Product Description
Teachers: This book will introduce students to the CTB Test at Grade 3.It has multiple-choice and open-ended question in Math. It includes solutions ... Read more

Product Description
This work deals with the social fabric of Elizabethan-Jacobean life upon which Shakespeare drew for his plays. Using the Arden edition of the plays for quotation purposes, the author emphasizes the synthesis in the plays of images of reality and works of art. ... Read more

Product Description
The fast lane is much too slow for Rachel Walsh. And Manhattan is the perfect place for a young Irish female to overdo everything. But Rachel's love of a good time is about to land her in the emergency room. It will also cost her a job and the boyfriend she adores.

Customer Reviews (183)

Rachels Holiday
Unputdownable! Read Watermelon first though.I really think Marian is leaving the best till last with writing about Helen, the youngest sister... I really cant wait 4 that one.

Long, long, and very long
Since reading Watermelon, I was looking forward to reading Rachel's Holiday.The story about Rachel and her life was a good one, but the book was very long.It followed Rachel while she was in rehab and what happened when she got out.I really thought it could have been cut in half.After a while I got tired of reading about the tons of people in the rehab clinic with Rachel and just wanted to read about her.There were so many of them it was getting hard to keep track of everyone.The book kept me interested by adding in little past bits about Rachel as the book went on, but towards the end I was so tired of reading about the same thing and wanted the book to end.I started skimming wanting to be done with it.I was excited to read some about Claire from the Watermelon, but there wasn't a ton about her.

Thankfully the ending was worth reading, but could have come 200 pages soon.If the ending hadn't been worth reading I would have given the book 2 stars.It was boring at times and dragged on.I liked Rachel's story, but everyone else's could have been cut out and the book would have been just as good or better.

Good, but not my favorite
I liked this book, but had trouble staying focused.When it was funny, I laughed until I cried, but then the book seemed to drag.Maybe it's because I don't have any personal experience with the tragedy that occurs with the character in this book.Still a good read, but different than what I expected.

Read the entire series!
Rachel's Holiday, Anybody Out there, Watermelon and Angels are each about one of the sisters in the mad Walsh family. The nice thing is that they're all written in first person and have a great deal about the other characters so you really get an all-round perspective of each person - who they are inside their heads and how their various sisters see them.

Rachel's Holiday was a little less romantic touchy-feely than you might expect from a book of this genre. However it tackled a serious issue (drug abuse and rehab) with a nice mix of humour, warmth and inspiration that it made for a lovely read.

A brilliant study of drug addiction
Marian Keyes is such a wonderful writer, I believe I could read a grocery list she'd written and find it both funny and moving.

In "Rachel's Holiday," I think Marian Keyes has done some of her best work. The book is hilariously funny, as all of Keyes' stories tend to be, but it is also serious and very wrenching in parts. A reader can watch Rachel go through all the stages of confronting her addiction, the reactions of her family and friends, and Rachel's efforts to get her feet under her after her "vacation" is over.

I highly recommend this book both as an entertaining story, plus an inside look at how treatment centers and counseling work to help people truly look at their lives so that they can overcome their addictions. ... Read more

Product Description

Allison Avery's cell phone is possessed—literally. Maybe. Growing up between two sisters of blond beauty, fiery and sarcastic Allison is fed up with being invisible. When the devil appears in a dream and offers to trade Allison good looks for her cell phone, she makes the deal. How much damage can a little phone do anyway?

Customer Reviews (9)

Gorgeous cover but annoying narrator
Summary: The second book in a trilogy dealing with the Avery sisters, whose mother, the breadwinner, has just lost her job affecting them in a variety of ways. This book is about the middle daughter Allison who has always felt herself to be the least pretty and least valued of the family. She ends up selling her cell to the devil for a chance at gorgeousness.

I know that I read Lucky, the first book, but I didn't really remember it. That is okay; these books can be read in any order as they cover the same events from the different perspectives [It looks like the third book will be called Brilliant and is due out in May.] I have to say that I love all three covers for this trilogy-they're...gorgeous!

I mostly liked Allison (especially her obsession with the slightly obscure historical figure Gouverneur Morris) and I really liked her new best friend Roxie Green. But the obsession with being gorgeous annoyed me. I know that it's the plot of the book and obviously she will talk about it a lot but it annoyed me especially because it was totally obvious to me that she really was pretty but just couldn't see it. The story itself is pretty predictable but the writing style is very engaging. I've enjoyed the series and am eager for the third.

Overall: 4 out of 5 for cute story although slightly annoying narrator.

Enchanting Review: Gorgeous
GORGEOUS
RACHEL VAIL
Contemporary YA
HarperTeen

Rating: 4 Enchantments

Allison Avery has always felt invisible. The middle child sandwiched between older, smart, talented, and accomplished Quinn and younger, pretty, and popular Phoebe, Allison thinks herself the epitome of mediocrity. It doesn't help that she feels like an ugly duckling in public. And with not-quite-supportive friends, distracted sisters, and parents with their own financial problems, no one has really told her different.

