The Power of One (Young Reader's Edition)

Book Description

In 1939, hatred took root in South Africa, where the seeds of apartheid were newly sown. There a boy called Peekay was born. He spoke the wrong language–English. He was nursed by a woman of the wrong color–black. His childhood was marked by humiliation and abandonment. Yet he vowed to survive–he would become welterweight champion of the world, he would dream heroic dreams.
But his dreams were nothing compared to what awaited him. For he embarked on an epic journey, where he would learn the power of words, the power to transform lives, and the mystical power that would sustain him even when it appeared that villainy would rule the world: The Power of One.

Customer Reviews:

"First with the Head and Then With the Heart...".......2006-11-08

There are two versions of Bryce Courtney's "The Power of One"; the original version and this, the junior novelisation. The two are quite different so make sure that you double-check what publication you're getting before you order. I would suggest the older version for most readers, since this basically tells the same story in simplified form. However, in Australia and New Zealand, "The Power of One" has reached almost cult-status in terms of popularity, and some younger readers will leap at the chance to familiarise themselves with the story before they are ready to tackle the more complex and violent subject matter of the original. Furthermore, it is a perfect choice for school libraries and/or compulsory reading in classrooms.

Like the adult version, the junior novelisation is concerned with the life of Peekay, a young boy living in 1930's South Africa, coping with racism, tension between the various social groups of the time (the Boers, the English and the Africans) and the growing threat of World War II. This younger version begins in the same place as the adult one, with Peekay being sent to a boarding school in which he is urinated on by his fellow students - a clear sign that Courtney is not prepared to soften the harshness and cruelty of the original book for the benefit of a younger audience. In comparison this story ends after the famous concert at the prison, the moment in which the adult novel really begins.

The junior novel follows Peekay's journey from childhood into earlier adolescence and the beginnings of the adult world, told in significantly less detail and in more simplified language than the first "Power of One". On the way, he makes friends from every race and class, learning the most important truth of his life: to think with his head and then with his heart. In particular, he finds work in a jail, inventing an ingenious way to help the convicts communicate with their families on the outside, and discovers the sport of boxing along with the remarkable idea that you do not have to be the biggest in order to be the best.

Courtney's gift comes from finding the grey areas in each situation, showing us clearly that one race, one country, one ideology is never wholly righteous; goodness can only come from an individual. Near the beginning of the book Peekay is persecuted by Nazi-supporters; later a dear friend of his unfairly is jailed for being a German. Humanity's overwhelming desire to classify and then judge people based on these classifications is never more frustrating than it is here, and it is a lesson well worth learning.

Although this is a more-than-adequate introductory book for younger readers eager to tackle "The Power of One", I would recommend to anyone else over the age of twelve (or any confident reader under that age) that they simply pick up the first (and best) adult version.

growing strong.......2006-02-25

how you can feel with a little boy's hardship in a boarding school and how you hope for his stamina and how you love his intense friendships that bring him on his way.

You really live with that life and that is best a book can do.

A powerful story of courage and change.......2006-01-14

If Bryce Courtenay's The Power Of One sounds familiar, it's because this represents a young reader's condensed edition of a prior hard-hitter which became both an adult classic and an acclaimed movie of the same name. It's great to see such a powerful novel condensed with youth in mind: grades 8-12 will find compelling the story of 1930s South Africa and a boy who faces apartheid and prejudice in a country where his childhood is marked by loneliness and dreams of changing lives. A powerful story of courage and change evolves.

Great Novel - but CONDENSED.......2006-01-07

I have read the Power of One, the unedited version and it is brilliant, inspiring, and brutal - one of the best books I've read. However, this edition that is being sold here, is the Young Reader's edition, which isn't immediately obvious from Amazon's description or the picture. It does say so on the cover, but it's very small unless you enlarge the picture. So, my review gives it a 2 as it may be an unpleasant surprise for those who want to read the actual novel.

