There's Nothing in This Book That I Meant to Say

Book Description

Part memoir, part monologue, with a dash of startling honesty, There’s Nothing in This Book That I Meant to Say features biographies of legendary historical figures from which Paula Poundstone can’t help digressing to tell her own story. Mining gold from the lives of Abraham Lincoln, Helen Keller, Joan of Arc, and Beethoven, among others, the eccentric and utterly inimitable mind of Paula Poundstone dissects, observes, and comments on the successes and failures of her own life with surprising candor and spot-on comedic timing in this unique laugh-out-loud book.

If you like Paula Poundstone’s ironic and blindingly intelligent humor, you’ll love this wryly observant, funny, and touching book.

Paula Poundstone on . . .

The sources of her self-esteem: “A couple of years ago I was reunited with a guy I knew in the fifth grade. He said, “All the other fifth-grade guys liked the pretty girls, but I liked you.” It’s hard to know if a guy is sincere when he lays it on that thick.

The battle between fatigue and informed citizenship: I play a videotape of The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer every night, but sometimes I only get as far as the theme song (da da-da-da da-ah) before I fall asleep. Sometimes as soon as Margaret Warner says whether or not Jim Lehrer is on vacation I drift right off. Somehow just knowing he’s well comforts me.

The occult: I need to know exactly what day I’m gonna die so that I don’t bother putting away leftovers the night before.

TV’s misplaced priorities: Someday in the midst of the State of the Union address they’ll break in with, “We interrupt this program to bring you a little clip from Bewitched.”

Travel: In London I went to the queen’s house. I went as a tourist—she didn’t invite me so she could pick my brain: “What do you think of my face on the pound? Too serious?”

Air-conditioning in Florida: If it were as cold outside in the winter as they make it inside in the summer, they’d put the heat on. It makes no sense.

The scandal: The judge said I was the best probationer he ever had. Talk about proud.

With a foreword by Mary Tyler Moore

Customer Reviews:

There's nothing in this book that I meant to say by Paula Poundstone.......2007-08-06

This is a funny book... I listened to it in my car on five CDs. Paula has been through a lot and yet she has not lost her sense of humor. If you ever get the chance to go see her live, don't miss it. She is one of the quickest and the best at adLib that I have ever seen.

Humor, History and Humility.......2007-07-29

What do Joan of Arc, Abraham Lincoln, Helen Keller, Beethoven, Charles Dickens,The Wright Brothers and Sitting Bull all have in common? Isn't it obvious? Paula Poundstone of course.

Ms. Poundstone makes both humorous and serious parallels with these historical figures as she goes back and forth between her life and theirs. We not only learn about her own history, we learn about her wry views on life, recovery from her addiction and her number one priority-her three children. As an added bonus we may even be motivated to read more about the people whose names are the titles of the seven chapters.

I especially appreciated her frank discussion of her alcoholism in terms of acceptance,taking responsibility as well as making amends to those whose lives were most affected, her children.

Well done Paula!

A pleasant, rambling read.......2007-07-26

This book feels a lot like listening to a Paula Poundstone comedy routine. She starts off on one topic and you never know where you will end up. I was pleasantly surprised by how personal she was willing to get when talking about her recent substance problems. She did so with much grace and self-deprecating humor. I just love her wit and found myself laughing out loud on several occasions.

There's Nothing in This Book That I Meant to Say.......2007-06-08

Great book. She writes with raw honesty and gentle humour. While reading the book, you feel like you're having a great heart to heart talk, with a good friend.

Nayslove.......2007-05-12

If you are a fan of Paula's, you will LOVE this book! If you aren't and are looking for a good read, you will enjoy the history lesson and fall in love with her. I laughed so hard I had tears rolling. It is both poignant and hysterically funny. She is brilliant as a comic, and now as an author.

Average customer rating:

musical
THE MOST AMAZING MUSICAL EVER!
WOW!!!
Once On This Island
i love this book!

Once on This Island: Vocal Selections

Manufacturer: Warner Bros Pubns
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0897243331

Book Description

We Dance * Waiting for Life * Rain * Forever Yours * Ti Moune * Mama Will Provide * Some Girls.