But that all changes the first time Allison hands out with Roxie, a used-to-be big city girl also rumored to be a model. Suddenly Allison realizes she's tired of being the girl in the shadows. So, she makes a deal with the devil. In exchange for gorgeousness, all Allison has to do is let the devil possess her cell phone. Sounds like a great deal, right? Not. Allison's looks may have earned her more popularity, but do her new friends like her for her--or her face? And is her semi-finalist spot in a competition to find America's next teen model all what it's cracked up to be? And now that the devil's control of her phone is wreaking havoc with her personal and social life, Allison has to ask herself--is beauty really worth this?

GOEGEOUS is a witty, unusual, and ultimately charming tale of a girl trying to figure out who she is. Allison is a very likable character every teen girl will be able to relate to in some way; she's very unsure of herself, both in intelligence and looks, she feels dwarfed by the accomplishments of those around her, and she doesn't know who she can completely trust. That's why she gives so little thought to the devil's deal when she's offered beauty. She's just floundering for some confidence, something she can be proud of. This novel is very successful in conveying the importance of learning to love yourself. Despite that people should care about personality rather than image, beauty can be vital to that process of finding confidence, more for the reward of feeling beautiful than just being so. Vail, I felt, was also very effective in this message. For me, that's what set GORGEOUS apart from other novels about body image and beauty even if it all comes down to inner beauty. It also helps that Allison's business with the devil was continually mysterious. In all, GORGEOUS is a sweet story that will be enjoyed by women of all ages.

A resident of New York City, Rachel Vail has written many novels for young adults. GORGEOUS is the second installment in the Avery sisters trilogy; the first book, LUCKY, follows Phoebe's story. Rachel can be visited online at her website: www.rachelvail.com

Rachael Stein
Enchanting Reviews
August 2009

An Entertaining, Fanciful Coming-of-Age Story
Allison Avery often feels overlooked. She's the middle child, lost in the attention paid to her lucky little sister Phoebe and her brilliant older sister Quinn. Allison is neither beautiful nor brilliant --- she gets good grades, but she has to work at them, and she's more likely to be described as "interesting looking" than as pretty or lovely.

As the end of ninth grade nears, Allison also feels trapped in the middle between two sets of friends: her long-time best friend Jade (who has always been so supportive of her but can also be pretty judgmental) and new girl Roxie Green, the pretty bad girl who shows her the riskier side of life. Jade and Roxie can't get along. Can Allison find a way to figure out where she belongs, and also determine which friend truly has her best interests at heart?

With all her crises at school and at home (where her mom is struggling with financial pressures after losing her high-powered finance job), it's not surprising that Allison should have nightmares. But when, during one particularly vivid dream (or was it real?), the devil visits Allison, she offers to trade her cell phone for the opportunity to be truly gorgeous --- at least in the eyes of seven beholders (one of whom will hopefully be her crush, Tyler).

Pretty soon, Tyler is noticing Allison, much to her surprise. An impromptu trip to New York City with Roxie also leads to Allison being discovered in a modeling contest (even though Roxie is the aspiring model). Maybe this bargain with the devil was a good thing after all! But this newfound gorgeousness and popularity might come with a hidden cost. Is Allison prepared to damage her family to help keep herself in the spotlight?

In addition to being an entertaining, fanciful coming-of-age story, GORGEOUS tackles some pretty tough ethical questions in an entertaining way. Should Allison remain faithful to her long-time best friend or to the attractive newcomer? Can loyalty blind people to their so-called friends' true colors? How can sisters support each other when they have their own crises to tackle? What happens when you get everything you ever wanted, only to find out that those desires aren't so fulfilling after all?

GORGEOUS is the second book in a projected trilogy (following LUCKY), each of which focuses on a different Avery sister as she copes with changing circumstances at home and school. Although GORGEOUS does not maintain the kind of thematic consistency of LUCKY, readers who liked the first novel will enjoy viewing the same events through Allison's eyes. Oldest sister Quinn still remains mostly a mystery, but fans will look forward to reading her side of the story in the series' final installment, BRILLIANT.

--- Reviewed by Norah Piehl

So Cute...
Alison Avery is the "interesting looking" girl of the Avery sisters. While her sisters, Phoebe and Quinn are gorgeous. She is sick of her bossy "best friend" Jade, having an impossible crush on Tyler Moss, and her mom's job is on the line. Alison wants change in her life. So, she starts by becoming friends with Roxie, the eccentric new girl. Alison decides to take some risk for changes in her life.
I found Lucky to be Brilliant and Gorgeous was a great sequel. Where as Lucky was focused on money. Gorgeous was centered on beauty and self esteem. Alison was easy to relate to since most girls have had those problems before. It had a great plot and lots of humor. It was an original book and lovely. Vail is great writer. I recommend the Avery Trilogy.

