Product Description
Produced with the full cooperation of the Morrison estates, The Jim Morrison Scrapbook captures the wild life, mysterious death, and enduring work of the Doors' legendary leader. New interviews with friends, family members, surviving band members, and music industry figures complement a selection of rare and never-before-published photos, including shots of private moments with his "cosmic mate" Pam Courson and his last days in Paris. The book also features 24 pieces of removable facsimile memorabilia, such as Jim's handwritten lyrics to "L. A. Woman," his teenage artwork, and a letter to his father concerning Jim's infamous arrest in Miami. An exclusive 60-minute CD comprising rare interviews plus Jim telling candid stories and a never-before-heard original poem caps off this incomparable collector's package. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (22)

The best!!!!
Loved the book.....the handwritten wassssss.....so cool.......loved the pics, the entire book, doors fans must have!!!!!
Gotta love Jim!!!!

this book was damnaged!
The Jim Morrison Scrapbook's Book that i ordered is arrived damnaged , with NO CD inside!!!!! I've not reclame and resend you the damnagedbook at the moment just because i read that this book is not available now,but i'm hungry with you and i'll never buy another book with amazon!
Regards
Massimo Di Cataldo

Couldn't Get Much Higher
The Jim Morrison Scrapbook is essentially a history of the musician, artist, poet, and, of course, rock star, Jim Morrison.The book is printed on heavy paper with many photos, an audio CD, and reproductions of documents form Morrison's life.I liked the ticket to an early Doors concert.Too bad I cannot use it today.

What struck me about Morrison were the adversities which he faced through his life.His family seems to have given him an environment which accepted alcohol, "show me the way to the next whiskey bar," but not Jim's musical pursuits.His father is said to have told Jim that he had no musical talent.I wonder what else he may have said.

Morrison was the prototypical "rock star."However, being a rock star did not let him challenge authority.The authorities of the 1960-70s were faced with a youth rebellion which embraced mind-altering drugs and was opposed to their war in Southeast Asia.Morrison represented all that they feared."And it's all over for the unknown soldier."Behavior and attitude that were not viewed as acceptable were used as an excuse to persecute Morrison.He was arrested for alleged lewd acts on-stage that he may never have performed.The FBI hunted him, driving him out of the country.

For those who did not live through the era, it is hard to understand the antagonism towards youth, their mores, and their music.You can get a taste of it in the Doors movie.I do recommend the Scrapbook for its great background information to better understand the music.

In the end, it is the music that really counts. As Morrson says,
"Well the music is your special friend
Dance on fire as it intends
Music is your only friend
Until the end."

VERY COOL
I am a huge Morrison fan and this book has cool little inserts that add to the fun of reading this book.Old letters, grade school report cards, drawings, ticket stubs....a must have for any Morrison fan!

A great buy!
I gave this book to my husband for Christmas and he absolutely loved it! It's well worth the money. ... Read more

Product Description
Accessibly written and easy to use, this comprehensive book covers everything professionals and students need to know about DSM-IV. Following the DSM-IV's format, the text presents every diagnosis and for each includes case examples, a detailed analysis, and a clear explanation of how to arrive at the diagnosis and rule out other possibilities. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (31)

Helpful - not too complex
I'm a student and this book makes understanding the DSM-IV alot easier with it's included case-study examples.

AMAZING!
I got this book to study for my NCMHCE exam given by the NBCC. This book was so incredibly helpful! Reading the DMS-IV was okay, but I could not get a real picture of what some of the disorders looked like. This book made the DSM much more understandable and helps you get an really good grasp of how each disorder presents itself. The case studies and explanations are amazing at teaching differential diagnosis and helping you be aware of differences in each diagnosis. I was really happy with this book and I am convinced it's the reason I passed my exam today. Highly recommended! I bought this for about $20 more ($80)at Barnes and Noble, so i'd def. recommned getting in on Amazon! Either way, it was worth every penny.

DSM made easy
This book is a great help with making the DSM easier to understand. I know I will continue to find it extremely helpful in my studies as well as my future career as a therapist. A definite keeper for students of masters in marriage and family counseling.

