What the Dead Know: A Novel

What the Dead Know: A Novel
Average customer rating:

Fatal oversight?

in the loop

A moving literary mystery

Another Great Psychological Drama from Lippman

An Excellent Suspenseful Read!

What the Dead Know: A Novel
Laura Lippman
Manufacturer: William Morrow
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Mystery | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
Police Procedurals | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
General | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
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The Watchman: A Joe Pike Novel (Joe Pike Novels)

ASIN: 0061128856
Release Date: 2007-03-13

Book Description

Thirty years ago two sisters disappeared from a shopping mall. Their bodies were never found and those familiar with the case have always been tortured by these questions: How do you kidnap two girls? Who—or what—could have lured the two sisters away from a busy mall on a Saturday afternoon without leaving behind a single clue or witness?

Now a clearly disoriented woman involved in a rush-hour hit-and-run claims to be the younger of the long-gone Bethany sisters. But her involuntary admission and subsequent attempt to stonewall investigators only deepens the mystery. Where has she been? Why has she waited so long to come forward? Could her abductor truly be a beloved Baltimore cop? There isn't a shred of evidence to support her story, and every lead she gives the police seems to be another dead end—a dying, incoherent man, a razed house, a missing grave, and a family that disintegrated long ago, torn apart not only by the crime but by the fissures the tragedy revealed in what appeared to be the perfect household.

In a story that moves back and forth across the decades, there is only one person who dares to be skeptical of a woman who wants to claim the identity of one Bethany sister without revealing the fate of the other. Will he be able to discover the truth?

Customer Reviews:

Fatal oversight?.......2007-09-24

I've read all of Lippman's books and enjoyed most of them. Her Tess Monaghan series always entertains. "What the Dead Know," however, isn't her strongest novel.

The story suffers from a non-linear narrative. Not only does it jump around in time, but since there are two missing girls and two grieving parents, there are essentially multiple protagonists. Too much mental whiplash forced me to skip to the end for the resolution about halfway through, then continue reading. Yes, it's cheating, but it did help. I understand how Lippman, knowing the whole story when she began to write it, wouldn't be able to see the degree of confusion her structure would cause. This becomes clear because re-reading the book is a whole different experience than the first read-through. One can appreciate the craftsmanship without being distracted by the disjointed timeline.

However, for me there's an even bigger problem. Without revealing too much of the plot, I'll just ask: In 1975, didn't police reports of missing children include in their descriptions identifying physical characteristics, such as moles, birthmarks, and obvious scars? Today I'm sure a parent would be asked for such details, to help identify a child (dead or alive). If police reports included this information in 1975, the case should have been solved sooner. Those of you who have read the book will know what I'm talking about. Do you agree?

I enjoy Lippman's work and I'll continue to read anything she gives us. However, this particular volume probably won't make my top-five list of her work. Not to worry, there are plenty of others. Check them out.

in the loop.......2007-09-24

This was the first of Lippman's novels I've read. And I was so flummoxed by the going round and around construct...and when the police said they'd let someone in the loop...I desperately wanted to get out of the loop....I felt like a hampster in a wheel...around and around....going nowhere....I simply didn't enjoy it; the way it was constructed it didn't pack a punch!
The mystery wasn't interesting to me; nor were the characters, with the possible exception of Miriam...who wasn't memorable but at least passable..
It occurs to me..post women's lib...now that women have to make a living...they're pumping out unspiring drivel like their male counterparts....Equal opportunity rum amok I suppose..

A moving literary mystery.......2007-09-23

I've never read any of Laura Lippman's books, so I didn't know her if her style was the usual crime and thriller fast-paced writing or the literary sort, sentences pregnant with suggestion and nuance. I'm happy to say that it's very literary: wonderful and evocative prose, carefully structured and flowing like a dream. The case involves the disappearance of two girls, two sisters taken during an outing at the mall. Years later, one of them reappears and throws the case wide open again. But she doesn't quite seem to be who she says she is (is anyone ever?). Lippman builds up characters like a sculptor, taking great pains to evince personality traits, histories, and deep, simmering emotions. Each character, not just the sisters, was interesting to me and there seemed a wealth of stories that could be told about each of them.

While reading, there were moments when I felt I was aloft and enjoying an excellent view of the community, gently and generously invited by the author to remain there watching, occasionally descending and moving close to the characters until the tempests of fear or rage within them became palpable. Despite what "knowingness" I thought I felt, my position was never higher than the level of the author herself, who knew everything, yet her voice was never smug. I was happy to observe and learn and guess.

And I managed to guess the identity of the mystery person because of a few small details. I'm glad I was right because I never get anything right when I guess the end of crime or mystery novels. Still, the circumstances behind the mystery were impossible to guess. But when all was revealed, it made perfect sense. Heartbreaking sense. I've never been so affected by the end of a book, especially a crime one.

