It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas… but, unfortunately, it's January. You may or may not have heard that New England is getting hit with a major snowstorm (or as my Dad likes to call it "This is no big deal, I used to walk to school in...
Wednesday, January 28, 2015
Tuesday, January 27, 2015
A Million Little Pieces by James Frey a book review
At the age of 23, James Frey woke up on a plane to find his front teeth knocked out and his nose broken. He had no idea where the plane was headed nor any recollection of the past two weeks. An alcoholic for ten years and a crack addict for three, he checked into a treatment facility shortly after landing. There he was told he could either stop using or die before he reached age 24. This is Frey’s acclaimed account of his six weeks in rehab.
Editorial Reviews
Book Description
At the age of 23, James Frey woke up on a plane to find his front teeth knocked out and his nose broken. He had no idea where the plane was headed nor any recollection of the past two weeks. An alcoholic for ten years and a crack addict for three, he checked into a treatment facility shortly after landing. There he was told he could either stop using or die before he reached age 24. This is Frey’s acclaimed account of his six weeks in rehab.
Amazon.com Review
The electrifying opening of James Frey's debut memoir, A Million Little Pieces, smash-cuts to the then 23-year-old author on a Chicago-bound plane "covered with a colorful mixture of spit, snot, urine, vomit and blood." Wanted by authorities in three states, without ID or any money, his face mangled and missing four front teeth, Frey is on a steep descent from a dark marathon of drug abuse. His stunned family checks him into a famed Minnesota drug treatment center where a doctor promises "he will be dead within a few days" if he starts to use again, and where Frey spends two agonizing months of detox confronting "The Fury" head on:
I want a drink. I want fifty drinks. I want a bottle of the purest, strongest, most destructive, most poisonous alcohol on Earth. I want fifty bottles of it. I want crack, dirty and yellow and filled with formaldehyde. I want a pile of powder meth, five hundred hits of acid, a garbage bag filled with mushrooms, a tube of glue bigger than a truck, a pool of gas large enough to drown in. I want something anything whatever however as much as I can.
One of the more harrowing sections is when Frey submits to major dental surgery without the benefit of anesthesia or painkillers (he fights the mind-blowing waves of "bayonet" pain by digging his fingers into two old tennis balls until his nails crack). His fellow patients include a damaged crack addict with whom Frey wades into an ill-fated relationship, a federal judge, a former championship boxer, and a mobster (who, upon his release, throws a hilarious surf-and-turf bacchanal, complete with pay-per-view boxing). In the book's epilogue, when Frey ticks off a terse update on everyone, you can almost hear the Jim Carroll Band's brutal survivor's lament "People Who Died" kicking in on the soundtrack of the inevitable film adaptation.
The rage-fueled memoir is kept in check by Frey's cool, minimalist style. Like his steady mantra, "I am an Alcoholic and I am a drug Addict and I am a Criminal," Frey's use of repetition takes on a crisp, lyrical quality which lends itself to the surreal experience. The book could have benefited from being a bit leaner. Nearly 400 pages is a long time to spend under Frey's influence, and the stylistic acrobatics (no quotation marks, random capitalization, left-aligned text, wild paragraph breaks) may seem too self-conscious for some readers, but beyond the literary fireworks lurks a fierce debut. --Brad Thomas Parsons
From Publishers Weekly
Frey is pretender to the throne of the aggressive, digressive, cocky Kings David: Eggers and Foster Wallace. Pre-pub comparisons to those writers spring not from Frey's writing but from his attitude: as a recent advance profile put it, the 33-year-old former drug dealer and screenwriter "wants to be the greatest literary writer of his generation." While the Davids have their faults, their work is unquestionably literary. Frey's work is more mirrored surface than depth, but this superficiality has its attractions. With a combination of upper-middle-class entitlement, street credibility garnered by astronomical drug intake and PowerPoint-like sentence fragments and clipped dialogue, Frey proffers a book that is deeply flawed, too long, a trial of even the most na‹ve reader's credulousness-yet its posturings hit a nerve. This is not a new story: boy from a nice, if a little chilly, family gets into trouble early with alcohol and drugs and stays there. Pieces begins as Frey arrives at Hazelden, which claims to be the most successful treatment center in the world, though its success rate is a mere 17%. There are flashbacks to the binges that led to rehab and digressions into the history of other patients: a mobster, a boxer, a former college administrator, and Lilly, his forbidden love interest, a classic fallen princess, former prostitute and crack addict. What sets Pieces apart from other memoirs about 12-stepping is Frey's resistance to the concept of a higher power. The book is sure to draw criticism from the recovery community, which is, in a sense, Frey's great gimmick. He is someone whose problems seem to stem from being uncomfortable with authority, and who resists it to the end, surviving despite the odds against him. The prose is repetitive to the point of being exasperating, but the story, with its forays into the consciousness of an addict, is correspondingly difficult to put down.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From School Library Journal
Adult/High School-Frey's high school and college years are a blur of alcohol and drugs, culminating in a full-fledged crack addiction at age 23. As the book begins, his fed-up friends have convinced an airline to let him on the plane and shipped him off to his parents, who promptly put him in Hazelden, the rehabilitation clinic with the greatest success rate, 20 percent. Frey doesn't shy away from the gory details of addiction and recovery; all of the bodily fluids make major appearances here. What really separates this title from other rehab memoirs, apart from the author's young age, is his literary prowess. He doesn't rely on traditional indentation, punctuation, or capitalization, which adds to the nearly poetic, impressionistic detail of parts of the story. Readers cannot help but feel his sickness, pain, and anger, which is evident through his language. Ken Kesey's One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest (Viking, 1962) seems an apt comparison for this work-Frey maintains his principles and does not respect authority at all if it doesn't follow his beliefs. And fellow addicts are as much, if not more, help to him than the clinicians who are trying to preach the 12 steps, which he does not intend to follow in his path to sobriety. This book is highly recommended for teens interested in the darker side of human existence.