A Masterpiece.......2005-12-24

I read this book before the crap movie was ever released, and it's a good thing, too. Whoever says the novel is dead needs to take a look at this. Courtenay has written a brilliant bildungsroman that you literally can't put down. You might even end up re-reading certain passages over and over, such as the boxing match between the protagonist and a Goliath-like opponent. If you have a bright pre-teen, give him this, and I bet he'll enjoy it.

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

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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.

98.6 Degrees: The Art of Keeping Your Ass Alive

Average customer rating:

Great Book
A must-read for any hiker, hunter, camper, etc.
You can stay alive with items that fit in a sandwich bag. The list is here.
Lundin's fine book focuses on a practical hierarchy of priorities
Interesting Reading

98.6 Degrees: The Art of Keeping Your Ass Alive
Cody Lundin
Manufacturer: Gibbs Smith, Publisher
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Rayovac SPHLTLED 3-in-1 LED Head-Lite

ASIN: 1586852345

Book Description

"If you breathe and have a pulse, you NEED this book." -Cody Lundin

Customer Reviews:

Great Book.......2007-10-04

Lundin goes beyong just the gear list for a "survival kit" and discusses the importance of regulating body temerature. Most other books do this but they do not go into as much detail to help you understand. Lundin also discusses the psychology of a survival situation that other authors do not do at all. Unless you have been lost in the wilderness alone you will not know what happens but Lundin does an excellent job of explaining not only what happens but how to overcome the situation. Excellent book to read but like he says, in order to fully understand the concepts you need to get out in the wild and take a survival course.

A must-read for any hiker, hunter, camper, etc........2007-08-26

If you believe the TV drama crap in the show "Man vs. Wild" where Grylls is scaling cliffs and jumping into freezing rivers, this book isn't for you because Cody Lundin actually wants you to live. The book 98.6 Degrees tells you statistically that most people who die in the wilderness die from hypothermia and hypothermia -- not from avalanches, bear attacks, etc. But most people don't want to hear this maybe because it isn't exciting enough.

I think of this book as the foundation from which all survivalism studies should start. The book really goes into great detail into the "whys" of exposure and other conditions one commonly faces in the wild. You need this information so that you can adapt and think on your own for the unique situation you may face. Cody challenges traditional survivalism manuals and has the personal experience to back up what he writes. One reviewer labeled this book as a kum-bay-ya book, but the book is exactly the opposite. The book speaks with life saving frankness and flat out tells you that you will be worm food if you make certain wrong decisions.

The book has some great color photos and diagrams as well and has perhaps the best and most thorough advice on assembling a survival kit I've seen (the book explains why store bought kits are seriously lacking). The only reason I didn't give it five stars is that I felt the book, at times, spends a little too much time on trivia knowledge (e.g., history of the match) at the expense of more knowledge on shelter building strategies, how to build a fire, etc. I want more info on how to put the survival kit to use. I suppose that might be in a sequel to this wonderful book. Despite minor shortcomings, this book has completely changed how I look at preparing for and handling survival situations. Highly recommended!

You can stay alive with items that fit in a sandwich bag. The list is here........2007-08-16

Buy the book. Your life, your family's life may be saved by it. Buy it for your friends.

Lundin's fine book focuses on a practical hierarchy of priorities.......2007-07-29

I teach a brief segment on survival skills, and I completely rewrote my class outline after reading Lundin's book. Lundin explains why silly diagrams on building a figure four trap and a solar still do not add to survival skills, but core knowledge of the key priorities of shelter do.

I'll give it four stars instead of five because there is some silly rhetoric in it irrelevant to the survival issue. But I recommend this book to anyone interest in practical advice.

Interesting Reading.......2007-05-13

Interesting reading with excellent ideas, list, supply ideas etc.