Parts of the book reminded me of Alice Sebold's "The Lovely Bones," which focuses heavily on the family breaking down after the disappearance of a young woman. In "What the dead know," two girls are taken (who takes two? many characters ask), and the parents are changed forever. Change is both internal and external. Time alters the town as well, and these altered landscapes reminded me how malleable our own appearances are, whether by our own hand or those of time and circumstance.

Another Great Psychological Drama from Lippman.......2007-09-22

I read a lot of crime fiction, and I think Laura Lippman is really one of the best writers in the field. WHAT THE DEAD KNOW is a nice example of her talents.

The plot of WHAT THE DEAD KNOW is relatively straightforward. In 1975, two young sisters mysteriously disappeared during a trip to the local mall in Baltimore. Now, over thirty years later, a woman appears claiming to be one of the missing girls. The mystery of the novel is whether this woman is telling the truth.

WHAT THE DEAD KNOW is more of a psychological drama than a fast-paced thriller. There are a fair number of characters in this novel, and Lippman takes a lot of time exploring the psyche of each individual person. This is the type of novel with a lot of interior monologues, where the reader follows the character's thoughts and observations about life. As a result, most of the characters in this novel possess a great deal of depth and complexity.

The major flaw of WHAT THE DEAD KNOW is the lack of a genuinely likable protagonist. Nearly all the characters in this book are deeply flawed and some are downright annoying. While this is certainly realistic in many ways, it does make this novel tough to read in spots, since there is no specific person to root for.

Overall, however, I enjoyed this book a great deal, but not as much as EVERY SECRET THING, an earlier effort. Still, I think Lippman is an enormously talented crime writer, and I look forward to her future novels.

An Excellent Suspenseful Read!.......2007-09-21

I really enjoy a great mystery novel and my friend recommended this book. The main character "Heather" was sort of a ringer. Normally, if the author is skilled in their writing I will find myself rooting for this character, but that didn't happen until near the end of the story which was a little late. While I'm on the subject of the ending, well it was a bit of a let down. But I don't want to give the impression that this was a terrible novel, because it wasn't. The plot will keep you reading page after page and it's certainly an excellent, suspenseful read. I would recommend it to all my friends.

On the subject of recommendations, check out the thrilling legal mystery The Monopoly Factor by Robert L. Saunders. This refreshing novel will keep you up till the wee hours of the morning and you can't help but root for the main characters, Barry and Susan, as they try to stay one step ahead of the evil Rudd and his henchman Buzz Brunner. Mystery fans check it out, believe me it's worthy of your time. Have a good read.

Season of Life: A Football Star, a Boy, a Journey to Manhood

Average customer rating:

All parents and youth coaches should read this book
Really, really excellent book
Great book!
Most moving book I have ever read!
Great message / Great read

Season of Life: A Football Star, a Boy, a Journey to Manhood
Jeffrey Marx
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0743269748

Book Description

Joe Ehrmann, a former NFL football star and volunteer coach for the Gilman high school football team, teaches his players the keys to successful defense: penetrate, pursue, punish, love. Love? A former captain of the Baltimore Colts and now an ordained minister, Ehrmann is serious about the game of football but even more serious about the purpose of life. Season of Life is his inspirational story as told by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Jeffrey Marx, who was a ballboy for the Colts when he first met Ehrmann.

Ehrmann now devotes his life to teaching young men a whole new meaning of masculinity. He teaches the boys at Gilman the precepts of his Building Men for Others program: Being a man means emphasizing relationships and having a cause bigger than yourself. It means accepting responsibility and leading courageously. It means that empathy, integrity, and living a life of service to others are more important than points on a scoreboard.

Decades after he first met Ehrmann, Jeffrey Marx renewed their friendship and watched his childhood hero putting his principles into action. While chronicling a season with the Gilman Greyhounds, Marx witnessed the most extraordinary sports program he'd ever seen, where players say "I love you" to each other and coaches profess their love for their players. Off the field Marx sat with Ehrmann and absorbed life lessons that led him to reexamine his own unresolved relationship with his father.

Season of Life is a book about what it means to be a man of substance and impact. It is a moving story that will resonate with athletes, coaches, parents -- anyone struggling to make the right choices in life.

Customer Reviews:

All parents and youth coaches should read this book.......2007-09-09

I would heartily recommend this book to any parent who has kids involved in youth sports. This is not a book on how to become a coach who wins games. Instead, this is a book that shows how to mold and develop kids who are winners in the game of life.

The Gilman football program wins plenty of games. In this book, Jeffrey Marx highlights the coach and former all-pro NFL footballer Joe Ehrmann. As a coach, he finds it more valuable to teach life lessons to his young charges than football lessons. Of course, they do a lot of good football teaching too. And, the coaches know the game very well.