MADE MUCH EASIER
This book is very helpful in the understanding of the DSM-IV.I have found the case vignette very helpful.However I have found certain parts of the DSM-IV more helpful. After reading the DSM IV then using the DSM IV Made easy compliment the book and helps you completely understand the books.I recommend this book to help any person who needs to read and understand the DSM IV.

Every new clinician's dream
The DSM-IV Made Easy is perfect for new clinicians and/or students.It not only indcludes all the information you need from the DSM-IV, but it includes vignettes, and even practice cases at the end of the book.It's a great resource, and much easier to skim through when making a diagnosis choice.I definitely recommend this product! ... Read more

Product Description
University of California, Davis. Second edition of a guide for psychiatry residents preparing for the second part of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology certification examination. Previous edition 1992. DNLM: Psychiatry - United States. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

The official party line but not entirely honest
First of all the good news... this book is a great introduction of what to expect with the Oral Board Exam. Lots of info.
As someone who used this book and failed the oral boards here is the bad news...The author writes that if one failed the boards this is due to having violated some basic rule of the practice of medicine or some principle of conduct between human beings...This is not true at all! Competency in real life and "comptenecy" with the ABPN are 2 unrelated items. Basically the examiners have a preset about 10 hurdles for you to navigate sussesfully in order to receive their passing grade. The problem is that these hurdles are purposefully hidden from you while you are trying your best. YOU have to remember to metion all ten or fail. That the examiners hide the hurdles from you behind a stone face while you are anxiously trying to show your best attributes makes this artificial situation even worse.
Another falsehood...The statement that the ABPN has no set percentage of candidates who must fail the exam. In order to exist as an entity on financial grounds alone it MUST fail a good percentage to remain in business with its exhorbitant fees. Of note, the examiners are placed in pairs. This in effect sets up tension BETWEEN THE TWO EXAMINERS. Neither of the 2 wants to appear too lenient with a condidate in front of the other and thus the incentive is to be brutal with candidates. I would have appreciated a book which was more honest in relation to the above. In a sense, the author by towing the party line has become a part of the corrupt process,(candidates of 1994 and afterwards face recertification while those from before don't),which really is irrelevant with regard to good clinical care. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (7)

Greatest Interview Book
This book is a WONDERFUL reference for doing interviews in a school, psychological or professional setting. This book gives examples of how to give a detailed interview, how to ask difficult questions, how to approach clients. I will be using this book for years to come. It was made to accompany the DSM-IV, but even if you don't use the DSM, this book will definitely give you insight as to how to ask inquiries of your client. I use this book constantly, as an M.A. counseling student, and I know that I will be using it in the future as well.

If you have any doubts on how to conduct an interview, this is the book to get. I guarantee that you will find this book invaluable.

Great addition to DSM -IV
As a student, this book is great for using when studying how to interview and work in the DSM IV.Lots of valuable information and great reference charts.Worth is to have on hand.

Very useful
I purchased this book for a psychology class and I found it easy to read and easy to implement the suggestions offered within the book.

Excellent, practical methodology
this book is very well-organized and easy to read. it is comprehensive and thoroughly addresses all the possible components to an intake interview that one could imagine! sections of particular interest to me were how to address sensitive subjects and how to get patients to get in touch with feelings (people are often too much in their heads), mental status exam aspects, signs and symptoms, and dealing with difficult patients (lying, hostility, etc.). also useful was information on presenting findings once all the data gathering is done. great resource for students just getting started in the field of behavioral health, as well as medical students assessing potential psychological aspects to a patient's presentation and the need for a referral to a behavioral health practitioner. also helpful when creating documents, such as during the transition to private practice or an administrative position responsible for organization of information/compliance with professional evaluation standards, especially with increasing pressure from accrediting agencies....in other words, a great resource for ALL clinicians!

Written by a great academic teacher
A wonderful book! I have an MA in Psychology (and a PhD in an unrelated field) and have been working in emergency psychiatric evaluations for two years now. This is the one most helpful book that I have found on the question: How do I talk to a person for one hour and know what's going on with them psychiatrically?