Customer Reviews:

musical.......2006-07-20

i havent read the book myself, but we are currently preparing to go on stage with this as our musical. i play mama euralie

even if you hear the music a thousand times, which i have you still wanna hear cause its catchy

THE MOST AMAZING MUSICAL EVER!.......2003-03-20

Once On This Island is a fabulous show! It may seem different in the beginning, but if you really read into the story and hear the music it'll send chills up your spine! This music has so much spirit and warmth behind it! I played "Asaka, Mother of the Earth" last summer, and I looved it! BUY THIS BOOK!

WOW!!!.......2003-01-18

I havent actually read this book, but our school put it on (well we will in a week or two), and I just wanted to say how AMAZING the music is!!!

Once On This Island.......2002-12-07

Though I don't actually have the book, i have seen it. It is amazing!... This is my favorite musical. My highschool did it two years ago and everyone absolutely loved it. It's awesome, and it comes away from comformaty. BUY IT!... it is SO awesome.

i love this book!.......2001-10-02

i was in a class musical and i fell in love wiht the music from the play Once on This Island, months later i decided to get this book just so i could sing the songs, it has all of the famous (favourite) songs, waiting for life (a stranger in white), walk with me, and others. the only thing i found wrong was soe of the notes sounded different than on the cd. but oh well, nothing is perfect, they are great songs, very catchy, buy the book. :) -kara

This Island Isn't Big Enough for the Four of Us!

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This Island Isn't Big Enough for the Four of Us!
This Island Isn't Big Enough For the Four of Us
hilarious pageturner
A Time to Laugh
This book would be good for both boys and girls.

This Island Isn't Big Enough for the Four of Us!
Gery Greer , and Bob Ruddick
Manufacturer: HarperTrophy
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0064402037

Book Description

Pete and I stared at each other. Two girls camping on our island?

Pete and Scott are horrified when they find Sunny and Jill camping with Jill's aunt on Turtle Island, the same "deserted" wilderness where Pete and Scott planned to have a few death-defying adventures. Alone. Every time the boys mess up, Sonny and Jill are there, taking the picture. This is war -- boys against girls!

With the help of an eccentric recluse who lives on the island, the boys plan one final battle -- a wacky contest of wit, skill, and revenge -- to determine the champions of Turtle Island!

Customer Reviews:

This Island Isn't Big Enough for the Four of Us!.......2006-06-17

ISBN 0064402037 - Pete and Scott are going to camp out on a deserted island. Pete sees himself as a rugged explorer and imagines they'll be conquering the wilderness. It's a pity that their tent is a canvas replica of Hansel and Gretel's gingerbread house. But it'll be okay - it's a deserted island, no one will see them, right? The last thing he expected was to find two girls on their island! And the worst thing he could have imagined has happened... they have a camera.

Jill and Sunny are on the island with Jill's aunt Katherine, who is a photographer. They have a few great laughs at the expense of the boys, who set out to get revenge. One night, the boys discover another person on the island. Cornelius lives, during his summers, in a complex treehouse that he built and adds on to all the time. Cornelius is smitten with Katherine, but things go badly from the beginning. Turtle Island becomes the new site of the battle of the sexes. How will they get through their time on the island without killing each other?

Funny and lighthearted, This Island is a book both boys and girls will anjoy - and how rare is that? Choose this one for summer reading, for two reasons. Camping, of course. Then there's the Perseid meteor shower, which is mentioned in the book and peeks in mid-August. Sneak some education in!

This Island Isn't Big Enough For the Four of Us.......2005-10-27

This Island Isn't Big Enough For the Four of Us, written by Gery Geer is an exciting novel about two boys who go camping on Turtle Island. When they arrive they arrive they find out that two girls who are camping there too, later on the boys are embarrassing themselves when the girls are taking pictures. The main idea of the book is that the boys are trying to fool the girls. But the girls are too good. The boys cant fool them, and in the end, the boys and girls have a flag race to see who is the all time champion of Turtle Island at last. The author has a tie.

hilarious pageturner.......2003-02-26

I got this book when I was 9 and I loved it immediately for its phantastic adventurous plot and twists. I think it is the best book I had as a child, making me laugh from the first page to the second last. It is so hilariously funny I still love to read it today - I'm 22 now and passing it on to my little niece. I know she will enjoy it as much as I did...