The book was written after the 2001 season. The coaches at the time felt that Victor Abiamiri was the player most likely to end up in the NFL. In fact, he is now a rookie on the Philadephia Eagles. I have no idea if any other Gilman players have made the NFL. How many kids on any high school team ever make the NFL? Not many. Victor Abiamiri may be the only NFL player of the bunch. However, I am confident that the all or most of the Gilman kids will become good productive members of society.

Of course that is the end result. I recommend you read the story and learn why.

Really, really excellent book.......2007-08-23

As a father of three, including a young boy and a youth football coach, this is a book I recommend to all sorts of people who are involved in helping to raise young boys to become responsible young men -- teachers, coaches, parents and anyone else would be well-served by reading the book.

Great book!.......2007-07-08

This book is a must read for anyone involved in sports. It shows you how to keep things in perspective when looking at the big picture of things to come.

Most moving book I have ever read!.......2007-06-21

As a few others have stated here, I became interested in Coach Ehrmann after watching the documentary by Steve Sabol of NFL Films.

I was very moved seeing how the coaches of the Gilman HS Football team were able to get their message through to the kids. A lot of what they "preach" might be over some kids heads, but they way that they teach life's lessons by using football as the avenue was both brilliant and inspiring.

This past Little League season, I tried my best to emulate what both Ehrmann and the head coach did for their boys, by talking to them, and emphasizing time and time again that I wanted them all to have the greatest time of their lives out there on the field and to never worry about or ask me what the score was. I also made sure that even the weakest players were put in "positions to succeed", rather than worry about putting them in harms way by putting them somewhere where they might "fail". And as scripted in a movie, the most rewarding experience for everyone was when these less naturally talented kids actually made a play for us or got a big hit! The ENTIRE TEAM was overjoyed and started patting them on the head! Nothing could be more motiviating for them...or...for me than actually seeing it come to fruition!

If you DO coach kids, or were ever considering it, you owe it to yourself to look upon it as the vocation that it is...in the way Coach Ehrmann does. You'll be surprised how much of an effect you can have on a kid's life, and how much watching these kids develop together can have an effect on YOUR life. Our record was actually 4-6 this season (and nobody on the team knew), yet it was, by far, our most successful and rewarding season!

Thank you Jeffrey Marx and thank you COach Ehrmann for motivating me more than you'll ever know!!

Great message / Great read.......2007-05-16

I don't want to spoil the book for anyone by talking about it. Suffice it to say I had my boys read it, and actually suggested that it be required reading for all coaches in my town's recreation department.

Average customer rating:

Can we learn from history?
A first time read of a Michener Novel
My First Michener
Makes you proud to be a Marylander
Another Great Michener epic!

Chesapeake
James A. Michener
Manufacturer: Random House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0394500792
Release Date: 1978-06-12

Book Description

The central scene of Michener's historical novel is that section of Maryland's Eastern shore, hardly more than 10 miles square. To this point come the founders of families that will dominate the story.

Customer Reviews:

Can we learn from history?.......2007-07-29

A phenomenal masterpiece; Michener takes the reader to multiple continents through many centuries following people and animals in the history of the Chesapeake region. Some fine reviews above describe many of the topics in the book, but the chapters on slavery were most moving and eye-opening. Michener decribes the horror of the Africans being betrayed and captured in their villages, the brutal transportation to the west coast of Africa and finally to the Americas. Especially disturbing are the Biblical quotes (cited in the book) that protestant ministers and Catholic bishops used in the pulpit to "justify" slavery. There were a favorite dozen or so passages, referring to the treatment of slaves in the old testament that these men of the cloth grabbed to "prove" that God sanctioned slavery. But then that was some two centuries ago. Certainly the Bible wouldn't be perverted to preach hatred against a minority today.

A first time read of a Michener Novel.......2007-05-13

This is the first book I read by Michener; I couldn't put it down, and I didn't--read the whole book cover to cover straight through. This is the book that instilled my interest in James Michener's Books.

My First Michener.......2007-03-12

I've always been put off by the length of Michener's novels, but when a near relative so enthusiastically recommended this book, I decided to give it a try. Well! I have to say that I thoroughly, completely enjoyed every page. Michener's style is so simple, so clean, almost innocent in his delivery, and yet his characters are vivid and believable. Michener touches many deep interests: a love for American history, a quest for theological and ethical truth, ecological preservation, and the poignancy of many great lives and places vanished away in time. Near the end of the saga, as Michener brought me to stand in the midst of a run-down trailer park, remembering the beautiful marsh filled with wildlife that once flourished there, I was surprised at the sadness and regret I felt. Powerful! I'll be reading more of him.