Trying To Stand Out Among Her Outstanding Sisters
This was the first Rachel Vail book I've read, but certainly not the last. Yes, I read these books out of order, but it turns out I doesn't matter. Allison Avery feels like she's a loser compared to her sisters, and when new girl Roxie Green offers her the chance to hang out, she feels like she can start over. By selling her cell phone to the devil (who's pretty hot in this novel) and changing her name to Alison, she becomes model material. But it's not so simple.

Allison isn't just another shallow girl wanting to be popular and beautiful. She's trying to figure out what friendship means, along the way discarding some of her old friends in favor of new ones. Meanwhile, her home life is rocked when her mom loses her job. She had once thought teen magazines were trashy, but now, she's not so sure. Allison has to figure out just how far she'll go to live up to the titular gorgeous, and pushes her parents', sisters' and friends' buttons to prove that she's worthy.

What truly impressed me about Vail is that while there's definitely a lesson here, it's not just "beauty is only skin deep" or some other cliché. The devil isn't just evil, but smart in his way, alluring, and Allison has a tough choice to make. Roxie quotes Golda Meir to her ("Don't be humble; you're not that great.") in a line that many adults could also take to heart. I've since gone on and read Lucky, but Gorgeous I think is the stronger of the two. Highly recommended. Vail makes Allison relatable and realistic, especially in her feeling like her parents aren't impressed with her and won't be until she reaches a certain level of achievement. ... Read more

Product Description
Two Northeast Indian communities with similar histories of colonization accepted Congregational and Moravian missionaries, respectively, within five years of one another: the Mohicans of Stockbridge, Massachusetts (1735), and Shekomeko, in Dutchess County, New York (1740). In To Live upon Hope, Rachel Wheeler explores the question of what "missionary Christianity" became in the hands of these two native communities.

The Mohicans of Stockbridge and Shekomeko drew different conclusions from their experiences with colonial powers. Both tried to preserve what they deemed core elements of Mohican culture. The Indians of Stockbridge believed education in English cultural ways was essential to their survival and cast their acceptance of the mission project as a means of preserving their historic roles as cultural intermediaries. The Mohicans of Shekomeko, by contrast, sought new sources of spiritual power that might be accessed in order to combat the ills that came with colonization, such as alcohol and disease.

Through extensive research, especially in the Moravian records of day-to-day life, Wheeler offers an understanding of the lived experience of Mohican communities under colonialism. She complicates the understanding of eighteenth-century American Christianity by demonstrating that mission programs were not always consumed by the destruction of indigenous culture and the advancement of imperial projects. In To Live upon Hope, Wheeler challenges the prevailing view of accommodation or resistance as the two poles of Indian responses to European colonization; colonialism placed severe strains on native peoples, yet Indians also exercised a level of agency and creativity that aided in their survival. ... Read more

Product Description
ONCE YOU BECOME A VIP ... IT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO GO BACK.

Kahlila Bradford keeps a written record of all of the qualities she wants in her mate.With hundreds of items on her list and counting, it's no wonder that she's still single.Realizing that she could stand to cut loose a little, Kahli decides to leave Boston for a spell and spend a sizzling summer in Harlem - no lists and no limits.

Once in New York, Kahli meets the one man who can actually exceed her expectations.Darius Wilson is the hottest thing in R&B, with charisma to spare and a genuine interest in what Kahli thinks of his music.It isn't long before Kahli is dying to give him more than just her opinion, and she suddenly she is center stage at the side of a celebrity.

But autumn's arrival means returning home and getting back to reality.Now it's time for Kahli to ask herself some serious questions about how much she's willing to give up to keep living in the spotlight, and what's really important ... when the lights go down. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (14)

Finding the Year-Round, Life-long Indomitable Snowman in Mid-July!
Photo on the cover and title of the book were distracting. For a face as pretty as the one on the cover, why in the hell would the lights ever have to go down... my first hesitation about buying the book.

I just knew I was about to pull up on some real life-size urban drama when I got totally flipped around and immersed in one sizzling hot summer outlined by a list I found capricious but engaging. Following the list, I found myself nodding and smiling, while whispering, "this one really is unique... and Very Well Written." --Thus Checklist One: Never Judge a Book by its Cover.

Just loved the voice, the smooth flow of dialogue speaking in verses people customarily speak, making the story easy to follow watching Khalila build her men, like as a child I used to build characters out of Play-Doe--except Khalila's sculptures really come to life!Very glad I bought the book. I'm gonna have to sit and visit with this keeper again!

The Search for Mr. Right
What qualities do you look for in a mate?Most people, when asked this question, have a hard time determining what it is they are really looking for in a potential mate.In WHEN THE LIGHTS GO DOWN, high school teacher Kahlila Bradford has a definite answer.In fact, from years of dating and not getting what she wants, Kahlila has been compiling a list of all the qualities necessary for a partner.The list is now in the hundreds.Every time she meets a man, he is subconsciously compared to her list and usually strikes out before a second date can be made. Those who made it to a second date are a distant memory.

