Amazon.com
An award-winning science fiction writer, esteemed professor of comparative literature at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, and celebrated essayist and memoirist, Samuel Delany is one of America's keenest observers. He was also a longtime habitué of many of the sex theaters in New York City's Times Square, spending, by his own estimate, "thousands and thousands of hours" at the Capri, Variety Photoplays, the Eros, and the Venus. In the 1990s all of these theaters were shut down through new restrictive zoning laws, part of a combined effort by the Walt Disney Corporation and the administration of Mayor Rudy Giuliani to gentrify the area, replacing these seedily memorable institutions with antiseptic, innocuous architectural and cultural creations in the name of health safety. But as Delany reveals in his new book, Times Square Red, Times Square Blue, the decision to clean up Times Square had little to do with public health, and everything to do with corporate greed.

In the two essays that comprise this eloquent, provocative book, Delany grieves for the loss of this strip of sexual release. Though he is careful not to romanticize or sentimentalize the peep shows and porn theaters, he does illuminate the way in which these venues crossed class, racial, and sexual orientation lines, providing a delightfully subversive utopia--and a microcosm of New Yorklife. In the first essay, "Times Square Blue," Delany details his shared erotic and conversational encounters with working-class and homeless men in the theaters (which primarily showed straight porn films) and the genuine friendships that resulted; these immensely personal reminiscences also provide a social history of late-20th-century Times Square. Drawing on historical and theoretical resources in the second essay, "Three, Two, One, Contact: Times Square Red," Delany next builds a thoughtful and passionate argument against the gentrification of the area and the classist, characterless direction in which he sees New York heading. Read together, the essays of Times Square Red, Times Square Blue are both heartfelt homage to a beloved city and lament for a quirky vitality increasingly phased out by encroaching capitalism. --Kera Bolonik Book Description

"Measured but emotional, illuminating but challenging."
— The San Francisco Chronicle

"A profoundly humane and intelligent book."
— Thom Bunn in The Los Angeles Times

"In a provocative and persuasively argued cri de coeur against New York City's gentrification and the redevelopment of Times Square in the name of 'family values and safety,' acclaimed science fiction writer Delany proves himself a dazzlingly eloquent and original social commentator. . . . This bracing and well-calibrated blend of journalism, personal history and cultural criticism will challenge readers of every persuasion."
— Publishers Weekly [starred review]

"Both a celebration of the kaleidoscopic possibilities inherent in urban diversity and a eulogy for the plurality of human contact and stimulation squelched by the Times Square makeover."
— Village Voice

"The book presents an interesting assessment of the reality behind the Disney takeover of Times Square."
— Philadelphia Gay News

"[An] incredible polemic in defense of queer public sex...well worth our time"
— el boletin

If one street in America can claim to be the most infamous, it is surely 42nd Street. Between Seventh and Eighth Avenues, 42nd Street was once known for its peep shows, street corner hustlers and movie houses. Over the last two decades the notion of safety-from safe sex and safe neighborhoods, to safe cities and safe relationships-has overcome 42nd Street, giving rise to a Disney store, a children's theater, and large, neon-lit cafes. 42nd Street has, in effect, become a family tourist attraction for visitors from Berlin, Tokyo, Westchester, and New Jersey's suburbs.

Samuel R. Delany sees a disappearance not only of the old Times Square, but of the complex social relationships that developed there: the points of contact between people of different classes and races in a public space. In Times Square Red, Times Square Blue, Delany tackles the question of why public restrooms, peepshows, and tree-filled parks are necessary to a city's physical and psychological landscape. He argues that starting in 1985, New York City criminalized peep shows and sex movie houses to clear the way for the rebuilding of Times Square. Delany's critique reveals how Times Square is being "renovated" behind the scrim of public safety while the stage is occupied by gentrification.

Times Square Red, Times Square Blue paints a portrait of a society dismantling the institutions that promote communication between classes, and disguising its fears of cross-class contact as "family values." Unless we overcome our fears and claim our "community of contact," it is a picture that will be replayed in cities across America.

Customer Reviews (6)

hey, reader! stop giving no-star ratings to this book!
A confused "Amazon Customer" is repeatedly inserting blurbs from other periodicals into the "customer review" section of this page, AND failing to give "star" ratings to these inserts -- thus steadily dragging down the star-rating of this book.Since the blurbs are positive and have been repeatedly entered, I assume this "Amazon Customer" wants people to be interested in the book.Well, by failing to give a star rating, you're doing exactly the opposite!So either stop inserting blurbs altogether, or start giving them star ratings.This book is too cool to be muddied up by your confusion.

Prelude and fugue
Samuel Delaney has done the near imposible - he has written a book that is both titillating and informing.Dividing his cogent 21st Century social philosophy into two parts is at first disconcerting: Why are we reading(buying) a book that lets us in on the gossip of firsthand observation ofTimes Square New York, then in a page turn becomes a sophisticated academictreatise on our current social problems, in the City, and in a Country? Once past this mirage of a hurdle Delaney makes it patently clear why hechose this format.If we are introduced to a problem in a seductivemanner, we pay closer attention to the bigger issues.This superb littlebook is illuminating in its exploration of where we are in ourinterpersonal relationships, our interplay with those around us (street,neighborhood, city, country), and our current drive to homogenize ourworld.Beautifully written, immensely readable, and a very importantcontribution to our social perceptions!

An intelligent, touching book
I always thought of Samuel Delaney as a writer of science fiction, my least favorite genre, so this is my first book by him.I was impressed and delighted.The worst thing I can say about it is that Mr. Delaney has alove of dependent clauses strung along inside comma-copious sentences thatwere sometimes hard to read.But he has awesome insights too, andcompassion and wisdom lace every page.Makes me wish I was old enough topartake of that culture.

Sex and the City
A remarkable book, with both the frankest discussion of people's sexual desires and needs of any book I've read in years, and a compelling argument about the crucial role places like the old Times Square play in the life ofa city.A paeon to America's cities and an intimate history of a culturebeing destroyed.Delany's masterful prose makes this brief book a treat toread.A great stocking stuffer for the intellectually and sexuallyadventurous.

Not worth it
This book promises to be a history and social commentary on Times Square's sleazy recent past. But in reality the book is told from a very narrow and restrictive point-of-view (. . . )There's nothing wrong with that except he practically ignores the fact that the West 42nd Street sex shops, peep shows, and massage parlors were also an attraction for heterosexual men. The reader will get painfully tired of reading endless descriptions of Delaney's sexual exploits among the XXX theater crowd. Additionally, the handfull of black and white photos of the empty storefronts of the "Forty Deuce" were taken after most of the shops had been driven out of business. Without good photos of the way 42nd Street used to be, the vibrant nature of the area is greatly diminished and Delaney's text doesn't make up for it. If you are looking for a social history of the old Times Square, something balanced and better illustrated, try Josh Alan Friedman's "Tales of Times Square" instead. ... Read more

Book Description
"Murder fans who prefer their crimes with a touch of class should heat some scones and nestle back for the afternoon."
ATLANTA JOURNAL & CONSTITUTION
Murders just didn't take place in fashionable Callander Square, so Inspector Pitt's well-bred wife Charlotte couldn't resist finding out why one had. Suddenly there she was, rattling the closets of the very rich, listening to backstair gossip, and unearthing truths that could push even the most proper aristocrat to murder.... ... Read more

Customer Reviews (18)

Good, but not as good as I had hoped.
I had expected the Charlotte and Thomas Pitt series to be an equal collaboration between the husband and wife team with each having their particular fields of investigation.Thomas would have been on the official side and made the inquiries dictated by having the legal rights to do so.Those involved in the mystery would have been obliged to give him at least some cooperation simply because he represented a governmental agency.Charlotte on the other hand could proceed from the social aspect of the lives of those involved.By coming back together and sharing what they had learned they would help each other reach a final solution.

