust arrangements. We must never ignore the injustices that make charity necessary, or the inequalities that make it possible" (152).

I had some other problems with Dyson's claims, such as his defense of those who stole non-essential products for no other reason than that they wanted these things, but putting these aside, the book does have its positives. The most important--though exaggerated--was that racial issues are still present and shouldn't be ignored even in a society that has a (half-)black president. I agree with Dyson that class certainly had something to do with the response to Katrina and that race probably played a role too, even though I'm not convinced that Dyson's account of the extent to which this was present is correct. I'll end by noting that according to Dyson, 67% of New Orleans was black during the time of Katrina, yet (from another source) only 49% of the casualties were black. This number is at least food for thought, especially considering Dyson's emphasis on the fact that the communities that were hit the most (i.e., the poor) had a higher concentration of blacks than the general populace.

Why not talk to the people of New Orleans?
Dyson, of course, is brilliant and he places the Katrina disaster in the context of race relations in the United States, but the book would have been greatly enriched by a few research trips to New Orleans to interview actual eye witnesses to get their perspectives on race and the handling of the aftermath of Katrina.

This guy belongs on "IN LIVING COLOR"
This author reminds of a character played on In Living Color where Damon Wayans is a convict that tries to use as many multi-syllabic words as he can so he can SOUND intelligent.This author is not.

This book is nothing more than an appeal to left-wing wackos suffering from Bush Derangement Syndrome. ... Read more

Product Description
James Bond is on a much-needed vacation in Mexico at the home of ex-flying ace Jack Stone.  But his holiday is cut short when a hurricane hits.  As the storm ravages the community, a gang of thieves lies in ambush – they want Stone's safe, and will kill for its contents. Stone’s children, Precious and JJ, are kidnapped, and James must embark on a perilous chase through the jungle to rescue them and retrieve the stolen items. The clues ultimately lead him to the island of Lagrimas Negras, a haven for deadly criminals, controlled by the ruthless El Huracan.

            James will have to use all of his instincts and cunning if he’s going to outwit El Huracan and escape with his life.  But the only way off the island is through a treacherous maze, La Avenida de la Muerte – the Avenue of Death.  On this terrifying trail of greed and betrayal, only danger is guaranteed…survival is not.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

Hurricane Gold review
James Bond wasn't always a spy working for MI6.Before that, he was a school boy going to Eton in London. Of course, he sill got into many adventures.In the fourth book in this Young Bond series, James is on vacation in Mexico with his Aunt.It's meant to be a time for both of them to relax, so naturally, James ends up with two other kids in the middle of Mexico with no one he knows.When he comes across a group of gangsters who have stolen a safe that supposedly has a top secret navel document in it, James decides to steal it back.It takes him all over latin America, and eventually an island where wealthy criminals can live in peace.
This was a great novel, appropriate for all ages, but preferred by teens and younger.The author, Charles Higgson, did a great ob of expressing the characters' personalities and even Bond's sense of humor from Ian Flemming's books.Bond is constantly on the move and doing surprising things that will keep you reading chapter after chapter.
If you are a slow reader, this would be a good book to buy. However, if you can read fast, I would recommend borrowing this book from a friend or a library.I read it in a few days, and then i didn't have anything else to do with the book.Also, be aware that this is a series and there are three books before it.You don't really need to read them in order, but it can help. Especially in the third book, which brings back characters from the first.

Action packed
The first is a little bloodthirsty but it is an action packed story that young adults enjoy.

BEST BOOK EVER!!!!!!!
BEST BOOK EVER!!!!!! but you should read them in order!!!!!

DEFFINETLY WORTH IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THANK YOU CHARLIE HIGSON FOR THE BEST BOOK EVER!!!!!

my review
Hurricane Gold is a superb book about the young days of James Bond. He is a fourteen your old in the fourth book of the series. In the series, Higson shows a young boy thrown into several painful battles. A great past for agent 007. In Hurricane Gold, Bond is visiting a rich friend's(Jack Stone) house with his Aunt. Jack takes his Aunt to Palenque and James is left in his Mexico house with the servants and Jack's kids, Precious and JJ. That night, a hurricane hits and a group of thieves comes to steal naval documents. Not able to open the safe, the JJ and Precious are taken hostage. James must go on a journey to save the kids and recover the documents. The thieves plans have been changed courtesy of the hurricane. James is taken to the island of Lagrimas Negras, an island of thieves. It is controlled by an evil leader, El Huracan. With a heartstopping climax and a journey through the avenue of death, Hurricane Gold is by far the best young James Bond book in the series.