Definitely would recomend to keep on hand

Average customer rating:

I LOVE THE SWIMSUIT EDITIONS!
Still too much clothes, too much covered up!
excellent viewing and reading
The real deal finally
Simply amazing...as always

Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue 2007
Editors of Sports Illustrated
Manufacturer: The Time Media Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Single Issue Magazine

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ASIN: B000MKYLKI
Release Date: 2007-02-12

Amazon.com

Beyoncé Knowles graces the cover of the 2007 Swimsuit issue. The music themed issue features 20 of the world's most beautiful supermodels posing at spectacular locations around the world as well as some of the biggest stars in the world of music. See former cover models Veronica Varekova & Yamila Diaz-Rahi from a new angle in their 3-D photo shoot. SI favorites Marisa Miller, Daniella Sarahyba, Brooklyn Decker highlight returning veterans with new, sizzling shoots. Don't miss the all-new body painting section, photo shoots at Graceland and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and much more in this must-have issue.

Customer Reviews:

I LOVE THE SWIMSUIT EDITIONS!.......2007-08-17

I see alot of back and forths about Beyonce' being on the cover. Beyonce' is a very beautiful woman. But I think the problem is, is that she is NO model and she is on the wrong magazine. SI swimsuit has always been about the model look, and thats what people are looking for. Beyonce' is beautiful, but her look is very different from the other women thats been on this magazine and it does not fit from previous editions..thats all. She's more the type to be on FHM or Maxim. As an example, would the fans of FHM or Maxim want to see these SI models on their magazines? I doubt it! It's about different tastes thats all....oh and im sure some of this back and forthing is just a tad bit motivated by racial stuff.....but i wont go there, thats another topic! LOL Anyway, another great issue!!!

Still too much clothes, too much covered up!.......2007-06-07

Yes, it's a great issue, but I've been saying for years that Sports Illustrated should do this swimsuit magazine without the swimsuits--the girls should be totally nude. Swimsuits should only be used sparingly, with extreme discretion, and only when appropriate.

It's a travesty that we should have to make this much of an effort to imagine what these women are like without clothes on when everyone knows that beautiful women like these LOVE to take off their clothes and pose for admirers.

It's not an issue with the models--they would enjoy showing off and they love knowing that men are enjoying looking at them. It's Sports Illustrated's fault--they are wussies, they are too scared and intimidated of the politically-correct watchdog organizations to go all-nude. If Si would just be brave enough to innovate and blaze some new frontiers, we could fully enjoy these women the way they were meant to be.

If they can figure out a way to make this happen in France, then we Americans should be able to do it too.

excellent viewing and reading.......2007-05-29

excellent viewing and reading material. quailty grafics pictures, and the 3D pictures awsome!

The real deal finally.......2007-05-16

After not being able to purchase SI locally here in OZ, it was great to be able to recieve a copy of latest SI - rather than rely on the occaisional pic from the 'net.... As expected this issue was excellent - world locations and brilliant models - and the 3D pics were novel.... and the linking with music via the SI website was excellent !
if u love SI - do also find yourself a copy of the DVD's as u get to see the girls 'in real life' behind the scenes.... it brings so much more to reading the Magazine...
Well done SI !

Simply amazing...as always.......2007-05-14

everyone who appreciate the beauty, this is what they need to have. Just perfect

Sports Illustrated Year of the Gators Commemorative Issue, Spring 2007

Average customer rating:

A 'Gator "must have"

Sports Illustrated Year of the Gators Commemorative Issue, Spring 2007
editors of Sports Illustrated
Manufacturer: The Time Media Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Single Issue Magazine

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ASIN: B000O79FI2

Amazon.com

This issue celebrates Florida's historic 12 months that produced back to back basketball championships and football national title. Relive the 2006-2007 basketball season and emphatic tournament run that made Florida the first repeat champions since 1992. Sports Illustrated takes you inside the Final Four and how Coach Donovan and his Gators won with the right mix of talent, selflessness and desire. Also featured is Florida's football season and how playing one of the toughest schedules in the nation transformed them into a championship team. In their shocking victory over Ohio State, Florida showed it has the talent to dominate for years to come. This issue on the historic year in Florida sports is a must-have for all Gator fans.