For whatever reason Ms. Perry did not exactly construct this mystery in that way.To my way of thinking, Charlotte was not even that interested in the investigation.I did not like having her get bogged down by being immersed in helping General Balantyne with his family history.There were great stretches of time when she made absolutely no moves toward resolving the case at all.It seems that her only reason for being in the vicinity at all was to enable her to meet a secondary character and provide a link for the end of the story.And suddenly her sister Emily was front and center and having a huge part in the solving of the mystery by providing information I would have expected Charlotte to have been helpful in uncovering.Did I miss something in the first book?When did Emily ever exhibit any interest in Pitt or his profession aside from her dislike of anything which smacked of the tradesman and other "inferior" social orders?I also did not feel that enough clues were given for solving this mystery.I don't want a billboard but I do like to feel that my detective has some hint of where he is headed.You may not agree with me but I feel as if Pitt just wandered in and suddenly got it right.

This series is very much an insiders view of the lives and thoughts of life during the Victorian era.I have read so many books having to do with this time period that I am not as shocked by the hypocrisy and double standards as some readers new to the era may be.I still think Anne Perry does a fantastic job of immersing the reader in that time period but now I have to read the third book to get a better feel for where she is going with the relationship between Thomas and Charlotte regarding detection.I wanted to read the series in order.Now I wonder if that is really necessary.With the exception of several references to Cater Street and the death of Charlotte's second sister this book is a stand-alone.I could have enjoyed it very much without having already read the first book.

I liked this book very much.Not as much as the first but it was still way up there on my enjoyment scale.I will continue to read the stories in order but only because I have already purchased them all and can do so very easily.If you are interested in the Victorian era, or if you just want to escape into a good mystery, then this author will definitely do it for you.

Appearances Matter in This Victorian Novel of Hidden Sexual Sins
Those who like to pillory the Victorians do so for their application of a double standard, licentiousness in private while appearing spotlessly upright in public.Callander Square is a powerful commentary on that double standard, as the story strips away the cloaks of respectability among neighbors in an upper class neighborhood.

Upper class lives were then seldom examined . . . except by ladies who were gossiping.When two dead babies are found by accident buried in Callander Square, it becomes Inspector Thomas Pitts' duty to examine all of those lives . . . looking for who the mother was.Pitts' theory is that if you can find the mother, you can find the murderer . . . or the circumstances of death if it wasn't murder.

The wealthy men and women in the square do their best to fend off Pitt by focusing him on their servants.Unsuspected by them, Pitts' wife, Charlotte, decides that she wants to find the mother too . . . but to succor rather than to accuse her.Charlotte and her sister Emily play an undercover role in which Emily is the Upstairs mole and Charlotte is the Downstairs mole.Soon, the skeletons are rattling in all the relevant closets.And crimes multiply!

This mystery presents an interesting problem.How do you investigate when all the "good" people either won't talk to you . . . or lie when they do?These people are so delicate that they won't even come out and discuss their concerns.One has to hint around . . . and hope that the message is received and understood.So there's a dance of manners involved here inside of a mystery which is inside of a dysfunctional society.For those who like novels of manners, there is much to enjoy here in addition to the mystery.

I give Ms. Perry great credit for hiding the villains until late in the book.You will know in the last 80 pages or so who did what, but it's a totally incomprehensible mystery before then.If she had shortened up the end a bit, I would have graded the book higher.But the climax is more like a tea party that's gone on too long than a climax until the last few pages.

The writing is superb.A large number of characters are fully developed, and the development is used well to advance the plot.

good, but the first one's better...
I thoroughly enjoyed Callander Square, although I found the end less intriguing than The Cater Street Hangman.I was completely shocked with the first one's ending, while this one was just okay.The characters were very interesting in this novel though, and I really didn't suspect who the murderer was, but his character was too underdeveloped in my opinion.I also was disappointed that Perry showed very little interaction between Charlotte and Thomas--I was looking forward to reading about their marriage and how they were managing married life.Overall a great read if you are looking for a fun, yet sophisticated, murder mystery!

Scandal among the well-born
Anne Perry's second Inspector Pitt novel once again presents the reader with an unflinching look at societal ills in so-called "proper" Victorian households.

The genteel residents of Callander Square all have something to hide. A gentleman enjoys secret trysts with his parlormaids. A desparate mother hatches a plan to cover up her daughter's own sexual indiscretions. An unhappy woman mourns a daughter who vanished after presumably eloping with an unknown and likely unsuitable admirer.

The residents panic when Thomas Pitt arrives to investigate the deaths of two newborn infants. With help from his enterprising wife, Charlotte, and her sister, Emily, he lifts the veils of respectability covering the shallowness and self-centeredness of each of the families. In the process, the residents demonstrate those in the upper classes are no better than low-born criminals. Most of the neighbors care nothing for the truth and show little human kindness; they look out for their own interests above all.

The mystery in "Callander Square" takes a back seat to drawing the reader into the family scandals -- secrets some would do anything to keep hidden. Those looking for a fast-paced thrill ride will be disappointed, but those who enjoy the novel of manners will appreciate the well-drawn characters and setting. By the end of the book, I'd almost stopped wondering who the killer was, because I was so engrossed in the lives of those in the story.

Even Better Than the First One
I enjoyed The Cater Street Hangman, but I think this book moved a little quicker and a was little less predictable.I really didn't figure out "whodunit" until it was revealed.I like Anne Perry's writing because it is not contrived, gives us a good sense of what the Victorian times were like and is not full of smut. ... Read more

Product Description
Recently retired due to a freak accident, NYPD officer Moe Prager is lost. In pain and without the job he loves, Moe relunctantly settles on the notion of going into the wine business with his brother. When a suburban college student vanishes off the streets of Manhattan, Prager's universe is turned upside down and his life changed forever. Hired by the student's desperate family, Moe plunges deep into the world of New York s punk underground, sex clubs, and biker bars. Politicians, journalists, and crooked cops seem hell-bent on stopping him in his tracks. Set on the gritty city streets of the late seventies and the present day, Walking the Perfect Square is a unique mystery that delivers a compelling look at one person's efforts to find a man who was never really there and to protect his family from an unbearable truth. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

A fabulous start to a series!
The prior reviewers have done a good job.I will just add a very enthusiastic additional vote for buying this book as soon as you can.It is so well constructed compared to most of its competitors.

I was left with a feeling of 'When can I get me hands on the next one?' when I finished this book.I would have read both back to back if I had the second one today.

This guy's the real thing
I read the most recent Moe Prager novel first, and went back to this one with eagerness but also some trepidation in case it wasn't as good.But it completely lived up to my expectations.Reed Farrel Coleman is an excellent writer and this series is a must-read for any noir fan.

The First Moe Prager: Walking The Perfect Square
On December 8, 1977 Patrick Maloney, Jr., college student, walked out of a local bar and vanished. As 19977 became 1978 other things in New York City like the arrest of the Son of Sam killer garner media attention. For recently retired Police Officer Moe Prager, the disappearance of Patrick Maloney, Jr. is insignificant and no different than many of the ills that befall the city's population. Not that Patrick isn't important in his own right, but Moe has more on his mind thanks to a ruined knee and is facing limited prospects and a lonely life.