Makes you proud to be a Marylander.......2007-02-28

Very good book. Some parts were a little dry but it still can easily be read from cover to cover. Sail the Chesapeake with pirates, learn about Coastal Indians and watch a family build an Empire. A fun read from a master of adventure.

Another Great Michener epic!.......2006-11-24

I wasn't sure where Chesapeake Bay was when I started this book. I knew it was somewhere on the east coast but didn't realize it was so geographically big. I also didn't realize so many of the big cities that I've heard of is located on or near the Chesapeake Bay. So for me this made the book quite interesting. Once again with Micheners characteristic trademark, he starts the earliest Indians. It was interesting to read that while some Indians were violent some were passive. This makes sense; it would be really hard to generalize about such a big population. Some may find the beginning of Micheners epics slow; certainly this book is no exception. But what I really like is how the last third of the book will some how reference an event or character from the previous part. The pirate aspect of the Chesapeake is interesting; but what captivates is the civil war and the statues of African Americans. We tend to forget at one time that even good people had misconceptions. Much like the Afrikaners in Micheners "The Covenant," I liked these hard working white people; I just didn't like their attitude or treatments of Blacks. The introduction of the Quakers was a bonus for me , as I am unfamiliar with there practices and beliefs. It was also an ironic twist that Michener included a Watergate plot near the end this really brought it into the modern times. So from the earliest Indians to Watergate this book should not fail to interest every reader.

Zagatsurvey 2007 Washington, DC, and Baltimore Restaurants

Average customer rating:

eating out

Zagatsurvey 2007 Washington, DC, and Baltimore Restaurants

Manufacturer: Zagat Survey
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1570068038

Book Description

ISBN: 1570068038 TITLE: 2007 Washington,DC/Baltimore Restaurants AUTHOR: Zagat Survey DESCRIPTION: Consumer based survey covering the Washington,DC/Baltimore area including Annapolis, the Eastern Shore and Northern Virginia.

Customer Reviews:

eating out.......2007-07-08

its ok, the very few restaurents in baltimore area should have been more cretiqued in my opinion, not all of them are ok. just a local opinion.

Baltimore Elegance: A New Approach to Classic Album Quilts

Average customer rating:

Love this book!
Classic Albums Simplified
A great tutorial for a beginner in applique
applique, quilting
Applique' Plus

Baltimore Elegance: A New Approach to Classic Album Quilts
Elly Sienkiewicz
Manufacturer: C&T Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1571202749
Release Date: 2006-09-15

Book Description

* Eight large reproduction blocks, plus 25 smaller blocks and border designs
* Six simple lessons for improving appliqué skills
* Author is an authority on the Baltimore Album

For anyone who's always wanted to create a beautiful Baltimore Album quilt...expert Elly Sienkiewicz offers more than two dozen simple blocks that build to timeless classics. In-depth how-tos and six skill-building lessons make it easy to make full-size or children's quilts, plus totes, aprons, pillows, even a block carrier. Great for classes or clubs, Baltimore Elegance is perfect for quilters everywhere.

Customer Reviews:

Love this book!.......2007-04-17

Elly has written many books on Baltimore album quilts, but this is one of my favorites. It has 8" block patterns, rather than the more traditional 12". It's full of instructions for applique, stitching, transferring designs, and lots of color pictures. Plenty of ideas to work from. The only applique method she doesn't explain is the Templar Starch method, which I think is a good way to do applique, but I won't mark down her score for this.

Classic Albums Simplified.......2007-03-23

Elly has done it again for all her fans and is sure to gain new ones with this simplified approach to a classic style. Her "voice" can be heard in every written line for those of us lucky enough to have attended her academy classes. Add this to your collection, or start a collection with this wonderful book. Keep them coming, Elly!

A great tutorial for a beginner in applique.......2007-03-08

As a seasoned quilter, I had always avoided applique. There were too many conflicting methods floating around, and none of them seemed to work for me. Elly's book clarified everything! She explains all of the methods in easy to understand steps. She explains the hows and the whys, and tells you what to look for to avoid problems down the road. The lessons are terrific, and presented in clear, concise steps with good illustrations. Her patterns advance in skill level as the lessons progress. My projects were a success, thanks to Elly, and I now feel comfortable with applique.

applique, quilting.......2007-02-18

Excellent reference book for Baltimore Album Quilts. Highly recommend all of Elly's books.

Applique' Plus.......2007-01-23

Baltimore Elegance approaches the technique of applique' through six lessons that offer the quilter experience at various techniques. Also included are embellishing techniques such as padded applique', ruching, embroidery and using beads. Projects included go from the simple to more complex designs. The patterns are for an 8" x 8" finished block so if you want to make something larger the patterns will need to be enlarged. Enlargement percentages are given. As a beginner, I was not intimidated. I'm glad to have this book in my reference library.

