32% Off Discounts: Lowest Price The Penguin State of the World Atlas: Eighth Edition Review

Are you looking to buy The Penguin State of the World Atlas: Eighth Edition? here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on The Penguin State of the World Atlas: Eighth Edition. check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

The Penguin State of the World Atlas: Eighth Edition Review

Dan Smith's State of the World Atlas provides visually arresting representations of statistics about the political and social state of the world. You learn about wealth and poverty, civil rights, environmental depredation, birth and death rates, the spread of obesity, smoking, varying degrees of freedom, militarization, and much else. In all cases the information is projected onto the world map. In many cases, the information ingeniously *becomes* the map. But just because everything in this book is centered on maps, it is dismaying that Penguin skimped on production. This book should have been printed as a hardcover with sewn binding so that it can lie open flat, revealing the two-page map spreads in all their glory. As it is, either key sections of the maps are lost in the gutter, or you need to break the glued spine, which, I suspect, will lead the book to fall apart fairly quickly. Too bad.

The Penguin State of the World Atlas: Eighth Edition Overview

Want to learn more information about The Penguin State of the World Atlas: Eighth Edition?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now

Read More...

Buy Cheap In the Land of Invisible Women: A Female Doctor's Journey in the Saudi Kingdom Review

Are you looking to buy In the Land of Invisible Women: A Female Doctor's Journey in the Saudi Kingdom? here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on In the Land of Invisible Women: A Female Doctor's Journey in the Saudi Kingdom. check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Lowest Price Offers

In the Land of Invisible Women: A Female Doctor's Journey in the Saudi Kingdom Review

I have experienced Jeddah as a Muslim American woman as well, and Dr. Ahmed's book finally gives a point of view that is relatable and realistic, without bashing Islam or giving a one sided interpretation.
I loved this book. I had the same experience when I first put on an abaya in Saudi Arabia. I finally felt invisible. It was worst for me because I'm very white, and a lot of guys would try to hit on me. Once, in Medina, I was followed down the street by a group of guys, and they kept saying obscenties to me in arabic. I finally walked into a store and had the shop keepr come out and yell @ them. After that, I started covering my face if i went out alone. Don't get me wrong, I am completly against covering your face, I think its so exterme, but It made things A lot easier for me when i went out alone in mecca and medina.
My favorite thing to read about in the book is probably the dynamics you had at work with all your male coworkers. Its nice to know that not all men in Saudi look down upon women, and I think my favorite male character from the hospital would have to be Haydar. I loved the support he had for Ghadah, something you rarely find in men in the middle east, especially in Saudi Arabia.
My favorite female character is definitely Dr. Maha. I love the fact that she fights for the rights of Children in Saudi arabia. Your story about the young camel rider was so sad, I can't believe stuff like that happens over there. Thats a side of Saudi I haven't heard of, and I'm glad its talked about in your book. Another favorite part in the book is about the car accident, with the guys coming from Bahrain. The way Saudi men drive is sooooo reckless, and I hate it. Its just the most selfish act ever. Saudi has the highest mortality rate for car accidents in the world, and its all because of these rich guys playing with their toys.
The sad thing I noticed when I was in jeddah was how disconnected all the kids I met are from their families. They are all being raised by housekeepers, and they have no sense of family. Instead they just shop and eat their grief away. Saudi is a HUGE consumer society. All they do is eat and shop. I felt bad for them, they just radiated this feeling of loneliness. These guys that are driving 100,000$ cars are the ones that were probably raised by a series of poor maids or as I like to call them indentured servants.
There are so many other parts I loved in the book. I loved how you gave a true interpretation of Islam, and explained the dynamics of the Saudi government. Most people think saudi is this way because of Islam, and they don't realize it has nothing to do with Islam, it has to do with a corrupt group of people who have interpreted Islam for their own benefit.
Your book really gave me hope for the future of the Saudi people, especially their youth. I was so sad when I left jeddah, because of the youth that I met. Hopefully, the people you spoke about and many more of them will help change this country, and will make it a more nurturing place for all of the youth of Saudi, because as of now, they seem to be extremely lost in materialism and are only seeking pleasure and instant gratification.

In the Land of Invisible Women: A Female Doctor's Journey in the Saudi Kingdom Overview

Want to learn more information about In the Land of Invisible Women: A Female Doctor's Journey in the Saudi Kingdom?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now

Read More...

38% Off Discounts: Best Buy for The Penguin Atlas of Women in the World: Fourth Edition Review

Are you looking to buy The Penguin Atlas of Women in the World: Fourth Edition? here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on The Penguin Atlas of Women in the World: Fourth Edition. check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Lowest Price Offers

The Penguin Atlas of Women in the World: Fourth Edition Review

I used this atlas in an Intro to Women's Studies and a Feminist Theory course. It is a great source of material for paper-writing, with very up-to date statistics, and fascinating maps. Of course, it does not always have as much indepth information as I'd like, but the maps would have to be significantly larger to incorporate 'everything'.

The Penguin Atlas of Women in the World: Fourth Edition Overview

Want to learn more information about The Penguin Atlas of Women in the World: Fourth Edition?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now

Read More...

20% Off Discounts: Buy Cheap A Small Place Review

Are you looking to buy A Small Place? here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on A Small Place. check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Lowest Price Offers

A Small Place Review

"A Small Place," by Jamaica Kincaid, is a nonfiction prose piece about the Caribbean island of Antigua. The author bio at the beginning of the book notes that the author was born on Antigua. A lean 81 pages, this is nonetheless a powerful text.
Kincaid discusses British colonialism, the corruption of the Antiguan government, racism, and greed. It seems to me a key question raised by the book is whether post-colonial Antigua is worse than colonial Antigua. The book is very much haunted by the spectre of New World slavery.
This book is a dark, angry jeremiad. I think it works better when seen as an extended prose poem rather than as an essay. As the latter, it could be criticized as full of invalid generalizations and undocumented claims. But as a poetic/prophetic text, it is chillingly effective.
Ultimately, Kincaid's vision of the human condition is extremely negative But her haunting, almost hypnotic prose really held me. I recommend the book to anyone planning a trip to a poor country for their own pleasure.

A Small Place Overview

Want to learn more information about A Small Place?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now

Read More...