What I like about it:
a) It guides you through the phases of an interview: opening; developing rapport; finding out the client's/patient's chief concern; enquiring about necessary background information, such as psychiatric, social, medical history; current mental status; closure. In what order to cover these topics, which questions to ask, how to ask them, how to pace the interview.
b) It fills you in on the main diagnostic signs and symptoms of the major psychiatric disorders. (If you know them already, it is a great refresher.)
c) There is a chapter about how to write the diagnosis, such as "diagnostic hierarchies" in case of more than one applicable diagnosis or when there is a number of possible diagnoses you are not sure about. [This will also help you read other people's diagnosis better.] Then a chapter about recommendations and prognoses.
d) Two chapters are about dealing with resistance and in other ways difficult clients.
e) It is written for a student who learns to do psychiatric interviewing. [The title, "The first interview" is indeed a double entendre, referring to the first interview of a patient/client *and* to your, the reader's, first interview(s).]Thus, it talks about the interviewer's problem with himself/herself, one's own insecurities, feelings, shame, and the techniques available to manage the interviewing relationship itself (such as, e.g., keeping boundaries without appearing callous).

The book ends with a list of the most important DSM-IV diagnostic criteria, a sample interview, and a sample written report. It has an annotated bibliography (i.e. a list of books with comments that the author recommends for further reading) and and index.

The best I saved for last: This author can write well! It is obvious that he likes his students (in this case you, the reader) and his patients. The author has humor that is never denigrating. This attitude is contageous, it warmed my heart and helped me like my patients. Thus, the book is a pleasure to read. Never dry. In my case, the question was not if I *had* to read the next chapter, but *when* I would have the time to do so. And all this not in a book about feel-good, "it's good that we talked about it" psychotherapy, but in a book covering a chapter in the field of "hard core" psychiatry.

Enjoy! ... Read more

Product Description

Since his death in 1971, friends and band members have produced several biographies describing various aspects of Jim Morrison's life and career. Now James Riordan and Jerry Prochnicky examine with insightful clarity the entire story of Morrison's roots, his early family life, the intellectual foundations of his music, his wild days with The Doors, his private life, and the mystery that still surrounds his death.

In Break On Through, we see Morrison's angry relationship with his father and how a horrifying, deadly car accident Morrison witnessed as a small boy influenced his songs and poetry. We witness The Doors' exhilarating early days of struggle and the infamous Miami trial, where Morrison stood charged with obscenity. And here is the real story of Morrison's death in Paris, based on interviews with new sources who conclusively disprove the official finding of death by heart attack.

Break On Through is more than an insightful look at a rock legend whose cult following never stops growing. With dozens of rarely published photographs, this is the authoritative portrait of the man and his career.

Customer Reviews (47)

Really Great Read
I read this book this past August and couldn't put it down.I don't know where my obsession for Jim Morrison came from, but it really hit hard!!This book made me love The Doors so much more.It also made me think about my own life in comparison to Jim's.When I went out to bars I began to think to myself, "I am the Lizard King, I can do anything."I had a much better time enjoying the "Chaotic, Disorderly" side of life while reading this book.If you like poetry, music, The Doors, and a man with a fire inside, then you need to pick up this book!!

Caveat: The only part of the book that I felt dragged just a smidge was the middle where the authors went to great lengths to describe sequential concerts night after night.But this really didn't take away from how great and real this book was.

The One to Read
This is a very well written and well researched book by a man who obviously loved Jim Morrison.He gives great respect to his enigmatic subject and thoroughly documents what could be known about such a colorful person.The opening imagery of Jim on the rooftop is fabulous!Giving insight on Shamanism also provides understanding of some of Jim's actions. This is the best one I've read yet.If you only have time for one book on Jim, get this one!

The best book on Jim!
I have read many books on Morrison and this is by far the best one.

The Definitive Morrison Biography!
Break On Through is the definitive biography of Jim Morrison, so far. It doesn't possess the shortcomings of the other Morrison biographies, such as the near idolatry and hero worship of No One Here Gets Out Alive which did serve its purpose in resurrecting The Doors for a new generation (of which I'm one), or the more derivative renditions of Morrison's life in more recent biographies. Break On Through has the focus of objectivity in looking at Morrison and his work in The Doors, and the original source material they generated bring forth new anecdotes and fresh insights into Morrison.