At relative loose ends when his friend and still a cop Rico Tripoli calls, he agrees to meet him for lunch at a local restaurant. Rico wants to talk to him about looking for Patrick. Once there, despite the obvious racism of the missing man's powerful father, Patrick Maloney, he agrees to start working the case in exchange for a favor regarding a much needed liquor license. Moe's brother wants him to go in with him on a wine shop and without any other options Moe has sort of agreed to do so. As he begins working the case, he realizes that he has missed the streets and soon discovers that everyone involved is lying to him. Nothing is the way he thought it was with his enemies or his friends.

Twenty years later the case still haunts him and a call from a Nun in a local hospice brings it all back to life. A man is dying and wishes to unburden himself and will only do so to Me Prager. He may finally get the last piece of the painful puzzle that has haunted him for years and nearly destroyed his family.

This is a very good novel featuring a number of interesting characters. The read is a little disconcerting at times as it moves back and forth between 1977 and 78, and the present (1998). I'm not a fan of flashbacks, extended or otherwise, but in this case it actually enhances the story. By moving back and forth, it creates a different perspective for the reader as the mystery is slowly solved.

At the same time, the author has an incredible sense of detail and an uncanny ability to bring the work alive for the reader. He really got into my head and made me feel like I was there right with him, step for step, as he worked the case. There are not very many authors who can totally pull me into their world like that and he did it easily within the first ten pages or so. His characters were rich and complex with a decidedly noir slant and his sense of pacing and story development was right on.

This was a very good read and according to my local library, the first novel of a new series built around the main character, Moe Prager. Unfortunately my local library does not have his earlier novels, "Little Easter," Life Goes Sleeping," and "They don't Play Stickball In Milwaukee." You can bet I'm going to be looking for them.

Hardboiled Brooklyn
Moses 'Moe' Prager, the protag. of Reed Farrel Coleman's "Walking the Perfect Square" is a real stand up guy. He measures up with the best characters from the Noir canon.
An ex-cop with one bad leg and too much time on his hands makes the kind of p.i. you can count on.He's seen a lot and can put two and two together.Hey you do the math!
If you miss the "Rockford" or "Columbo" type mysteries, love NY or just want a story that goes down smooth give this one a spin!

One Reason 1978 was a Good Year
Walking the Perfect Square evokes the late 70's in New York City, and I mean the real city as only a real "five-borough" New Yorker can know it.What makes the main character, Moe Praeger, so compelling is his intensity of desire -- for a solution, for the truth, and for thin-lipped tough Catholic girls.Reed Farrel Coleman commits no technical fouls weaving his intricate plot to this reader's immense narrative satisfaction and delight. I look forward to more. ... Read more

Book Description

Customer Reviews (53)

wonderful
im off and running recently i just started following patterns i am having so much fun creating new things with new stitches i have crocheted since i was 8 but i never could follow a pattern now that i can i love this book so many fun things to make
Thank you

Squares will never be boring again!
I love this book, squares are such a great project being that they are so portable, you can take them practically everywhere.This book has enough designs to make sure you will never be bored crocheting plain ole granny squares again.The designs are beautiful, the patterns easy to follow, the pictures great.Only complaint is there are several errors in the patterns, I found them on the publisher's website and wrote them in the book (as I will never be parting with it).But despite that it's a great book that any crocheter will love.

200 Crochet Blocks for Blankets, Throws, and Afghans: Crochet Squares to Mix and Match
This is a great book for many... granny square designs!You'll love it!Many "traditional" designs and lot of more "modern" looking grannies!It's a have to have for your crochet library!

Helpful survey of crochet blocks
As noted, there are not 200 unique crochet blocks. That being said, there is a wide assortment of styles, including a variety of flower shaped blocks that have become popular recently, inspired by Japanese crochet books. The book would have been improved if it included diagrams, but most American books seem to use text exclusively. Also, it's worth noting that all of the blocks in the book are square.

There are some nice suggestions for how to mix and match the pattern to make afghans, but I think the book is useful as a reference for creating different blocks, which could be used more dynamically than the author actually suggests -- she is basically confined to the blanket genre where they could be used for any number of other applications such as scarves or bags.

Nice, inspiring book!
I'm really glad I ordered this book. It's very inspiring and has lots of lovely squares to mix and play around! It also gives axamples of the same squares made with different colors. What I most like about it is that it doesn't bring "closed projects", but encourages you to create your own - choosing colors and squares combinations.
It just didn't receive 5 stars because there are no diagrams and I prefer following diagrams instead of written instructions... ... Read more

Book Description
It’s a sun-scorched world where clouds rarely come and nothing seems to move. That is, until children ages 6 - 9 up look a little closer to find tortoises, toads, and lizards, not to mention the scary rattlesnake and scorpion. Here, plants send their roots deep into the earth to find water, beetles stand on their head and shoot a stinky spray to fight off enemies, and roadrunners whiz by sleepy turtles and nervous desert mice on their way to ... where? Kids need only light clothes and a few simple pieces of equipment to explore the enchantments of cactus country. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Both interesting and informative
I reviewed this book for The Home School Manual =============================

One Small SquareOne Small Square, Cactus Desert"Whew! It's hot: 115°F (46°C), and the temperature is stillclimbing. . . . Welcome to cactus country. Home of rattlesnakes androadrunners, yuccas and chuckwallas. . . . In this desert you will discoveranimals that never take a drink of water and plants that double as'apartment houses.' . . ." On turning the page we are told thatexploring offers many surprises, but to be prepared in case one of thesurprises happens to be a scorpion or another dangerous creature.

Thewords, "small square," emphasize the idea that carefulobservation, even in a small space, yields a wealth of interestinginformation. And the book itself is square (9" X 9"). You areshown life under the ground as well as above it. Notes in the illustrationspoint out interesting facts, and each chapter of two or more pages dealswith a general topic like protection from the heat, dangers in the night,or how certain plants and animals take quick advantage of a rare rainfall.One chapter near the end explains that some deserts (including Antarctica)are cold. Names are given for all the plants and creatures shown. Studyingthis book is, in some ways, even better than visiting the desert itself.The book offers good science and would even make a great gift.

One of aseries of Small Square books by Donald M. Silver. This one is illustratedby Patricia J. Wynne. For readers 7 to 12 (as if adults wouldn't have funlearning all these things, too). Hardcover, 48 pp. Was $14.95. 1995, fromanother publisher. ... Read more

Product Description
18 quilts using fat quarter or precut 6-1/2" fabric squares, each illustrated with a full-page, full-color photograph; templates and complete instructions included. This is a beautiful little book!! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Holiday starter
This book will inspire even the most inept quilter to leap in and create lovely gifts for any occasion.Easy to understand and a joy to work with.

Quilting Made Easy
Great book!Fun projects and easy to understand language, especially for the beginning quilter! ... Read more

Book Description

"Hamilton . . . is a sort of urban Thomas Hardy: . . . always a pleasure to read, and as social historian he is unparalleled."-Nick Hornby

Customer Reviews (5)

"This girl wore her attractiveness ... as a murderous utensil with which she could wound indiscriminately."
Set on the eve of WWII, "Hangover Square" is the story of a seriously disturbed man, George Harvey Bone, who's fallen in with a bad crowd. Bone is a solitary gloomy man who lives in a hotel in Earl's Court, London. He has no family--except for an elderly aunt in Hunstanton. George doesn't work--instead he lives off of a modest nest egg and spends his days and nights hanging around a small-time actress, Netta, and her set of male admirers. George is obsessed with Netta, and although he originally impressed her with his ready ability to stand for rounds of drinks, now he's relegated to the status of lowly 'hanger-on.' He is one of "the class of men who desired her, who sought her favours, and to whom she intended to give no favours." He's tolerated--barely--for his money alone.