Feeling a sense of urgency to find a mate and settle down, Kahlila makes a commitment to friends, Robyn and Madeline, to take the summer off and leave her list behind.Kahlila feels she has been too picky in comparing potential mates to a preset list.Therefore, she will spend the summer in New York without her list handy.On the night she makes this declaration, she meets Keith Roberts, who has potential, but she automatically dismisses him as she feels he had some baggage left over from a previous relationship.In New York, she makes an unbelievable connection with R&B singer Darius Wilson.He, unfortunately, has a girlfriend, so Kahlila settles for friendship.With a few weeks left of her vacation, Kahlila goes for broke and reveals her true feelings to Darius.The liaison has Kahlila sharing the limelight with Darius, but also causes her to re-evaluate their relationship and what she really wants.At summer's end, will Kahlila become a part of the lifestyles of the rich and famous?

Rachel Skerritt creates a story that causes the reader to root for the two male characters as they vie for the affections of Kahlila.Her characterizations are such that you really understand the motives of each of the main characters.It was good to see the male characters in a positive light as they looked for a woman of substance.This was particularly nice to see in the entertainment industry where men of financial means are often seen with pretty air-heads. Kahlila's final decision will shock some and leave others smiling; however, one of her messages should inspire all in search of that special someone.Don't compromise self in the pursuit of love.

Reviewed by Brenda Lisbon
of The RAWSISTAZ(tm) Reviewers

An Enjoyable Page Turner!
Kahlila Bradford is a dedicated Boston school teacher who's sick of playing dating games. To prevent herself from going on another pointless date, Kahlila comes up with a list of requirements that a man must have in order for her to be interested in him. But with the end of the school year and summer approaching, Kahlila decides to ditch the list and have some fun with her best friend in Harlem. The summer in New York heats up when Kahlila meets Darius Wilson. Darius is a hot R&B star who is interested in what Kahlila thinks of his music. But soon Darius wants to get to know her on a more personal level. Kahlila is suddenly swept away into the glitz and glamour of Darius' world. Kahlila's feelings for Darius are growing strong but she's not sure if she's ready to give up her regular life to be with him.

When The Lights Go Down is a fast-paced and delightful novel by Rachel Skerritt. Skerritt expertly takes the reader into the world of Kahlila and her dating issues. Readers will be able to actually feel the emotions of all of these characters. You will feel the passion that Kahlila has for her profession and for her students. You also feel the frustration of Darius as he tries to steer his music career into a new direction. What made this novel stand out was how Kahlila realistically weighed her options about her life with Darius and what she wanted for her own future. When The Lights Go Down is an enjoyable page-turner that is for anyone that's looking for a quick novel with a twist.

Reviewed by Radiah Hubbert
for Urban Reviews

Another Great Read by Rachel Skeritt
Again Rachel Skeritt proves that she is a gifted writer. This story takes us on another read where a strong female character must decide what type of relationship is best for her and of course along the way she learns tons about herself. While Skeritt brings an African American female character to light her description of her characters is so real that all females regardless of background can relate.This story had a powerful message about the relationship choices we make and being true to ourselves. Great read!

3RD BOOK
I PURCHASED THIS BOOK AND I DECIDED TO LOOK ONLINE AND SEE A REVIEW BEFORE I STARTED READING IT...TO MY SURPRISE THIS IS THE THIRD BOOK IN A SERIES.TRUTH BE TOLD IS THE STORY OF KHALILA, DESIREE AND ANOTHER ROOMATE DURING THEIR COLLEGE YEARS...NO MORE LIES (THE 2ND BOOK) IS FOCUSED ON DESIREE AND HER CAREER PATH....AND THIS BOOK FOCUSES ON KHALILA BRADFORD.I WILL WAIT AND READ THE FIRST 2 BEFORE I READ THIS ONE BUT I WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT THE READERS ARE AWARE OF THIS. ... Read more

Product Description
A comic epic about life in New York City today.

Flip is an actor who makes a living as a bike messenger. His boyfriend, Warren, is a socially conservative psychic. Flip's sister, Rosie, is a union organizer who trusts the workers-until they make the wrong decision. Will Warren understand Flip's drive to be an artist? Will Flip forgive Warren for having a trust fund? Will they break up or will they get married and raise Warren's eight-year-old biracial niece? And will Rosie's clerical workers finally go on strike?This witty, perceptive novel captures the way we live today-from the guilty pleasures of watching a television cop show to the endless fascination of shopping, from obsessing about relationships to maintaining friendships via late-night phone calls, from the daily politics of office work to the thrill of finally standing up to your boss. Leaps of Faith races from the gyms of Chelsea to the cafs of the East Village, from an uptown university to a downtown theater group, proving along the way that a novel where the personal is always political can also be enormously fun.

Rachel Kranz, a former union organizer and the founder of Theater of Necessity, has turned portions of Leaps of Faith into a one-man play entitled "Stunt Man." She lives in Manhattan. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (14)

Author made too many leaps, needed a shorter leash
The kernel of an excellent story is here, but alas the editor was on vacation when this over-long and self-indulgent book was published.