As in most biography we do go in knowing the outline of the subject's life. In Morrison's case that's the son of a career Navy man who has a mystical encounter in the desert at a young age and believes the soul of an Indian leapt into his soul. The young Morrison grows up to be a rather bookish kid who gets the attention of his peers as much as for his classroom antics as his good grades. He disobeys his father's wishes and registers at UCLA film school where he proceeds to write essays on the history of film and make a couple of films nobody seems to interested in except Ray Manzarek. Morrison quits school two weeks before graduation, retreats to a rooftop in Venice Beach, ingests a whole lot of LSD and manages to write some of the most seminal and original lyrics by seeing "a rock concert" in his head and taking notes. Later that same summer, Morrison seeks out Manzarek who Morrison knew was in a rock band and where Manzarek lived. Morrison sings him a couple of songs and the two decide to start a band, call it The Doors and make "a million dollars." They work their way up the club scene on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles and Morrison proceeds to become one of the most original and provocative singers in Rock `n' Roll history, becoming even a rock star's idea of a rock star.

The difference in Break On Through from other biographies is that the authors James Riordan and Jerry Prochnicky examine the influences in Morrison's thinking such as Antonin Artaud's Theatre and it's Double, Nietzsche especially The Birth of Tragedy which reads like a veritable blueprint of The Doors, and the film noir influences on both Morrison and Manzarek and how this all relates to the music of The Doors.

Everyone who is into The Doors or is getting into The Doors is trying to understand why Morrison did the things he did, and how he came to write the things he did. That may be a little beyond biography, but Break On Through is the place to start.

Best Book on Jim Morrison!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This isa must have for all Jim fans...No other book comes close to this one!!!!!!!!!!! And, when you are thru with this book....check e-bay, and get the best photo book on Jim, called My eyes have seen you!!!!!!!!!! both done by Jerry Prochnicky ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

A True Writer and Intellectual
James Douglas Morrison's poetry work in The Lords and the New Creatures is highly creative, deep, and raw. He takes his words to new levels of imagery and glory, making every line breath a pulse and electrify the senses. His work proves that he was more than some 'stereotypical drugged out rock star'-but rather, a true, smart, and dignified writer. His wit and sincerity flow through each poem and reminds us that he took his writing very seriously and humbly. This book is a must have for any literature or poet reader, and allows us to see the real Jim Morrison.

A great poet that was highly underrated
Jim Morrison was a man way ahead of his time. He was an artist of stellar magnitude as well as a prolific perfomer. Jim's first love was poetry. He always said that he wanted to be known first as a poet and then as a musician not the other way around. Jim's poems like the beautiful and dark music he wrote and recorded with The Doors was beyond the times that he lived in. This is his first book of published poetry that came out in 1969, he financed this publication himself because as well known as he was as the lead singer of The Doors he found it difficult to find a publisher that was interested enough in publishing his dark, avant-garde and sometimes violent poetry. This is a wonderful book and would make a great addition to any fan of his and of this type of poetry. Absolutely riveting and brilliant. Jim was a fiercely intelligent man who possessed a wonderful yet tortured soul. Read about the man and his poetry/music you will love it.

Summary of James' thoughts, notes, and poetry
Read this book and free yourself from simple common thought and perception. Jim was a pioneer, he took all the pre-concieved orthodox of poetry and smashed through with fresh insights and challenging, even offensive, material. This is the best of all his published works.

An outright look at the problems the truth presents.
The Lords and the New Creatures has the look of a book that may seem to be offensive and it is. As many people in our present world see the power that is associated with money, drugs, and all the other distractions this particular work forces people to see what they really are.