Another GREAT Charlie Higson novel.
Hurricane Gold is a very thrilling addition to the Young Bond series. It lives up to the standards of the other books in the series. The book is very easy to get into, and once you have started reading it, It is very hard to put it down. This novel references previous books in the series, however the book can stand-alone. I highly recommend this book. ... Read more

Product Description

In the span of five violent hours on August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina destroyed major Gulf Coast cities and flattened 150 miles of coastline. But it was only the first stage of a shocking triple tragedy. On the heels of one of the three strongest hurricanes ever to make landfall in the United States came the storm-surge flooding, which submerged a half-million homes—followed by the human tragedy of government mismanagement, which proved as cruel as the natural disaster itself.

... Read more

Customer Reviews (133)

Better than expected
The book exceeded my expectations.It arrived very quickly and with no blemishes whatsoever.

Why one star?because Amazon wouldn't let me give less.
This, sadly to say, is the first book that I've ever had to quit reading.My blood pressure couldn't take it.This is the most biased, slanted thing that I've ever read that was to be taken as factual.I was a Registered Nurse in La at the time of Katrina.Most of my first responders were pulled to New Orleans during the flood, as well as several of the doctors and other nurses that I worked with volunteering to go to help. (I was unavailable to go because my son was just born in April.)The first-hand stories from those medical personel simply do not match the second-hand stories that Mr Brinkley wrote about in the book.It's disgusting that a supposed pre-eminent historian took it upon himself to re-write history.Factual errors aside, it wasn't well written.The book takes a whiney tone and is soooo repetitious.Exactly how many young, professional black men gave up multi-million dollar careers in other parts of America to come back to New Orleans to "give back to the community"?I quit counting at three.These saintly men really never did "give back", they just ran around New Orleans telling people that they "got a bad feeling about this one."Something else disturbing is the unnecessarily flattering revision of Govenor Blanco, who's incompteance in real life killed hundreds if not thousands in Louisiana, when she rescinded Nagin's evacuation order stating that he didn't have the authority to give it, but wouldn't give one herself.To Brinkley, Nagin's incompetent, and Blanco's the hero. As for Bush, America watched Blanco go on tv multiple times a day and cry instead of turning the matter over to the federal government, but still, Brinkley hammered Bush.I voted for Blanco, I voted against Bush twice, and I'd have never voted for Nagin, so it's not just that my politics blinds me, and let me say Bush's greatest sin in this whole episode is callousness, not incompetence as Brinkley stated.In short, talk to the people who were there, which Brinkley didn't seem to do, and you'll realize that this book is garbage.

Great Story: the Great Deluge
This book is well prepared and well written. There is everything to know about hurricane Katrina -all the things you saw in the news and all the things you didn't. A significant documentary.

The Great Deluge
I read this book five years after Katrina following a vacation in New Orleans. I was struck by how Katrina continues to be at the forefront of life there. After reading this detailed and harrowing account of the storm, I fully appreciate why their wounds are still so raw. The writer describes in a profoundly realistic manner the absolute horrors of the catastrophe, and the missed opportunites at every turnby local, state and federal leaders to if not avoid but to mitigate the tragedy. He also hails the folk who risked their lives to save their neighbors with a battlefield bravery that brought tears to my eyes. What a fabulous writer he is, and what a blessing to us that as one of New Orleans sons he bore witness to this event.

The Great Deluge by Douglas Brinkley
I ordered this book because I survived Hurricane Katrina and I know first hand what it was like. This book just puts you there. It mostly talks about what happened in New Orleans....I was in Mississippi. I don't especially agree with the author's political views, but he did an excellent job in telling what it was like before, during, and after the most devastating event of my (and thousands of others)life. ... Read more

Product Description
When Riley Sinclair stepped into her new job as director of guest relations at a posh resort on Paradise Island, she felt the final pieces of her once-broken life coming together. But the waters become choppy when Riley discovers that some who come to the Atlantis Hotel are accompanied by paralyzing secrets and overwhelming fears. Riley and three guests are in desperate but unknowing need of each other, eventually forging unlikely yet powerful friendships. With a hurricane headed straight for the island, together they embark on a journey of laughter, heartache, and healing. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (34)