The story of gay couple, actor Flip and psychic Warren of New York City, is the central arc of the book. Flip is from a working class and essentially socially-conservative Catholic family in Pittsburgh, while Warren is from a wealthy, WASP conservative family outside the city. We first meet them as they reach a crossroads in their relationship and Warren leaves. During a short period of estrangement, Warren is given temporary guardianship of a niece he's never met, an arrangement that upends Warren's circumscribed life and values in ways he never expected (in part because his niece is half Black and he is forced to see the world from a new perspective). In the interim, Flip has been flailing in his career. When the men reconcile, both are at yet another set of crossroads but make a commitment to stay together and eventually Warren proposes marriage to Flip (whose family's response makes him see them in a new way as well).

This set up gives more than enough interest and potential conflict to carry a book. Unfortunately, the author's past as a union organizer impelled her to introduce a union organizer in Flip's sister, Rosie and a signficant and significantly-boring chunk of the book is spent on a union strike and a smaller chunk on her medical problems. In the end, Rosie's story is inessential to the conclusion of the main plot as I found after impatiently skimming through her strike tales to get to the 'real' story.

The author also makes a mistake in introducing multiple points of view from Flip's actor friends with whom he is creating an original play. Their perspectives add nothing to the main story and lengthen the book unnecessarily.

Worst of all, the author's choice to focus on secondary characters robs us of a deeper understanding of the protagonists.

I've read this book a few times because I do find Warren and Flip intriquing and each time, I want to get out my red pen and start making massive excisions. Too bad her editor did not do her the favor of winnowing the wheat from the chaff because there is a great relationship story buried under there.

An amazing book!
Leaps of Faith is truly captivating. Its plot is rich and moving. Its characters are endearing and vividly alive, especially Warren and Flip. However too much emphasis is placed on the union and the strike. Also, the side stories of Tanya and the lesbian couple in Flip's theatre group seem irrelevant. But the relationship developments between Warren and Flip, between the couple and their respective sister, between the couple and their little girl,Juliet, makes the book shines. The strength in Warren and Flip's relationship culminating to their "marriage" is rare, touching, deeply emotional and beautifully told. I hope Kranz will invest her talents in another novel soon.

Life in the Big Apple
Set in the vibrant Chelsea and Hell's Kitchen neighborhoods of New York City, Leaps of Faith explores gay and lesbian relationships, struggling actors, racism and union activists. There's something for everyone in this novel, but the author invested so much of her own experiences, I wonder if she has anything left to contribute to subsequent novels.

Warren is a professional psychic, raised in a wealthy family who only partially accepts his gay lifestyle. He is suddenly saddled with raising his sister's French bi-racial 8-year old daughter, Juliette, after his sister admits herself into an asylum in Paris.Although he is totally unprepared for this role, he adapts quickly to it and learns to love Juliette totally. The central theme of the novel is Warren's volatile relationship with Flip, 13 years younger, struggling actor, and the love of his life. After much angst and soul searching Warren and Flip decide to pledge their troth to each other, and many humorous scenes are built around their "wedding" planning.

Flip's sister Rosie is also struggling to come to terms with her love relationship with a much younger man of a different ethnicity. She is also a determined union activist and struggles with some serious health problems. I found the chapters relating to the clerical workers strike at the university to be overdone and boring, and some skillful editing could have made this section of the book more concise and entertaining.

The structure of the book, which was told in multiple voices, allowed you to have insight into the perspective of multiple characters, and was a useful device until the chapters relating to the strike. Moving rapidly from the voice of one character to another character, none of whom were adequately fleshed out, was confusing and tedious.

But, all in all, the book was amusing, quick reading and gave some fascinating insights into New York, the gay life, the theater, and the behind the scenes union organizing. A little less detail in some areas could have shortened it somewhat and made the pace more brisk.

A delightful, wonderful book
"Leaps of Faith" is a work of love. It is warm, funny, sweet and moving, with elements of suspense and drama. Rachel Kranz tackles major themes of race, sexuality, family and betrayal. She searches her characters with great affection for the best they have to offer and finds an array of human qualities that contribute to a most satisfying reading experience. The book is stylishly written, but in a friendly, down-to-earth way, and at the end of the nearly 600 pages, I only wished for more. I can't wait for Rachel Kranz's next book.