This title is a must for any fan of poetry or of the Doors.
When James Douglass Morrison wrote The Lords and the New Creatures, he had no idea the quality of the poetry he had written.This book just is a compilation of his first book of poety,The Lords, and his second book of poety, The New Creatures.Except for the fact that on the cover of the compilation is lists the author as Jim Morrison, instead of James Doulglass Morrison, the book is a classic.It would help to have read biographical information of Morrison to understand the poetry somewhat.I would recomend No One Here Gets Out Alive, or Riders on the Storm ... Read more

Product Description
From decreased alertness and apathy to agitation, suspicion, and hallucinations,a wide range of psychological symptoms may sometimes point toward serious medical disorders.Helping clinicians "think outside the mental health box," James Morrison provides a clear andsystematic guide to the effects upon mental status of 60 health conditions, including heartdisease, cancer, and stroke. This practical book will help readers hone their diagnostic skills andrecognize when a physician's evaluation may be urgently needed. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

just as they said!
The book came quickly and in good shape. I appreciated the honesty of the seller about the condition of the book.

Great reference
This is a great resource for clinicians.Differentiating between medical and psychological disorders is critical in the practice of health care, as they obviously require quite different modes of treatment.Dr. Morrison has formatted his book in a very easy-to-follow style, where each chapter describes a particular medical problem as well as a discussion of the psychological effects that this given medical disorder can produce.This book is a must-have for those practitioners not specifically trained in medicine in order to avoid making the mistake of overlooking a medical condition in diagnosis.

I recommend this book to every health care provider. ... Read more

Product Description
"Collected Essays" is the most comprehensive gathering of Baldwin's nonfiction ever published. The collection confirms his as a uniquely prophetic voice in American letters. Included are such famous essays as "The Harlem Ghetto", "Everybody's Protest Novel", Many Thousands Gone", and "Stranger in the Village" .Amazon.com Review
Writer James Baldwin earnestly championed the civil rights movement in both his fiction and nonfiction, a fact which, coupled with his extraordinary writing talent, assured not only his historical importance, but also his place as one of the finest African American writers of his generation. Collected Essays is a comprehensive collection of his most memorable prose, including "Stranger in the Village," "The Harlem Ghetto," and "Many Thousands Gone." Clear in voice and vision, the essays communicate the emotions of an entire historical movement. Combining politics, prophecy, and passion, Baldwin's essays are truly as thought-provoking today as they were some 30 years ago. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

James Baldwin: Collected Essays
One of the greatest writers of the 1900's. Excellent physical book. Well-made and aesthetically pleasing.

During the time period, Baldwin creates a reality that few understand.

A must for the Serious Scholar's library
This collection of Baldwin's writings is priceless because not only is it a showcase of an agile and fertile mind, it also brings together in a single volume some of his most popular and more famous as well as some of his less formal writings and speeches.

Always well ahead of his times, Baldwin's essays remain fresh and as relevant in today's more quiescent racial times as they were during the more troubled times of his life.They remain fresh because they tell in Baldwin's own inimical and elegant way, the deeper truths about our troubled racial past and present.Most of all they reflect how Baldwin used his quick and restless mind to critique the social and artistic scenes of our troubled era:His strategy, reflected in this collection, was always to mine the substance from the subtext upwards. Those of us who try to mimic his techniques can learn a lot from this and the companion volume of his collected works.

At the same time, Baldwin's psychological analysis remains unerring and at least as sharp as, if not sharper than those of some of his French contemporaries, including his friends and compatriots in the struggle, Franz Fanon and Jean Paul Sartre, who also were both not only revolutionaries and revolutionary thinkers like Baldwin, but also a Psychiatrist and a Philosopher, respectively.

No library on the history of race in America or France is complete without this well designed and well-organized volume. Five stars.

Like Nothing Else You've Read
A lot of reviewers have talked about owning this book if you are distinctly interested in collecting works by black authors or in black studies. I think that this book is an essential element to anyone's library, in particular people interested in the craft of writing. Toni Morrison calls Baldwin the greatest essayist of the 20th century and I couldn't agree more.
In this collection of essays, it becomes clear that Baldwin has truly perfected the craft of the essay. Not only is Baldwin's content, his concepts of honesty and truth, of light and dark, right and wrong, of white and black, and much more straight up revolutionary, but he manages to have his content reflected in the craft and style of each essay, which should really be the goal of all writers.
More than anything, Baldwin has an exquisite ability to reveal a complex truth in a simple concise way. All of these essays, indeed all of Baldwin's works, have one common thread. And that is that TRUTH is found within contradiction, because contradiction is honest. I think anyone who browses this page should immediately try and at least check this out of their libary (though it's definitely worth owning, every time I reread it I discover new things) because it really will effect you in meaningful ways.