Healing on a Beach
In Hurricanes in Paradise, four women meet on an island, and their worlds are forever changed when they must confront their pasts and learn to live again. Riley, a hotel manager, must deal with three high maintenance clients, each with a past of hurt much like her own. When their lives become linked, the women confront their past and learn to heal and to move on.
Denise Hildreth captures the personalities of strong yet vulnerable women perfectly. She tackles the painful situations of life gracefully. At times, there was a little too much drama: how many bad things can really happen to four women? The theme of forgiveness for the past and healing for the future was evident, but it could have been achieved with more realistic problems. (I don't want to give away the ending by being more specific!)
Overall, this is a good read. I would especially recommend it to a woman who is feeling the guilt of yesterday's mistakes!

[...].

A book to read over and over!
This book is about the lives of four very different ladies. They are all different ages, stages in life and different situations. Hurricane in Paradise takes you on a journey of love, forgiveness and peace. Even when we spend time with someone we really don't know the hurts and heartaches they have been through. This book will have you laughing and crying.
Join Riley, Laine, Winnie and Tamyra as they enjoy the pleasures of paradise while a hurricane is on the horizon in more than one way. In this wonderful book you will see these ladies overcome their fears, struggles and losses by going to the Lord and giving Him full control of their lives. One big lesson in Hurricanes in Paradise is learning to forgive yourself. Also by learning to lean on each other. A book you don't want to miss. A must read.

A good book!!!
Hurricanes in Paradise by Denise Hildreth is a heartwarming and sometimes sad tale of four women who come together at a hotel onParadise Islands in the Bahamas. Each of these women are at the hotel for different reasons but all have issues that they can't seem to let go of. Riley, is the director of guest relations, whose job it is is to take care of these ladies and see that they have everything they need. Laine is a famous author who is trying to deal with a divorce that was caused by an infidelity on her part. Winnie is a widow who came to the hotel because her children thought she needed to get away and ironically back to the place where she and her husband honeymooned. Tamyra is a young beauty queen who is faced with an illness and an abusive relationship. Riley also has her own demons from her past and a child to raise. Riley sees that her guests have what they need and over the course of this week becomes quite close to all of them. To top it off there is a hurricane heading their way, an assistant to Riley who has her own agenda and a man who would like to be romantically involved with Riley. Each one of these ladies faith has been tested so far that they think that He has abandoned them. With the help of each other they start to heal mentally and spiritually . I liked the story, there was an abundance of humor along with sadness but written in such a way that you could feel the heartbreak that each of these ladies faces. The lesson here is to forgive others but also to forgive yourself.

Hurricanes In Paradise
Wow! I really liked this book. This is Denise Hildreth's first book in two years and it was well worth the wait. I've read her books before but Hurricanes In Paradise is the best yet with a little bit of everything. It's a beautiful story of fashion, friendship, overcoming pain, discovering who you were meant to be, and of course the beach! The four main characters are easy to fall in love with, flaws and all.




Tamyra, Winnie, Laine, and Riley were all strangers at the beginning of the book only to be transformed into lifelong friends as they vacationed at The Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas. The book alternates between the four women weaving their stories together. Denise has mastered the art of foreshadowing. With every scene she drew me in and right as I was holding my breath to see what happened, she switched to a different character whom I was equally as enthralled in. Even I wanted to skip pages ahead to see what happened and I am not a page skipper!



There is an urban legend which says the waters at the Atlantis heal and some come searching for it. These women are quick to find the water may not be what heals but are directed to the One who truly does heal. Denise talks about faith in God without being preachy and even through a fictional story can help you see that trusting in the Lord can heal our deepest hurts.

A Fantastic Hildreth Book
Riley Sinclair has the opportunity to meet all types of vacationers in her capacity as PR person at the Atlantis on Paradise Island.She tries to cater to the every need of Laine, a snobbish and quite demanding world-famous author. Riley also meets Winnie, a bedecked and bejeweled school principal who tends to speak her mind and Tamryn, a beauty queen who is obviously in emotional pain.The reader soon learns that each of these women, including Riley, have a shame inside yearning to be healed.Strangely, the relationships among these women evolve into friendships, as each woman's painful story is revealed and the others help her to find forgiveness and a plan for her life.