42% Off Discounts: Best Buy for The Complete Persepolis Review

Are you looking to buy The Complete Persepolis? here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on The Complete Persepolis. check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Cheapest Deals

The Complete Persepolis Review

THE COMPLETE PERSEPOLIS brings together in one softbound volume two graphic novels published earlier in English (translated from French): PERSEPOLIS 1 - THE STORY OF A CHILDHOOD, and PERSEPOLIS 2 - THE STORY OF A RETURN. As a single volume, Ms. Satrapi's work reads as a seamless story of an Iranian woman's maturation from a young girl in the Shah's (and Ayatollah Khomeini's) Iran to her high school years in Austria, back to the Iran attacked by Saddam Hussein and then transformed into a fundamentalist Islamic state, and finally back again to Europe as a young adult. The book's title is borrowed from the name of ancient Persia's ceremonial capital, dating back some 2,500 years, although Persepolis is in fact the Greek translation of the original Persian name, Parsa.
The story is strictly autobiographical, rendered as a memoir of childhood and young adulthood. Satrapi begins her story at age ten, the daughter of well-educated and well-off parents who put a premium on their daughter's religious and academic independence. Marjane's parents prod their pre-adolescent daughter toward a liberal education and encourage her to speak out. However, being a rebel against oppression in Iran leads inevitably to trouble and expulsion from school. Her parents recourse is to pack young Marjane off to Austria, isolated and alone in a foreign and far more secular culture. A series of mostly negative experiences leads her back to her homeland and an unsuccessful marriage during the early years of Iran's fundamentalist revolution with its growing religious oppression. When the young adult Marjane and her parents finally realize that her future lies not in Iran but in Europe, she heads off to France where she still lives today.
Ms. Satrapi characterizes herself as the perennial outsider wherever she lives. As a young girl, political and religious events contradict her upbringing and isolate her from the accepted beliefs and behaviors. The author conveys her childhood desperation by repeated depictions of herself talking to an ancient, white-bearded God, even cradled in his arms. She is even more the outsider in Austria, forever fumbling in her discoveries of Western culture only to become enslaved by some of its worst features. Returning to Iran after her high school years, Marjane is too Westernized to be Iranian, yet still too Iranian to feel Western. The author's journey to self-discovery and finding her true home serves as the core of her story, punctuated by her departures and arrivals. In fact, some of the most dramatic scenes in THE COMPLETE PERSEPOLIS take place at airports.
Satrapi's black-and-white cartooning emphasizes contrast over detail. Indeed, her drawings of people are exceedingly simplified, lacking in all except the basic features necessary to portray a character. This simplicity works, as it stands in stark contrast to the complexity of Iran's constantly changing social, political, and religious structures as well as the complexity of the author's own life and the choices she faced. These minimalist renderings, hardly more detailed than Schulz's "Peanuts" characters, create an even greater dissonance when their childlike simplicity clashes with the horrors of war and the Iranian government's seizures and executions of many of its citizens. The reader is so effectively lulled into this seemingly benign, comic book world that Satrapi's occasional dropping of an expletive into her character's thoughts or words has the force of a slap in the face. When young Marjane returns home to see the dead, braceleted arm of one of her neighborhood friends (killed by one of Saddam Hussein's missiles) extending from her wrecked home, the author resorts to the powerful simplicity of a completely black panel captioned, "No scream in the world could have relieved my suffering and my anger."
There is a natural temptation to compare PERSEPOLIS to Art Spiegelman's MAUS I and MAUS II. However, I believe the Maus books are sui generis, allegorical tales whose use of mice and cats puts Spiegelman's books in a class of their own. By contrast, Satrapi's PERSEPOLIS novels are autobiographical volumes rendered in illustrated form to trace an Iranian woman's struggle to find herself while still loving a country from which she feels irretrievably estranged. Satrapi's and Spiegelman's work complement one another and demonstrate the emotional power graphical novels are increasingly finding ways to achieve.

The Complete Persepolis Overview

Here, in one volume: Marjane Satrapi's best-selling, internationally acclaimed memoir-in-comic-strips.Persepolis is the story of Satrapi's unforgettable childhood and coming of age within a large and loving family in Tehran during the Islamic Revolution; of the contradictions between private life and public life in a country plagued by political upheaval; of her high school years in Vienna facing the trials of adolescence far from her family; of her homecoming--both sweet and terrible; and, finally, of her self-imposed exile from her beloved homeland. It is the chronicle of a girlhood and adolescence at once outrageous and familiar, a young life entwined with the history of her country yet filled with the universal trials and joys of growing up.Edgy, searingly observant, and candid, often heartbreaking but threaded throughout with raw humor and hard-earned wisdom--Persepolis is a stunning work from one of the most highly regarded, singularly talented graphic artists at work today.

Want to learn more information about The Complete Persepolis?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now

Read More...

42% Off Discounts: Special Prices for Made to Crave: Satisfying Your Deepest Desire with God, Not Food Review

Are you looking to buy Made to Crave: Satisfying Your Deepest Desire with God, Not Food? here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on Made to Crave: Satisfying Your Deepest Desire with God, Not Food. check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Lowest Price Offers