Customer Reviews:

A 'Gator "must have".......2007-05-24

Any University of Florida sports fan must have this wonderful review of our three National Championships in 366 days. A great summary of the history that the Gators made.

Sports in Society: Issues and Controversies with Online Learning Center Passcode Bind-in Card

Average customer rating:

Sports in Society: Issues and Controversies with Online Learning Center Passcode Bind-in Card
Jay Coakley
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0073283665

Book Description

Sports in Society is the definitive text for the sport sociology course. Taking a global, issues-oriented approach to the study of the role of sport in society, this text encourages the discussion of current sports-related controversies and helps students develop critical thinking skills.

Average customer rating:

Worth the read, a little too fluffed.
Amazing.
Talk About Real!!!
Best Book Ever Written
Get a bang for your buck

Diary of an Anorexic Girl
Morgan Menzie
Manufacturer: Thomas Nelson
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0849944058

Book Description

Morgan Menzie takes readers through a harrowing but ultimately hopeful and inspiring account of her eating disorder. Her amazing story is told through the journals she kept during her daily struggle with this addiction and disease. Her triumphs and tragedies all unfold together in this beautiful story of God's grace.

Features include: daily eating schedule, journal entries, prayers to God, poems, and what she wished she knew at the time. It's the true story of victory over a disease that is killing America's youth.

Customer Reviews:

Worth the read, a little too fluffed........2006-12-16

Aside from a minor time inaccuracy (within the first couple pages) the author's diary approach seemed a bit unauthentic. Perhaps I am too far removed from being so young, but even as the book moves on I wonder if I teen would really write so... young-like? Rather than wanting to cry "Eat! Eat!" by the end, I wanted to cry "Mature! Mature!" Getting past these things I did enjoy reading the book. As with many of these books she just seems to fall into her disorder, and it is obvious here.

I liked it.

Amazing........2006-05-15

Morgan Menzie's Diary of an anorexic girl is truly amazing and heartfelt. It is by far one of the best diaries that i have ever read. It goes deep into Blythes descent into Anorexia and to her recovery. I used to anorexic, so this truly touched me. Though it may be triggering to someone who is still battling an ED it is worth the Read.

Talk About Real!!!.......2006-04-22

Morgan Menzie's book was the first diary of an eating disorder I read, and is the reason why I continue to read more ED books. She unlike many ED authors talked about things other that just her eating disorder, such as relationships with friends, family and boyfriends. It's not a book that's all about anorexia but does emphasize more so than other subjects in her diary.

In her book, I believe she cover about mmm... three or four years, I really can't remember. Anyway it's a long period of time. One thing that she does that annoys the heck out of me is that she'll skip a whole month of entries but I guess that's the author's way of cutting out insignificant things.

Basically a girl named Blythe, which I think maybe be her middle name, becomes anorexic in middle school because of a friend. On of her friends begins to loose weight and Blythe decides she wants to loose to. But it goes beyond loosing weight it becomes a desire for thinness, and a fear of food.

Another thing I love about this book is Morgan keeps it so real. She said one of the- the truest thing EVER published about our human ways. It's on page 49 and is the...um... 4th paragraph I believe since the book is copy written I don't want to post it without permission. But what she says in that paragraph is so overwhelmingly true that I had to put down the book and think about my life. Although what she says is completely irrelevant to her eating disorder I couldn't write this review without reference to that paragraph.

Would I recommend it? Heck yeah! To anyone, even if you're not anorexic or never have been, even if you think the disease is stupid, anyone should get this book. Recoverees, havebeens, thinking about its and neverwillbees, get the book. You'll understand what it's like to have the disease for this one girl and may have a whole new outlook on anorexia.