A Time to Laugh.......2001-03-20

When Scott and his friend Pete think that they are going to a deserted island for five days they don't know whats in store for them. On the way to the island, Pete and Scott fall out of there canoe, they get laughed at by two girls. Scott and Pete know that they now have to get along on an island with two girls and find a way to get them back.

I liked this book because of all the pranks, jokes, and skrew ups that go on between the boys and girls. There is also a mystery on the island that Pete and Scott must find out. I reccomend this book to anyone who has a sence of humor and adventure.

This book would be good for both boys and girls........2000-10-16

This Island Isn't Big Enough for the Four of Us is about the boys against the girls. The girls keep teasing the boys and the boys try to get them back but keep failing. One night the boys try to be sneaky and take down the girls tent. They thought the girls weren't around but the girls tricked them and cought the boys. They really scared them away. The boys were scared that the girls were going to see their little gingerbread tent. The girls ended up catching them and really laughed at them. The war between the boys and girls is hilarious. The boys are always trying to show off but the girls are always are always beating them. So the boys decide to put them to the ultimate test. They challenge the girls to race them up the hill. Then they have to grab the flag and race them back to the tree house. Who will win?

Once on This Island (Ramos, Eugenio (Illustrator)

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Bailey R`s review
WONDERFUL
Got a copy as a gift
Something is missing.
Good, but still...

Once on This Island (Ramos, Eugenio (Illustrator)
Gloria Whelan
Manufacturer: HarperTrophy
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0064406199

Book Description

When war erupts between England and America in 1812, it brings change and uncertainty—even to Michigan's remote Mackinac Island. For young Mary O'Shea, the hardest change is the departure of her father, who leaves Mackinac to join the American Army. With her sister and brother, Mary must tend the farm, deal with the hardships of British occupation, and hope for the safe return of their father. `The story, told with quiet humor, brings to life this episode in history. The readers feels the beauty of the island, the pain of separation, [and] the anxiety and fear produced by war.'—V. `[S]mooth writing, vivid characters, and strong sense of place make this a good choice for libraries and a treasure for ones in the Great Lakes area.'—BL.

Customer Reviews:

Bailey R`s review.......2007-08-09

Once on This Island was a very adventurous book. The characters were well portrayed as they faced tough times and difficult decisions. They all pitched in and helped their family to survive the war.This was an enjoyable book and I recommend it to all readers.

WONDERFUL.......2007-02-01

My 13 yr old says she loved it. I had to search to find it!

It really gives you an inside look of what life was like back then.(13 yr old's words)

Got a copy as a gift.......2004-10-09

I got a copy of this book and I like Mary's character. She is straightfoward and truely amazing at times. This is a good read.

Something is missing........2004-05-21

"Once on This Island" takes place during The War of 1812, but there was a lack of historical information to prove this point. It could have easily been another war. The story itself - three children struggle to live their lives while their father is off fighting for the American cause - is a stable one, though deficient. This could be because the events flowed nicely, without much difficulty, or maybe it was because there was a lack of illnesses and death; realism wasn't truly there. I was hoping for a historical note, but Whelan failed to include one. I'll still read the other two books in the trilogy, but I will not put high expectations on them. I "sorta" recommend.

Good, but still..........2002-09-19

I know, everyone rated this 5 stars. And I know that this book is for kids ages 6-10. I'm 14. This book, Once on this Island, is very good, but I think it could have been better. Still, it is written for younger children, so... Anyway, if you're older than ten, you'll most likely find it boring.

Mary is living on an island in the Great Lakes during the War of 1812. Her father goes off to fight when the British take over her island and shortly after her older brother leaves. Mary's older sister flirts with a British soldier while Mary runs the farm. An Indian friend leaves to fight for the British alongside his long-lost tribe, which adds to the confusion.

The first in a trilogy, the other 2 books are Farewell to this Island and Return to the Island. I havent read them yet, but Im planning to at least read Return to the Island. As I titled this review, it's good, but still...