Made to Crave: Satisfying Your Deepest Desire with God, Not Food Review

This is not your typical diet. There are no quick fixes or easy answers to be found. Instead, Lysa Terkuerst takes a different tack. She talks about craving. She states (and I agree) that we were made to crave. The problem isn't with craving itself, but rather WHAT we crave. She is also very transparent about her own struggles with excess weight and low self-esteem. She doesn't claim to have all the answers and admits she still struggles. Lysa has a lot of good things to share. I agree that when it comes to losing weight, the biggest issue isn't knowing what to do. There are countless diet books to guide you. However, I know for me, the biggest issue is the want to. I would rather have quick fix. Pop a pill or try this diet. I want the benefits of losing weight without the discipline and hard-work it takes to make that a reality. Lysa discusses that topic in depth in the book. That and her discussion of emotional eating are two of this book's biggest strengths.
I like that Lysa points out that being overweight is more than just a physical battle and issue. It's a mental, emotional, and spiritual issue as well. I think that this is an element that is missing in many diet books. Lysa will hit you where it hurts and raise issues you may not want to think about.
However, I would be remiss if I didn't mention a couple of problems with this book as well. The diet that Lysa used to lose the excess weight is one that is extremely restrictive. No sugar, bread, rice, potatoes, corn, or pasta. I'm just not convinced that such a restrictive diet is healthy or sustainable long-term. I believe it is possible to get portions under control without such a restrictive diet. She is quick to suggest that such a restrictive diet isn't right for everyone. But it's the only diet discussed in the book. She fails to discuss less restrictive options. I know myself too well. I would never be able to completely cut sugar and starch out of my diet. I don't think I could maintain a diet like that short-term, much less for the rest of my life.
I also found it frustrating that Lysa is very rigid and legalistic about having something she is craving, such as a sweet, a baked good, or dessert. She makes a sound like a person who is trying to lose weight should never ever, have things like that again. It seems to me like she fails to see the difference between having one brownie, once in a while, and eating the entire pan in one sitting. . She trusts God to help her overcome her cravings and temptations, so why can't she employ the same faith and trust here? In my opinion, a lot of the problem isn't in WHAT we eat, but rather in how much. Lysa doesn't even discuss eating in moderation, and I wonder why. Even so-called healthy foods can cause you to gain weight if you eat too much of them. Calories are calories.
Overall, this is a good book, and I would highly recommend it. Lysa does have a lot of good and thought-provoking things to say.

Made to Crave: Satisfying Your Deepest Desire with God, Not Food Overview

Made to Crave is the missing link between a woman's desire to be healthy and the spiritual empowerment necessary to make that happen. The reality is we were made to crave.Craving isn't a bad thing. But we must realize God created us to crave more of him. Many of us have misplaced that craving by overindulging in physical pleasures instead of lasting spiritual satisfaction. If you are struggling with unhealthy eating habits, you can break the 'I'll start again Monday' cycle, and start feeling good about yourself today. Learn to stop beating yourself up over the numbers on the scale. Discover that your weight loss struggle isn't a curse but rather a blessing in the making, and replace justifications that lead to diet failure with empowering go-to scripts that lead to victory. You can reach your healthy weight goal -- and grow closer to God in the process.This is not a how-to book. This is not the latest and greatest dieting plan. This book is the necessary companion for you to use alongside whatever healthy lifestyle plan you choose. This is a book and Bible study to help you find the 'want to' in making healthy lifestyle choices.

Want to learn more information about Made to Crave: Satisfying Your Deepest Desire with God, Not Food?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now

Read More...

Special Prices for Stolen Innocence Review

Are you looking to buy Stolen Innocence? here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on Stolen Innocence. check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Great Deals

Stolen Innocence Review

Stolen Innocence - by Elissa Wall with Lisa PulitzerEllissa Wall was brought up in the bosom of the Fundamentalist Latter Day Saints and at fourteen was forced to marry her older first cousin, and repeatedly raped throughout her 3 year marriage. This is Elissa's story. But it's also a glimpse into the workings of a way of life that many of us would find chilling, yet was perfectly normal for Elissa and her many siblings. We learn how plural marriages work (and at times may even work well for the people who have learned nothing else but this way of life) and how they shouldn't work, we learn how on the whim of one man, a Sister Mother and her children can be taken away; with no explanation, from her husband and given to another man deemed more worthy. We learn how one man used his so-called, influence with God, to force families to shun their own children, sell their business and properties, to live in fear. And, this is also the story of the rise and fall of that very influential, very manipulative man; a man named Warren Jeffs, the self-proclaimed Prophet of the FLDS.
This is a heart breaking story of Elissa's struggle to be the perfect daughter, student, person. We see her struggles even at a very young age to "stay sweet", a common phrase used when you are shattering inside, but can't let it show - and what happens when someone finally breaks her spirit. This is also an example to all women that they can overcome, be brave and even learn to grow from the horrors they may have been forced to endure.
One thing that disturbed me is that in this book, we never learn whether or not any of the women actually loved/love their husbands or if their husbands loved/love them and this lack begs the question - when one is never shown a loving relationship between man and wife, when spousal relationships are more like business deals, then how did Elissa know that she would never come to love her husband? I would have like to have seen this addressed.
It's remarkable and repulsive to learn that practices such as this go on in our progressive country. These are things we thinkonly happen in third world countries.
This is an excellent, timely, eye opening read and should be a 'must' read for anyone interested in issues involving women in our country during this century.

Stolen Innocence Overview

In September 2007, a packed courtroom in St. George, Utah, sat hushed as Elissa Wall, the star witness against polygamous sect leader Warren Jeffs, gave captivating testimony of how Jeffs forced her to marry her first cousin at age fourteen. This harrowing and vivid account proved to be the most compelling evidence against Jeffs, showing the harsh realities of this closed community and the lengths that Jeffs went to in order to control the women in it. Now, in this courageous memoir, Elissa Wall tells her incredible and inspirational story of her time in the Fundamentalist Church of Latter Day Saints (FLDS), detailing how she emerged from its confines to help bring one of America's most notorious criminals to justice.


Want to learn more information about Stolen Innocence?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now

Read More...

38% Off Discounts: Purchase Cheap Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide (Vintage) Review

Are you looking to buy Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide (Vintage)? here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide (Vintage). check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Cheapest Deals

Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide (Vintage) Review

I was able to read most of an advance copy of this book before Bill Drayton (founder of Ashoka: Innovators for the Public) snatched it away and ran off with it on his annual 2-week hiking trip to the mountains.
I think this has to be the most important book - not just for women's rights globally but for human rights - published in my memory.
Kristof and WuDunn weave together a most compelling story of how culture and customs historically suppress women. They tackle many tough, taboo topics - for example honor killing. But more importantly, they champion the stories of heroic women worldwide wholly committed to changing the many evils of the status quo.
What is more, they posit a kind of general framework theory that the really important advances in human rights that are going to be made in the near future are going to be brought about by these entrepreneurial pioneering women. In essence, that the backbone of the human rights movement and of real change across all societies is going to be a direct function of brave women who give themselves permission to say "NO" to thousands of years of (to most Westerners) unimaginable oppressive cultural customs and who take it upon themselves to lead to a new way. Once you have read the book, it is very hard, if not impossible, to disagree with Kristof and WuDunn's general theme. To wit, the brave women of Iran who took to the streets to protest the results of the recent election.
Among many other "super" women, HALF THE SKY spotlights the following inspirational Ashoka Fellows:
· Sunitha Krishnan (India), founder of Prajwala, a citizen sector organization in Hyderabad, India, fighting forced prostitution and sex trafficking, rescuing women and children from sexual exploitation, incestual rape, sexual torture, and abuse in prostitution. Her organization helps former prostitutes learn vocational skills so they can move into new careers. "Prajwala" means "an eternal flame".
· Sakena Yacoobi (Afghanistan), founder of the Afghan Institute of Learning, a citizen sector organization providing teacher training to Afghan women, educating and fostering education for girls and boys, and providing health education to women and children. Her organization also runs fixed and mobile health clinics that provide family planning services. Sakena holds the distinction of having been Ashoka's first Afghan Fellow. Educating women and girls was banned under the Taliban and is controversial under Islamic law.
· Roshaneh Zafar (Pakistan), founder of Pakistani microfinance lender, Kashf. A former World Bank employee, she was inspired after a chance meeting with Muhammad Yunus, founder of Grameen Bank. "Kashf" means "miracle" and Kashf is indeed fostering a miracle by leveraging microfinance to women to transform the role of women in Pakistani society and bringing about a poverty-free world. To date, Kashf supports 305,038 families in Pakistan, has disbursed $202 million, and has 52 branches nationwide.
I am not alone in my enthusiasm for this book! Last Tuesday, September 15, 2009 from 1:15 pm to 2:45 pm, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime ("UNODC") will be hosting a panel discussion and booksigning with Mr. Kristof and Ms. WuDunn in the UN Trusteeship Council Chamber at UN Headquarters. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon will deliver opening remarks. Every seat (550) in the Trusteeship Council Chamber was filled.
The buzz out there is that many people are coming and that everyone is very excited about the publication and significance of this extraordinary milestone work.
Five out of five stars. An absolute must read for anyone who cares about women's rights or human rights. A genuine eye popper that moves so fast, tackles so much that has hitherto been taboo and unmovable, and interweaves the unbelievably positive stories of the very heroic women already leading and creating change in a tapestry that is glimpse of a brave and very different, humanitarian new world.
Once you pick this book up, you will not be able to put it down. And once you have read it, you will be moved to help bring about tomorrow. Absolute proof that the glass (or the sky) is half full. We just have to give ourselves permission to make change. Or as Gandhi said, "we must be the change we wish to see."
BUY IT. READ IT. PASS IT AROUND.

Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide (Vintage) Overview

Want to learn more information about Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide (Vintage)?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now

Read More...

Lowest Price Blackbird Fly Review

Are you looking to buy Blackbird Fly? here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on Blackbird Fly. check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Great Deals

Blackbird Fly Review

Harry Strachie dies of a heart attack in the first pages. This starts a whole bunch of mysteries, lies, deceits, and intrigue. His wife and son are left without much but a key, a photo, and a deed to a house in France. Merle, his wife, and Tristan, his son, travel to France to see about selling the house. There is a squatter in the house, the people in the village don't like the Americans, some even seem to hate them. This is a fast moving story, with trips back in time to when Harry's parents lived in the house, and what happens then effects what is happening now. It is very well done, very well written, and the characters are very interesting, likeable, and you really care about them. There are dead bodies, lots of suspense and mystery, great characters, a bit of romance, but mostly it's just a great story! This is one of the best books I've read this year. You won't disappointed. I highly recommend it.

Blackbird Fly Overview

A house in France connects three women together -- the woman who owns the house, the woman who lives in the house, and the woman who died in the house sixty years before. Who are they? Merle Bennett inherits the house of her late husband, in a small village in the Dordogne. But when she arrives a deranged squatter won't let her inside. Who is the woman? What is her connection to Merle's husband? Secrets from the post-war period, when southwest France was crushed and left to wither by Nazi occupation, and secrets of a newer kind, occupy what should be a fine French summer for Merle. With her teenage son in tow, a sexy roofer in her kitchen, and a nasty discovery in the pissoir, there is plenty to keep her mind off her endless to-do list. A story of murder, self-discovery, and family, deep in the heart of France. "A heartbreakingly beautiful story of love, loss, sisterhood, and the ties that bind us together," says novelist Jenny Siler.-----The sudden death of her husband turns Merle Bennett's life upside down. Her work for poor legal clients isn't going to pay the bills and her son is kicked out of school. The blows just keep on coming. Merle finds herself doing what she least expected, decamping to France for the summer to fix up her late husband's ancestral home. The village in southwest France should be idyllic: warm sunshine, vineyards, and walls of golden stone. Merle gets an off-the-books job as a tour guide at a local winery and evicts a squatter. But the townspeople are more than merely unfriendly. As the past unravels, colliding with modern tensions and the filthy trials of renovation, the summer takes on a dark cast, full of secrets best left buried. In her first stand-alone suspense novel, Lise McClendon reaches deep into the past to find a France untouched by the outside world of tourism and fashion. Writing in a "lyrical, often humorous style," she brings both the pain and rewards of rebirth and the rich French countryside to life.

Want to learn more information about Blackbird Fly?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now

Read More...

Purchase Cheap Death by Honeymoon (Book #1 in the Caribbean Murder Series) Review

Are you looking to buy Death by Honeymoon (Book #1 in the Caribbean Murder Series)? here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on Death by Honeymoon (Book #1 in the Caribbean Murder Series). check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