A great book -- A worthy part of a great series
I love James Baldwin--I think he's a tremendous writer, so Toni Morrison could hardly go wrong in selecting essays for this volume.All of the selections are excellent.Notes of a Native Son contains a touching eulogy for Richard Wright ("Alas, Poor Richard"), explaining the lonliness and problems Mr. Wright had at the end of his life.Baldwin displays his tremendous range as both a political commentator and a literary critic.The Devil Finds Work, in particular, is very insightful--and several parts humourous.

What I don't understand--and why I struck a star off this collection--is why Ms. Morrison did not include "Evidence of Things Unseen," Baldwin's analysis of the Atlanta child murders from the early eighties.Perhaps Library of America is planning later volumes of Baldwin's works--The companion volume to these essays is his "Early Novels," most notably "Go Tell It on the Mountain" and "Giovani's Room."I can't imagine that Library of America would not produce a volume including Mr. Baldwin's later works--especially "Just Above my Head."

This particular edition is well worth having--despite the price.First, this is a good collection of Baldwin's essays, many of which are difficult to find.Second, the Library of America really does a commendable job in paper quality and binding.This is not a leather bound edition on 50 pound paper, so stiff you can't open it and printed so the back binding looks impressive on your bookshelf--this is tightly bound, cardboard cover that lies flat, and is easy to read.The paper is not heavy--but acid free, and tear resistant.The Library of America series are good collections that are meant to be read many times, by many people--these books hold up very well.

I am afraid that Mr. Baldwin's works and opinions may fall by the wayside as time passes.The fact that Ms. Morrison--one of our best and most respected authors--put these collections together will certainly help keep Mr. Baldwin's works alive.But if you have any interest in what it means to be African American--in the twenties, to contemporary america--through even tomorrow--You need to read and appreciate Mr. Baldwin's insights.And you will also enjoy his clear, careful, and pointed writing.

review
This book was very interesting and i enjoyed the courage of a young black man to stand up for his rights. ... Read more

Product Description
In light of 2006 General Assembly's responsive resolution on racism and classism, Been In the Storm So Long is back by popular demand. First published in 1991, this stirring volume features more than 40 selections from the spirited voices of 29 African-Americans. Contributors include David H. Eaton, Marjorie Bowens-Wheatley, Rosemary Bray McNatt, Thandeka, Egbert Etherlred Brown and more. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (3)

disappointing
This book promised to be the best ever for learning how to conduct the all-important first interview. However, despite the sample dialogues between therapist and patient, it is a bit unsophisticated and simplistic, and not appropriate for professional use. There is no formula that works in the real world.
I found the book terribly disappointing.

A very useful tool for Councellors, psychologists and mental health students
The First interview it is a very useful tool for mental health students, counselors and psychologists. Generally, I believe that this book offers important and crucial information about the clinical interview and how to conduct an interview. The structure of the issues as well as the chapters are very well situated in the book. Every chapter introduce you gradually to the technical issues.

Additionally, the four appendix at the end of the book are very helpful to the clinician since the author exhibits useful points of the interview, your own assessment and a thoroughly appendix as far as the questions at various mental health disorders .

Taking everything into considerationI strongly insist this book for the above reasons.

e.g. Theservices of the Amazon team was excellent from the begging till the final stage.

great book
this book was sent in a timely manner and was in great condition. thank you for your promptness in fulfilling my order. ... Read more

Product Description
This authoritative, user-friendly book offers a complete introduction to the art and science of mental health diagnosis. Meeting a key need for students and novice clinicians, James Morrison, the author of the bestselling DSM-IV Made Easy, systematically takes the reader through every step of the process. He provides clear-cut principles and decision trees for evaluating information from a variety of sources and for constructing a valid working diagnosis that serves as a foundation for treatment. Special features include quick-reference tables, sidebars explaining key concepts, and over 100 case examples that bring the approach to life.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

DX book
I was requried to read this book for a class. It is not a difficult read and is very helpful.