Average customer rating:

Lacks fierceness and depth

An unforgettable character study

One of the best novels I've read

A slice of life in thrice

a story with no agenda

Three Junes
Julia Glass
Manufacturer: Pantheon
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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The Whole World Over

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan: A Novel

The Memory Keeper's Daughter

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Digging to America

ASIN: 0375422412
Release Date: 2002-09-05

Book Description

Three Junes is a vividly textured symphonic novel set on both sides of the Atlantic during three fateful summers in the lives of a Scottish family. In June of 1989, Paul McLeod, the recently widowed patriarch, becomes infatuated with a young American artist while traveling through Greece and is compelled to relive the secret
sorrows of his marriage. Six years later, Paul’s death reunites his sons at Tealing, their idyllic childhood home, where Fenno, the eldest, faces a choice that puts him at the center of his family’s future. A lovable, slightly repressed gay man, Fenno leads the life of an aloof expatriate in the West Village, running a shop filled with books and birdwatching gear. He believes himself safe from all emotional entanglements—until a worldly neighbor presents him with an extraordinary gift and a seductive photographer makes him an unwitting subject. Each man draws Fenno into territories of the heart he has never braved before, leading him toward an almost unbearable loss that will reveal to him the nature of love.

Love in its limitless forms—between husband and wife, between lovers, between people and animals, between parents and children—is the force that moves these characters’ lives, which collide again, in yet another June, over a Long Island dinner table. This time it is Fenno who meets and captivates Fern, the same woman who captivated his father in Greece ten years before. Now pregnant with a son of her own, Fern, like Fenno and Paul before him, must make peace with her past to embrace her future. Elegantly detailed yet full of emotional suspense, often as comic as it is sad, Three Junes is a glorious triptych about how we learn to live, and live fully, beyond incurable grief and betrayals of the heart—how family ties, both those we’re born into and those we make, can offer us redemption and joy.

Download Description

The 2002 National Book Award winner for fiction, Three Junes, is a vividly textured symphonic novel set on both sides of the Atlantic during three fateful summers in the lives of a Scottish family.

In June of 1989, Paul McLeod, the recently widowed patriarch, becomes infatuated with a young American artist while traveling through Greece and is compelled to relive the secret sorrows of his marriage. Six years later, Paul's death reunites his sons at Tealing, their idyllic childhood home, where Fenno, the eldest, faces a choice that puts him at the center of his family's future.

A lovable, slightly repressed gay man, Fenno leads the life of an aloof expatriate in the West Village, running a shop filled with books and birdwatching gear. He believes himself safe from all emotional entanglements -- until a worldly neighbor presents him with an extraordinary gift and a seductive photographer makes him an unwitting subject. Each man draws Fenno into territories of the heart he has never braved before, leading him toward an almost unbearable loss that will reveal to him the nature of love.

Love in its limitless forms -- between husband and wife, between lovers, between people and animals, between parents and children -- is the force that moves these characters' lives, which collide again, in yet another June, over a Long Island dinner table. This time it is Fenno who meets and captivates Fern, the same woman who captivated his father in Greece ten years before. Now pregnant with a son of her own, Fern, like Fenno and Paul before him, must make peace with her past to embrace her future.

Elegantly detailed yet full of emotional suspense, often as comic as it is sad, Three Junes is a glorious triptych about how we learn to live, and live fully, beyond incurable grief and betrayals of the heart -- how family ties, both those we're born into and those we make, can offer us redemption and joy.

Customer Reviews:

Lacks fierceness and depth.......2007-09-21

I really found Three Junes by Julia Glass to be tedious beyond belief. In a way she seemed to be copying The Hours. The triptych, the gay man, etc. But her novel can't hold a candle to The Hours, since her narrative is pointless and sentimental too, which makes me realize that sentimentality (apart from its other flaws) is a smoke screen for the kind of writers who write emotionally dishonest work. So that the choppy sentimentality becomes a technique these writers hide behind so they can be evasive, chatty, charming, shallow and disingenuous.

Glass looks nice in her photo, though.

Not that this matters. And she's obviously intelligent. But she should stop writing for the book clubs and try to write something that has some fierceness and depth.

There! I've had my little tantrum...and she is only one of literally thousands of writers who treat novels as if they are potluck: a little of this and a little of that and let's hope for the best.