Death by Honeymoon (Book #1 in the Caribbean Murder Series) Review

The story opens with Cindy trying to deal with the devastating loss of her husband, who died on their honeymoon in Barbados. Cindy's loss is even more devastating in the face of the obstacles she and Clint had to overcome to get married (his family did not approve, to put it mildly) and her extremely small support system (even though a lot of people came to visit in the days right after Clint's death, the only person looking out for Cindy was her sister, Ann.) It's an extremely somber opening.It becomes clear pretty quickly that there's something rotten on the island of Barbados, as Clint's repugnant family makes very clear when they come to allegedly pay their condolences and end up interrogating Cindy (Clint's widow, remember) instead. Cindy's sister Ann is doing her best to help but comes across as kind of a bossy boots (I feel like if I were Cindy, every person that tried to tell me what I need or what would be best for me would just start getting punched in the face.) Everyone wants to help but you can practically hear Cindy screaming inside to just get people to back off.Anyway, Cindy has a lot of reasons for her Spidey senses to be tingling, although no one else seems to feel the same. Just when Cindy finally caves and begins to attempt to put her life back together for the sake of other people who love her, it becomes alarmingly clear that her feeling that Clint's death wasn't an accident was right on the money. Now she has to decide whether it would be better to just remember Clint in her heart forever and ride quietly into the sunset, or to try to uncover the truth, however ugly it may be.Because this is a relatively short story it has to get down to business fairly quickly, and there isn't a lot of time or space to devote to side stories or ancillary characters. The plot is lean and streamlined, and we arrive at point B from point A fairly quickly. We as readers can piece together the game that's afoot pretty quickly; watching Cindy figure it out and overcome the obstacles that have been put in her way is a different experience. The ending, too, and the resolution of the story, require you to buy into the story as a reader. Would people necessarily behave that way in real life? Probably not, but that's the great thing about fiction. The author has created an environment where everything comes out in the wash and the stage is set for book 2, and that's okay by me.

Death by Honeymoon (Book #1 in the Caribbean Murder Series) Overview

On the rugged, wild, eastern shore of Barbados, Cindy and Clint are enjoying their dream honeymoon, when paradise quickly turns into hell. Cindy finds her newly beloved taken away from her, drowned in a freak accident in the ocean. The local police are quick to declare it an accident, to insist that he was caught in a sudden riptide. But Cindy, left all alone, is not convinced.Cindy must return to her and Clint's now-empty home in New York and face her in-laws, who never wanted Clint to marry her, and who did everything to make her engagement and wedding hell. She must deal with all of these women's backbiting, gossiping and unspoken accusations, while she tries to get a handle on her own grief and to get clear on what really happened to Clint.Cindy is mailed an anonymous photo of a woman she had never met, addressed to Clint. As she tries to unravel the mysterious package, as she begins to dig deeper into Clint's emails and files, she realizes how many secrets Clint had been hiding from his past. She realizes that she didn't really know the man she loved. And she also realizes that Clint was murdered.She digs deeper, into the depths of Clint's massive corporation, DGB oil, and as she starts to unearth information she shouldn't, she goes too far. Soon her own life is in peril. On the run, she realizes that the only way to get answers, and to save her own life, is to return to where it all began: Barbados. As she heads into the dark underside of the island, into the heart of the local villages, she is shocked to discover what really happened to her husband on their honeymoon.But by then, it may already be too late.

Want to learn more information about Death by Honeymoon (Book #1 in the Caribbean Murder Series)?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now

Read More...

Best Price Shanghai Girls: A Novel Review

Are you looking to buy Shanghai Girls: A Novel? here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on Shanghai Girls: A Novel. check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Cheapest Deals

Shanghai Girls: A Novel Review

I'm a fan of Lisa See's two earlier novels, "Snow Flower and the Secret Fan" and "Peony in Love", both of which were set in 19th and 17th century China respectively. In "Shanghai Girls", the author moves the setting of the novel to Shanghai and later to the US. Lisa See paints a vivid portrait of life in pre-World War II Shanghai and takes the reader on an unforgettable journey through the Japanese invasion of China and its aftermath.
The protagonists in this novel are two sisters - Pearl and May. Pearl is the older sister, born in the auspicious Year of the Dragon, yet frowned upon by her Baba [father] who dislikes her tall appearance. Pearl is also educated, having completed college, and is proficient in a few languages and dialects. In contrast, younger sister May, born in the Year of the Sheep, is shorter yet lovely, and has only managed to complete high school. Yet, for all Pearl's accomplishments, it is May that is the apple of her parent's eyes, and uses this partiality to her advantage. Both sisters live a life of privilege, yet they work as 'beautiful girls' posing for pictures used in ads and posters and earn a good living. This may appear surprising given their parent's conservative outlook [the girls' mother has bound feet], yet not altogether strange as later events bring to light the family's dire financial straits.
When the girls are told their father has huge debts and has decided to marry them off to a pair of brothers, Gold Mountain Men residing in LA [men who have left China to go to America to seek their fortunes, returning to find China Brides], they realize their days of freedom are over and decide to revolt. Unfortunately, the Japanese invasion of Shanghai puts an end to any of their plans. Fleeing the Japanese is not without its horrors and ultimately Pearl and May find themselves alone except for one another.
Even after leaving China, the pair find their situation is still dire as upon arrival in the United States, Pearl and May are detained on Angel's Island for months undergoing untold suffering. They finally meet their 'spouses' but life for the sisters still has many trials in store, and a secret shared between them threatens their future.
"Shanghai Girls" is a well-woven narrative that flows well and Lisa See credibly evokes the bond between two sisters, whose love for one another is strong, yet also fraught by rivalries. This is not just a story about siblings for it is also about the clash between East and West as the sisters struggle to find their footing in a new world, even as the bonds of their old world remain strong. Lisa See is truly a gifted author for being able to portray both the old world of 17th and 19th century China [as seen in Peony and Snow Flower] and the new as seen in "Shanghai Girls". Final verdict: a compelling read.

Shanghai Girls: A Novel Overview

Want to learn more information about Shanghai Girls: A Novel?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now

Read More...

25% Off Discounts: Lowest Price Gramatica Esencial (Spanish Edition) Review

Are you looking to buy Gramatica Esencial (Spanish Edition)? here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on Gramatica Esencial (Spanish Edition). check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Cheapest Deals

Gramatica Esencial (Spanish Edition) Review

The book came to me in what looked to be brand new condition. I was very pleased at the quality I received for the price I paid.

Gramatica Esencial (Spanish Edition) Overview

Want to learn more information about Gramatica Esencial (Spanish Edition)?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now

Read More...

20% Off Discounts: Lowest Price La Casa en Mango Street Review

Are you looking to buy La Casa en Mango Street? here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on La Casa en Mango Street. check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Great Deals

La Casa en Mango Street Review

I have read this book aloud, in English and Spanish, to students grade 3-5 and they were all MESMERIZED by it. The reason is that they had never heard a book written in a child's voice, about everyday experiences similar to their own. The part about one of the girls being tempted to kiss the bum for a dollar got a great discussion going, with many students giving their opinion about what the girl should or should not do. Also, Elena Poniatowska did an amazing job of translating from English to Spanish. Nothing was lost, not even the voice. Poniatowska is an author in her own right, and therefore was able to achieve a perfect translation.