Politics & love
Kranz's remarkable novel is a hefty mix of comedy, politics, and the daily grind of love in all its forms. Flip's psychic boyfriend Warren doesn't fully support his fledgling acting career. Rosie, Flip's sister, is juggling what could be her first union strike with her so-called dating life. While Flip and Warren's relationship struggles, Warren's estranged sister sends her biracial daughter into Warren's life, causing him to adjust to life in totally new ways. Kranz changes viewpoints through the story, making it a mosaic of life in New York City, and this is one of the strongest aspects of the story. The most potent aspect of the story is Warren and Flip's love. It's incredibly tangible in its constant variations from positive to negative to inbetween. Like real life, their love is inconsistent with one saying something honestly to the other, and watching as it's misunderstood. And it's this honesty that resonates with the reader, drawing us further and further into the book until it's unquestionable that this book would be set aside. If you want to give yourself a fulfilling, joyful treat, grab this book and settle into a comfortable chair. ... Read more

Product Description
Complete with tables, maps and interviews, "District leaders" provides a chronicle of one town's political life over the years, linking these events to political and anthropological theory about participation, the role of the parties, and factional conflict. Students, scholars, and future party leaders will all find valuable insights presented in this delightful ethnographic account. ... Read more

Product Description
Over two dozen essays from established writers as well as newcomers on the relationship between landscape and the ways of life in New York's "North Country" - the Adirondacks and surrounding valleys. Between these covers are open spaces, small towns, skeletons in the closets, blue skies, big storms and more, all in a region that has never been quite sure how to define itself. ... Read more

Product Description
When Cyd gets home to her family for the summer holidays she is in a very 'teenage' state of mind! Boyfriend troubles, parent troubles, little brother troubles. When she meets the lovely 'Shrimp' her mother finally decides she has had enough of her troublesome teenage daughter and sends her to holiday with her 'real' father in New York. The break does Cyd a lot of good - she meets a brother and a sister she didn't know she had, she finds a little romance and she comes to terms with some troubles of a different and deeper sort which have been hidden for some time. Cyd Charise has a secret buried and it is only through getting to know herself better is she finally able to tell those nearest to her what has really gone on in her life. Not for a long time has such a lovely and quirky girl been brought to life in a book. Her passion for life, her humour and her irrepressible energy will make this book required reading for every teenager. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (115)

Good Oration, Great Story, Want more
I really enjoyed listening to this.The story keeps you wanting more.I went straight to listening to Shrimp and began reading Cupcake today.I picked Cupcake up accidentally, so I am an adult in my late 30's and I am enjoying it.

Literally couldn't put it down
This book was wonderful. I got the book really fast which amazed me. Anyways, Cyd is one very strange girl to me, but if i met her I think she'd be one of my best friends. See gets into a lot of "trouble" in the book which is why I couldn't put it down it was very, very entertaining. Literally the day I got it I started reading and didn't go to sleep until 5 in the morning when I finished it. Two thumbs up!

Gingerbread-gotta love that Cyd!
Cyd Charisse lives with her parents, Sid and Nancy in San Francisco. But they don't understand anything about her life.

They don't understand that after getting kicked out of boarding school, meeting her boyfriend, Shrimp, has been the best thing that ever happened to her. And they certainly don't understand how getting her heart broken by him, has ruined her life.In fact, the only one who does understand anything, anything at all about the kinds of things Cyd has dealt with lately, is Gingerbread, Cyd's doll that she has carried around with her since was a little girl.

When Cyd's parents finally give up on her out-of-control behavior, they ship her off to New York City to live with "Fran real-dad."Cyd takes the opportunity to finally get to know her two half-siblings, and the father who gave her the beloved Gingerbread in the first place. Little does she know that in NYC, Cyd will also be forced to finally deal with some of the real problems in her life, that shape who she is, and who she wants to be.

Gingerbread is a realistic, wicked-witty story for anyone who loves to cheer on the smart-mouthed outcast with a sometimes- sweet, sometimes- bitter, but always delicious chocolate heart.
-Reviewed by Jill MacKenzie

Acerbic, yet sweet
Cyd Charisse has been expelled from her New England boarding school and is back in San Francisco with her family-- mom Nancy, step-dad Sid, and half-siblings Josh and Ashley. She very much feels like the unwanted step-child in her family. Her thoughts keep circling back to an unintended pregnancy with her ex-boyfriend Justin and the abortion she had. It doesn't completely rule her life... but it does haunt her. She has an almost-too-wise sound, kind of like Diablo Cody - the arch 30-something hipster attempting to speak in a teen's voice. The book came out in 2002 and already sounds just a wee bit dated... the all-pervasiveness of cell phones and internet was beginning but not at the zenith that it is today. I found the parents being named Sid and Nancy a bit distracting at first, but by the end of the story, I barely noticed.

Forced to do community service, Cyd befriends "Sugarpie" an elderly woman at a senior center. Sugarpie was a psychic and tarot-card reader who faced some heartbreak of her own in her day and provides the kind of womanly advice and support that Cyd finds lacking in her career-driven, money-obsessed parents. Cyd's new surfer boyfriend Shrimp dumps her just before she sets off for a month in New York to reconnect with her father, something which upsets her very much, especially after finding a warm relationship with him following her dysfunctional relationship with Justin. Cyd carries around a ragdoll with her everywhere -- Gingerbread, named after a dessert her father brought her on their one meeting at an airport when she was five. Cyd comes to realize that her biological father "real-dad-Frank" is a jerk and a disappointment. Embarrassed by his affair, he first tries to pass her off as his niece and later as his goddaughter. She connects with her older half-brother Danny, who as a gay man, is united in his outsider status in the family. Older sister Rhonda (who Cyd Charisse later finds out goes by the name Lizbet) is a disappointment as well -- a snooty preppy Catholic, who's horrified to learn that she has an illegitimate sister. Despite all she's been through, Cyd remains somewhat boy-crazed, crushing on her new boyfriend's brother, Wallace as well as her father's New York Italian driver Louis.