Average customer rating:

A Classic
Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets
Speaking for the dead
Great journalism, but could be more readable
Intense

Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets
David Simon
Manufacturer: Holt Paperbacks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Criminology | Crime & Criminals | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0805080759
Release Date: 2006-08-22

Amazon.com

This 1992 Edgar Award winner for best fact crime is nothing short of a classic. David Simon, a police reporter for the Baltimore Sun, spent the year 1988 with three homicide squads, accompanying them through all the grim and grisly moments of their work--from first telephone call to final piece of paperwork. The picture that emerges through a masterful accumulation of details is that homicide detectives are a rare breed who seem to thrive on coffee, cigarettes, and persistence, through an endlessly exhausting parade of murder scenes. As the Washington Post writes, "We seem to have an insatiable appetite for police stories.... David Simon's entry is far and away the best, the most readable, the most reliable and relentless of them all.... An eye for the scenes of slaughter and pursuit and an ear for the cadences of cop talk, both business and banter, lend Simon's account the fascination that truth often has."

Book Description

From the creator of HBO’s The Wire, the classic book about homicide investigation that became the basis for the hit television show

The scene is Baltimore. Twice every three days another citizen is shot, stabbed, or bludgeoned to death. At the center of this hurricane of crime is the city’s homicide unit, a small brotherhood of hard men who fight for whatever justice is possible in a deadly world.

David Simon was the first reporter ever to gain unlimited access to a homicide unit, and this electrifying book tells the true story of a year on the violent streets of an American city. The narrative follows Donald Worden, a veteran investigator; Harry Edgerton, a black detective in a mostly white unit; and Tom Pellegrini, an earnest rookie who takes on the year’s most difficult case, the brutal rape and murder of an eleven-year-old girl.

Originally published fifteen years ago, Homicide became the basis for the acclaimed television show of the same name. This new edition—which includes a new introduction, an afterword, and photographs—revives this classic, riveting tale about the men who work on the dark side of the American experience.

Customer Reviews:

A Classic.......2007-09-14

In 1998, David Simon got unprecedented access to the Baltimore's homicide unit, and shadowed its detectives during the entire year. It was a tough year in a tough city, with a total of 234 murders. It would be easy to describe Simon's approach as "a fly on the wall," but that would be to belittle the extraordinary work he did.

Simon manages to give us both the large picture (how the homicide unit works, the flaws and strengths of the judicial system in Baltimore, the meaning behind the crime statistics) and the small picture (the greatness and pettiness of this group of detectives, the emotional detachment they need to have in order to face homicide after homicide, the heartbreaking effects that the murder of one little girl has on a veteran detective). During his year of reporting, and the two years he spent writing the book, he was able to see the cases from a distance, and also from inside the skin of the detectives trying to solve them.

"Homicide" is a tremendous achievement and, in my opinion, a true-crime classic. Anybody interested in learning more about crime or police work--or simply interested in an excellent work of non-fiction--should read Simon's book.

Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets.......2007-07-24

I really have to be neutral about this product. I sent it back-I never ordered it, it got to me by mistake.

Speaking for the dead.......2007-07-10

What an amazing story! David Simon does a fantastic job of taking an actual year with the Baltimore Police homicide division and making it read like fiction. Simon doesn't report this story he tells this story. The quarks and skills that make up all good detectives is captured in detail. The fact that an award winning TV series was spurned from the pages in this book shows that life can be stranger than fiction.

James a. Forrest - Eye of the Storm

Great journalism, but could be more readable.......2007-06-07

I read this book because I'm a huge fan of the television series that came out of it. And, I found it to be a well chronicled account of the author's year of work in the Baltimore PD Homicide unit.

So, why 4 stars instead of 5? Simply because the book was something of a chore to read rather than being a page turner. Maybe it was all of the careful detail reporting about addresses, crime scenes, evidence, etc. and the general lack of writing which helped the reader identify with and understand the individual detectives better than just knowing their names. Or, maybe there were just too many detectives and crimes to do that. But, for whatever reason, I found this lengthy book to be more of a chore to read than the vastly more desirable status of being a joy to read. It was worthwhile and educational, but not as gripping and entertaining as the actual experience surely must have been. I liked it and respected it, but I didn't love it like I love the television series.