An unforgettable character study.......2007-09-19

Some books have transcendent plots that carry you away on a fictional journey. Others are like fine works of art; you read them to be swept away by the sheer beauty of the prose. Still others are clever or thrilling, always staying one step ahead, compelling the reader to try to figure out the what is going on and why. Then there are the detailed character studies--these books bring a single character to life so effectively that readers feel they know this person better than almost anyone else.

Every novel tries to deliver deeply wrought characters that spring to life off the page. But once a reader puts a book down, and goes on to another, generally these characters slowly disappear from memory. But not all fictional characters fade away; with some novels the entire focus of the work is on such fine and deep characterization that readers will remember that character for the rest of their lives.

"Three Junes" by Julia Glass is just such an incredible character study. The character we come to know so deeply is Fenno McCloud. It's a brilliant creation...no wonder it won the National Book Award in 2002!

And what type of character did Julia Glass bring to life in Fenno McCloud? Is he some larger-than-life role model? No, Fenno is just another decent human being struggling to live a good life in a difficult world. Perhaps he is unique because he possesses a strong moral compass and this is what attracts us to him. Fenno is gay, but his sexuality is not important in the overall scheme of this book; also, there is nothing in this book that is titillating.

Through its artistic three-part structure, Fenno McCloud comes alive. Much of the depth of the character study is derived from the book's unique structure. The author describes it as a triptych--a three-part work consisting of a large center novel flanked on either end by two small novellas. Each piece could stand alone, but together they perform symbiotically to create something far greater. It is a structure that allows the reader to learn about Fenno from different perspectives.

The first part, named "Collies," tells the story of Fenno McCloud's father, Paul, during June of 1989--a time in his life when he is vacationing in Greece recovering from the death of his wife, Maureen. There are many flashbacks where we are introduced to many of the major characters in the novel including Paul's eldest son, Fenno. There is a young American woman on the trip named Fern. Paul finds her disarming, and soon he is telling her his innermost secrets.

The long central novel, named "Upright," is set in June of 1995. Fenno is living in New York at the height of the AIDs epidemic. And the mantra that runs through his head is "stay upright and you will stay alive." In this section we are introduced to Fenno's friends and move with him through his everyday home and work life. There are numerous flashbacks where we learn about Fenno's Scottish family.

In the third part, named "Boys, " and set in June of 1999, Fern again plays a pivotal role. Fenno and Fern meet each other in New York, never knowing that Fern knew Fenno's father in Greece ten years earlier. Just like his father before him, Fenno finds Fern disarming, and soon he is opening up to her and telling her his innermost secrets. That father and son, would find Fern and both see her as the perfect confidant...well, that makes the serendipity of their coming together even more magical.

The three sections permit us to view Fenno not only from his own point of view, but also from the points of view of those people who are most important to him. The action of the book is centered around Fenno's relationships--those with his father, his mother, his two brothers, the brothers' wives and children, his friends and lovers in New York, and even his beloved parrot, Felicity.

This novel is not for everyone. If you need a strong plot or a compelling storyline, look elsewhere: this novel is decidedly a realistic portrayal of everyday life, nothing more. If you love a novel with deep character development, look no further: this book is about as good as they get.

If after finishing the book, Fenno becomes so much a part of your life and you want some more time with him, you will be happy to know that Fenno reappears as one of a group of major characters in Julia Glass' latest novel "The Whole World Over." Both novels are excellent and highly recommended, but "Three Junes," is truly exceptional.

One of the best novels I've read.......2007-08-03

Julia Glass is a masterful storyteller. Her characters are real and complex. This is one of the most engaging novels I've read in the past 5 years.