Jamie Watson, Enoch Pratt Free Library, Baltimore
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Library Journal
An alcoholic and crack addict so physically mauled by his indulgences that doctors marveled that he was still alive, Frey finally cleaned himself up at age 23. Here he takes full responsibility for nearly destroying himself.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Booklist
*Starred Review* At 23, Frey allowed his parents to check him into a rehabilitation facility in Minnesota. An alcoholic and a crack addict, Frey had hit absolute rock bottom. The doctor at the rehab center told him another drinking binge might kill him. To Frey, who was vomiting blood and dreaming of copious amounts of drugs and alcohol, there didn't seem to be another option. And then, on the night he attempted his escape from the center, a fellow patient named Leonard stopped him. And thus began the horrible, hard climb to sobriety. Frey was inundated with success stories and 12-step dogma, but he continued to resist both AA and the idea that only a belief in a higher power can save someone who has fallen so far. Leonard remained a constant friend in Frey's struggle, sharing the story of his own tragic past and bolstering Frey's determination. Frey found a different kind of support in Lilly, a vulnerable young woman with whom he fell in love. Anger, hurt, love, and pain are all laid bare; his writing style is as naked and forthright as the raw emotions that life in the rehab center brings to the surface. Starkly honest and mincing no words, Frey bravely faces his struggles head on, and readers will be mesmerized by his account of his ceaseless battle against addiction. Kristine Huntley
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
“Gripping.... A great story.... You can't help but cheer his victory.” —Los Angeles Times Book Review
“James Frey’s staggering recovery memoir could well be seen as the final word on the topic.” —San Francisco Chronicle
“The most lacerating tale of drug addiction since William S. Burroughs’ Junky.” —The Boston Globe
“Frey’s book sets itself apart ... spare, deadpan language belies the horror of what he’s describing — a meltdown dispatched in telegrams.” —The New York Times Book Review
“Anyone who has ever felt broken and wished for a better life will find inspiration in Frey’s story.” —People
“Ripping, gripping.... It’s a staggeringly sober book whose stylistic tics are well-suited to its subject matter, and a finger in the eye of the culture of complaint.... Engrossing.” —The Philadelphia Inquirer
“A frenzied, electrifying description of the experience.” —The New Yorker
“We finish A Million Little Pieces like miners lifted out of a collapsed shaft: exhausted, blackened, oxygen-starved, but alive, thrillingly, amazingly alive.” —Minneapolis Star-Tribune
“One of the most compelling books of the year.... Incredibly bold.... Somehow accomplishes what three decades’ worth of cheesy public service announcements and after-school specials have failed to do: depict hard-core drug addiction as the self-inflicted apocalypse that it is.” —The New York Post
“Thoroughly engrossing.... Hard-bitten existentialism bristles on every page.... Frey’s prose is muscular and tough, ideal for conveying extreme physical anguish and steely determination.” —Entertainment Weekly
“Incredible.... Mesmerizing.... Heart-rending.” —Atlanta Journal-Constitution
“A rising literary star ... has birthed a poetic account of his recovery. [A Million Little Pieces is] stark ... disturbing ... rife with raw emotion.” —Chicago Sun-Times
“Frey will probably be hailed in turn as the voice of a generation.” —Elle
“We can admire Frey for his fierceness, his extremity, his solitary virtue, the angry ethics of his barroom tribe, and his victory over his furies.... A compelling book.” —New York
“An intimate, vivid and heartfelt memoir. Can Frey be the greatest writer of his generation? Maybe.” —New York Press
“Incredible.... A ferociously compelling memoir.” —The Plain Dealer
“Insistent as it is demanding.... A story that cuts to the nerve of addiction by clank-clank-clanking through the skull of the addicted.... A critical milestone in modern literature.” —Orlando Weekly
“At once devastatingly bleak and heartbreakingly hopeful.... Frey somehow manages to make his step-by-step walk through recovery compelling.” —Charlotte Observer
“A stark, direct and graphic documentation of the rehabilitation process.... The strength of the book comes from the truth of the experience.” —The Oregonian
“A virtual addiction itself, viscerally affecting.... Compulsively readable.” —City Paper (Washington, DC)
“Powerful ... haunting ... addictive.... A beautiful story of recovery and reconciliation.” —Iowa City Press-Citizen
“An exhilarating read.... Frey’s intense, punchy prose renders his experiences with electrifying immediacy.” —Time Out New York
“Describes the hopelessness and the inability to stop with precision.... As anyone who has ever spent time in a rehab can testify ... he gets that down too.” —St. Louis Post-Dispatch
“Frey comes on like the world’s first recovering-addict hero.... [His] criticism of the twelve-step philosophy is provocative and his story undeniably compelling.” —GQ
“[A] gruesomely absorbing account, told in stripped-down, staccato prose.” —Details
“Frey has devised a rolling, pulsating style that really moves ... undeniably striking.... A fierce and honorable work that refuses to glamorize [the] author’s addiction or his thorny personality.... A book that makes other recovery memoirs look, well, a little pussy-ass.” —Salon
From the Inside Flap
Intense, unpredictable, and instantly engaging, A Million Little Pieces is a story of drug and alcohol abuse and rehabilitation as it has never been told before. Recounted in visceral, kinetic prose, and crafted with a forthrightness that rejects piety, cynicism, and self-pity, it brings us face-to-face with a provocative new understanding of the nature of addiction and the meaning of recovery.
By the time he entered a drug and alcohol treatment facility, James Frey had taken his addictions to near-deadly extremes. He had so thoroughly ravaged his body that the facilityís doctors were shocked he was still alive. The ensuing torments of detoxification and withdrawal, and the never-ending urge to use chemicals, are captured with a vitality and directness that recalls the seminal eye-opening power of William Burroughsís Junky.
But A Million Little Pieces refuses to fit any mold of drug literature. Inside the clinic, James is surrounded by patients as troubled as he is -- including a judge, a mobster, a one-time world-champion boxer, and a fragile former prostitute to whom he is not allowed to speak ó but their friendship and advice strikes James as stronger and truer than the clinicís droning dogma of How to Recover. James refuses to consider himself a victim of anything but his own bad decisions, and insists on accepting sole accountability for the person he has been and the person he may become--which runs directly counter to his counselors' recipes for recovery.
James has to fight to find his own way to confront the consequences of the life he has lived so far, and to determine what future, if any, he holds. It is this fight, told with the charismatic energy and power of One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest, that is at the heart of A Million Little Pieces: the fight between one young manís will and the ever-tempting chemical trip to oblivion, the fight to survive on his own terms, for reasons close to his own heart.
A Million Little Pieces is an uncommonly genuine account of a life destroyed and a life reconstructed. It is also the introduction of a bold and talented literary voice.
From the eBook edition. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From the Back Cover
At the age of twenty-three, James Frey woke up on a plane to find his four front teeth had been knocked out. His nose was broken and there was a hole through his cheek. He had no idea where the plane was headed or what had happened over the preceding two weeks. He had been an alcoholic for ten years and a crack addict for three. When he checked into a treatment facility shortly thereafter, he was told he could either stop using or die before he reached twenty-four.
A Million Little Pieces is Frey's acclaimed account of his six weeks in rehab; fiercely honest and deeply affecting, it is one of the most graphic and immediate books ever to be written about addiction and recovery.
About the Author
James Frey is originally from Cleveland. He is also the author of My Friend Leonard. He is married and lives in New York.
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
I wake to the drone of an airplane engine and the feeling of something warm dripping down my chin. I lift my hand to feel my face. My front four teeth are gone, I have a hole in my cheek, my nose is broken and my eyes are swollen nearly shut. I open them and I look around and I'm in the back of a plane and there's no one near me. I look at my clothes and my clothes are covered with a colorful mixture of spit, snot, urine, vomit and blood. I reach for the call button and I find it and I push it and I wait and thirty seconds later an Attendant arrives. How can I help you? Where am I going? You don't know? No. You're going to Chicago, Sir. How did I get here? A Doctor and two men brought you on. They say anything? They talked to the Captain, Sir. We were told to let you sleep. How long till we land? About twenty minutes. Thank you. Although I never look up, I know she smiles and feels sorry for me. She shouldn't. A short while later we touch down. I look around for anything I might have with me, but there's nothing. No ticket, no bags, no clothes, no wallet. I sit and I wait and I try to figure out what happened. Nothing comes. Once the rest of the Passengers are gone I stand and start to make my way to the door. After about five steps I sit back down. Walking is out of the question. I see my Attendant friend and I raise a hand. Are you okay? No. What's wrong? I can't really walk. If you make it to the door I can get you a chair. How far is the door? Not far. I stand. I wobble. I sit back down. I stare at the floor and take a deep breath. You'll be all right. I look up and she's smiling. Here. She holds out her hand and I take it. I stand and I lean against her and she helps me down the Aisle. We get to the door. I'll be right back. I let go of her hand and I sit down on the steel bridge of the Jetway that connects the Plane to the Gate. I'm not going anywhere. She laughs and I watch her walk away and I close my eyes. My head hurts, my mouth hurts, my eyes hurt, my hands hurt. Things without names hurt. I rub my stomach. I can feel it coming. Fast and strong and burning. No way to stop it, just close your eyes and let it ride. It comes and I recoil from the stench and the pain. There's nothing I can do. Oh my God. I open my eyes. I'm all right. Let me find a Doctor. I'll be fine. Just get me out of here. Can you stand? Yeah, I can stand. I stand and I brush myself off and I wipe my hands on the floor and I sit down in the wheelchair she has brought me. She goes around to the back of the chair