La Casa en Mango Street Overview

La novela mejor vendida, trata de una niÃa que crece en una de las comunidades latinas de Chicago-algunas veces le romperá el corazÃn y otras veces le dará gran alegría-describe un nuevo paisaje americano a través de sus múltiples personajes. -"Una novela profundamente conmovedora . . . Como lo mejor de la poesía, abre las ventanas del corazÃn sin desperdiciar las palabras." -Miami Herald.

Want to learn more information about La Casa en Mango Street?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now

Read More...

43% Off Discounts: Lowest Price The Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a Girlhood Among Ghosts Review

Are you looking to buy The Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a Girlhood Among Ghosts? here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on The Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a Girlhood Among Ghosts. check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Cheapest Deals

The Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a Girlhood Among Ghosts Review

The Woman Warrior, by Maxine Hong Kingston, captures readers with her own interpretation of what it was like to grow up as a female Chinese American. As a little girl, she came to America with her family. Despite being in a new country, she had to deal with the old traditions from her homeland. Kingston hears different legends which she pieces together to create her woman warrior. It becomes her source of strength in a society that rejected both her sex as well as her race. The book, divided into five interwoven stories, is at times confusing as it jumps around. Nevertheless she does a great job explaining her life while growing up. The first story, called "No Name Woman," tells of her paternal aunt who bears a child out of wedlock and is harried by the villagers and by her family into drowning herself. The family now punishes this taboo-breaker by never speaking about her and by denying her name. However, Kingston breaks the family silence by writing about this rebel whom she calls "my forebear." The next story is called "White Tigers." It is a myth about a heroine named Fa Mu Lan, who fights in place of her father and saves her village. This story became the Disney movie, Mulan."Sharman" is a story of Kingston's mother. It explores what it was like to study as a woman to become a doctor in China. "At the Western Palace" is about Kingston's aunt who comes to America and discovers that her husband has remarried in America. Finally, the last story, "A Song for a Barbarian Reed Pipe" is about Kingston's own experience in America when she first arrived. She explains what it was like to be a newcomer in a strange culture. Kingston constantly mentions that her friends and she are ghosts because they are American. All of the people who surround her family are ghosts, except for the Chinese people who live on the Gold Mountain, a section of Chinatown in San Francisco. Kingston feels like a ghost herself, " .... We had been born among ghosts, were taught by ghosts, and were ourselves ghost-like. The Americans call us a kind of ghosts" (p.183). The interpretation of what ghosts mean in this book is difficult to figure out. It could show how some people view a person from a different culture with ignorance as if she doesn't exist. Kingston's The Woman Warrior has some similarities with The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan. First of all, both stories are written by Chinese American authors about their cultural heritage. Both novels deal with major concerns faced by Chinese American women. Living with their traditional culture in American society, Chinese-American women suffer problems of cultural conflicts. However, there are differences that make each work distinct. The Joy Luck Club is fiction and is not personal. It is also more likely to be read for pleasure. The Woman Warrior portrays a first hand view of the cultural differences between the United States and China. Also, Kingston succeeds in combining her emotions with her experiences. The Woman Warrior is a fascinating book. One of the most amazing aspects of this book is Kingston's ability to show how silence is a form of communication and how it shaped her being. Her mother tells her to be silent, yet she goes against her cultural standards by talking about her aunt. This act of will on Kingston's part offers the readers her ancestry. The expectation of silence can be simplified into a symbol of oppression. As a Korean-American, I felt the emotions and understood how Kingston felt for being a stranger to a new culture. Her internal struggle to fit into two different societies is difficult. I personally recommend this book to anyone interested in reading about the experience of one Chinese-American woman. It is not the definitive story of Chinese-American women's experience, but it is a very vivid and well-written account of one woman's life. Pg. 209. Published in the United States by Random House, Inc., New York

The Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a Girlhood Among Ghosts Overview

Want to learn more information about The Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a Girlhood Among Ghosts?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now

Read More...

Lowest Price Are You There, Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea Review

Are you looking to buy Are You There, Vodka It's Me, Chelsea? here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on Are You There, Vodka It's Me, Chelsea. check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Cheapest Deals

Are You There, Vodka It's Me, Chelsea Review

I actually bought this book for my wife, since she had enjoyed Chelsea Handler's previous book, "My Horizontal Life." When the book arrived yesterday, I picked it up to peruse it and I couldn't put it down. This book is laugh-out-loud funny. The book contains stories from the author's life from around the age of 9 through adulthood that are funny from the perspective of men and women alike. As should be clear from the title, this book isn't for kids and the content can be pretty racy. If you aren't easily offended, however, it will probably be the most humorous book you read this year. I'd give it more than 5 stars if I could.

Are You There, Vodka It's Me, Chelsea Overview

Want to learn more information about Are You There, Vodka It's Me, Chelsea?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now

Read More...

20% Off Discounts: Buy Cheap Persepolis 2: The Story of a Return Review

Are you looking to buy Persepolis 2: The Story of a Return? here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on Persepolis 2: The Story of a Return. check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Cheapest Deals

Persepolis 2: The Story of a Return Review

Almost a generation after Art Spiegelman's Maus showed comic books can pack more punch than words alone. Persepolis is the closest thing from you'll ever see from Maus. Both are amazing literary works portraying extraordinary real lives witnessing history unfold. Both done by chain-smokers.
At the end of the first Persepolis I cried. I can't remember a regular book that gave me such emotion before, if ever (I also cried at Maus).
As an immigrant, I identify with Sartrapi more than with any author I've ever read. Maybe because her experiences with loneliness, heartbreak and xenophobia are so vivid they just jump out of the pages.
One thing that's very evident in every page of the book is her immense patriotism. Her country is as part of what she is as much as her family. Thank God for that, because now there's a point of view of Iran little known to Westerners. And it's available in your bookstore. As a comic.
My highest recommendation. Run to get a copy. I hope publishers now realize this art form is here to stay.

Persepolis 2: The Story of a Return Overview

Want to learn more information about Persepolis 2: The Story of a Return?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now

Read More...