Intense.......2007-03-21

Being a police officer espically,In a large city.Like New York,LA or Baltimore [The city where the book takes place.] Is psychologically and phyiscally draning,An existential threat to ones pysche and without any glamour what so ever.So why do they do it John Kelly a character on NYPD Blue did it because his old man was a cop.Who was killed in the line of duty when he was 11.The same with Clarice Starling the fictional FBI agent who is Hannibal Lector lover in the novels of Thomas Harris and the films of Johnathan Demme and Ridley Scott.[Not that Iam comparing the two characters.] Some because they see as an adventure after it`s no surprise it has been glorified on shows such as Dragnet,Starsky and Hutch and Miami Vice and in films such as Leathal Weapon.But in really Stephen Spielberg isn`t around to say cut thats a rap.It`s much more intense the cases Psychologically effect the first case in the book is the murder of an 11 year old girl who was also sexually assulted.[The case is still unsolved.]There is also an episode of the tv show which based on this book called ''Homicide;Life on the Street'' in which the detectives are stuck inside there precint on Saturday Night no case is investigated they just sit around and talk about life [The Camera doesn`t even leave the squad room during the episode.]So what I`am trying is the life of a police officer is not what see on television or in movies.Every day you are reminded of the fact that human beings of Raping Women,Killing each other in cold blood and Molesting Children.I recommend this book to anyone who wishes to know about the day to day psychological struggles of a cop.Espically a homicide detective.

Newcomer's Handbook for Moving to and Living in Washington, DC Including Northern Virginia and Suburban Maryland

Average customer rating:

A Great Book For Relocators That Even Non-Relocators Can Enjoy
Nothing worthwhile
Relocating to DC?

Newcomer's Handbook for Moving to and Living in Washington, DC Including Northern Virginia and Suburban Maryland
Mike Livingston
Manufacturer: First Books Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Insiders' Guide to Washington, D.C., 6th (Insiders' Guide Series)

ASIN: 091230166X

Book Description

The fourth edition of this #1 guide for relocating to Washington DC contains detailed information on neighborhoods, getting settled, helpful services, child care and education, cultural life, and much more. Written by Mike Livingston, its 432 pages provide useful information to help you decide where to move, to help you with your move, to help you settle into DC life, or just to give you the chance to get to know Washington DC better.

Customer Reviews:

A Great Book For Relocators That Even Non-Relocators Can Enjoy.......2007-03-11

THE NEWCOMER'S HANDBOOK FOR MOVING TO AND LIVING IN WASHINGTON DC is a great book for people relocating to the area, but even people who are not moving there can enjoy it. It talks about where the best neighborhoods and schools are in the District itself, as well as in Maryland and Virginia, mentions where the shopping malls and other stores are, and it even goes into detail about the town of Columbia, Maryland, which other books about the Baltimore-Washington DC area fail to do. I strongly recommend this book to anyone who is proud to say "I'm an American."

Nothing worthwhile.......2006-08-18

This book is devoid of any of the information I really needed, like where to get my car inspetected (and the whole process of getting a DC driver license) or even where the good playgrounds are.

Relocating to DC?.......2006-05-18

If you are relocating to DC, don't do it until you've read (or at least skimmed) this book. I haven't even moved yet and it's been helpful. First it explains different neighborhoods and why you may or may not want to move to that location. It also gives you helpful hints and good questions to ask regarding a place to rent or buying a home. Included are the daily life information such as where to buy a couch, find a veternarian, or the location of the closest park. All in all the book covers many issues that I would not have thought about before moving to a new place.

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Vivien Thomas
neverf ordered this product
Partners of the Heart
Good book
If you've seen the movie, now read the book

Partners of the Heart
Vivien T. Thomas
Manufacturer: University of Pennsylvania Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Pioneering Research in Surgical Shock and Cardiovascular Surgery: Vivien T. Thomas and His Work With Alfred Blalock

ASIN: 0812216342

Book Description

"The fascinating tale of an extraordinary black man's involvement, growth, and final recognition in a white man's world of surgical research and medical practice . . . at the same time, an insightful firsthand account of the genesis of some of the pioneering research into the nature of shock and some of the early procedures in cardiovascular surgery." --Journal of the History of Medicine Visitors to the Blalock Building at the Johns Hopkins University Medical Center are greeted by portraits of two great men. One, of renowned heart surgeon Alfred Blalock, speaks for itself. The other, of highschool graduate Vivien Thomas, is testimony to the incredible genius and determination of the first black man to hold a professional position at one of America's premier medical institutions. Partners of the Heart is Thomas's extraordinary autobiography. Trained in laboratory techniques by Alfred Blalock and Joseph W. Beard, Thomas remained Blalock's principal technician and laboratory chief for the rest of Blalock's distinguished career. Thomas very rapidly learned to perform surgery, to do chemical determinations, and to carry out physiologic studies. He became a phenomenal technician and was able to carry out complicated experimental cardiac operations totally unassisted and to devise new ones.

Customer Reviews:

Vivien Thomas.......2007-08-12

Book arrived quickly and in good shape. The book contains many highly technical surgical passages which do not lend themselves to easy reading. Unless you have a medical background these passages can be overwhelming. Most readers will probably end up skipping these passages which comprise a large portion of the book.

neverf ordered this product.......2007-05-30

I never ordered this product, could you send me info if you have me as purchawsing this item. thanks

Partners of the Heart.......2007-03-23

Very interesting to follow the challenges and choices that Mr. Thomas makes throughout his remarkable career. A bit of a distracted read if you do not have the technical background to understand many of the technical procedures that he used and helped to develop, but still a fascinating story.

