Product Description
Lying in a hospital bed, José P. Ramirez, Jr. (b. 1948) almost lost everything because of a misunderstood disease. When the health department doctor gave him the Handbook for Persons with Leprosy, Ramirez learned his fate. Such a diagnosis in 1968 meant exile and hospitalization in the only leprosarium in the continental United States--Carville, Louisiana, 750 miles from his home in Laredo, Texas.

In Squint: My Journey with Leprosy, Ramirez recalls being taken from his family in a hearse and thrown into a world filled with fear. He and his loved ones struggled against the stigma associated with the term "leper" and against beliefs that the disease was a punishment from God, that his illness was highly communicable, and that persons with Hansen's disease had to be banished from their communities.

His disease not only meant separation from the girlfriend who would later become his wife, but also a derailment of all life's goals. In his struggle Ramirez overcame barriers both real and imagined and eventually became an international advocate on behalf of persons with disabilities. In Squint, titled for the sliver of a window through which persons with leprosy in medieval times were allowed to view Mass but not participate, Ramirez tells a story of love and perseverance over incredible odds.

José P. Ramirez, Jr., is a social worker in Houston, Texas. He has written articles about Hansen's disease for the Houston Chronicle, the Star Magazine, the National Association of Social Workers Newsletter, and other publications. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Humbling
This is an awesome book.I had no idea that leprosy was not extremely contangious.

so much potential, so dissappointing
It is obvious that Mr. Ramirez has spent a life of challenge - fighting prejudice, ignorance and the kind of physical pain few of us can even imagine.He is to be congratulated for his life's work and his overcoming the many challenges of this disease.Never-the-less he is not to be congratulated on a well-written book.Redundancies, miss-use of punctuation, and a distracting use of Mexican phrases where they have no impact lead me to not be sympathetic but rather to feel duped into reading this book.I hope that there is a second edition of this book with a ghost writer or at least an editor to catch such glaring mistakes as, "It must have been weeks before I saw Big John's face..." to , in less then a page, "[Big John] smiled and nodded."I use the quotation marks with some nervousness as Mr. Ramirez has used a life's quota of them already.It is mostly a simple disappointment to not have had so important a life expressed in as well a written book as it deserves.

Layered
Although the title refers only to the author's experience with Hansen's Disease, the book gives the reader more - a window into Mexican-American culture of a certain era, more specifically, a Mexican-American culture in Laredo, TX; an as-it-unfolds narrative of a minority culture - and the majority culture around it - as they transition re: gender roles and in diversity awareness, whether that diversity has to do with culture, race or disease; a truly romantic love story between him and his wife; and a story of complicated relationships between parents and children.

While the book isn't an on-the-edge-of-your-seat page-turner, the author tells his stories well. I felt engaged throughout the book. Occasionally, I got lost in the chronology, but I found that the chronology wasn't all that relevant to the story, anyway, so this wasn't an irritant.

Overall, the book gives the reader more than it promises in the title.

A potentially interesting story, horribly written
When I read a review of this book in my local paper, my interest was piqued. In fact, I ordered several copies and selected this book for my book club. Although Mr. Ramirez is a very sympathetic character, and I commend his courage and strength in telling his story (and his tireless advocacy for persons with Hansen's disease), I was deeply disappointed in the book. His seemingly random use of quotation marks and his over-use of Spanish in the text (and, mind you,I speak Spanish) was a constant distraction.Mr. Ramirez' story has great potential, but the combination of poor writing and non-existent editing make for a disappointing read.

Mesmerizing
I could not put this book down. I enjoyed reading it as much for the main story - about Jose Ramirez' journey - as about his family and the times they shared. Mr. Ramirez is a good story teller - he describes his feelings and thoughts in a way that make the reader feel as if they are right there with him.Not only is Mr. Ramirez a strong person for having made his journey, but he is brave for being willing to share the most intimate details.Thanks for writing this book and sharing your story. ... Read more

Product Description
Originally published in 1916.This volume from the Cornell University Library's print collections was scanned on an APT BookScan and converted to JPG 2000 format by Kirtas Technologies.All titles scanned cover to cover and pages may include marks notations and other marginalia present in the original volume. ... Read more

Product Description
Fanciful verse and detailed illustrations present information about dinosaurs. ... Read more

Product Description
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Product Description
This is an OCR edition without illustrations or index. It may have numerous typos or missing text. However, purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original rare book from the publisher's website (GeneralBooksClub.com). You can also preview excerpts of the book there. Purchasers are also entitled to a free trial membership in the General Books Club where they can select from more than a million books without charge. Original Published by: Published by the Merchants' Day-book in 1850 in 63 pages; Subjects: Concerts; Performing arts audiences; Opera; New York (N.Y.); Astor Place Opera House (New York, N.Y.); Law / General; Law / Administrative Law ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Nothing much happens
OK, I must be really shallow, but I kept waiting for something to happen.It never does.

Two friends
Many will know Simenon for his detective novels, which are among the best of the genre. Rather less will have read his "straight" novels, of which The Girl With A Squint is one.