Purchase Cheap The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy Review

Are you looking to buy The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy? here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy. check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Cheapest Deals

The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy Review

So you're forty-one. You've never written a book before, but you think you'd like to try your hand at it. You suspect, perhaps rightly, that you'd be pretty good at it. Before giving it a go though you live your life and fool around with photography (and by "fool around" I mean "get your photographs into the Smithsonian's permanent collection"). Then you write a children's chapter book that draws on every source from Elizabeth Ende to Edward Eager (alliterative writers are a source of wonderful books) and your little novel is written. It then garners itself a National Book Award that same year. Such is the tale of Jeanne Birdsall and her remarkable book. Having read pointed criticisms as to whether or not "The Penderwicks" should really have won the aforementioned National Book Award I went into reading the title thinking something along these lines:
"Harumph. Obviously `Autobiography of My Dead Brother' (which I haven't read either) should have won the award. It's so meaningful. This book is probably just a rehash of old classics with some utesy-cutesyness to turn off serious readers. I'll just read a little..."
Five minutes later.
"Huh. This is pretty good. Well-written. Let's just dip in a little more..."
Eighteen chapters later.Which brings us to this review. Up against serious book after deeply meaningful book, I commend the committee of the National Book Awards for acknowledging what the Newberys, the Oscars, and pretty much all other awards offered to artistic works fail to recognize. Comedy is only easy to read. It is near impossible to create. It takes far more skill to write a meaningful piece of work that makes you laugh than a meaningful piece of work that makes you cry. Kill a puppy and the tears fall like rain. Make that same puppy do something that makes you laugh and it's a miracle of authorial genius. On top of all that, "The Penderwicks" has something that not many books this year will be able to claim: It's great for all ages.
It never would have happened at all if the four Penderwick daughters and their father hadn't gotten a new cottage rental for their summer vacation. Arriving at heavenly Arundel, the headstrong Penderwick Skye proceeds to immediately discover and knock unconscious their new landlady's son, Jeffrey. After some apologies all is forgiven and Jeffrey meets each girl. There's twelve-year-old Rosalind who is a kind of mother figure to her sisters. Eleven-year-old Skye is deeply intelligent and has a temper that in any other book would make her a redhead. Ten year old Jane is the dreamy romantic Penderwick, prone to writing overindulgent adventure tales. Finally, there's four-year-old Batty, clad permanently in detachable butterfly wings and accompanied by the family dog, Hound. With Jeffrey by their side the girls must deal with Rosalind's crush, Sky's capacity for messing up, Jane's publication fantasies, and Batty's shyness. Top it all off with Jeffrey's mother, Mrs. Tipton, believing that her son should be sent to a military academy ASAP and you've got a fine frolicksome summer adventure to be read for years and years to come.
I love pinpointing the moment a book wins me over. It's never when you would expect such a moment to take place. For me it was a rather quiet scene at twilight. It's a balmy summer night, such as you might experience in the Berkshire Mountains, and the girls are catching fireflies. Suddenly, it was perfectly clear that Birdsall had somehow or other managed to capture the lazy magic of a summer night in her writing. People have killed to do so much. With "The Penderwicks", you hold in your hand a crystallized encapsulation of all that is lovely about warm July evenings at home. Remarkable.
Don't let my flattery fool you. The book, for all its charms, was not incapable of the occasional misstep. Not too long ago my mother-in-law was pointing out the sheer proliferation of books and films in which a girl lives with a widowed father who dotes upon her. Now how many widowed fathers do you know personally? I'm sure there are plenty out there, but to read books like "The Penderwicks" is to believe that women, particularly mothers, are rarities (at least in their living state). In the olden days a mother could be done away with in childbirth. "The Penderwicks" does the same thing but this time the mother dies of cancer a more-than-slightly-unbelievable two weeks after giving birth to Batty. Seems to me that Birdsall is pushing the envelope a little here with the scant lag time between labor and the choir invisible.
Still, there's no denying the charms of the tale. "The Penderwicks" avoids overly emotional dribble. This is the kind of story where the father will say good-naturedly to an overly enthusiastic canine, "Be still, demon dog". The story puts down fashion modeling and obligatory military service all within the course of a single paragraph. And most importantly to my mind, it does well by Batty. How many insufferable four-year-olds populate children's literature? Too many. Often they'll be overly cutesy-pie and big eyed. Think of Destiny in "Surviving the Applewhites". These tots usually mispronounce words and, when corrected, mispronounce them in entirely different ways. They do horrible unconscionable things but are forgiven because they up the "awww" factor of the book. Admittedly, Batty isn't immune to this sort of stuff, but she's a lot less bad than most of the over-indulged young `uns out there. By the way, extra points to the Penderwicks for not being a delightfully "eccentric" family. Eccentric tales ala "Ordinary Jack" are easy to write but often quite hard to make good. "The Penderwicks" relies solely on the charms of the writing, and is perfectly peachy as a result.
So let's sum up here. Good writing? Check. Three-dimensional characters (with the possible exception of the mother's boyfriend)? Check. A plot that actually doesn't rip off any authors I've read and certainly no one within the last thirty-five years? Check. Seems to me we've got a pretty nice winner on our hands here, ladies and gentlemen. So let us tip our hat to "The Penderwicks" and wish it all the luck in the world. A stunning debut and a book that, without relying on fantasy or magic, will be loved and adored the world over.

The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy Overview

Want to learn more information about The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now

Read More...

Best Price The Witches Of Santa Anna (Books 1-7) (DISCOUNTED) Review

Are you looking to buy The Witches Of Santa Anna (Books 1-7) (DISCOUNTED)? here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on The Witches Of Santa Anna (Books 1-7) (DISCOUNTED). check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

The Witches Of Santa Anna (Books 1-7) (DISCOUNTED) Review

Okay, first, I want to say that were these not all 7 squished together as one unit, I would never have given it four stars. Each of the "books" is way too short to even be considered a novella, but compiled together, they made a good story. It left me wanting to read more, partly because it didn't have enough details, but partly because it was actually intriguing. This is an example where a good editor could help make this a best-seller, were more work put into correcting some of the flaws. I will admit, I almost gave it three stars, but there is so much potential, I would like to recommend it to others, despite some of the problems. Go ahead and get it. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