Great Book, VERY useful
Every therapist should have this on their desk, in there library..Excellent reference of diagnosis

DSM manuel made easy
The book was in good condition but I am still confused about the DSM and diagnosing, I could have done without purchasing the book.

Good Reading
I was looking for a book that was detailed but written so that the beginning counselor could understand.This was the book.I enjoyed reading it & have it on my bookshelf for reference.Lots of good information & case studies.

It does it job!
It really does its job, it make the tedious process of diagnoising more real with vignettes and easy to follow decision trees. ... Read more

Product Description
Active and restless, "Bud" Riley, the boy who would grow to be one of the 19th century's most popular and respected poets, had a hard time sitting still in school-unless he was drawing or writing the "poems he heard in his head." Fine illustrations and text rich with history draw young readers into James Whitcomb Riley's world on the edge of the Midwestern wilderness. Children fully experience Riley's lively youth, from learning to swim (nearly drowning in the process) to acting as ringmaster in his own circus, complete with animal acts, music, and acrobats. Fun facts about James Whitcomb Riley provide children with a preview of the poet's adult accomplishments and little-known facts about the man greatly admired by novelist Mark Twain and President Benjamin Harrison. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

The Memoirs of Henry Heth (Contributions in Military Studies
I loved this book.Henry Heth was an interesting character but the stories he tells of the antics of him and his best friend, Winfield Scott Hancock, during their West Point years and thereafter, are priceless.This is a book that would make any Hancock or Heth fan laugh until their sides hurt.But he also discusses the reality of war.This has a sadness to it that will make you want to cry.Of the many, many biographies and memoirs that I have read, this is one of my favorites.

A Surprisingly Interesting Memoir
I puchased this book for some research I am doing on my family. It was a surprisingly well written and at time very humorous. There is an intro by Morrison on Heth's life (pronounced Heath in Virginia) followed by the Memoir. The first part is about his youth and his years at West Point. I found myself laughing as Heth told of the pranks and highjinks he was involed in. How he did not get expelled is amazing. He gives a behind the scenes view of famous Generals such as Burnside, Hancock, and Grant with quite a few funny stories.
After graduation he goes to Mexico in the tail end of the Mexican War and has little use for the people of Mexico, but loves the country. Later he is assigned to the frontier and some great tales of his exploits there. He is involved in the Morman War and has a low opinion of them too.
Much of the book concerns the Civil War, as one would imagine. Early in the War, in 1861 he is assigned to the brigade of Gen. John Floyd who Heth gives one of the great jabs of the war,"He is as incapacitated for command as I am to lead an Italian Opera". He does gloss over his failures, as many do and gives the famous reason for going into Gettysburg that no one has ever given-shoes.
At Appomattox, he is summoned to see Grant and they talk about old times. After the war he rekindles his friendships with Burnsides, Hancock and others. All in all it is a gem of a book and worth reading for the personel sides of some famous people, usually in a amusing context. ... Read more

Product Description
What are the roots of personal identity? In this collection of essays, James Morrison searches for answers within the experiences and emotional reality of his own childhood in an attempt to pinpoint the beginnings of his own gay self-identity.