George is subject to 'moods.' When exposed to an unbearable level of emotional distress, his damaged personality copes by mental escape. He hears a "click" in his head, and then he 'wakes' up with another personality. Whereas George is normally quiet, gentle, and unassuming, his other secret self is cunning and violent. George is aware he 'blacks out' but has no memory of exactly what he does. Once he hears the 'click' he emerges into his other, fractured self, and he's momentarily confused until he finds his bearings: "it was as though he had dived into a swimming-bath and hit his head on the bottom, and was floating about, bewildered and inaudible to himself in hushed green depths."

Netta and her unpleasant friends constantly humiliate George, and in retaliation, during one of his moods, he plots her murder. Netta is blissfully unaware of this, and treats George abominably--using him to bolster her non-existent career. The novel tracks George's existence as he pathetically hopes for a crumb of attention from Netta and also records the episodes in which he flips from one personality to another. Patrick Hamilton's novel is atmospheric and tense as the story reveals George's boozy social world in the grimy smoke filled pubs of London. Netta is a fascinatingly bad yet strikingly beautiful character--a woman who is "sinisterly, devoid of all those qualities which her face and body externally proclaimed her to have--pensiveness, grace, warmth.""Hangover Square" is a gripping story of one man's descent into madness, and the act he deems necessary to gain escape from the unbearable torture of loving a woman who has no conscience. If you like the novels of Patrick Mcgrath, then you'll enjoy "Hangover Square" and its sad, lonely and ultimately complex protagonist. And if this Patrick Hamilton novel grabs your attention, I'd also recommend the DVD "The Charmer" which is based on Hamilton's novel "Mr. Stimpson and Mr. Gorse"--displacedhuman

One of the best
Criminally unknown and unheralded stateside, this book ranks alongside Julian MacLaren-Ross' "Of Love & Hunger" as a 20th century classic and, on the evidence currently cluttering up the bookshops and Oprah's club, will probably remain an unchallenged classic throughout the 21st century.

The trivialisation of humanity beneath the Superstate
Hamilton addresses the diminishing importance of the individual in the face of the modern superstate. This novel resembles in atmosphere the 'film noir' genre of the contemporary cinema. George Harvey Bone's patheticcareer is 'sensationalised', made lurid and larger than life, so that hebecomes like a figure in a melodrama.Hamilton uses language that focusthe reader's view through those of Bone,self-obsessedly viewing his ownactions, his "great golfers hands" on the golf club for example,as he tries to invest himself with some feeling of worth whilesub-consciously plotting murder. Bone's schizophrenic world threatens toexplode throughout the book , just as the dark clouds of war with Europegather threateningly in the background. The tiny tragedy of Bone' s demiseis deliberately made to read like pulp fiction, in a sense, and the reportof his death, forced off the front page by the breaking out of war, islikewise reduced to a tabloid headline.

The whole setting of the book isartificial; "the agony of Netta beneath the electric light"; the great wave of laughter (the world's laughter) that breaks over Bone as heenters the lime-lit Brighton theatre, are part of the harsh artificialityof the world that Bone inhabits. His friends are cynical and talkenthusiastically of fascism.

I am reminded by this book of the worlddescribed in Henry Miller's early work (Tropic of Capricorn etc) and ofGeorge Orwell's 'Coming up for Air' in which, once again, events buildagainst the mounting threat of World War II, and the protagonists (George'Fatty' Bowling) sense of personal history, values and identityare buriedby the onslaught of suburban sprawl and its attendant advertising,materialism and the dislocation of community.

Hamilton predicts thepresent day world of media obsession with personal agony, which trivialisesall human anguish and tribulation, reducing human experience and sufferingto a commodity to be consumed, rather than a shared touchstone ofcommunication, understanding and empathy.

Hamilton's brilliance lies inthe clever contrivance of allowing us to feel Bone's pathetic agony, andyet to see it transformed into a trite, turgid melodrama, which isinterchangeable in the daily press with a major international war. This isthe kind of attitude, towards the small business of being human, thatwasnecessary to prepare the world for the introduction of concentration campsand mass political executions.

Imagine George Harvey Bone as a characterin a Thomas Hardy novel: (Bone could be transformed into a country rubequite easily!) His unfortunate story would be imbued with a sense ofsanctity and respect that Hamilton deliberately defiles and destroys beforeour very eyes, using exactly the same means in achieving this end as themedia of his day, and as the media of the present day does in a way thatboth Hamilton and Orwell could forsee, perhaps, but surely never appreciatethe oppressive monstrous extent to which it has come.

This is one of thelast novels, it seems to me, written before the obsession with the selfishconcerns of the individual (the first article of faith of capitalism)became the only concern of the writer. Hamilton's book clearly indicatesthe coming of this self obsession.From here on, solipsism rules OK?

a masterpiece - why isn't it published in USA???
This is truly one of the literary masterpieces of the 20th century...it's a sad commentary on our country when this is unavailable in the US while so much trash can be had in every mall bookstore. Netta is without a doubt themost memorable villain in modern literature.

Tale of unrequited love in the grimy streets of WW2 London
Simple, stupid George is in with a bad crowd - the sinister Peter, his crowd of unemployed hangers-on and the beautiful but cruel Netta with whom George is love. Spurned over and over, humiliated and ultimately resented for his weakness, it becomes increasingly difficult not to offer George your greatest sympathy, even given his occasional psychotic episodes where he realises he must kill Netta and escape his flimsy existence. This tale is an intense and moving study into the pain of unrequited love. ... Read more

Book Description
Simple squares take teetering twists and tilting turns in this revised edition of a quiltmaking classic! The popular quilts from the first Square Dance are now shown in all-new fabrics.

· Sew a grid of squares, cut the grid apart, and stitch the pieces together again for eye-popping results

· Choose from nine favorite projects—over 80 helpful illustrations are now in full color

· Use easy chain piecing to make superquick quilts; whip up bonus miniature quilts with leftover squares ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Outstanding Quilting Book!
This book is incredible!You can make really cool quilt projects using straight seams.If you can sew a straight line you can make these pinwheel quilts.It is practically goof-proof!Directions and instructions are clear and easy to read.Your only limitation is your imagination.It is hard to find since it is out of print, but once you get it you will love it.Even beginning quilters can do these projects!

square dance
I teach quilting classes for Irvine Valley CommunityCollegeand found this book for my new fall semesterclass.I ordered 7 books today and some studentsare ordering their copies from Amazon.It is a fun project and even beginners can make it. We were able to find a templet to help with the cutting. I recommend this for a fun class.

Amazing changes right before your eyes!
I am amazed at how Martha Thompson can teach you to take simple squares and turn them into these incredible quilts! And it is SO EASY! My entire quilt guild was enchanted by the wallhanging I made IN ONE EVENING! This book is the favorite of my collection! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Needs Better Location Factors
Means has an excellent way of doing SF calculations and is much cheaper than the Marshall & Swift products.But there is a horrible flaw in NW Arkansas which I made them aware of a couple years ago and they have done absolutely nothing about.
Their location factor is wrong for NW Arkansas. Every study in the state points to NWA as being the most expensive part of the state, with only Hot Springs and Little Rock close rivals.Nevertheless, the factor is the lowest in the state....its time to redo your FACTORS!