The Witches Of Santa Anna (Books 1-7) (DISCOUNTED) Overview

**AVAILABLE FOR A LIMITED TIME ONLY AT A DISCOUNTED PRICE**The complete set of season one of The Witches of Santa Anna series of novellas...Includes CLAIMED, TRICKED, RUMORED, HUSHED, PURSUED, ENTICED, and RUINED.Natalia Moore is the new girl at Santa Anna Prep, and all she wants to do is fly under the radar -- get to her classes, meet a few friends, and try not to make a total fool of herself in the meantime. But when handsome and popular Campbell Elliot goes out of his way to be nice to the new girl, Natalia's plan to go unnoticed flies out the window. Cam's hot, but he's completely off-limits. Raine Marsden, the most popular and meanest girl in school, has had her eye on him ever since the summer. And Raine doesn't like competition.When Cam goes as far as inviting Natalia to the exclusive weekend party at Raine's house, Raine sets her sights on a new victim. But what Natalia doesn't know is that Raine and her friends are no ordinary mean girls. They have powers most people can only dream of, and nobody will stand in the way of what they want. And what Raine wants is Campbell.The Witches of Santa Anna series of novellas, proves just how far true love will go and that nothing--not even pure evil--can change your destiny'.NOTE: This compilation contains all seven novellas in the first season of the series -- CLAIMED, TRICKED, RUMORED, HUSHED, ENTICED, PURSUED, and RUINED...

Want to learn more information about The Witches Of Santa Anna (Books 1-7) (DISCOUNTED)?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now

Read More...

43% Off Discounts: Best Price An Unquiet Mind: A Memoir of Moods and Madness Review

Are you looking to buy An Unquiet Mind: A Memoir of Moods and Madness? here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on An Unquiet Mind: A Memoir of Moods and Madness. check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Great Deals

An Unquiet Mind: A Memoir of Moods and Madness Review

Over the past 20 years I've had several friends who suffered from manic-depressive illnesses. It's abundantly clear to me that the disease is primarily biochemical and "not their fault." But I had trouble understanding why these people refused to take their medication (or stopped taking it after they started) and otherwise engaged in massive denial. Jamison's frank and well-written book was a revelation: now I feel I have a better sense of the seductiveness of mania, and why creative, intelligent people are often willing to risk the lows of their illness for the sake of the highs. As Jamison points out emphatically, however, the long-term effects of bipolar disorder can be devastating mentally and physically (not to mention the financial and personal fallout) -- hence her crusade to understand the basis of the illness, and learn how to fine-tune the medication so that the sufferer achieves equilibrium without deadening the sensitivity and creativity that often accompany this disease. I'd already read "Night Falls Fast," which is also excellent, but this book set out the personal story behind Jamison's research interests. While she insists that love alone won't cure the disease, it's also clear that, without the love of her loyal friends, this intelligent, talented, and articulate woman might never have made it through the more difficult years, let alone become a respected authority in her profession. Anyone who suffers from bipolar disorders, and those who love them, should read this book.

An Unquiet Mind: A Memoir of Moods and Madness Overview

Want to learn more information about An Unquiet Mind: A Memoir of Moods and Madness?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now

Read More...

Lowest Price Do Tampons Take Your Virginity? A Catholic Girl's Memoir Review

Are you looking to buy Do Tampons Take Your Virginity A Catholic Girl's Memoir? here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on Do Tampons Take Your Virginity A Catholic Girl's Memoir. check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

Do Tampons Take Your Virginity A Catholic Girl's Memoir Review

Do Tampons Take Your Virginity?A Catholic Girl's Memoir by Marie Simas is a bittersweet account of her childhood and teenage years by the author. When I first started reading this book, I thought that it was going to be a light-hearted account about growing up in a Portuguese Catholic family. I thought that it might be harsh on the Catholic Church. But it isn't really so much about the Church, but rather about the fears and hypocrisies about some people living under Church doctrine, and old world Portuguese values.
Simas grew up in a brutally violent home. Her father was abusive. The father continually rapes the mother -- even while she's dying of cancer. Because Marie simply doesn't accept her father's brutality towards herself or her mother, he beats her with a belt on a regular basis.
What I like about Marie is that while she couldn't escape the beatings, she refused to meekly accept it. She was always rebellious. She became so desperate for love, however, that despite both parents warning her about sex, when she is fifteen she loses her virginity to the first boy who pays any attention to her. She misinterprets his physical affection as real love and believes that he will take her away from her "miserable family." When he goes away and a few days later she realizes that she probably won't hear from him again. Simas touchingly recalls:
"That night, I fell asleep as soon as it got dark outside. The sun set on my adolescence. Though I had experienced severe beatings, threats, and almost constant fear, nothing could compare to the pain I felt from lost love."
The father's abuse and her first lover's rejection affected Marie's future relationships with men profoundly. She becomes a "user" of men -- something that she is not proud of today. She wanted to hurt men as they had hurt her -- even nice men who actually cared for her. While Marie harshly judges those around her, she is equally hard on herself. She is just being honest.
Things I don't like? Well, I don't really like the title -- it might make some people curious but might turn some potential readers off. The book is divided into short chapters that make the narrative seem a bit choppy instead of flowing into each other as a cohesive whole.
I may not agree with everything the author says, but I definitely understand where she is coming from. I have a feeling that this book was a catharsis for the author; a way of exorcising her demons -- her anger and despair. She also has a mordant sense of humor that probably saved her life. You may find yourself crying one minute and laughing the next.
This book is brutally honest. Be prepared. There is marital rape, brutal child abuse, and strong sexuality.

Do Tampons Take Your Virginity A Catholic Girl's Memoir Overview

The intensity of Marie Simas's father's reactions to her head-strong behavior is so often disturbing, it borders on horrific abuse. Yet, she is irrepressible. Read it. Get it. You won't regret it. --Carol Leonard, Author of Lady's Hands, Lion's HeartA most entertaining collection of childhood stories that will both shock and delight you. --Patricia Fry, Author and EditorDescription: Do Tampons Take Your Virginity? is a memoir about what happens when you grow up in an insane Catholic family. Surprisingly funny, the author's candid writing exposes the endurance it takes to survive a stifling, oppressive upbringing. It's an emotional roller coaster from start to finish. Each essay is written in sharp episodic chapters to mimic the author's real experiences, which range from brutal to hilarious, and everything in between. This memoir shouldn't be missed!

Want to learn more information about Do Tampons Take Your Virginity A Catholic Girl's Memoir?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now

Read More...