A slice of life in thrice.......2007-07-24

This well crafted story, especially about the interrelationships between members of a family, but also between those with whom they interact, starts slowly, but improves in speed and quality. Taking place in Scotland, Greece and New York City, three chunks of time, during which the month of June falls, are covered, each period narrated by a different person. The first, "Collies 1989" (55 pages) is told by a melancholy widower during a group vacation to Greece. Although it is the dullest section, the middle part "Upright 1995" (205 pages), narrated by one of the man's sons, more than makes up for it. The descriptions are wonderful as are the characters, especially a sarcastic witty gay man named Mal. The writer delves into the relationships between Paul, his three sons, and their spouses and children. The loose ends are neatly tied up in the final section "Boys 1999" (85 pages), which is narrated by a woman unrelated but connected to the others. Three Junes, winner of the National Book Award, is a literary treat. Also good: The Hours by Michael Cunningham.

a story with no agenda.......2007-07-06

Reading this book made me feel as if I was watching life. No conclusions, no moral of the story, no agenda. I thought the story telling was fluid - one of the few novels I have read where I didn't have the impulse to flip through the pages looking for the ending.

This Sweet Place; Island Living and Other Adventures

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This Sweet Place, Island Living And Other Adventures
This book takes a fresh and amusing look at retirement.
This Sweet Place as an enduring legacy of the Bahamas
The book as seen by a Bahamian newspaper columnist...

This Sweet Place; Island Living and Other Adventures
Aileen Vincent-Barwood
Manufacturer: Media Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

Bahamas | Caribbean | Travel | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 9768170077

Book Description

This book is for all those who ever dreamed of leaving a hectic life for a semi-tropical island paradise.

The author and her husband learn that a retirement to voluntary simplicity on the Bahamian island of Great Exuma - without television, telephones or shopping malls - creates a lifestyle that brings its own sense of adventure and style.

Rubbing shoulders with an unusual mix of islanders, tourists, winter residents, VIPs, yachtsmen, and modern-day buccaneers, these intrepid New Yorkers learn to survive boredom, loneliness, homesickness, and the retirement blues.

Written in anecdotal style, and illustrated with engaging sketches, THIS SWEET PLACE follows the author's struggles with simple chores like shopping, cooking, socializing, and home building as she learns that the islands have their own special rhythm to be observed - a tempo directed by climate rather than time.

We come to know the real Exumians - descendents of slaves and slave owners, formidable sailors and devout farmers - and to appreciate their often difficult lives in what many consider a paradise on earth.

This is a witty and warm-hearted account that will appeal to retirees, escapists, and those planning for retirement. Anyone who has lived a life of hard work and long hours can use this book as a life preserver or a guidebook to paradise.

Customer Reviews:

This Sweet Place, Island Living And Other Adventures.......2001-09-18

Humor, insight, compassion, as well as an overwhelming sense of connection to all that is around her are Aileen Vincent-Barwood's trademark. Teamed with her artist husband Allen, she has managed to take the reader on a very real tour of her island paradise, never glossing over the unpleasant aspects that go with all the beauty of tropical island living. One comes away with a better understanding of the people, the history and the future of the Bahamas, as well as a relaxed feeling of having visited This Sweet Place.

This book takes a fresh and amusing look at retirement........1999-08-17

In our youth-oriented society -- where anyone over 55 is considered to be "plummeting downhill fast" -- it is refreshing to read about a retired couple who look upon life after 65 as an adventure. The Barwoods refuse to be limited by their age and are determined to keep their minds active and alert by "going adventuring." They've chosen to simplify their lives -- something I'm now trying to do -- and at the same time, make them meaningful by defying the ageism the author believes to be one of the most severe biases in our beauty-crazed, fitness- obsessed, and fear-of-aging society. The book illustrates that these days retirement in America kills more people than hard work! So what to do to avoid boredom and keep keep healthy and well and active? The Barwood's secret is that by "going adventuring" on and around their tropical island they have been able to keep their enthusiasm and passion alive and well. In this marvelous book they have shown us how they and other retirees are doing it and how we "seniors" and those facing retirement in a few years, can do the same... But get this book not just for a new outlook on aging but for its wit and fun and dry humor.

This Sweet Place as an enduring legacy of the Bahamas.......1999-07-20

For this reader, This Sweet Place has been a sweet surprise. Few of us who live big-city Bahamas lives are aware of the contributions which expatriate residents make to life on the islands. There are retirees, winter residents and other annual visitors who are an integral part of island life from Bimini to Inagua... It is a total participation in island life which gives Aileen Vincent-Barwood the inspiration for her observations. She has seen Exumians in the good times and the bad. She knows the good guys and the ones to look out for. She has valid experience to back up her perceptions. Every Bahamian with island roots will devour This Sweet Place with gusto.We've all known, at some time or another, every character that appears -- every foible, superstition, accent, "fashion," custom and creed. What's delicious is that they are all -- besides being real -- lovingly drawn and sympathetically observed. The enduring legacy of This Sweet Place will be its value as a chronicle of Bahamian island life in the 1980's and 1990's.