and she starts pushing. Is someone here for you? I hope so. You don't know. No. What if no one's there? It's happened before, I'll find my way. We come off the Jetway and into the Gate. Before I have a chance to look around, my Mother and Father are standing in front of me. Oh Jesus. Please, Mom. Oh my God, what happened? I don't want to talk about it, Mom. Jesus Christ, Jimmy. What in Hell happened? She leans over and she tries to hug me. I push her away. Let's just get out of here, Mom. My Dad goes around to the back of the chair. I look for the Attendant but she has disappeared. Bless her. You okay, James? I stare straight ahead. No, Dad, I'm not okay. He starts pushing the chair. Do you have any bags? My Mother continues crying. No. People are staring. Do you need anything? I need to get out of here, Dad. Just get me the fuck out of here. They wheel me to their car. I climb in the backseat and I take off my shirt and I lie down. My Dad starts driving, my Mom keeps crying, I fall asleep. About four hours later I wake up. My head is clear but everything throbs. I sit forward and I look out the window. We've pulled into a Filling Station somewhere in Wisconsin. There is no snow on the ground, but I can feel the cold. My Dad opens the Driver's door and he sits down and he closes the door. I shiver. You're awake. Yeah. How are you feeling? Shitty. Your Mom's inside cleaning up and getting supplies. You need anything? A bottle of water and a couple bottles of wine and a pack of cigarettes. Seriously? Yeah. This is bad, James. I need it. You can't wait. No. This will upset your Mother. I don't care. I need it. He opens the door and he goes into the Filling Station. I lie back down and I stare at the ceiling. I can feel my heart quickening and I hold out my hand and I try to keep it straight. I hope they hurry. Twenty minutes later the bottles are gone. I sit up and I light a smoke and I take a slug of water. Mom turns around. Better? If you want to put it that way. We're going up to the Cabin. I figured. We're going to decide what to do when we get there. All right. What do you think? I don't want to think right now. You're gonna have to soon. Then I'll wait till soon comes. We head north to the Cabin. Along the way I learn that my Parents, who live in Tokyo, have been in the States for the last two weeks on business. At four a.m. they received a call from a friend of mine who was with me at a Hospital and had tracked them down in a hotel in Michigan. He told them that I had fallen face first down a Fire Escape and that he thought they should find me some help. He didn't know what I was on, but he knew there was a lot of it and he knew it was bad. They had driven to Chicago during the night. So what was it? What was what? What were you taking? I'm not sure. How can you not be sure? I don't remember. What do you remember? Bits and pieces. Like what. I don't remember. We drive on and after a few hard silent minutes, we arrive. We get out of the car and we go into the House and I take a shower because I need it. When I get out there are some fresh clothes sitting on my bed. I put them on and I go to my Parents' room. They are up drinking coffee and talking but when I come in they stop. Hi. Mom starts crying again and she looks away. Dad looks at me. Feeling better? No. You should get some sleep. I'm gonna. Good. I look at my Mom. She can't look back. I breathe. I just. I look away. I just, you know. I look away. I can't look at them. I just wanted to say thanks. For picking me up. Dad smiles. He takes my Mother by the hand and they stand and they come over to me and they give me a hug. I don't like it when they touch me so I pull away. Good night. Good night, James. We love you. I turn and I leave their Room and I close their door and I go to the Kitchen. I look through the cabinets and I find an unopened gallon bottle of whiskey. The first sip brings my stomach back up, but after that it's all right. I go to my Room and I drink and I smoke some cigarettes and I think about her. I drink and I smoke and I think about her and at a certain point blackness comes and my memory fails me. Back in the car with a headache and bad breath. We're heading north and west to Minnesota. My Father made some calls and got me into a Clinic and I don't have any other options, so I agree to spend some time there and for now I'm fine with it. It's getting colder. My face has gotten worse and it is hideously swollen. I have trouble speaking, eating, drinking, smoking. I have yet to look in a mirror. We stop in Minneapolis to see my older Brother. He moved there after getting divorced and he knows how to get to the Clinic. He sits with me in the backseat and he holds my hand and it helps because I'm scared. We pull into the Parking Lot and park the car and I finish a bottle and we get out and we start walking toward the Entrance of the Clinic. Me and my Brother and my Mother and my Father. My entire Family. Going to the Clinic. I stop and they stop with me. I stare at the Buildings. Low and long and connected. Functional. Simple. Menacing. I want to run or die or get fucked up. I want to be blind and dumb and have no heart. I want to crawl in a hole and never come out. I want to wipe my existence straight off the map. Straight off the fucking map. I take a deep breath. Let's go. We enter a small Waiting Room. A woman sits behind a desk reading a fashion magazine. She looks up. May I help you? My Father steps forward and speaks with her as my Mother and Brother and I find chairs and sit in them. I'm shaking. My hands and my feet and my lips and my chest. Shaking. For any number of reasons. Mother and Brother move next to me and they take my hands and they hold them and they can feel what is happening to me. We look at the floor and we don't speak. We wait and we hold hands and we breathe and we think. My Father finishes with the woman and he turns around and he stands in front of us. He looks happy and the woman is on the phone. He kneels down. They're gonna check you in now. All right. You're gonna be fine. This is a good place. The best place. That's what I hear. You ready? I guess so. We stand and we move toward a small Room where a man sits behind a desk with a computer. He meets us at the door.I'm sorry, but you have to leave him here. My Father nods. We'll check him in and you can call later to make sure he's all right. My Mother breaks down. He's in the right place. Don't worry. My Brother looks away. He's in the right place. I turn and they hug me. One at a time and hold tight. Squeezing and holding, I show them what I can. I turn and without a word I walk into the Room and the man shuts the door and they're gone. The man shows me a chair and returns to his desk. He smiles. Hi. Hello. How are you? How do I look? Not good. I feel worse. Your name is James. You're twenty-three. You live in North Carolina. Yeah. You're going to stay with us for a while. You okay with that? For now. Do you know anything about this Facility? No. Do you want to know anything? I don't care. He smiles, stares at me for a moment. He speaks. We are the oldest Residential Drug and Alcohol Treatment Facility in the World. We were founded in 1949 in an old house that sat on the land where these Buildings, and there are thirty-two interconnected Buildings here, sit now. We have treated over twenty thousand Patients. We have the highest success rate of any Facility in the World. At any given time, there are between two hundred and two hundred and fifty Patients spread through six Units, three of which house men and three of which house women. We believe that Patients should stay here for as long a term as they need, not something as specific as a twenty-eight day Program. Although it is expensive to come here, many of our Patients are here on scholarships that we fund and through subsidies that we support. We have an endowment of several hundred million dollars. We not only treat Patients, we are also one the leading Research and Educational Institutions in the field of Addiction Studies. You should consider yourself fortunate to be here and you should be excited to start a new chapter in your life. I stare at the man. I don't speak. He stares back at me, waiting for me to say something. There is an awkward moment. He smiles. You ready to get started? I don't smile. Sure. He gets up and I get up and we walk down a hall. He talks and I don't. The doors are always open here, so if you want to leave, you can. Substance use is not allowed and if you're caught using or possessing, you will be sent Home. You are not allowed to say anything more than hello to any women aside from Doctors, Nurses or Staff Members. If you violate this rule, you will be sent Home. There are other rules, but those are the only ones you need to know right now. We walk through a door into the Medical Wing. There are small Rooms and Doctors and Nurses and a Pharmacy. The cabinets have large steel locks. He shows me to a Room. It has a bed and a desk and a chair and a closet and a window. Everything is white. He stands at the door and I sit on the bed. A Nurse will be here in a few minutes to talk with you. Fine. You feel okay? No, I feel like shit. It'll get better. Yeah. Trust me. Yeah. The man leaves and he shuts the door and I'm alone. My feet bounce, I touch my face, I run my tongue along my gums. I'm cold and getting colder. I hear someone scream. The door opens and a Nurse walks into the Room. She wears white, all white, and she is carrying a clipboard. She sits in the chair by the desk. Hi, James. Hi. I need to ask you some questions. All right. I also need to check your blood pressure and your pulse. All right. What type of substances do you normally use? Alcohol. Every day? Yes. What time do you start drinking?
From AudioFile
A shatteringly good listen, A MILLION LITTLE PIECES is brought to life by Oliver Wyman's searing performance. Imagine a post-millennial Holden Caulfield with severe drug and alcohol dependence bulling his way through a world he hates and fears. This tersely poetic journal relates author Frey's experience of hitting bottom somewhere deep below sea level and finding himself a battered 23-year-old funneled to the country's best rehab facility, desperately hoping he can recover. Raw, graphic, intelligent, visceral, this work should be mandatory classroom fare and nominated for something! A sobering piece, not to be missed. D.J.B. Winner of Audio File Earphones Award © Audio File 2003, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.
A very entertaining read, couldn't put it down. The dental scenes were a little detailed for me. I still loved the book. I have worked with alcoholics and addicts for many, many years, and I worked a number of hospital setting treatment centers and a city detox center. In none of the treatment or detox centers I worked in over twenty years the one the author describes could never have happened. I am not saying it could not of happened because even in my own state some really gross things have happened in mental wards and treatment centers. But for the most even the city detox I worked at was not as gross as what Frey is describing. The treatment center would have been severely disciplined or shut down.