A hurricane hits Paradise Island just as a hurricane of sorts hits in each woman's life.Can Winnie move on to find a new companion after husband Sam's death?Will Laine forgive herself for an indiscretion that broke up her marriage with Mitchell?An abusive boyfriend has ruined Tamryn's life, she thought.Can she turn her experiences into a greater good?And Riley, so shamed and unforgiving of herself after an auto accident leads to alcoholism.Has she really broken free of its grip?Each prays for God's forgiveness and wholeness.

I have never read a Denise Hildreth novel, but I will be looking for more.This was a book that I just had to keep reading because the characters were so engaging, witty...and human.

This book was provided to me by Tyndale Publishing for review. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (15)

Maddening to read, but worth the time
Maddening to read, this is a very clear-eyed and even-handed account of the government's response to Katrina.The book includes a nice background on the levy system in New Orleans (and some reasons for its disrepair) as well as a history of FEMA.I enjoyed the way everything was laid out in an easy, linear manner, with quotes from Senate testimony and clarifications about surrounding events added as necessary.

I found myself reading the book like I was watching a movie, picking out characters that were supposed to be the "good guys" or the "bad guys", but the authors potrayed the people as humans.Even the most capable people in this situation made mistakes, and the authors don't hesitate to point them out.This book is not a complete blame-fest, but it doesn't let anyone off the hook either.Some people come out better than others, but it feels like a very accurate picture of the mess, as opposed to the overwrought Katrina footage we all saw on TV in the immediate aftermath.

I really liked some of the stories about the unique characters in the government and in New Orleans.Reading this book reminded me just how well some people worked to get through this disaster and help their neighbors.It also reminded me how frustrating it was to watch the government drop the ball in such a spectacular fashion.My favorite quote from the book:"St. Bernard Parish, which was swamped to the eaves and had about 6,000 residents standing on the rooftops, was largely ignored by rescuers until Wednesday, when a forty-seven-man contingent of canadian Mounties arrived." (pg. 181)

Katrina
Seems to do a real good job.As an anything like this, it takes a lot of people a lot of time to mess up something this bad.Will be better analyzed by "experts" several years from now, especially after some of the repairs/remediation have been tested with say a "minor" hurricane.I'm not an expert or even close, but everybody has known people that went down there to help that couldn't do anything because of whatever (basically disorganization/dysfuntion) and just came home (some had some sucess particularly other La & Miss).Have had the opportunity to work with Corps Of Engineer on other things and like any large governmental agency some things work real well but a lot doesn't, most of which seems to be their own bureaucacy.Of course they are not completely at fault, but they, the city & the state are probably all guilty.Particularly liked the explanation/idea that the Feds and/or the Military wanted to take control.Pretty sure they are still trying to do this, for a lot of different reasons, but one is to just get more power/money (and for some weak/poor areas, they may be right). One of the bigger issues is what should we the people and government really do/spend on these areas to include much of Florida, in regards to saving/protecting something that is almost impossible to protect, is very very expensive to protect, and/or actually wrong to protect (e.g. Everglades, Mississippi River over engineering).Some of these things are owned by very rich people/corporations.If I owned property built in a Hurricane prone area, I would like the government to save me/my money too.I'll never forget walking down the road in Vietnam and seeing an Esso and stationsign, and I thought to myself, what am I really here for.Of course, since then I've realized it isn't that simple, but some of it is.

Oddly compelling
I say this because the book was very difficult to put down, certainly surprising because it is reporting on a recent event with known results.Certainly, the book is not a dry recitation of events.

I will say this right off - some of my opinions about who was at fault from the Federal response changed as a result of reading the book. I am less inclined to blame the Bush White house (and I am no fan of Bush Administration).However, it is also plainly obvious that the response failed on Federal, State and local levels - primarily because of bureaucracy.This is not to say that some things went well - New Orleans was 80% evacuated for example when the storm hit.

The authors have also listed many of their references both in the book and on their website.Two of the big ones are readily accessible on the Internet - the Bipartisan report and the White house report.Anyone may review those documents who care to.The link is:

http://www.disasterthebook.com/links/

An Enlightening Perspective
Other books do better than this one in describing the human impact of Katrina.But this is far and away the best book that I've seen about the series of mistakes that led to the botched response.There were lots of individual failures, but the authors also make it clear that there were massive organizational issues -- issues, I might add, that still have not been fully addressed by Congress or the administration.