Best Book Ever Written.......2006-03-31

This book was probably the best book that I ever read. I absolutely loved it. I couldn't put it down. When Blythe would be so close in getting a boyfriend and then fly off the handle it would get me worked up, and it made me want to tell her "Calm down. Do you know what you doing?" I would get happy for her when she was so close to a boyfriend and something to bring happiness into her life, and then she would do something crazy and destroy all my hopes of her being happy. I couldn't believe that Becca was so stupid and didn't realize that she wasn't getting better. I can't believe that she just believed the food charts that Blythe did, even though she hadn't gained any weight or looked any diifferent. I was like "How stupid can you be lady!" This book really gets you involed and it made me wonder how people can be anorexic, but the problem is not their eating it is caused by something else. Once you figure out that problem and get it solved it will be easier to get yourself back on track and keep you regular.

Get a bang for your buck.......2006-01-31

I bought this book as a recovering anorexic and I must say it really hit a part in me that hasnt been touched in awhile.
It really shows what anorexics go through, how triggers can become something that leads a person back into a disordered eating pattern and what can lead to recovery.
Short book, but I definatly reccomend reading it.

Average customer rating:

A little disappointing -- consider Jorge Posada's "Play Ball!" instead
Great for kids
Out of the Ballpark
Great book for children!!!!
Out of the ball park

Out of the Ballpark
Alex Rodriguez
Manufacturer: HarperCollins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0061151947
Release Date: 2007-02-06

Book Description

Before he hit 400 home runs...
Before he was named
American League MVP...
Before he was AROD to
millions of fans...
He was Alex.

Just a kid who wanted to play baseball more than anything else in the world.

Baseball superstar Alex Rodriguez has drawn on his own childhood experiences to create this exciting picture book. It's the story of a boy named Alex who knows what it's like to swing at a wild pitch or have a ball bounce right between his legs. Alex is determined not to let his mistakes set him back—even if it means getting up at the crack of dawn to work on his hitting and fielding before school each day!

Full of the spirit of determination and joy in the game that put AROD in a league of his own, Out of the Ballpark is a gift from a great sports hero to every young player who dreams of becoming a star.

Customer Reviews:

A little disappointing -- consider Jorge Posada's "Play Ball!" instead.......2007-06-08

After reading Jorge Posada's excellent children's book, "Play Ball!" at least a dozen times at my four-year-old son's request, I was excited to see "Out of the Ballpark" by Alex Rodriguez, one of the great players of our time.

Although other reviewers seem to love the book, my son can barely tolerate it and will pick any other baseball book before this one. He doesn't light up like he does with Posada's book, or any of his baseball books, for that matter.

His favorites are the amazing Casey At the Bat: A Ballad of the Republic Sung in the Year 1888 (Caldecott Honor Book), the entertaining Casey Back at Bat, the beautifully illustrated Home Run: The Story of Babe Ruth and a book that features his favorite player, Dear Ichiro.

The story felt like it was trying too hard to me and never really developed the great rhythm good children's book authors seem to find. Take note: this is a fictional story loosely based on events in A-Rod's life...a fact that isn't revealed until you've completed the story. I probably wouldn't have purchased the book had I known it was fiction.

When it comes to children's books, Posada hit a homerun. A-Rod, well, I'll give him a bloop single...and I'm giving him that for picking a decent illustrator!

Great for kids.......2007-03-15

I find this a great book with some wonderful surpises inside for young boys and girls who are just getting into baseball. They can learn what it means to be part of team and it shows respect to one another. My grandson had a great time with it.

Out of the Ballpark.......2007-03-10

Nicely written; very simply presented with good illustrations.

Children need to know the importance of long term goals and "practice makes perfect"...This story presents those values.

Great book for children!!!!.......2007-03-10

I bought this book for my grandson and he loved reading it. Any book that can hold his attention is well written. Thank you so much for writing it.

Out of the ball park.......2007-03-09

I bought this book for my godson Gage he is 6 and he loves this book because it is about baseball.