James Frey would not have been admitted into treatment in such terrible medical condition without first being sent to a hospital for care and then admitted only after his personal doctor had cleared him saying he was in fit medical condition to go into treatment. He would not have been given stitches or dental care in alcohol and drug treatment he would have been taken to the hospital for that or out patient dental care. Yes, recovering people can use anesthetic. Anesthetic is not an addictive drug, so no one needs to endure painful dental work or stitches or surgery without masking the pain. Pain medications are used when necessary, such as after major surgery.
There are no men in white coats abusing people in treatment. They do not strap people down or tackle them. Or are there patients destroying rooms full of furniture. The author saying the doctor left the ER without giving the patient treatment, and took him to the airport where they boarded a plane just would not happen. The airline would not let the patient on the plane in that kind of medical condition. He would not have access to emergency medical treatment. They will not even let mothers to be fly in late stages for fear they go into labor. They are super careful as they should be with people's health and medical conditions as for good reason.
Other things the author describe happening just would not happen as most treatment goes on in a hospital setting with profession doctors, nurses and licensed counselors caring for the clients. No way would counselors, nurses or doctors act in the ways described as they would be let go immediately for taking a patient out of treatment and driving them any where much less a crack house. Frey certainly embellishes for the sake of a good story because like I said in the numerous places I worked none of this could of happened. So if you are going into treatment or have a friend or loved one going into treatment don't let this book be a description of what happens there. But it is a good read and I found it an exciting piece of fiction. I don't care it was not true most fiction is not true it is all invented in the writers mind.
Judi Singleton owns and operates Be Jewel U come visit me and buy something special for yourself
Sunday, January 25, 2015
Saturday, January 24, 2015
Best Fantasy Book: Тhе Three-Body Problem
"
If уоu delight іn science fiction thаt delivers thе shock аnd thrill оf sоmеthіng strange, Cixin Liu's"The Three-Body Problem" іs уоur novel thіs year. Іt combines fascinating extrapolations frоm astronomy аnd physics wіth а compelling first-contact story аnd а remarkable gaming / virtual reality tale — аnd sets thе whоlе thing іn contemporary China, аmоng characters profoundly shaped bу thе notorious Cultural Revolution.
Cixin Liu hаs sold mоrе thаn 1 mіllіоn copies оf thіs novel аnd іts twо sequels іn China, а country whоsе leadership hаs nоt аlwауs bееn hospitable tо science fiction. "Еvеrуthіng thаt І write іs а clumsy imitation оf Arthur С. Clarke," thе author told Amy Qin іn а rесеnt Νеw York Times interview.
In contrast tо thе apparent benevolence оf thе Overlords іn Clarke's thе aliens depicted іn "Тhе Three-Body Problem" аrе nоt headed tоwаrd Earth bearing flowers аnd candy.
Police аnd military officers coerce nanomaterials researcher Wang Miao іntо infiltrating Frontiers оf Science, а group оf scholars аnd academics, аnd reporting bасk tо thеm. Elite scientists, іn China аnd еlsеwhеrе, hаvе bееn dying аt аn alarming rate. Gіvеn thе amount оf international military cooperation bеhіnd hіm, Wang understands thаt sоmеthіng big аnd scary іs going оn, but іt takes sоmе time bеfоrе hе understands hоw trulу frightening thе situation is.
His timeline intersects sооn еnоugh wіth thаt оf Ye Wenjie, аn aged astrophysicist. Неr father, thе physicist Ye Zhetai, died аftеr а Galileo-like crisis durіng thе Cultural Revolution. Ніs Red Guard inquisitor confronted him:
"'Answer thе fоllоwіng question wіthоut уоur typical deceit: Веtwееn thе years оf 1962 аnd 1965, dіd уоu nоt decide оn уоur оwn tо add relativity tо thе intro physics course?'
"'Relativity іs раrt оf thе fundamental theories оf physics,' Ye answered. 'How саn а basic survey course nоt teach it?'"
Unlike Galileo, Ye Zhetai dоеs nоt recant, еvеn аftеr hіs wife awkwardly confronts hіm іn public. Не pays thе price іn а horrific scene thаt, ехсерt fоr іts science focus, mіght hаvе соmе оut оf а book bу Ha Jin оr Yu Hua.
His political crime taints hіs scientist daughter's future, tоо. Ноwеvеr, оnе day, shе іs plucked оut оf thе Inner Mongolian Production аnd Construction Corps аnd delivered tо Red Coast Base, whеrе shе bесоmеs аn іmроrtаnt раrt оf а radio astronomy effort. Вut іn China, еvеn blue-sky SETI-like projects must navigate treacherous political realities. Whеn Ye Wenjie proposes aiming а radio beam аt thе sun, а political commissar asks hеr, "Наvе уоu thought аbоut thе political symbolism оf suсh аn experiment?" Chairman Mao wаs оftеn compared tо thе "red sun," translator Ken Liu informs us іn а footnote. Тhе translator offers јust еnоugh оf thеsе footnotes tо guide American readers.
In thе course оf hіs mission, Wang gеts involved іn а virtual-reality game called "Тhе Three-Body Problem." Wearing а VR bodysuit, hе bесоmеs immersed іn аn alien wоrld whеrе short Stable Eras gіvе wау tо Chaotic Eras оf unbearable climate; mоst people оn thіs strange wоrld аrе dehydrated fоr storage whеn а Chaotic Era bесоmеs imminent, thеn rehydrated whеn а Stable Era arrives.
The game connects tо thе three-body problem іn science — thе difficulty іn projecting thе movements оf three bodies іn space аll acting gravitationally uроn оnе аnоthеr. Тhіs game аlsо serves а darker purpose fоr іts creators.
Mercifully, Cixin Liu stirs іntо thіs novel's heady scientific speculations аnd political skulduggery а no-nonsense police detective Shi Qiang, whоsе rough manner belies hіs sharp eyes аnd thinking. (І'vе mentally cast hіm аs а fortysomething Sammo Hung.) China аnd thе rest оf thе wоrld will nееd people lіkе Shi whеn thе aliens arrive lаtеr іn thе trilogy.
Do you need an auto responder? I don't know what I would do without mine. I remind my lists that my blog is up,
I share tutorial about jewelry design and making. I share idea and classes with everyone I know. I also pay nothing
for this auto responder it pays for itself and makes me money. Interested click here.Traffic Wave
If уоu delight іn science fiction thаt delivers thе shock аnd thrill оf sоmеthіng strange, Cixin Liu's"The Three-Body Problem" іs уоur novel thіs year. Іt combines fascinating extrapolations frоm astronomy аnd physics wіth а compelling first-contact story аnd а remarkable gaming / virtual reality tale — аnd sets thе whоlе thing іn contemporary China, аmоng characters profoundly shaped bу thе notorious Cultural Revolution.
Cixin Liu hаs sold mоrе thаn 1 mіllіоn copies оf thіs novel аnd іts twо sequels іn China, а country whоsе leadership hаs nоt аlwауs bееn hospitable tо science fiction. "Еvеrуthіng thаt І write іs а clumsy imitation оf Arthur С. Clarke," thе author told Amy Qin іn а rесеnt Νеw York Times interview.
In contrast tо thе apparent benevolence оf thе Overlords іn Clarke's thе aliens depicted іn "Тhе Three-Body Problem" аrе nоt headed tоwаrd Earth bearing flowers аnd candy.
Police аnd military officers coerce nanomaterials researcher Wang Miao іntо infiltrating Frontiers оf Science, а group оf scholars аnd academics, аnd reporting bасk tо thеm. Elite scientists, іn China аnd еlsеwhеrе, hаvе bееn dying аt аn alarming rate. Gіvеn thе amount оf international military cooperation bеhіnd hіm, Wang understands thаt sоmеthіng big аnd scary іs going оn, but іt takes sоmе time bеfоrе hе understands hоw trulу frightening thе situation is.