I enjoyed Cyd's quirky sense of humor. She refers to her room (when grounded) as "Alcatraz" She finds an outlet for her energy working as a barista and is always ready with a clever come-back.

The tearful confession that Cyd finally makes with her mother, Nancy at the end of the book didn't feel forced at all. It felt as though she was getting her life back on track, and connecting the pieces, especially as Nancy confesses to her that she'd considered adoption -- choosing the name Cyd so that it would be so unique, and memorable that she could find her daughter if they were separated. Sid-dad comes across in the end as a real hero as well. He may not be Cyd's biological father, but he's the guy who is always supportive and there for her.

This is the first in a trilogy of books about Cyd. It's followed by Shrimp and Cupcake.

Gingerbread
The first time that I read Gingerbread, I was in the ninth grade. I was wondering through the library after school one day waiting to be picked up and I stumbled on this book. I thought that it might be boring but I needed something to do, so I checked it out.
I am glad that I did too.

Cyd Charisse has only met her biological father once, at an airport, when he gave her gingerbread and bought her a doll. Ever since then, "Gingerbread" has been her constant companion. Recently returned from boarding school, where a series of unwise decisions led to her expulsion, quirky Cyd Charisse is enjoying life with her new boyfriend, Shrimp, and her elderly best friend, Sugar, who keep her sane around the oppressiveness that is her mother and stepfather. But Cyd's parents are not so understanding of her rebelliousness, and eventually she is sent to New York to spend some time with Frank, her "real dad". Leaving Shrimp on a sour note and anticipating being greeted with open arms by Frank and her two older half siblings, Cyd Charisse is disappointed by the awkward welcome she receives. As she gets to know her biological family, Cyd Charisse learns to let go of her idealizations and her abandonment hang-ups, and she learns to appreciate her real family and friends all the more.

The first time that I read this book, I thought that it was a little out there but now that I'm older and I've read it again, I realize that Gingerbread could have a possibility to be true for some people in the real world. It has the right amount of sarcasm mixed with real things but it also mixes love in with the book.
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Customer Reviews (1)

This author really knows her stuff and presents it well.
Elior has studied Jewish mysticism in general, and Habad mysticism in particular, for the last several decades.Her teacher and mentor was the great Gershom Sholem, pioneer in the field.She presents the material logically, clearly, and, most of all, entertainingly and in a way the general public can understand.Read it! ... Read more

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Rachel Buff's innovative study of festivals in two American communities launches a substantive inquiry into the nature of citizenship, race, and social power. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork as well as archival research, Buff compares American Indian powwows in Minneapolis with the West Indian American Day Carnival in New York. She demonstrates the historical, theoretical, and cultural links between two groups who are rarely thought of together and in so doing illuminates our understanding of the meaning of home and citizenship in the post-World War II period. The book also follows the history of federal Indian and immigration policy in this period, tracing the ways that migrant and immigrant identities are created by both national boundaries and transnational cultural memory.
In addition to offering fascinating discussions of these lively and colorful festivals, Buff shows that their importance is not just as a form of performance or entertainment, but also as crucial sites for making and remaking meanings about group history and survival. Cultural performances for both groups contain a history of resistance to colonial oppression, but they also change and creatively respond to the experiences of migration and the forces of the global mass-culture industry.
Accessible and engaging, Immigration and the Political Economy of Home addresses crucial contemporary issues. Powwow culture and carnival culture emerge as vital, dynamic sites that are central not only to the formation of American Indian and West Indian identities, but also to the understanding modern America itself: the history of its institution of citizenship, its postwar cities, and the nature of metropolitan culture. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (15)

Whether Tolstoy Lied or Not, Kadish Doesn't
One of best books I've read this year, and since I read about 3 a week (lucky me!) I have some to compare.I don't recall when I've read a book from the library and thought, I've got to buy this book so I can underline all the great lines I found - with the obvious plan to reread someday.

I didn't find it so funny - though the wit is sintilating.After the romance blooms, the tension builds, making it uncomfortable at times. Still couldn't put it down.Melodramatic?Perhaps, but somehow beliveable anyway.The insights, the questions raised, were wonderfully explored by the heroine.But unlike me, Kadish doesn't use any cliches. Methinks she speaks truth here.

Great Novel
This is my first Kadish book.I bought it because I liked the cover- how shallow is that?haha.

But, I fell in love with the characters and the storyline within the first two pages.This story is about Tracy and her quest to remain happy, even without love.She lives by the rule that you are not ALLOWED to settle when it comes to love.Either it melts you at his fingertips, or it is just plain boring.(I love this rule)

So, her decision to be happy, no matter what happens in her life, to be content regardless of life's mini problems- brings her to her tenure dissertation.She is an advisor in the English department in a college.The topic of her dissertation is to object to Tolstoy's belief that: "Happy people are boring."