So, warning you, NBC is closer to right (erred on the other side by having base costs that are too high) so watch your location factors and make sure they make sense for your area. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Goldie's encounter with shapes
In "The Silly Story of Goldie Locks and the Three Squares" by Grace MacCarone, A modern Goldie Locks visits the cottage of the three squares.She encounters various shapes during her stay.This story mirrors the traditional Goldie Locks and the three bears.As this Goldie flees, the book says "But she still remembered this: The shortest distance between two points is a straight line.So Goldie Locks ran straight out the door. And she never circled back."

The cover says the reading level is Kindergarten to Grade 2.

This is a good book, but not great.I still reccommend it as one more learning tool to use with your child. ... Read more

Book Description
Before there was Vegas, and long before there was "reality television," there was Times Square. For a century, it has stood as the blazing Crossroads of the World; the sometimes magical, sometimes tawdry, but always spectacular epicenter of American commercial culture.
Times Square Style is a visual compendium of the energy and dazzle and glamour that made the Great White Way the most famous -- and notorious -- place in America's most famous -- and notorious -- city. From Ziegfeld's Follies and George White's Scandals to titanic signs with screaming type -- Drink Pepsi! Smoke Camels! Good to the Last Drop! -- to burlesques with dancing girls in short, short skirts, this book brings to colorful life a trove of arcane, lost, and otherwise forgotten promotions, signs, flyers, programs, posters, records, napkins, advertisements, billboards, and other works of ephemera large and small.
Times Square Style is published on the centennial anniversary of this defining American place, with more than 200 color images and 25 vintage black-and-white prints. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Carnival Times
Flick through this lovely paperback and you'll realise that the style of Times Square is to have no style apart from a bubbly exuberance, which jumps out from two hundred graphics shown.

Some wonderful material has been selected, the chapter on the Great White Way has a spread of eighteen beautiful theater (always spelt theatre) programs and over the page illustrator Franz Felix has four stunning covers for Theatre Magazine. A nice touch is a page of eleven half-torn theater tickets (1947 to 1958) produced, it seems, by some local jobbing printer.Sign Spectaculars chapter includes ten postcards from 1914 to 1955 revealing the amazing neon displays around the Square.I've always noticed, over the years, the Bond Clothing store and their neon claim of Two Trouser Suits, now long gone I expect.

The nine chapters just about cover everything the Square had to offer and the range of graphic material shown is very impressive.Well designed and printed, I think this super book will interest graphic designers, pop culture fans and New Yorkers who want a souvenir of their famous Crossroads of the World.

***FOR AN INSIDE LOOK click 'customer images' under the cover.
... Read more

Book Description
When you give a writing assignment do your students respond with, "I have nothing to write about"? Obviously, there are plenty of topics available. What your students need isn't topics, but the skill of organizing and clarifying their thoughts around a topic and developing that content into sentences and then paragraphs. You'll find all the help you and your students need about writing and learning across the curriculum in this book. Included are everyday writing activities, special writing projects, poetry templates and the Four Square Writing Method. As your students plan and organize information, they'll move beyond recitation of information to develop deeper understanding. Your students will enjoy working on learning logs, brochures, how-to guides, diamantes, noun poems, cinquains, biographical poems and more. They'll also learn how to use the Four Square graphic organizer to help them focus, organize and support their writing with detail. Before you know it, they'll be writing articles, essays and stories with ease! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Excellent Teaching Material
This book is wonderful!!I am a substitute teacher and need material such as this to keep the kids involved in learning.I am buying all the books. ... Read more

Book Description

Following the successful 25 Houses Under 2500 Square Feet and 25 Houses Under 1500 Square Feet, this book continues to explore the joys of living in compact, well-designed spaces. The twenty-five homes presented here, all recently constructed, offer an extraordinary range of architectural solutions for designing functional yet interesting, dramatic living spaces, ranging from a few hundred to 3,000 square feet.

Customer Reviews (2)

Almost as good as 25 houese under 2500 sq. ft.
There were some interesting porjects but not like 25 houses under 2,500 sq. ft.Some really good detailing but also some that do not have the level of detail as the larger houses.Might be because of budget, not the house themselves.

Sample Some Modern Homes
The 25 houses are featured with photos, architectural drawings and site plans.The homes are varied to fit the sites and to match the personality of the owner.
You've heard of Tex-Mex?One house in San Diego combines Japanese and Mexican design elements, so you see, this is not just a collection of standard home plans. ... Read more

Book Description
By focusing on one small square of night sky near Orion, this entry in a highly lauded series gives children aged 6 to 9 an exciting close-up on amazing facts about stars, planets, nebulae, comets, meteors, the moon, constellations, and classic myths.Suitable for stargazing anywhereÑeven the cityÑThe Night Sky will add to kids' wonder as it teaches them about the marvels of the heavens through superb illustrations and a proven approach that entices their interest and involvement. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A fun and informative hands-on astronomy book for kids.
The Night Sky is an excellent introduction to astronomy for children.I am a science teacher and have looked at many books preparing for my astronomy unit next year - and The Night Sky will be required reading formy class! Information is interesting and exciting. Stargazing is anessential part of the book, but done in the typical "One SmallSquare" fashion so as to interest and excite children with their newknowledge rather than overwhelm them.I loved this book! A must-have forany young scientist! ... Read more

Book Description
A unique showcase exploring the use of pattern for visual communication across design disciplines.

Communicating with Pattern: Squares, Checks, and Grids is a celebration of the squarest, most linear patterns in every design discipline.

Squares and checks represent order, mathematics, technical precision, minimalism, and modernism. From graphs and grids, to pixels and road signs, squares and checks make up the framework, the very map of our existence. They are also embedded in the very weave of our history, from Wicca and Christian iconography to traditional checked and tartan cloths.

This book is a visual homage to squares and checks, an inspirational graphic collection of squares and checks from all environments, an exciting sourcebook of pattern ideas for designers across disciplines.

• Rich, stimulating, and varied creative sourcebook with a wealth of material for designers
• Part of the ultimate “pattern bible”: the Communicating with Pattern series

**North American Rights Only** ... Read more

Product Description
Build your grades 2-6 classroom into a winning team of writers. This manual of writing strategies and focused practice items will be all you need to coach young writers to become more confident authors. Everything you need is in one place: explanations of successful writing techniques, writing samples to discuss as a group and practice pages for small groups or independent work. ... Read more

Book Description
Fair, Square & Legal has long been the essential resource for organizations seeking to stay within the law and avoid violating the rights of their employees. This new, extensively updated edition reflects the latest regulations and court decisions, while retaining all the indispensable information readers have depended on for more than a decade.

Readers will find information on a wide variety of legal issues including:

* recruitment and hiring* sexual harassment* violation of privacy* evaluations and promotions* affirmative action issues* discipline and firing

The book covers the latest discrimination and EEOC guidelines, employee verification, and technology issues. It also updates topics including management best practices and recruitment. Comprehensive and up-to-date, Fair, Square & Legal is still the very best guide to keeping an organization out of hot water. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

An Absolutely Essential Source of Information and Counsel
This is the Fourth Edition of an exceptionally valuable book which was first published in 1991. Weiss has updated his material to accommodate new laws, regulations, and court decisions which are directly relevant to discrimination and EEOC guidelines, employee verification and security, technology issues, sexual harassment, negligent hiring practices, management of people with disabilities, affirmative action, discipline and termination policies and procedures, defamation, violations of privacy, the Family and Medical Leave Act, evaluations and promotions, sex and age discrimination, and labor law.