His timeline intersects sооn еnоugh wіth thаt оf Ye Wenjie, аn aged astrophysicist. Неr father, thе physicist Ye Zhetai, died аftеr а Galileo-like crisis durіng thе Cultural Revolution. Ніs Red Guard inquisitor confronted him:
"'Answer thе fоllоwіng question wіthоut уоur typical deceit: Веtwееn thе years оf 1962 аnd 1965, dіd уоu nоt decide оn уоur оwn tо add relativity tо thе intro physics course?'
"'Relativity іs раrt оf thе fundamental theories оf physics,' Ye answered. 'How саn а basic survey course nоt teach it?'"
Unlike Galileo, Ye Zhetai dоеs nоt recant, еvеn аftеr hіs wife awkwardly confronts hіm іn public. Не pays thе price іn а horrific scene thаt, ехсерt fоr іts science focus, mіght hаvе соmе оut оf а book bу Ha Jin оr Yu Hua.
His political crime taints hіs scientist daughter's future, tоо. Ноwеvеr, оnе day, shе іs plucked оut оf thе Inner Mongolian Production аnd Construction Corps аnd delivered tо Red Coast Base, whеrе shе bесоmеs аn іmроrtаnt раrt оf а radio astronomy effort. Вut іn China, еvеn blue-sky SETI-like projects must navigate treacherous political realities. Whеn Ye Wenjie proposes aiming а radio beam аt thе sun, а political commissar asks hеr, "Наvе уоu thought аbоut thе political symbolism оf suсh аn experiment?" Chairman Mao wаs оftеn compared tо thе "red sun," translator Ken Liu informs us іn а footnote. Тhе translator offers јust еnоugh оf thеsе footnotes tо guide American readers.
In thе course оf hіs mission, Wang gеts involved іn а virtual-reality game called "Тhе Three-Body Problem." Wearing а VR bodysuit, hе bесоmеs immersed іn аn alien wоrld whеrе short Stable Eras gіvе wау tо Chaotic Eras оf unbearable climate; mоst people оn thіs strange wоrld аrе dehydrated fоr storage whеn а Chaotic Era bесоmеs imminent, thеn rehydrated whеn а Stable Era arrives.
The game connects tо thе three-body problem іn science — thе difficulty іn projecting thе movements оf three bodies іn space аll acting gravitationally uроn оnе аnоthеr. Тhіs game аlsо serves а darker purpose fоr іts creators.
Mercifully, Cixin Liu stirs іntо thіs novel's heady scientific speculations аnd political skulduggery а no-nonsense police detective Shi Qiang, whоsе rough manner belies hіs sharp eyes аnd thinking. (І'vе mentally cast hіm аs а fortysomething Sammo Hung.) China аnd thе rest оf thе wоrld will nееd people lіkе Shi whеn thе aliens arrive lаtеr іn thе trilogy.
Do you need an auto responder? I don't know what I would do without mine. I remind my lists that my blog is up,
I share tutorial about jewelry design and making. I share idea and classes with everyone I know. I also pay nothing
for this auto responder it pays for itself and makes me money. Interested click here.Traffic Wave Get a free report on how to make money with your own auto responder.
Judi Singleton owns bejewelu.com where you can dress the whole family for less. Valentines Day is coming right up be here before you know it come shop at my Store and get a gift for the whole family and a special friend or two.
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Friday, January 23, 2015
Wednesday, January 21, 2015
Monday, January 19, 2015
Book ReviewPromises of Change by Joan Medicott
n Covington, life seems settled into blissful domesticity. Happily married now, Hannah and Max together nurture the parkland they saved from developers. But their peaceful life is shattered when Max's estranged son, Zachary, returns from India with his pregnant wife, Sarina. Soon there will be a new baby in Covington, and Hannah and Sarina bond while shopping in preparation for the blessed event. But Hannah worries about the rift that still exists between Zachary and his father. Can it possibly be repaired? Despite her instant affection for Sarina -- and for baby Sarah when she arrives -- Hannah worries that Zachary's return may cause more heartache than joy. Has their quiet peace fled forever?
Interwoven with the continued stories of Grace, Amelia, and others who have joined their circle, this beautiful and touching tale is a moving addition to the Covington series, sure to be cherished by readers new and old.
1
The Homecoming
Amelia Declose settled into her rocking chair on the front porch of the farmhouse she shared with Hannah Parrish and Grace Singleton. Gathering her shawl about her, she knotted the ends across her chest. It was early morning. A glorious sunrise wove its magic across the mountains, slashing the sky with flaming orange. The celery green of new leaves on shrubs and trees and the chirp of a baby bird in a nest artfully camouflaged in a shrub near the porch filled her heart with pure joy. There are days when one feels glad to be alive, and today is one of those days.
Amelia's mind drifted back years ago to when she, Hannah, and Grace had met in a dreary boardinghouse in Pennsylvania where the owner, the dour Olive Pruitt, restricted the use of the kitchen and refused to allow a wonderful cook like Grace to bake a cake or make a pot of soup.
They had taken a risk, trusted one another, pooled their emotional and financial resources, and moved to a run-down farmhouse in rural North Carolina that Amelia had unexpectedly inherited, and in so doing had revitalized their lives. Here, Amelia had discovered a talent for photography. Hannah's skills and love for gardening had resurfaced, and Grace's kindness and wisdom found their outlet in volunteer work with children and in creating a community of friends and family.
Amelia's finger traced the rim of the delicate china teacup. The human spirit takes comfort and solace from quite ordinary things: cows milling about in a pasture, a comfortable chair like this, the tinkle of wind chimes.
A cup of tea with her friends on this porch and Sunday dinners with their ever-increasing surrogate family were now among the happy routines in her life. Even winter, her least favorite season, had become more bearable, with its hot cocoa topped with tiny marshmallows, long hot baths, and snuggling beneath her down comforter. And best of all, Miriam and Sadie were a part of her life -- her unexpected family.
Her attention was drawn to a taxi that entered Cove Road, slowed, turned into Max's driveway across the street, and pulled up to his farmhouse. The short, heavy woman and bearded man who disembarked and plodded up onto the front porch reminded Amelia of Russian immigrants in a movie she had seen recently on late-night television. Several large suitcases were deposited on Max's front porch, then the taxi rolled away.
The man helped the woman to a porch chair, then walked briskly to the front door. Something about him seemed vaguely familiar. She watched as the man carried the luggage into Max and Hannah's house, then assisted the woman from the chair, and Amelia realized that the woman was very pregnant, not fat. The front door closed behind them and light flooded the downstairs windows.
Max's son and his wife?
Could it be Max's son and his wife? No, they live in India. Hannah would have said something, would have been there to greet them. After all, she is Max's wife, even if she lives with Grace and me most of the time.
Shadows moved across Max's downstairs windows. Who were they? It was Saturday, Hannah and Max's private day. Max would never invite anyone to visit on Saturday.
Hannah usually stayed at Max's on Friday nights, but she had been here last night. Grace's companion, Bob, and Max had come for dinner, and they had all played Trivial Pursuit and talked about getting a dog. Grace had wandered into a shop in Asheville and seen a puppy she'd fallen in love with and been sorely tempted to bring home.
"Why would you want the mess of raising a puppy? Get an older, house-trained dog from a shelter," Hannah had said.
"Oh, don't do that. Get a dog from the Compassionate Animal Network. Their members raise the dogs from puppies," Bob said. "I think you'd find they're well socialized, too. When you get a dog from a shelter you have no idea what you're bringing home."
There had been much talk, but nothing had been decided.
Now Amelia's mind returned to Max's guests. Max and Hannah's Saturdays were sacrosanct. Either they drove into Asheville for brunch and to the farmers' market for fresh fruit and vegetables for both their households, or they sequestered themselves at Max's house.
"What do you do all day?" Grace had once asked Hannah.
"We turn off the phones and just hang out." Hannah had given Grace a shy smile. "We eat leftovers and ice cream, read, watch old movies, things like that. Once, we sat all day and sorted through old photos that we'd been meaning to put into an album. One thing we do not do is discuss our work at Bella's Park."
Across the road, the lights in Max's downstairs rooms switched off. Amelia went inside, placed her teacup in the kitchen sink, then climbed the stairs and knocked on Hannah's bedroom door. "You awake, Hannah?"
"Come in, Amelia."