Average customer rating:

Heat
Excellent YA Baseball Book
Parent-approved fantastic read - especially for young boys
A Story for Baseball Lovers
Heat's Heated!!! review by Romano

Heat
Mike Lupica
Manufacturer: Puffin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0142407577
Release Date: 2007-03-01

Book Description

Michael Arroyo has a pitching arm that throws serious heat. But his firepower is nothing compared to the heat Michael faces in his day-to-day life. Newly orphaned after his father led the family's escape from Cuba, Michael's only family is his seventeen-yearold brother Carlos. If Social Services hears of their situation, they will be separated in the foster-care system—or worse, sent back to Cuba. Together, the boys carry on alone, dodging bills and anyone who asks too many questions. But then someone wonders how a twelve-year-old boy could possibly throw with as much power as Michael Arroyo throws. With no way to prove his age, no birth certificate, and no parent to fight for his cause, Michael's secret world is blown wide open, and he discovers that family can come from the most unexpected sources.

Customer Reviews:

Heat.......2007-07-28

The author is trying to be a Tom Clancy type of author by taking a number of pages to explain one fact. The story line is good, when you can remember what it was. Should be more baseball action and less talk about the same subject.
My favorite books when I was growing up were the chip Hilton series, written be Clair Bee. They all had good story lines, but had one thing in common, they also talked sports. Mr Lupica gets away from this in all his books, whereas he could be the modern day Clair Bee if he so chose.

Excellent YA Baseball Book.......2007-07-13

If you don't like books on baseball written for young adults, this book isn't for you. It does not transcend its nature. However, it is an excellent example of its kind and well worth your time if you like this kind of book at all.

The central character is well-drawn and sympathetic but his sidekick, his Catcher and pal is possibly even better and their interaction is funny also. Their is a love-interest but nothing innapropriate for kids that age happens and this romance may simply be the beginning of a long friendship, which would be no tragedy.

There are some very nicely done minor characters.

The narration is unobtrusive and fits the situation. The dialogue is not on the lines of adult conversation but it is mostly kids talking and is as it should be.

The baseball is fun and the story is worth reading.

Parent-approved fantastic read - especially for young boys.......2007-06-19

As a parent of 2 sons, it's tough for me to find good literature for them to read. HEAT is just what I'm looking for as a parent. A great story that moves right along, just enough character detail to make the story real, and baseball! Strongly recommend without reservation. This was my first read of a book by Mike Lupica. Hope some of his others are just as good.

A Story for Baseball Lovers.......2007-06-03

Michael Arroyo has a dream: to pitch in the Little League World Series. His fast ball has "heat" that could get him and his team, the Clippers, there. Michael also has a secret that could keep him from even playing baseball. "Heat" is a novel for everyone who's ever had a dream, for baseball fans and players, and for those who just love a good story with a likeable main character and interesting, quirky supporting characters.

Listen to the Ghost
Secrets I Have Kept

Heat's Heated!!! review by Romano.......2007-05-26

Picture this... a robber steals a woman's purse and is running away as fast as he can. He's at the park, almost able to jump a fence and be free with the purse. But suddenly a baseball comes flying out of nowhere and hits the robber on the back of the head. That's how Heat by Mike Lupica starts out. This is a story about two brothers, illegal from Cuba, whose dad dies, and they have to figure out how to make rent. Michael, the younger brother, is 12 years old and is an outstanding pitcher. Carlos is almost 18, and supports Michael in everything. Michael dreams of playing pro and if Michael goes pro they will be rich. Michael, like every other kid's idol is El Grande a famous picture for the New York Yankees. During one of Michael's games the other team's coach questioned Michael age. He didn't have a birth certificate, so he's not allowed to play. I can't tell you the whole book, your going to have to read it to find out if Michael and Carlos get caught, and if the find his birth certificate.

In my opinion this is one of the most fasciating books I have ever read. Mike made the book tense so you can't stop reading, though out the book. He's got man other books that I'm going to have to read, but this was one of his best books ever. I think anyone would like this book, but if you're a baseball fanatic you're going to have to read it.