As is also true of previous editions, the subtitle correctly indicates that Weiss explains "safe hiring, managing & firing practices to keep you & your company out of court." He organizes the material as follows:

Part I Safe Hiring Practices [re recruiting, interviewing, and employment decisions]

Part II Safe Management Practices [re evaluations and promotions, preventing sex discrimination and sexual harassment on the job, employee action laws and labor rights]

Part III Safe Firing Practices [re discipline and firing practices, public policy, management of older employees]

With Weiss's guidance, it is possible for the decision-makers in any company to complete what amounts to a comprehensive "audit" of any and all areas in which that company could be vulnerable to litigation. Of at least equal importance, the same "audit" will help the company to determine precisely what its obligations are as an employer as well as what the legal rights of each employees are.

Perhaps it would be helpful to those who read this commentary if I now provide a brief excerpt which is representative of the quality of Weiss?s counsel throughout the entire book. I have deliberately selected an especially troublesome area, one which has been the focal point of countless lawsuits: Employee Performance Evaluation. According to Weiss: ?Subjective rating systems in themselves are not illegal. The EEOC and the courts recognize subjective job standards such as communication and leadership skills) and that the words [in italics] good, satisfactory, poor, and unsatisfactory [end italics] carry within them subjective elements. So where do they draw the line?

1. When standards are unequally applied or do not exist at all; and

2. When someone shows that the standards or their absence produces disparate treatment in promotion and compensation policies, as for example:

? When sex stereotyping tainted the process by which a woman was denied a partnership in a [major] accounting firm or

? When subjective decision making torpedoed promotion policies that have disparate impact on minorities.

EEOC and court rulings encourage objective performance appraisals, but they discourage using them as a subterfuge for discrimination.?

Weiss devotes all of Chapter 6 to explaining HOW to formulate policies and procedures so that all evaluations and promotions are ?safe.? That is, they are in full compliance with all applicable regulatory laws, rules, and regulations.

Throughout this brilliant book, as Weiss rigorously and thoroughly examines hiring, managing, and firing practices which are both ethical and legal, he explains What You Can Do and What You Cannot Do. However, with all due respect to Weiss, qualified legal counsel should be consulted to ensure that all of a company's policies and procedures are "fair, square & legal." One of the many value-added benefits of this updated edition is that Weiss identifies a number of ?Cases? at the end of each chapter to which his readers and their legal counsel are referred. There are 17 cited at the end of Chapter 6.

An organization?s policies and procedures concerning employment law must then be carefully explained to all of its employees as well as contained within an employee manual. If at all possible, the same policies and procedures should be readily available online. Of course, they must be rigorously and consistently enforced. Even so, there may yet be frivolous lawsuits but at least the company has done everything possible to prevent them and is thus much better prepared to obtain a favorable decision in a court of law if and when involved in litigation. ... Read more

Book Description
Underlying the many crises in American life, writes Richard John Neuhaus, is a crisis of faith. It is not enough that more people should believe or that those who believe should believe more strongly. Rather, the faith of persons and communities must be more compellingly related to the public arena. "The naked public square"—which results from the exclusion of popular values from the public forum—will almost certainly result in the death of democracy.

The great challenge, says Neuhaus, is the reconstruction of a public philosophy that can undergird American life and America's ambiguous place in the world. Arguing that America is now engaged in an historic moment of testing, he draws upon Protestant, Catholic, and Jewish thinkers who have in other moments of testing seen that the stakes are very high—for America, for the promise of democratic freedom elsewhere, and possibly for God's purpose in the world.

An honest analysis of the situation, says Neuhaus, shatters false polarizations between left and right, liberal and conservative. In a democratic culture, the believer's respect for nonbelievers is not a compromise but a requirement of the believer's faith. Similarly, the democratic rights of those outside the communities of religious faith can be assured only by the inclusion of religiously-grounded values in the common life.

"The Naked Public Square" does not offer yet another partisan program for political of social change. Rather, it offers a deeply disturbing, but finally hopeful, examination of Abraham Lincoln's century-old question—whether this nation or any nation so conceived and so dedicated can long endure. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Naked:without overarching belief, consensus, personal morality, or real, organized religion

Richard Neuhaus' The Naked Public Square can be summed up no better than the quote that is on the front of the book: "The book from which further debate about church-state relations should begin."

The book's contents are not for the young or those with short attention spans: however, his point is excellent, and twenty years after the writing of this book, Richard Neuhaus appears to have hit the nail square on the head.

The primary purpose of The Naked Public Square is to alert the reader to the coming of a new era in the United States. The era is not good or new: instead it is an evil that, here, now, sweeps across portions of the world. Europe, Russia and China seem to have already fallen victim to it, and the United States is the last great world power to meet it.

The terror is, of course, this naked public square. It is naked because it is without overarching belief, consensus, personal morality, or real, organized religion. It's a place where God cannot be mentioned, where vicious revenge is taken on any individual or group that may attempt to bring their religion or worldview into the mainstream. It's a place where the law needs only the justification of power to hold it's place, where the authority of the Bible, the church, God, and all other things that lay claim to authority not of this world are scorned as "intolerant." This naked public square indoctrinates every man to believe everything spiritual is relative, and that it is wrong, pointless, rude or all three to convince another individual to think his way. Religion is prevented from becoming solidly organized as a force that could challenge the moral legitimacy of the government or the culture-forming, powerful elite of society. Neuhaus says it would be enforced by the least likely of people: libertarian judges.

Though all of this seems rather depressing, Neuhaus reminds us that this naked public square is not unavoidable. This is a time of turmoil and a time when this country can choose a direction, and we must choose before someone else chooses for us.

The Naked Public Square is thought provoking, deep, interesting, and packing a huge dose of truth. I would recommend that every American or European read it to enlighten themselves and to remember its message every time they go to the polls.

One of Chip's Top Ten (wordsntone.com)
This book put my faith to the test: Can I be in the world, but not of it?Neuhaus' "naked public square" refers to the public spaces in American life, which are naked or empty because religion and religious values have been systematically excluded from the public arena and from determination of public policy.This book should be given to every politician-does anyone have a few hundred thousand dollars so we can do that?Get the book and learn how you can clothe the naked public square.

Interesting, but ultimately flawed and propagandistic
John Richard Neuhaus is one of the leading intellectuals in the United States today, specially concerning issues of religion and state. The argument he makes in this book is the one he has been defending since the 90's in the journal he edits, First Things. This argument has become the mainstream in the agenda of the neoconservative movement and the Republican Party, as much as it has been adopted by the religious right.

That argument can be synthesized as it follows: the secular state has pushed religion out of the public square, depraving it of the only element capable of giving meaning and morality to what he calls "the American experiment". While the founders of the nation were for this separation between religion and politics, Neuhaus contends, they also expected that government role was limited, and that religion itself could work to provide that sense of morality (or what is called the "republican virtue"). But since the state has grown and invaded spheres where it had no jurisdiction initially (like education or courts), to promote a secular view of morality - which Neuhaus claims is incompatible with the will of most of the American people-, it is necessary to rethink the state of things concerning the debate of Church and State in the US. This new "civic religion" based on pure secular principles not only goes against the will of the people, not also is an attempt to purge religions from the public square (living it "naked"), but at the end will push the state to become totalitarian (since Neuhaus claims that the essence of totalitarism, resides in the absolute power of the state, which is the result of removing religion out of the competing powers in a society, and creating a government based on pure utilitarian reason, without the support of transcendent based morality).