Hannah sat on the edge of her bed, one foot shoved into her bedroom slipper, the other foot twisted, wiggling under the bed in search of the other slipper. Amelia bent and retrieved it for her.
"Ever notice how shoes, especially slippers, are never where you put them when you go to bed? I think they walk about while we sleep," Hannah said. "It's odd."
"What's odd is that there's a strange man and a very pregnant woman at Max's. I was on the porch when a cab deposited them at his front steps. The man opened the front door and walked right in."
Hannah hastened to the window, which overlooked Cove Road. "I don't see anything or anyone, and there's no light in Max's bedroom." She reached for the buttons on her pajama top. "I'll go right over."
"I'll go with you," Amelia said. "Meet you downstairs."
At the front door, Amelia handed Hannah a mug of black coffee without sugar, and they started across Cove Road. Hannah unlocked the front door, then flipped on the foyer light. There sat three large suitcases.
Max's heavy footsteps sounded on the stairs, and seeing Hannah, he smiled. "I was just about to phone you. Guess who's here?"
Hannah shook her head. "Who?"
"My son, Zachary, and his wife, Sarina, have come home from India, and she's about to have a baby."
Hannah was uncertain that she had heard him correctly, but there he stood, beaming and happy. "Zachary, here? But...I thought...?"
"Yes, I know. He said he hated Covington and would never come back, but life is unpredictable." Taking Hannah's arm, Max urged her toward the kitchen, Amelia following. There Max sank into a chair and ran his fingers through his hair. "Sometimes things don't work out as planned. They've been through hell, from what they've been telling me."
"What kind of hell? What's happened to them?" Hannah slid into the chair across from Max. Amelia leaned against the wall and waited for his reply.
"You know her people are Hindus. Well, it seems there was an issue about a mosque being built on what was considered a Hindu holy site, and this triggered hostilities on both sides. The mayor, a Hindu, was ambushed and killed by God knows who, which led to the looting and burning of a prominent Muslim businessman's home. After that, it degenerated into a free-for-all.
"Sarina's brother-in-law, the accountant, was shot and wounded in the leg on the way to his office. They think it was a random shooting, but it's crazy over there, Zachary says, and everyone suddenly has a gun. Sarina's entire family and all their servants have fled to their home in the south. Just as well, it seems, for after they left, one of their stores was torched. Sarina's baby is due next month, and they felt they'd be safer here until the turmoil gets straightened out -- if it ever does."
"How frightening to live in a world like that," Amelia said."People shooting other people, burning property."
"After the Twin Towers going down, I wonder if we're much safer, or if safety is just an illusion." Hannah shook her head.
"I think of India as a peaceful country, and Hindus as tolerant of all religions," Amelia said.
"This Muslim/Hindu hatred has taken root in many parts of India," Max said. "No one knows where it will lead. Zachary did the right thing. Sarina will have the baby here." Satisfaction showed in his eyes.
Hannah knew Zachary had been hardheaded in expressing his dislike of Covington. He had been cruel and had rejected his father and his father's business, and had hurt Max deeply. Max had buried the hurt, and despaired of ever seeing any grandchildren. Had Max told Zachary that she and Max were married? If he had, what had been his son's reaction? Hannah did not trust or like Zachary, and she was certain that if his reaction had been positive, it was not sincere.
An uneasy feeling settled over her. Their pleasant lives were about to be cast into confusion.
Hannah looked at Max. "Have you told Zachary that we're married?"
Max shook his head. "There's been no time. Sarina was exhausted, traveling this late in her pregnancy. She collapsed when we got her upstairs. The fright and the stress of it all, leaving her family and home, the trip -- it was too much for her. We got her into bed, and Zachary took her up some chicken soup. If she relaxes and falls asleep, he'll be down, I imagine."
Max reached across the table and lay his large hands over Hannah's. "You're trembling. Now, don't you worry, sweetheart. We'll tell him about us as soon as he comes down. How can their being here affect us? We'll go on with our lives just as we have been."
"Do you really think so?" Hannah asked.
"I'm sure of it. They'll stay until the baby comes, then in a few months they'll move on to a city."
"Don't be too sure of that. Things change." The knot in Hannah's stomach began to hurt. Copyright © 2009 by Joan Medlicott --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
I have read almost all of this series. I love the books and the characters are just wonderful. Every time I get a new Covington book I read it right through and never want to put it down. This one focuses on Hannah and her stories more than the others, although all our favorite characters are there to some extent. This one is just a gentle, wonderful story of the lives of some very interesting people, with very believable situations and reactions. These three ladies are just so interesting to me. I live in a retirement apartment and some of the ladies that live here would fit right into these stories. Keep them coming I love them.
Do you need an auto responder? I don't know what I would do without mine. I remind my lists that my blog is up,
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Judi Singleton owns bejewelu.com where you can dress the whole family for less.
Sunday, January 18, 2015
Shadows in the Shining City (Anthems of al-Andalus Series) by John D. Cressler
The Golden Age of Moorish Spain was during the 10th century, a time when the benevolent Arab Caliphs ruled Iberia from Córdoba, the site of the iconic Great Mosque and home to the Royal Library, one of the largest collections of ancient books ever assembled. 10th century Córdoba was the richest, most populous, and most cultured city in the western world. Under the tolerant Muslim Caliphs, the pinnacle of convivencia was attained, that unique period of Spanish history when Muslims, Jews and Christians lived together in relative harmony and peace. Multicultural Córdoba was an enlightened city that treasured its books, celebrated art and literature, advanced science and medicine, and its myriad accomplishments were envied by both the west and the east alike.
Editorial Reviews
Review
"An inspiring and deeply moving novel on both the nature of love and the many beautiful possibilities brought to life when religions learn to coexist."
--Shirin Ebadi, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate
"A mesmerizing love story ... filled with vivid historical descriptions of treachery and strategies in politics, religion, power, and love during the Golden Age of Moorish Spain."
--Valerie Jackson, In Conversation (Between the Lines), National Public Radio
"This is the second novel in Cressler's Anthems of al-Andalus Series, where the legacy of the Arab/Islamic civilization in medieval Spain, with its refinements, its enduring tolerance, and its esthetic dynamism is celebrated. A novel about love, political strife, and cultural conflicts, it is written in a rich and shimmering style carrying an implicit message on the value of recognizing the achievements of the "other," and asserting the fact that there is no fixed center for human creativity and progress."
--Salma Khadra Jayyusi, poet, writer, and literary historian.
"Cressler brilliantly weaves together fact and fiction, passion and intrigue, the throws of love, and the violence of war. With great attention to detail, he artfully unfolds the drama of a young and forbidden love, exquisitely keeping us rapt in the story, wondering in each moment, what will happen next?"
--Rabbi Rachael M. Bregman, Temple Beth Tefilloh
"Another tour de force! Cressler submerges us in a luxurious narrative evoking the loves, lives, intrigue, and history of 10th century Córdoba, a time of religious and political amity among Muslims, Jews, and Christians. We rejoice in the many triumphs of al-Andalus, yet despair at lessons not yet learned about how human beings may live and love together. Shadows in the Shining City is a lovely, moving, and inspiring story of how it might have been. We believe!"
--Professor Susan Abraham, Loyola Marymount University
Shadows in the Shining City is a prequel to Emeralds of the Alhambra, and the second book in the Anthems of al-Andalus Series. Shadows tells the story of the forbidden love between Rayhana Abi Amir, a Muslim princess of the Royal Court, and Zafir Saffar, a freed slave. Young love blossoms in 10th century Madinat al-Zahra, the Shining City, the Caliph’s magnificent Royal Palace located just outside of Córdoba. Their love story is set against the backdrop of the epic rise to power of Rayhana’s ruthless father, a man history will come to both celebrate and revile for the role he plays in the collapse of Moorish Spain.
I really enjoyed this book. Crestless second novel is even better than "Emeralds of the Alhambra." The author tells a compelling story that keeps you hooked on the book until you can't put it down. I especially liked the full bodied characters. The central character Ibn Ami Amir is a remarkable literary creation (based on historical fact), As with his other book, this is a great learning experience about the time and place the author is a good teacher and I learned a lot by just reading the two books I have by him.The author is so good at writing detailI highly recommend Shadows in the Shining City. Believe me, you will not be disappointed that you can easily picture it in your mind's eye, even if you have never visited Spain. And the stories are wonderful. The parallels to our own troubled times are unmistakable. Put this novel on your ""can't miss or put down" list!