Average customer rating:

Hilarious, moving & instructive
Talking Whale?
Definitely worth the time to read
WHALE TALK IS A VERY , VERY GREAT BOOK
A whale of a good book!

Whale Talk
Chris Crutcher
Manufacturer: Laurel Leaf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0440229383
Release Date: 2002-12-10

Amazon.com

T. J. Jones is black, Japanese, and white; his given name is The Tao (honest!), and he's the son of a woman who abandoned him when she got heavily into crack and crank. As a child he was full of rage, but now as a senior in high school he's pretty much overcome all that. With the help of a good therapist and his decent, loving, ex-hippie adoptive parents, he's not only fairly even-keeled, he has turned out to be smart and funny.

Injustice, however, still fills him with fury. So when big-deal football star Mike Barbour bullies brain-damaged Chris Coughlin for wearing his dead brother's letter jacket, T.J. hatches a scheme for revenge. He assembles a swim team (in a school with no pool) made up of the most outrageous outsiders and misfits he can find and extracts a conditional promise of those sacred letter jackets from the coach. After weeks of dedicated practice at the All Night Fitness pool, the seven mermen get good enough not to embarrass themselves in competition. The really important thing, though, turns out to be the long bus rides to meets, a safe place to share the hurts that have made them who they are. Meanwhile, T.J.'s father, who has taken in a battered little girl to ease his lifelong guilt over his role in the accidental death of a baby, tangles with another bully--her stepfather--and his growing murderous rage.

Chris Crutcher, therapist and author of seven prize-winning young adult books, here gives his many fans another wise and compassionate story full of the intensity of athletic competition and hair-raising incidents of child abuse. (Ages 12 and older) --Patty Campbell

Book Description

There’s bad news and good news about the Cutter High School swim team. The bad news is that they don’t have a pool. The good news is that only one of them can swim anyway. A group of misfits brought together by T. J. Jones (the J is redundant), the Cutter All Night Mermen struggle to find their places in a school that has no place for them. T.J. is convinced that a varsity letter jacket–exclusive, revered, the symbol (as far as T.J. is concerned) of all that is screwed up at Cutter High–will also be an effective tool. He’s right. He’s also wrong. Still, it’s always the quest that counts. And the bus on which the Mermen travel to swim meets soon becomes the space where they gradually allow themselves to talk, to fit, to grow. Together they’ll fight for dignity in a world where tragedy and comedy dance side by side, where a moment’s inattention can bring lifelong heartache, and where true acceptance is the only prescription for what ails us.

Customer Reviews:

Hilarious, moving & instructive.......2007-07-13

This book might win a Newberry Award if it were for younger kids and didn't use naughty language. That's the sort of thing I'd compare it to.
I've never written a review before, but this book, which I listened to in my car with my 12-year-old daughter, was wonderful. We both laughed out loud a number of times; it's extremely witty (and the audio narrator does an excellent job). It's heart-breaking at times (child abuse, loss). And it's very instructive for young people trying to make sense of the world, especially complex issues involving race, psychology, child abuse, and such.
It's arguably a bit much for a 12-year-old -- lots of questionable language (authentic, but "naughty"), and a few references to people having sex (nothing graphic, though). I'd prefer it for years 15 and up, but my daughter seemed to get a lot out of it, and the parts that worried me ... well, I hope they sort of went over her head. But I was delighted to have her hear about life from the perspective of a multi-racial kid, especially one who accepts himself but still has to put up with grief from morons in his high school.

Talking Whale?.......2007-06-13

Whale Talk

Do you have a big heart full of the kind of love that you would give a friend or even a complete stranger? That's how the Tao (pronounced The Dow) is in the book Whale Talk by Christopher Crutcher. The book takes place in Spokane, Washington. T.J Jones (The Tao) and his teacher, Mr. Simet, get together a swim team for Cutter High School. Mr. Simet has one reason for the swim team, and T.J. has another for the team, but it's the complete opposite of Mr. Simet. T.J. wants to help Chris Coughlin out of his bulling problem (Chris is handicapped). T.J. ends up going to the State championship and winning two events. But after the Championship, a tragedy strikes, one that will haunt T.J. until the day he dies.