In this context, the appearance of the new religious right in the US must not surprise us. Only certain aspects of the secular elite - the media, the academia and the politicians- can be surprised with this, because they have become elitist and learned to despise the importance of popular movements. Nor the furious rhetoric of the religious right should scare us: it may have horrible anti-intellectual anti democratic tone but the essence of their demands is what we should look. And that is, the demand that religion is included back into the discussion in the public square, that religion is part of citizens more cherished convictions and that it cannot be ignored by the elites that rule the country; it is anti democratic. To illustrate his point, Neuhaus uses the cases of slavery, civil rights and abortion. All of this disputes that are political, are disputes about distinct moral positions that require the discussion of religious values mixed in the debates. In this sense, Neuhaus call is not only a criticism of the "secularists" that want to imagine a country is a secular country when it is not, but also of the members of the religious right, who have voiced their demands in a language that is essentially private, when those demands demand that they are made in a language that must be public (since they are made in the public square).

The criticism of Neuhaus in this instance is very sharp, since it goes around to see the way the church has assumed church and state relations. It finds that many churches have decided to simply go into exile to show their repulsion of the world, or when they try to participate in politics, they do it with the conviction of imposing their own view of Christianity to others (theocracy). Nuehaus calls for a more "modest" approach, based on an amillenialist understanding of the coming back of the kingdom of God. The idea is that while it is true that Christians now for a fact that the kingdom of God will be set on earth, and thus a Christian order of the world, Christians don't know when this is going to happen; and not only they don't know, but the imperfection of the church prior to the advent of the Kingdom of God, sure make em more humble. They know the truth, but they should not have the right to impose it on others. For that reason Neuhaus calls to Christians to participate in the political world, in the sense of compromise with the "American experiment", which was initially a Christian intend to create a new community of believers. For this Nuehaus revises Christian thought on the matter, and finds that while it is true that Christians are right to be suspicious of the state - it was the state that killed Jesus- and there are biblical references to the state as a source of evil - Revelations 13-, there is also a tradition of Christian thinking that gives legitimacy to the "terrene powers". From Paul (Romans 13) to Origins and Eusebius, there is a line of thought to the church to compromise with earthly affairs.

My main objection to Neuhaus is, as an atheist, the validity of his claim that "moral claims require the existence of God in which to base them". If this premise does not hold water, and thinkers since Plato (see the Eutrypho) don't think it holds, the whole building of the argument father Neuhaus is making crumbles. That is the main problem, but there are others. If it is true that the church makes authoritive claims about the world, which are believed to be true, then there is no true space for the compromise a democracy demands. True cannot be negotiated: it is or it is not. Despise all the efforts of Neuhaus, I don't see how he can resolve this problem. Finally, one of the things that bothers me most, is the way Neuhaus tries to excuse the rhetoric of the religious right, that is not simply offensive or not polite, but simply it's a call for aggression with anybody who disagrees with their agenda.

Strong Medicine
I do not agree with everything that Neuhaus says, but when you read what he writes you will see his perspective laid out clearly and can make up your own mind.

Buyer Beware
Neuhaus is the ideological equivalent of a Pat Buckhanan, or a Jesse Helms.
It's unfortunate that such personages attain perpetually sponsored platforms to make comfortable careers perched on soapboxes pontificating arrogant, narrow, bigoted, disrespectful, negative commentary on those they choose to target--and are afforded with consistent respect and never personally challenged all the while.

Buyer beware:Neuhaus is not a benevolent, spiritual personage.He is calculated social mover aligned with various neo-conservative organizations.He leads a think tank which which serves as a ruthless pro-Vatican (and anti-anyone-else-who-should-happen-to-cross-my-path) propaganda machine.He routinely publishes rabidly hompohobic articles, and demonstrates little respect or toleration for religious or human diversity.

This isn't the work of a wise, gratious spiritual person, or a great intellectual:It's neo-conservative agenda pushing.Just be aware of this before buying... ... Read more

Book Description

Customer Reviews (14)

Or how cats became heroes
Once upon a time in a far away place, there lived a bad man, a very bad man. In fact this man was so good at being bad that he convinced the people of his country that he was a good man. Not only that, he convinced them he was the man for the job, the job of leading their government. So he did. Then he convinced his people that there were enemies living right there in their country and they should remove them. But inside his government where there were dark secrets, this bad man decided to create a Final Solution for dealing with these enemies within.

Years later and still unto this day, many writers and historians and journalists have tried to explain how this bad man gained such power to do the awful things he did. Karen Hesse and Wendy Watson combined talents to create "The Cats in Krasinski Square," in their effort to show one tiny moment in this ugly episode of history, the Holocaust of Jews, first in Germany, then rapidly spreading to other Germanic countries and conquered ones in World War II.

In Poland in Warsaw in the Jewish community, walls were built to keep in Jews and keep out non-Jews. Simply an early phase of the Final Solution. Separate the Jews into ghettos, then collect them in cattle cars to take them to the concentration camps, then eliminate their existence through crematoriums--the Final Solution. Notice the massing together at each phase, attempting to make negligible their humanity.

The cats in Krasinski Square are homeless because of the rounding up and crowding together of the Jews. The cats thrive on mice, but they miss their former masters. People outside the ghettos, both non-Jews and Jews able to escape and pass as Polish, keep the cats socialized by the attention they give them (see cover for an example).

A nameless girl, a Polish Jew, who escaped the ghetto, is the narrator of this simple, but heroic act to get food inside the ghetto. There are many holes in the walls, the escape hatch for the cats who come and go, seeking mice. It also is the entryway for food. For this particular episode, friends will arrive on trains with satchels of food to bestow in the holes of the walls. Unfortunately, the Gestapo knows and waits with hungry dogs. The cats are used as lures for the dogs, who go after them instead of the food. Food disappears into the walls and starvation is staved again for a while longer.

That is the essence of the story. A great story. The other half of this wonderful story is the illustrations. They are done in pencil, ink, and watercolors on Strathmore drawing paper. Watercolors tend to give a transparency to the subject, providing a dreamy cast. Watson also uses dark colors, possibly pencil, to provide a ominous overcast to every scene, then offsetting each with an orange glow, perhaps suggestive of hope and action. This is such a perfect pairing, words and illustrations to convey a message of action through hope and hope leading to action. A must-read book for every public, school, and home library.

Story about resistance for children and adults
This is a childrens' book for children and adults about resistance and caring in Warsaw by an intelligent and brave Jewish girl, her friends both human and feline. It is sad but also encouraging. It is a difficult topic written with great sensitivity.

Mrs. Price's Third Grade Class
This is a real story that happened a long time ago during WWII.It is a great book because the little girl thought of a good plan to distract the police.The illustrations were great.It was a beautiful story because they were helping Jewish people.

Ms. Pye's Third Grade Class
The story takes place during WWII and is based on a true event.We liked the story because they helped people who were trapped get food.The story was interesting.The girl had two great ideas to help others.The girl was brave by helping smuggle food into the Warsaw Ghetto.