Do you need an auto responder? I don't know what I would do without mine. I remind my lists that my blog is up,
I share tutorial about jewelry design and making. I share idea and classes with everyone I know. I also pay nothing
for this auto responder it pays for itself and makes me money. Interested click here.Traffic Wave"> Get a free report on how to make money with your own auto responder.
Judi Singleton owns bejewelu.com where you can dress the whole family for less.
Saturday, January 17, 2015
Book Review The Scavenger's Daughters (Tales of the Scavenger's Daughters Book 1) [Kindle Edition] Kay Bratt (Author)
Having survived torture and imprisonment during China’s Cultural Revolution, Benfu escaped to find love with his compassionate and beautiful Calla Lily. Together they build a fulfilling life around the most menial of jobs—Benfu’s work collecting trash. As he sorts through the discards of others, he regularly discovers abandoned children. With unwavering determination, he and Calli spend decades creating a family of hand-picked daughters that help heal the sorrow and brighten their modest home. But all is not perfect and when crisis threatens to separate their family, Benfu—or possibly his band of headstrong daughters—must find a way to overcome the biggest hardship yet.
Inspired by a true story, and set against the backdrop of a country in transition, The Scavenger’s Daughters is a sweeping present day saga of triumph in the face of hardship, and the unbreakable bonds of family against all odds.
Review
“The Scavenger’s Daughters is the kind of novel I’d love to write, but never could. Simply told but beautifully rendered, the reader is swiftly transported into the hearts and lives of a Chinese family after the Cultural Revolution. Powerful and poignant, this story captures the heart of humanity. This is the kind of book that will get shared by friends and chosen by book clubs. A phenomenal story of life and love.” —Karen McQuestion, bestselling author of The Long Way Home
About the Author
Kay Bratt is a child advocate and author of the books Train to Nowhere, Chasing China, The Bridge, A Thread Unbroken, and the acclaimed memoir of the years she spent working in Chinese orphanages, Silent Tears: A Journey of Hope in a Chinese Orphanage. She has actively volunteered for several nonprofit organizations, including An Orphan’s Wish (AOW) and the Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) for abused and neglected children. In China, she was honored with the Pride of the City award for humanitarian work. After living in China for several years, Bratt now resides in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in South Carolina, with her husband, daughter, dog, and cat.It's hard to describe what this book is about because it is so deep. It really struck a chord with me about how someone can take a horrific past and create an amazing future.
I loved the characters they were really complex people. It starts with a boys suffering in the past and cuts back to the present. You can tell that the author spent time in China as her book practically drips with details only one who had been there could know. I know it made me reevaluate what is important in this world one can get along with very little if they are surrounded by loved ones.
Do you need an auto responder? I don't know what I would do without mine. I remind my lists that my blog is up,
I share tutorial about jewelry design and making. I share idea and classes with everyone I know. I also pay nothing
for this auto responder it pays for itself and makes me money. Interested click here.Traffic Wave"> Get a free report on how to make money with your own auto responder.
Judi Singleton owns bejewelu.com where you can dress the whole family for less.
Gunning For Angels by C. Mack Lewis (Goodreads Author)
Jack Fox, not handsome enough for Hollywood but too damned handsome for his own good, lands a plum job when the mysterious, gorgeous and stratospherically wealthy Eve Hargrove shows up at his office and drops a stack of cash in his lap. All he has to do is drop her troubled sister’s case – a down on her luck stripper with legs from here to the next zip code. It would all be so easy – if he didn’t have an inconvenient hard-on for the truth – and Eve.
When a golden haired beauty is found brutally slain, the last thing that sixteen-year old Enid Iglowski expected was to become the prime suspect. Running away from her troubled home in Florida and newly arrived in Phoenix in search of her real father, a private detective named Jack Fox, Enid finds herself caught in a web of murder, violence and underage sex trafficking.
Biographie de l'auteur
I was born in South Jersey, the land of Silk City diners, nuclear plants, corn fields and the Jersey Devil. My youth was spent reading voraciously, everything from the Trixie Belden series to my Aunt Mary Ellen's steamy bodice ripping novels to anything in the stack of books my dad brought home from the library every Saturday, which got me hooked on the novels of Robert Ludlum and Donald Westlake. After earning a degree in Marketing at Auburn University, I spent the next five years in the business world, which is a polite way of saying that I had eleven jobs in a five year period, including door to door sales, skip tracing people who didn't want to be found, repossessing cars and collecting on defaulted student loans. During this five-year period, I did an in-depth study of abnormal psychology and sociopathic behavior - and then I divorced him. I didn't have enough money for therapy, so I decided to go to medical school where I earned a degree as a doctor or podiatric medicine. My surgical residency in Buffalo, New York introduced me to a new world of human behavior, including junkies, addicts, criminals, punks, S&M beauty queens and angry housewives with ice picks. Upon graduation, I moved to Scottsdale, Arizona. I've been in practice since 2000 and I've made Phoenix magazine's 'Top Doc' list in 2010 and 2014. I am passionate about podiatry and helping people who suffer with foot pain. I write the blog 'Podiatry Shoe Review', which is dedicated to helping people find good-looking shoes that are good for your feet and are pathology specific. My screenplay OH BROTHER won the Phoenix Film Festival screenwriting competition in 2005 and was optioned by Gold Circle Films in 2008. GUNNING FOR ANGELS is my fiction debut and it is the first of a trilogy. Why do I write? I know it sounds corny, but my greatest hope is that I can make your life more pleasurable, if even for several hours, with a good story. I love a good story.
When a corpse is found in the desert, a cold case gets red hot for Detective Bud Orlean, who will sacrifice everything, including his marriage, to prove that Eve Overcharge is a sociopaths killer. When the bodies start piling up and Enid Iglowski is at the center of every mess, Bud finds himself forced to work with the one man he despises, Jack Fox, to get to the truth.
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I liked this as a debut novel from C.Mack. All the elements are there. Suspense, thrills The book is a little too predictable for me regular cheesy novel involving Strippers, sex, a runaway girl, private investigator and an old cop.. This is the book for one of those days you know the kind it is either too cold to want to go out or pouring down rain and all you want is to stay in your PJ's and read a good book. a The story was interesting, the characters were believable, and the dialog was entertaining. I'm waiting for the next one.
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Friday, January 16, 2015
Thursday, January 15, 2015
Train to Nowhere [Kindle Edition] Kay Bratt
Train to Nowhere is a novella length story of 17,000 words, approximately 52 pages*
In 1967, while millions in China are unfairly persecuted because of their livelihood or heritage, others join the Cultural Revolution to pledge allegiance to a leader who is considered a legend to some and a tyrant to others. Mao's revolution is sweeping across the country, leaving many competing to show their loyalty with actions that will leave scars for decades. Even more traumatic than the destruction of art, books, and historic architecture, families are torn apart as they struggle to find a way to survive the upheaval.
Ling, a sheltered and devoted daughter, is forced to join the feared Red Guards, a strategy concocted by her mother to ensure her protection. But for this scheme to work, Ling must hold her secrets close and trust no one. Her journey has only just begun when she is faced with a moment of truth that will impact the future she has unwillingly chosen on the Train to Nowhere.
Editorial Reviews
Review
Doing what you believe to be right is not necessarily the easiest choice to make. Kay Bratt is a wonderfully, gifted storyteller with a talent for capturing the heart of humanity. This was a truly a thought-provoking and enjoyable read. ~The Book Barista
From the Author
If you enjoyed reading Train to Nowhere, you will love the new series titled "The Tales of the Scavenger's Daughters". Inspired by a true story and made up of full length novels, the stories maintain the same flow and feeling as readers have enjoyed in the novella, The Bridge. Books one and two of Tales of the Scavenger's Daughters is available now on Amazon.
From the Inside Flap
Shanghai, 1967. The platform in front of the station was packed with people, and a mood of celebration that bordered on frenzy filled the smoggy air. Conductors and security guards struggled to herd the young men and women away from the track as a large black steam locomotive came barreling in, pulling a long line of green train cars. The chug-a-chug-a sound of the locomotive almost drowned out Ling's mother as she continued her speech. At sixteen, she was already taller than her petite mother, and the way Mama spoke to her, as if she were a child, was embarrassing.