"Tolstoy Lied" is a quest of intellegence, one of love, and one of finding yourself within the world.

It is eloquently written and begs the reader to open up their minds about the "norm" and really force oneself to become something they've always wanted to be- but never thought they'd be able to- to break boundaries.

Intellectual Integrity
From the opening pages: "For people who claim to want happiness, we Americans spend a lot of time spinning yarns about its opposite.Even the optimistic novels end the minute the good times get rolling... Let me be clear: some of my best friends are tragic novels.But someone's got to call it like it is: Why the taboo?What's so unspeakable about happiness?"

Tolstoy Lied was impressively honest.Rachel Kadish brilliantly pulls out the American obsession of unhappiness/ tragedy/ injustice/ wavering state of mankind- and she pokes fun at it, dissects it and reveals its reasons.Through her main character, Tracy, I discovered why I love love and also why it hurts so much, even when I'm "happy."No matter what I do, I will always be sacrificing something in order to keep something else.There is never a PERFECT solution to anything.However, with love, when considered cautiously and carefully, it is totally worth all of the extra crap that comes along with it.

I was highly impressed, also, with Kadish's use of vocabulary and intellectual conversations between the characters.I love being smart, and I was not let down while reading the thoughts of each of the characters.

Brilliantly written and very inspirational.If you're a love of books like I am, or even like Tracy is, then you will love this story too.

A Meditiation on Love for Feminists in their 30's
We all have our personal challenges - and Rachel Kadish's book is a wonderful rumination on the "independent" woman in her 30s who isn't sure she wants love.I think many of us have been there (or are still there).Kadish's book will help you think about all the issues associated.I was very moved by the academic career woman's challenges, and how she faces them.

From S. Krishna's Books
One of the most pertinent questions regarding Tolstoy Lied by Rachel Kadish is: Do you need to have read Tolstoy in order to understand the book? The short answer: Sort of. The long answer: You don't need to have read Tolstoy in order to understand the book. But reading Anna Karenina would help you to appreciate Kadish's novel, which in all its glory cannot be fully comprehended and appreciated without knowledge of the tragic story of Anna Karenina and the main message that Tolstoy aimed to convey through that tragic tale. Specifically, the quote "Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way," plays an integral part in both books. Tolstoy's message is that unhappy people have stories to tell; they are unique and interesting, unhappy in their own ways. Happy people can generally be brushed aside because their tales are like the tale of any other happy person. Therefore, the only stories worth reading are stories about unhappy people.

The main character in Tolstoy Lied, Tracy Farber, takes this quote to heart. She sets out on her personal journey determined to prove Tolstoy false; in essence, she wants to prove to the world that Tolstoy lied in the famous opening line of Anna Karenina. As a well-read, intelligent English professor at a small school in upstate New York, Farber asks herself (and everyone around her) why the only books that seem to be lauded critically are books with unhappy endings. Books with happy endings are brushed off as too shallow and superficial to have any real intelligence behind them. And indeed, this does happen quite often in the real world. Book genres such as "chick lit" are brushed off as shallow beach reads, whereas tragic books such as Anna Karenina are hailed as classics and critically lauded. If Tolstoy had not ended the book the way he had chosen (I will not spoil the ending for those of you who have not read Anna Karenina), would it have been lauded as such a masterpiece? Tracy Farber's answer is a resounding "no."

Besides her philosophical thoughts on books, Tracy Farber has a multitude of personal issues to deal with as well. From the slightly crazy co-worker who seems bent on making her and her prize graduate student's lives a living hell to George, the reformed fundamentalist Christian whom Tracy finds irresistible, Farber is constantly having to prove Tolstoy's thesis wrong - that she can have a happy life and still have a story worth telling. And it is definitely a struggle. Farber has difficult situations thrown at her out of left field, yet manages to handle them with a grace that Anna Karenina only wished she had. This makes Tracy extremely endearing; by the end of the first 100 pages, the reader is rooting for Tracy Farber, wanting her to prove Tolstoy wrong.

And this is where the kudos to Rachel Kadish comes in. In Tolstoy Lied, Kadish manages to write very believable characters that readers can empathize with. She manages to make Tracy funny and witty, yet those characteristics do not define her. Tracy is as multifaceted as any real person you might encounter on the street. Kadish also has a compelling writing style and is also very talented as a writer. The book flows smoothly - there are no jarring transitions. The story is one long seamless tale, from beginning to end. More importantly, however, Kadish writes her characters intelligently. Most of the characters in the book are smart people, which is extremely appealing. There seems to be a dearth of generally happy stories about intelligent characters with some depth in fiction today. The main appeal of Tolstoy Lied is that it is a book for intelligent people who agree with the title: Tolstoy lied. Happy people do have stories of depth and meaning to tell as well.

Originally posted at Curled Up With a Good Book and reprinted at S. Krishna's Books ... Read more