Mr. Ferrara's Third Grade Class
The story took place during WW II.A girl, her sister and friends were planning to smuggle food into the Warsaw Ghetto.The police found out about the plan; what were the girl and her friends going to do?The girl had a back-up plan!This is a good story because it is heartwarming and people are helping others.It also gives details about a true event during WWII. ... Read more

Book Description
"Sharply, evocatively written and elaborately plotted...It should find as many friends as did GORKY PARK."
THE WASHINGTON POST BOOK WORLD
Back from exile, Arkady Reko returns to find that his country, his Moscow, even his job, are nearly dead. Not so his enemies. Hounded by the Russian mafia, chased by ruthless minions of the newly rich and powerful, and tempted by his great love, Arkady can only hope for escape. Fate, however, has other ideas....
A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK
A LITERARY GUILD MAIN SELECTION ... Read more

Customer Reviews (30)

Problematic plot but who cares when the writing is this good?
Every book has to end, I know that, but I felt cheated when I closed "Red Square". How dare Cruz Smith actually finish this thriller? How could he not have added a few more pages of his delicious and irresistible writing? Arkady Renko, the incorruptible and love-lorn Soviet detective, is on the trail of the people who killed one of his informants. He is also pining for the love of his life, who is now broadcasting pro-western propaganda to the fast-collapsing Communist empire from Munich (the action takes place in August 1991). As luck would have it, Renko ends up in Munich as he tracks the killers. The plotting in this novel isn't great -- there are too many coincidences and Renko does remarkably well in Germany, given it's his first time in the West and he speaks little German. The writing is addictive as ever and reaches new heights when Ranko is reunited with the object of his desires, who has a new man in her life. If you want to while away an absorbing few hours, I highly recommend this book.

Another superb novel from Martin Cruz Smith
I read this book twice. Still was confused, but as in his other novels, the author grabs you and puts you inside the protagonist's (Arkady Renko) head.
I think I will read this a third time. Even if I still don't understand it, I will greatly enjoy the ride.

Back in the USSR
Martin Cruz Smith is a former journalist and magazine editor. "Red Square" is his third novel - after " Gorky Park " and "Polar Star" - to feature Arkady Renko and was first published in 1992.

Renko, the hero, works as an Investigator with Moscow's militia - more or less the standard police force - and has something of a chequered career. Never a truly 'practising' member of the Party, Renko hasn't always been thought highly of by those in authority. He has always wanted to catch the people responsible for the crimes he's investigating, regardless of the 'political' consequences - as a result of this, he was once dismissed from the Party for a lack of 'political reliability' and sentenced to a life in Siberia. He also appears to be something of a disappointment to his father, a very famous ex-General. (Arkady's opinion of his father - who is very ill as the book opens - isn't too high, either). However, after the events outlined in "Polar Star", he was reinstated to his former position - but is now working in a new Moscow that he barely recognises. "Red Square" is largely set in Moscow, Munich and Berlin in 1991 and is set in turbulent times : Germany has been re-unified and the breakup of the USSR is closing in.

The book opens in August 1991, with Renko and his partner - an Estonian called Jaak Kuusnets - on their way to a meeting with Rudy Rosen. Although Rosen operates as a banker for the various factions of the Russian Mafia, he has agreed to Renko planting a transmitter in his car for the duration of a Mafia-sponsored illegal market. (This is largely due to the fact that the militia have enough to put Rosen away for a very long time). Despite turning informer, Rosen appears to feel relatively safe. The Chechen faction, headed up by Makhmud, constitutes his only real enemy, but - since all the factions require his services - he doesn't think he's under any real threat. His sense of security is reinforced by Mikhail Kim, his fearsome-looking Korean bodyguard, and his business partnership with Borya Gubenko - the head of the Long Pond Mafia. Unfortunately, shortly after a quiet conversation with Arkady at the market, Rudy is killed when his car goes up in flames - changing Renko's case from surveillance to a murder inquiry. One of the witnesses points the finger at Kim - and it seems clear the Korean was responsible for at least one of the two explosions.

Although Arkady works most closely with Jaak, there are a couple of other members on the team he has assembled. Polina deals with the forensic work and is nearly as dedicated to her job as Arkady Renko is to his. Minin, on the other hand, is practically the anti-Renko : he remains devoted to the Party and is, in fact, the only Party member on the team. Renko's boss is a man called Rodionov - the City Prosecutor and an elected member of the People's Congress. When Renko meets with Rodionov to inform him of the investigation's progress, he's also introduced to General Penyagin - the recently appointed head of CID. Unlike his predecessor, Penyagin is a bureaucrat - not a detective risen from the ranks. Renko is stunned to discover that the third person attending the meeting, Max Albov, is a journalist. As the investigation unfolds, developments take Renko far and wide - even to the recently reunited Germany. However, Albov proves to be someone Renko just can't avoid.

This is a hugely enjoyable book - in fact, the Renko series is just getting better and better as it goes along. The book is set in the USSR's dying days, a difficult time for all those used to playing the political game. As such, it's probably even more dangerous that it had been - especially for someone like Renko who only cared about catching the villain, rather than doing what was politically 'correct'. Highly recommended.

"Who can we be, if we get out alive?"
First published in 1992, _Red Square_ illustrates the complexities which have emerged as the Russians allow some private enterprise but have not yet become a democracy.Hardliners want to perpetuate their own way of life, while young people and the hungry proletariat want reform and their own piece of the pie.Arkady Renko, who has appearedin two previous Cruz Smith novels (Gorky Park and Polar Star), has returned to Moscow from exile and has resumed his job as a detective, this time investigating corruption and criminal fraud in the city as private enterprise takes illegal turns.

Rudy Rosen, who engages in money-changing, gambling, and other felonies, some of them involving citizens of foreign countries, is cooperating with Renko by allowing him to record conversations.Immediately after Renko leaves Rudy in his car, however, Rudy's car explodes, incinerating Rudy and a suitcase full of cash.As Renko investigates who might have killed Rudy, the complexity of this mystery parallels the complexities of a Russian society in which it's every man for himself in terms of financial transactions.

All the characters are at loose ends, wondering who they are and how they are perceived.Renko is just back from exile, the love of his life having defected to Germany years ago, and she believes that he has abandoned her.Rudy Rosen wants to have it both ways--to cooperate with Renko and to continue his shady dealings.The Chechens who appear in the story are blamed for everything that is violent or illegal, but they remember the horrors of mass relocation and the killings through which the Russians annihilated their villages and left them homeless.As the investigation of Rudy's death leads Renko from Moscow to Munich and Berlin (and to a meeting with Irina, his long lost love), Renko meets with other Russians who live abroad but still regard themselves as Russian.

Renko is a sad case--morose, love-starved, and without any reason for living--and as he tries to do what is right, his essential goodness comes through.As the case becomes an investigation of stolen paintings, many of them owned by Jews at the outbreak of World War II (and earlier), Renko's own superiors and the Russian Mafia abroad threaten his life.The body count rises and who-did-what-to-whom becomes confusing, but many readers will be focused on the character of Renko.As he tries to navigate the minefield of his own life, he resembles a modern version of some of the great Russian tragic heroes.This is not the most unified of the Renko mysteries, but it is fascinating, nevertheless.nMary Whipple

All four very good, this one is fantastic.
Red Square blew my mind. What a great book. I find there is a lot of junk out there for the two genres I prefer: fantasy and crime drama. I was floored by Red Square - and had actually read it first. Kind of shows how great it is that I loved every moment and I had not even read Gorky Park or Polar Star yet (both darn good, too). Havana Bay followed and was good, but not as full and gripping as Red Square. wow. Truly a gift. ... Read more