My favorite part of the book is when Chris Coughlin gives T.J. some love back. Through out this book, T.J. shows Chris the love a friend would give a friend. This makes it special because T.J. loved Chris as a friend, that Chris gave him love, in the form of something, in return, even when it wasn't expected.

The theme of the book is love. This book shows that if the world doesn't have love, it has hate and if you don't have love, you have hate. With out love in the world, there would be no peace. It also shows us that even if you are a different color you still have the right to be loved.

This book was one of the best books I've read. I would recommend it to anyone who has a big heart with enough love for everyone in the world. I liked this book so much, because it caused me to stop and think, to check and see if I had enough lover in my heart for everyone in the world, just as the characters had.

Definitely worth the time to read.......2007-03-08

Whale talk was an incredible book. Not only was it written in a way that kept your attention every second of it, but it covered several important themes. Almost anybody in highschool or even older would enjoy this book because of its relevance to school life. The subject of racism in this book makes the reade think. The main character is one of the only non-white residents of their town, and even their area of the state. His struggles with racism are mainly in an attempt to make life better for another little girl in his town, not to stand up for himself. The main character is all about fairness, and he will do whatever it takes to stand up to people making life worse for someone else. He is responsible for starting a swim team at his school that makes it easy to get a varsity letter. The biggest reason why he did that was so that the brother of a now-deceased school hero can get his coveted varsity letter. Because their school is such a jock school, the team of misfits is not very widely accepted. The team is made of social outcasts and unlikely athletes, but they all end up very close to eachother. This book was inspiring athletically and thought-provoking socially. I'd reccomend it to anyone.

WHALE TALK IS A VERY , VERY GREAT BOOK.......2007-02-10

WHALE TALK WAS VERY, VERY GOOD. I LIKED IT A LOT. IT HAD A LOT OF SWEAR WORDS IN IT, WHICH MADE ME WHAT TO READ IT MORE. THE PEOPLE IN THIS BOOK SWEAR A LOT LIKE I DO. THIS BOOK IS ABOUT SWIMMING AND SPORTS IF YOU LIKE SPORTS AND LIFE AND LITERATURE, THAN YOU SHOULD READ THIS BOOK. THIS IS THE FIRST TIME A TEAHER I HAD EVER ASSIGNED ME A BOOK WITH THIS AMOUNT OF SWEAR WOODS WHICH WAS ODD. THIS BOOK WAS A LITLLE HARD FOR ME TO READ BY MYSELF. THIS BOOK WAS A 220 PAGE BOOK, I LIKE LONG BOOKS WITH THAT MANY PAGES. YOU SHOULD ALSO TRY TO READ THESE OTHER CHRIS CRUTCHER BOOKS LIKE IRONMAN, STOTAN,AND CHINESE HANDCUFFS. CHRIS CRUTCHER SOUNDS LIKE A VERY GOOD AUTHOR.
ERIC, 16 YEARS OLD MISS WATER IS MY TEAHER

A whale of a good book!.......2007-01-18

This is perhaps the best book Crutcher has penned. It is a good technical novel with plenty of literary merit, but more importantly it will put your brain on spin cycle if you ever thought you had your mind made up about just about any social issue. It will literally turn your soul and make you think about the power of what comes out of your mouth as you brush up against the human condition each day. You might think they are mere words, but Crutcher shows us that what flows out of our mouth has the power to curse, or to bless--no matter what you believe about God. If you have any reluctant readers in your world hand them a copy of this book. I have used it in the classroom for my more rebellious students, and I have yet to have a kid hand it back to me without finishing it and then asking for another Crutcher book.

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