The book as seen by a Bahamian newspaper columnist..........1999-05-14

Sometimes we need to see ourselves through the eyes of others to appreciate what it is that makes us special. Such an observer is Aileen Vincent-Barwood, an American journalist who with her educator husband, Allen, first came to Great Exuma in 1981,fell in love with the island, bought a home, and since 1986 has spent every winter there. Her book, THIS SWEET PLACE, recounts their experiences over the years as their lives gradually become interwoven into the tapestry of island life. A skilled writer, Ms. Barwood gently draws the reader into a world in which people still regard themselves as their brother's keeper, where strangers are made welcome, and where there is still respect for one's fellow man. She shares with us the incredible beauty of Exuma as it was before the intrusion of large-scale development. As a Bahamian I am grateful to Aileen Barwood for THIS SWEET PLACE. -- Nicki Kelly, MY TURN, The Nassau (Bahamas) Tribune, December 1, 1998.

This Fine Piece of Water: An Environmental History of Long Island Sound

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A must read for those interested in L.I.S.
Wonderful Book

This Fine Piece of Water: An Environmental History of Long Island Sound
Tom Andersen
Manufacturer: Yale University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Conservation | Environment | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

Ecology | Environment | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0300102879

Book Description

This lively and readable book traces the history of Long Island Sound and tells the stories of the scientists and citizens who have been working to restore and preserve it.

Customer Reviews:

A must read for those interested in L.I.S........2004-06-15

What a fantastic book. As a marine biology educator on Long Island Sound, I found this book to be an essential part of my course. I am requiring it as summer reading for my course. It is full of history and information. If you use the Sound at all, this book is a must read!

Wonderful Book.......2002-11-30

I came across this book while doing research for a segment that I was going to do for National Public Radio. Since I am only 15 I wasn't really around to witness the battle to save LIS, and I needed to know some history about the area from that time. This book helped the most out of all the materials that I read. It started by describing the time European sailors first laid their eyes on LIS to present day. He takes you on a journey through all of LIS history and presents every point of view when explaining the battle conservationists had to fight to get the government to cooperate. I highly recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in LIS. It is not a book that takes a lot of past knowledge to read, but very informative. Good work Mr. Andersen. A lot of work went into this book and it shows.

This happy isle: The story of Sea Island and the Cloister

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This happy isle: The story of Sea Island and the Cloister
Harold H Martin
Manufacturer: Sea Island Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

General | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books

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Not This Island Music
Robert Kelly
Manufacturer: Black Sparrow Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Anthologies | Poetry | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Poetry | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Pearl Harbor and the American Spirit: The World War II Generation Remembers the Tragic Event That Transformed a Nation

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Pearl Harbor and the American Spirit: The World War II Generation Remembers the Tragic Event That Transformed a Nation

Manufacturer: Xlibris Corporation
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Americas | History | Subjects | Books

Book Description

SYNOPSIS Pearl Harbor and the American Spirit is filled with unforgettable interviews that describe the shock, anger, confusion, dislocation, and unwavering American resilience that followed Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. The book is perhaps the first to document the broad human experience of December 7, 1941. In this groundbreaking publication, more than 175 people from all across America recall how their lives were suddenly changed forever by Japan's "dastardly attack" in Hawaii.

These fascinating stories take the reader back in time to vintage diners, filling stations, railroad depots, drug stores, family farms, stadiums, churches, barracks, and other places where the alarming news of the ambush was announced to a stunned nation.

Many narrators discuss significant personal, national, and world events from the time of the Depression through WWII, thus making this book a fine introduction to the momentous Roosevelt era. The stories show how the children of the Depression overcame hardship-and acquired the strong character that enabled them to emerge as liberators of the world.

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING Your book had great meaning for me. It is a remarkable collection of personal narratives that bring history to life! — Art Linkletter

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