"Ling, you will get on that train and if it is found out who you are, you will renounce your father and me. It is your only way out. Your papers are in your bag." Her mother pushed the bundle into Ling's arms and stepped back, forcing her to hold it or let it drop. She'd refused to tuck it into her bag on the way but now she had no choice but to take it.
She looked down at the brown wrapped parcel. She knew what it held without asking--the clothing her mother had secured for her to make her look the part of her new identity. Once she stepped into the baggy olive green pants and jacket and slipped the red band on her arm, she would no longer be Ling, talented dancer and daughter of respected professors at the Shanghai High School; instead, she'd officially be a Red Guard with a new last name. Her connection to her parents would be broken, and from that moment on, her reluctant promise to obey, follow, and protect Mao would have to be fulfilled. She looked around to see if anyone was watching them. In the complete chaos of the station and the hype of the mission to see Mao speak at Tiananmen Square, they were so far safe from onlookers and suspicions.
"But Mama, I may never see you and Baba again. This is ridiculous. You've never done anything wrong. You're teachers, not counter-revolutionaries!" She didn't say the other thoughts she was thinking, that her father would be ashamed that his own daughter had joined what he thought of as an out-of-control band of rebels.
Her mother took another step back. "Ling, I know you don't understand, but this is the way it has to be. Your father and I have to report to the officials tomorrow to learn our fate. We may have to go to a re-education camp in the country. If that happens, I want you to be safe. Even your father would not want to subject you to what we've heard about the abuse that goes on at the camps. I will explain to him that this was the only way to protect you."
From the Back Cover
Train to Nowhere cover art by Brandi Doane at ebook-coverdesigns.com/
About the Author
Kay Bratt is a child advocate and author of several other novels, including the bestselling series titled 'The Scavenger's Daughters'. She has actively volunteered for several nonprofit organizations, including An Orphan's Wish (AOW) and the Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) for abused and neglected children. In China, she was honored with the Pride of the City award for humanitarian work. After living in China for several years, Bratt now resides on the banks of Lake Hartwell in South Carolina, with her husband, daughter, dog, and cat.
I cried while reading just the first chapters. I love it when a story can bring your emotions to the characters. Train to Nowhere is a short look into what happens when the wrong people are allowed to much power. This is a powerful story about China cultural revolution. Though the author is not the best story teller I ever came across her characters are strong and detailed drawing real emotion from her readers. A young girl's mother feels there is no option left but to send her daughter, Ling, to be part of the communist youth army of Red Guards. I would of liked to see it be a little longer it lacked the length it would take to really tell a story of this time and develop the characters. But for a novelette. it did a good job.
The Secret Wisdom of the Earth Hardcover – January 6, 2015 by Christopher Scotton (Author)
After witnessing the death of his younger brother in a terrible home accident, 14-year-old Kevin and his grieving mother are sent for the summer to live with Kevin's grandfather. In this peeled-paint coal town deep in Appalachia, Kevin quickly falls in with a half-wild hollow kid named Buzzy Fink who schools him in the mysteries and magnificence of the woods. The events of this fateful summer will affect the entire town of Medgar, Kentucky.
Medgar is beset by a massive Mountaintop Removal operation that is blowing up the hills and back filling the hollows. Kevin's grandfather and others in town attempt to rally the citizens against the 'company' and its powerful owner to stop the plunder of their mountain heritage. When Buzzy witnesses the brutal murder of the opposition leader, a sequence is set in play which tests Buzzy and Kevin to their absolute limits in an epic struggle for survival in the Kentucky mountains.
Redemptive and emotionally resonant, The Secret Wisdom of the Earth is narrated by an adult Kevin looking back on the summer when he sloughed the coverings of a boy and took his first faltering steps as a man among a rich cast of characters and an ambitious effort to reclaim a once great community.More About the Author
› Visit Amazon's Christopher Scotton Page
Christopher Scotton
Biography
Christopher Scotton has been a carpenter, bouncer, kite flyer, amusement park ride operator, venture capitalist and CEO of several technology companies. After a successful career in technology, he moved to London to run the European operations of a technology publishing and tradeshow company.
While in London, he began work on his first novel, rising at 5:00 a.m. each morning and writing in the quiet hours before work, then revising and editing in the evenings after putting his young sons to bed. In 2001, he and his partners sold the company and he returned to the United States, putting his writing ambitions on hold to start a company in the nascent search engine marketplace.
In 2007, he joined a venture capital firm where he invested in and nurtured numerous early-stage technology companies. He also took up his unfinished first novel and began writing again, in the mornings before work, on trains, in airports--anywhere he could steal a few minutes of mental quiet. In 2011 he finished the novel and joined one of the venture capital firm's portfolio companies as President and CEO, a position he holds today.
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com Review
The Amazon Debut Spotlight of the Month, January 2015: This earnest debut is part coming of age story, part tale of redemption and part Greek myth played out in the holler. After the horrific death of his younger brother in an accident on the lawn, 14 year old Kevin Gillooly and his distraught mother seek healing in the rural Kentucky home of his grandfather. There, Kevin – who is suffering from survivor guilt at the very least – meets up with a local boy, Buzzy Fink; the two embark on the kind of Huck Finnish boyhood adventures – fishing, hunting, hanging out in the tree house – meant to be wholesome and soul-cleansing. But this rural Kentucky town is rife with bigotry and rage, and soon Kevin and Buzzy are drawn into local politics that involve a mountaintop clearing project and the death of a local gay man who had opposed it. There are unabashed good guys, like Kevin (who has a bit of a pyromaniacal tendency, which could have been more thoroughly developed) and his “Pops,” a gruff old man who charms with remarks like “I’ll take another bullet before I eat any more of this hospital slop.” There are some very very bad guys, like the townsperson who murders his neighbor because of his own not unexpected issues. And then there are the guys – like Buzzy and Kevin – who find their characters forged and burnished by one particular hike this particular summer, the summer “when we left the coverings of boy behind,” as Kevin puts it. Readers might recognize something in the tone and style and plot; take one virtuous man, one redneck town and two scrappy, interesting kids. Add in the narration by a boy now all grown up. And you’re just begging for comparisons to Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird. And yet, Scotton’s very earnestness, the obvious love he has for this particular bit of land, and the perfect ear for its youngsters’ dialogue (“She smiled at me and I almost lost breakfast”) make this novel his own. At once familiar and modern, it is always poetic and compelling. --Sara Nelson
Review
''One of the characters in Christopher Scotton's The Secret Wisdom of the Earth is described as having a voice that was gifted from God, but Scotton's own voice could easily be described as such. In language that will stun and amaze with its remarkable beauty, he tells of the joys and griefs of the people of a rural Kentucky county and the devastation of its landscape by strip mining. A novel epic in story and wisdom and all told through the deeply moving voice of the main character, Kevin, who has a heart as vast as the Blue Ridge Mountains he so loves.'' --Natalie S. Harnett, author of The Hollow Ground --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.
About the Author
Christopher Scotton is an experienced public speaker, seminar leader, online marketer and technology entrepreneur. After a stint as a venture capitalist, he joined his third start-up, a computer-aided design (CAD) software company, where he is currently President and CEO. Scotton is a recognized expert and frequent speaker on search engine marketing, search engine optimization, social media marketing and online lead generation.
I kicked off my reading for 2015 with this book. It was one of those timeless classics or will become a timeless classic I am sure. This book is narrated by the adult Kevin looking back at one summer that move him from innocent childhood toward manhood. As far as I am concerned it dragged in places more than I would like but I did enjoy the journey this book took me on and will read another if the author is so inclined to write another one. I loved the characters they were well developed and I will remember them.
Do you need an auto responder? I don't know what I would do without mine. I remind my lists that my blog is up,
I share tutorial about jewelry design and making. I share idea and classes with everyone I know. I also pay nothing
for this auto responder it pays for itself and makes me money. Interested click here.Traffic Wave"> Get a free report on how to make money with your own auto responder.
Judi Singleton owns bejewelu.com where you can dress the whole family for less.
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