Good example of a bad example.
This is a well written tale of how government can get out of touch with reality.

I was completely flabbergasted by the obsession for irrelevantdetailMathew Broderick demanded in the Homeland Security Operations Center. I thought the Marines worked from the idea of the 70% Solution. On the battlefield or in a Disaster you are never going to have the full picture. You just have to go to war with the 70% you do know. This is well covered in "Corps Business: The 30 Management Principles of the U.S. Marines" by David H. Freedman.

The hero of the book for me was Craig Fugate the man who rose from being a firefighter and paramedic to become Florida's Emergency Manager. It is a tragedy for you Americans that he did not take the post of head of FEMA.

At the end of the day the message you get from this book is you are on your own. You might want to dust off your copies of Mel Tappan "On Survival" after you read this.
... Read more

Product Description
One moment the sun is shining on the slopes of El Yunque, the largest mountain in eastern Puerto Rico. The next, everything has changed. The sky has turned deep purple, and you feel as if the air has been sucked from your lungs. That can mean only one thing: A hurricane is coming! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Hurricane
I use this book with my students to teach visualization.It works very well.

Very exciting story!
My 5 year old son has a great interest in weather, especially rainstorms, and he absolutely loved this book!I would have given it 5 stars, but it was a bit implausible that the boys' parents would have let them go swimming in the ocean the morning before a hurricane was to arrive.However, that's what made the story so exciting to my son! ... Read more

Product Description
Dane Whitelaw knows something about Sheila Warren that no one else does. Dane knows Sheila's dead.

The private investigator found a photo under his door -- a picture of Sheila, strangled with his tie and posed on the beach of his private island in he Florida keys. The crime appears to be the handiwork of a serial killer currently terrorizing the Miami area. Now Dane knows he is being set up to take the fall for the killings. He just doesn't know why.

When Kelsey Cunningham's bet friend goes missing, she confronts the one person she thinks will have information -- Dane, Sheila's former lover and a man from Kelsey's own past. Kelsey follows Sheila's track into a dangerous world of sex, violence and drugs, with Dane right behind her. But the tentative trust between them shatters when Sheila's body is discovered -- and Kelsey recognizes Dane's tie.

Now Kelsey doesn't dare trust anyone. Especially a man she can no longer deny she has always loved. Because here on Hurricane Bay, a devastating storm can hit without warning and whether it's a tempest of unbridled passion or the desperate fury of a killer, nothing -- and no one -- is safe. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (18)

Very entertaining and sexy book!
I thought this was a great book! It has suspense, yummy love scenes, a beautiful locale, and a great group of friends. I recommend this book if you are looking for an easy, light, and thrilling story!

I hate not to finish a book but this was terrible
I barely made it through the prologue.Forced myself though the first chapter and could not go any further.It was terrible.I really enjoyed another book by the same author.This was really disappointing.

Decent
So the story is not the best written or very deep, but it was an interesting, "grocery store paperback" type read. It is quite predictable and annoying at times, but it is still worth the read. It's my second book by Heather Graham, and I thought it was fairly decent.

unbelievably bad!
I cant believe this is the tripe dished out by a best selling author...it reads more like a teenage novice's attempt at mystery. I couldnt even finish it

Slow go to nowhere
Came across Graham's name in a round-a-bout way.Had to find out how good/bad were the books of someone who lives in a $1 million estate across the street from the exclusive Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables, FL were.

I guess when you grind out "more than ninety novels" (book jacket blurg) you don't produce the quality of Michael Connelley in mystery fiction (read his Angels Flight and know joy)or an Elmore Leonard for awesomely good writting and research in a lot of different areas.

Geez, I would assume that someone who lives in the Miami area and writes "knowingly" about Key Largo would know that the body of water on the side of Key Largo opposite the Atlantic is NOT the Gulf of Mexico.

Add in dislikable characters all around -- given such little character development as there is -- and female characters who seems to do nothing but SCREAM at every development (combined with an overall plot and resolution that is mundane), you have a loser.

Keep on grinding 'em out, Heather, but I'll leave it to the rest of the great unwwashed to buy and/or read 'em.


... Read more