Simenon covers familiar literary ground in this story of two friends-- one plain and the other beautiful-- but the familiarity is never tired, and although slight it is certainly worth the time to read. ... Read more

Product Description
General Books publication date: 2009Original publication date: 1840Original Publisher: HighleySubjects: History / GeneralMedical / OphthalmologyNotes: This is an OCR reprint. There may be typos or missing text. There are no illustrations or an index.When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can select from more than a million books for free. You can also preview the book there. ... Read more

Product Description
Ever need a fact or quotation on squint? Designed for speechwriters, journalists, writers, researchers, students, professors, teachers, historians, academics, scrapbookers, trivia buffs and word lovers, this is the largest book ever created for this single word. It represents a compilation from a variety of sources with a linguistic emphasis on anything relating to the term "squint," including non-conventional usage and alternative meanings which capture ambiguities. The entries cover all parts of speech (noun, verb, adverb or adjective usage) as well as use in modern slang, pop culture, social sciences (linguistics, history, geography, economics, sociology, political science), business, computer science, literature, law, medicine, psychology, mathematics, chemistry, physics, biology and other physical sciences. This "data dump" results in many unexpected examples for squint, since the editorial decision to include or exclude terms is purely a linguistic process. The resulting entries are used under license or with permission, used under "fair use" conditions, used in agreement with the original authors, or are in the public domain. Proceeds from this book are used to expand the content and coverage of Webster's Online Dictionary (www.websters-online-dictionary.org). ... Read more

Product Description
The powerful eyes of Squint will soon render it the world's most covert spy satellite. But while testing its capabilities over a civilian target, it captures the concealed assassination of the republican candidate for president. When NSA engineer Drew Montana sends the photos through his superiors, elite officials are suddenly found dead inside the walls of the NSA. Now armed alone with the most incriminating satellite prints ever obtained from space, he and software contractor Laura Robbins are on a race to unravel a conspiracy that links the White House to the Mob, and at the same time keep the Squint Project from being uncovered. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Squint, by Michael Gabriele is a real page turner.
Moving through the silent void above planet Earth at five miles each second, KH1100, called Squint by its creators, is the world's newest, most covert spy satellite. Eons ahead of its contemporaries, when fully operational Squint will give America more than just the ability to track people on the ground. Its advanced design will allow real-time digital imagery from a remote planetary orbit that can relay pictures of objects the size of an orange in a picnic basket.

Drew Montana, a thirty-five year old engineer specializing in satellite telecommunications software at the top-secret National Security Agency, and Ted Pakula, his supervisor, are in charge of grass roots logistics for Squint.

While working out a minor camera enhancement problem in the software graphics program that is impeding receipt of clear final images from Squint, Montana and sexy Laura Robbins, a software analyst employed by a private contractor working on the project, decide to conduct a final test of Squint. Contrary to the rules, they monitor a civilian target; a rally at Baltimore's Convention Center featuring Peter Forster, Republican presidential candidate. Horrified, Drew and Laura are reluctant witnesses as Forster and his entourage are cut down in a hail of bullets fired by unknown assassins. Because their view is as clear as if they had been at the scene themselves, they can identify the perpetrators.

When Drew and Laura decide to show the Squint photos to Ted Pakula, people begin to die. First Ted himself is killed in his office. Then the body of Steve Su, a member of the National Council of Counter Intelligence, to whom Pakula showed the pictures, is found on the banks of the Potomac River in Washington.

Montana and Robbins, their love growing, do not know who is friend and who is foe as they try to unravel and expose a conspiracy with tentacles reaching all the way into the White house and members of the Mob.

Compounding the problem for Drew and Laura is the need to keep the Squint Project from becoming public knowledge while ferreting out the conspirators and protecting themselves from those who seek to keep their part in the vicious murders from being discovered.

In this novel, as in his first, "August in the Caribbean," Northwest Publishing, Inc., Salt Lake City, Utah), Mike Gabriele has constructed a dynamite plot guaranteed to keep you turning the pages to see what happens next. Drew Montana is a protagonist who is both likeable and believable. On the distaff side, Laura Robbins is a beautiful woman, intelligent, warm, sophisticated, yet vulnerable; a woman about whom every man dreams. As the story builds, so does the love of Drew and Laura for each other. Working together, they hatch a plot of their own to expose the killers and bring them to justice.

No wonder this novel won a Hollywood Film Festival Discovery Award, and received the Publisher's Excellence Award at the Baltimore Sun.

squint
Most compelling. Practically a sure bet to be grabbed by Hollywood. The subject is newsworthy big time - BIG BROTHER is watching. Are you kidding. How often has this subject been broached in your circle of friends and co-workers? Look for the movie. ... Read more

Product Description
An outing to a medieval house is not Ben's idea of fun. But when he looks through the squint, the mysterious spy-hole in the wall of the Great Hall, he feels really angry. Who is sitting in his place at the table? Who is that petting his favourite hound and taking his mother's attention? ... Read more