Good book.......2007-01-17

Excellent autobiography of a relatively unknown giant of medicine who helped pioneer heart surgery. I bought this for my 12 year old child for a history project, and the text was way over her head, but it would be a good story for any high schooler who was interested in going into medicine.

If you've seen the movie, now read the book.......2006-03-21

In this book you will hear from Vivien Thomas himself. As wonderful as the movie was, it did take some dramatic license here and there. Vivien tells the story of the first "blue baby" operation very matter of factly. As you read the book you will discover that he played things pretty close to the vest. He was not one for dramatic outbursts or fits of temper. Thomas is a dignified quite man and his relation with Dr. Blalock was not all sweetness and light but they worked well togehter and became very close.

There is a lot of medical talk in the book. The squeemish may have trouble getting through the accounts of the experiments that were performed on the dogs. Don't let that stop you from reading this book. It gives you a wonderful insight into this modest, unassuming but brilliant doctor. He never went to medical school but taught some of the finset surgeons in the world how to operate. Happily, Thomas was finally given an honorary doctorate by Johns Hopkins.

If you have seen the movie, don't expect this book to play out the same way. This is real life.

Enjoy!

The Corner: A Year in the Life of an Inner-City Neighborhood

Average customer rating:

A look into a very real world
A Very Important Book
Unique learning experience
Breathtaking
Satisfying and heartbreaking. That's how you know it is real.

The Corner: A Year in the Life of an Inner-City Neighborhood
David Simon , and Edward Burns
Manufacturer: Broadway
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Criminology | Crime & Criminals | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0767900316
Release Date: 1998-06-15

Amazon.com

This is a powerful book, a window on aspects of America most people would rather ignore. To their great credit, the authors--David Simon wrote Homicide, the basis for the popular television show; Edward Burns is a former Baltimore police officer, now a public school teacher--refuse to sensationalize their subject or make its people into stereotypes. For a year the two hung out in a West Baltimore neighborhood that was a center of the drug trade. At the center of the narrative is the McCullough family--DeAndre, age 15, and his drug-addicted parents, Gary and Fran. While reading The Corner, there are times when we pity them, times when they make us angry. The book's strength, though, is that we always understand them.

Book Description

The crime-infested intersection of West Fayette and Monroe Streets is well-known--and cautiously avoided--by most of Baltimore. But this notorious corner's 24-hour open-air drug market provides the economic fuel for a dying neighborhood. David Simon, an award-winning author and crime reporter, and Edward Burns, a 20-year veteran of the urban drug war, tell the chilling story of this desolate crossroad.

Through the eyes of one broken family--two drug-addicted adults and their smart, vulnerable 15-year-old son, DeAndre McCollough, Simon and Burns examine the sinister realities of inner cities across the country and unflinchingly assess why law enforcement policies, moral crusades, and the welfare system have accomplished so little. This extraordinary book is a crucial look at the price of the drug culture and the poignant scenes of hope, caring, and love that astonishingly rise in the midst of a place America has abandoned.

Customer Reviews:

A look into a very real world.......2007-09-06

I bought the book after I was absolutely enthralled by the mini-series. The book and movie both give you a very emotionally capturing look into the world of the drug corners of every inner city ghetto. In the book's case, it focuses on life in the most dangerous ones of Baltimore, homicide capital of the USA. The book is a stunningly accurate portrayal of a world that is often forgotten, neglected or never talked about.

So far I would say the book is even better than the mini-series as it contains much more detailed information, many new stories, and the world of the corner through the eyes of many new perspectives that are only briefly mentioned in the mini-series movie.

A Very Important Book.......2007-06-23

I think everyone in the United States should read this book. The authors put the reader on a West Baltimore corner looking at it through a first person perspective. I don't think we can understand our society and the policies we try to implement unless we understand the people these policies are directed towards. This book puts a face on the truly poor, the drug addicts, and those trapped on the brutal drug corners of many cities. The book shows the reader how so often the policies adopted by elected officials and idealogues miss the point and end up failing. When we understand the lives of those of the bottom, only then can we help them.

Unique learning experience.......2007-05-21

I just finished reading The Corner for my bookclub and truly enjoyed it. Although it took a while for me to get into the book I felt more and more connected to the characters, learned about ghetto culture and understandood more the drug addict's lifestyle as the book progressed.

In The Corner, opportunities were both a curse and a blessing. Gary having a job at the [...] place was good because he didn't have to do any dangerous capers. But having so much money fueled his addiction. When Fran was clean, she began to have hope for her family and her own future. But she then became very disconnected from most of her familiar life, and, in turn, very lonely and unhappy.

What was clear to me is that the social structures have to be available for people. I don't think we can spend too much in this area. Every piece should be there even if they don't all work perfectly. The educational system and the justice system, which are deeply flawed served an important purpose. DeAndre was deterred from the streets out of fear of going back to the juv. detention center. Tyreeka was able to make something of her life via higher education. Access to the homeless program, drug rehab and social programs were essential stepping stones to Blue's and Fran's long term rehabilitation.

By the time i finished the book, I felt connected to the folks on the corner, less judgemental and sympathetic to them and their daily struggles to survive.

Breathtaking.......2007-04-24

Books don't get much more powerful or moving than this.

The premise is simple--Baltimore Sun reporter Simon (who's lately been earning acclaim as the driving force behind HBO's "The Wire" which takes place in the same area). spent a year living on or around one of the busiest drug markets in Baltimore and reports what he learned. In doing so, he tells the stories of the people who inhabit this world, street pushers, kids trying (although often not that hard) to stay straight and the parents who worry about them, when they're not too busy trying to score their next fix. The stories are harrowing--from people who spend their days cashing in scrap metal for cash to earn their next fix to families sharing one small bedroom in a shooting gallery. Pretty much everybody is hoping for a change in fortunes, but the book offers few happy endings. In spite of this, its a fascinating glimpse of a world where most of Simon's readers will never go.

The narrative is occasionally broken up by Simon's musings about the war on drugs. No matter where you fall on the political spectrum, its hard to disagree with Simon's belief that the war has failed, at least in his little corner of the world. There's a particularly powerful passage near the end where Simon flat out shatters the Horatio Alger myths that many middle-class suburbanites cling to, particularly the idea that should they find themselves in that situation, they'd simply apply a little Puritan gumption and work their way out their unfortunate circumstances. In the end, he doesn't offer any solutions and precious little hope.

Yet, the people who live there are more than mindless junkies. They're human, with hopes and dreams and stories to tell. Perhaps Simon's greatest achievement is the way in which he employs his sharp eye and powers of observation to paint a wholly three-dimensional and, given the circumstances, refreshingly non-judgmental picture of a community in deep decline.

In the end, its an amazing powerful read, one that will leave readers deeply affected and likely having shed at least a couple of tears along the way.

Satisfying and heartbreaking. That's how you know it is real........2007-02-18

David Simon and Ed Burns studied a typical inner-city American neighborhood over the course of a year in 1993 and this book is the journalistic enterprise that reports on what they learned. We are presented with a West Baltimore universe that could be, and most likely is, representative of any city's neighborhood that has two things: poverty and open-air drug markets. We are presented with the experiences of those involved in that drug culture and those still trying to live among it while doing what they think is right.

It is a satisfying read in that you never get the sense that you are not getting the real deal. And that is the singular reason that it is so heartbreaking. To see people give so much to get out of the hell that they are in and fail again and again is almost too much to bear. You may not be able to contain your tears when you discover the final fate of Gary McCullough. You understand why this was the only way that it could have ended for him and the fact that you understand why just breaks your heart. This book is not supposed to be hopeless and it definitely is not. The authors make it pretty clear that there is a way out of this and it is certainly not what we are doing now. Until we can see these people involved in the "War on Drugs" as human beings we haven't even gone through the first step. When all we are willing to do is cut welfare and build more prisons we, and by we I mean all of us in America, are doomed.

The most interesting aspect of this book are the chapter parts that sometime show up that are essentially a set of facts that elucidate the part that just happened and the ones to come. These facts apply to West Baltimore but can be generalized to any inner-city drug culture. They are very eye opening and beautifully allow you to look at things in a way that you never even thought of before. These make the lives of all of these people make so much sense but the sense is senseless. As Ella Thompson likes to say: "It just doesn't make sense." But it does and she knows this. It is just that the knowledge is too painful.

Governance of Teaching Hospitals: Turmoil at Penn and Hopkins

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Governance of Teaching Hospitals: Turmoil at Penn and Hopkins
John A. Kastor
Manufacturer: The Johns Hopkins University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0801874203

Book Description

What forces lead to changes in governance among medical schools and their associated teaching hospitals? To what extent do such changes affect how well those schools and hospitals do their work? In this book, John A. Kastor, M.D., focuses on the academic medical centers of the University of Pennsylvania and the Johns Hopkins University, two institutions that underwent dramatic change in governance during the late 1990s.

Drawing on extensive interviews with more than three hundred administrators, physicians, and other medical professionals at Penn, Hopkins, and elsewhere, Kastor identifies the factors that influenced changes in governance at these two institutions. Chief among these, he finds, are structure, personality conflicts, and current events. This book will be of interest to administrators of teaching hospitals as well as professionals in health policy and management.

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