"Although from the vantage point of my present self, I do not remember a time in my life when I was not 'gay,' I know that the arrival at any avowed identity is always a complex process of affirmation and negation, refusal and identification." It is this process, and specifically the ways gay identity circulates before it is even spoken, that Morrison seeks to distill in specific experiences. From the beginnings of questioning his religion to exploring his first boyhood attraction, Morrison's experiences are chronicled honestly and compellingly.
Amazon.com Review
Insightful and consistently interesting, James Morrison's debut collection of personal essays hinges on his awareness of the countless influences on the young. Teasing out the larger implications of events and choices that must often have seemed slight at the time--such as his decision to play the violin, "in spite of the stigma of sissyhood"--he casts a fond but critical eye on his boyhood self and the gradual development of his gay identity. Although he was reasonably well-liked at school, Morrison's fate was sealed in fourth grade when a forgotten copy of Pinocchio slid out of his desk onto the floor, its binding breaking open and its pages scattering over the classroom floor: "I was as instinctively right, after this inadvertent apocalypse, to foresee doom as I had been, before, to keep the book a secret." A funny, astute observer of social nuances, and a wry commentator on the more obvious hierarchies and abuses of power, Morrison follows in the footsteps of Edmund White's (A Boy's Own Story) and--though with less spite--the master, Gore Vidal.--Regina Marler ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Worthwhile, but uneven essays on growing up
I recommend this book, but with reservations.The author is at times highly effective with a poetic style, but there are unnecessary distractions such as obscure words and complex syntax.Any writer or editor should have picked these up--and I am not talking about words that are out of the mainstream.I mean words that one can't find in the dictionary.

That is a shame because much of the book is insightful, not just about growing up "gay", whatever that means, but about family life, friends, the tensions and turmoils of adolescence, enduring such things as the trauma of moving, of being different, of being ill, of gaining and losing friends.So I think it's too bad that the author "marketed" the book to a gay readership.Its appeal is broader than that.

There is no particular "organization" such as chronological, to this collection, or if there is one intended, I did not detect its significance.I found that the more effective individual essays were those that dealt with actual experiences, such as one especially good one, "Saved", about childhood friends having diverse religious or intellectual interests and different personalities, but who seemed to be "kindred souls" (apart from any "gay" tendencies), another about the "sociology" of pets in the family, and one about a college romance (or really a friendship that should have been a romance).

All in all, a good read, but it could have been better.

Excellent Memoir in a Season of Catholic Homosexuality
James Morrison writes truly of the tensions of Catholic boys spreadeagle on the crucifix of Catholicism. Something must be in the air; for Morrison's book appears amazingly at the same moment this spring as two others--similar, complementary, and of literary note--particularly for Reading Lists. One is "Escaping God's Closet: Revelations of a Queer Priest" by Bernard Duncan Mayes. "Closet" is the memoirist essay of an Anglo-Catholic priest dealing with the theology of his sexual essence in San Francisco. The other, most parallel to "Broken Fever: Reflections of Gay Boyhood" is the memoir-in-the-shape-of- a-novel, "What They Did to the Kid: Confessions of an Altar Boy" by Jack Fritscher, who, the jacket says, is a graduate of the Pontifical College Josephinum, which, as a seminary fictionalized, represents the quintessential terror of Catholic education raised "ad absurdum" to "fever" pitch just at the moment when youthful identity emerges. Both Morrison and Fritscher keep their books "pure." Impurity in both books is masked by "wrestling" which must be the most Catholic of sports for closeted gay boys. Both are "poets"--and perhaps victims--obviously educated in the high-Catholic humanist disciplines of literature. Morrison's "Broken Fever" is to nonfiction memoir as "What They Did to the Kid" is to fictional memoir. Both these writers, specifically Catholic, specifically literate, specifically writhing and writing about a past that, thank God, no longer exists, really ought, with these two new books, to be on the same reading tour as well as on the same reading list as well as the same tranquilizers. I find the comparison and contrast between the two books rather fortuitous coincidence. Morrison's book is I think a finely precise piece that helps expose why Catholicism deservedly collapsed after Vatican II, having for so long terrified its children. Morrison's title metaphor is apt: the Catholic "fever" of the past burned up more than one boy. I know. His book brought up things I hadn't thought of in years.

"A Difficult Time of Life"
In this collection of personal essays James Morrison writes about a very difficult time of life, boyhood.A time of coming to terms with oneself, your identity, and the process of accepting or denying who you are and the feelings that go with that.It's a very complex process and an even more difficult one when you come to realize you are gay.Growing up is a time of great discovery and this author shares his many memories of that time in his life in an intelligent and honest way.I think he's a great storyteller, and his memories brought back many memories of my own boyhood.It made me think about a lot of things I had long forgotten or buried in the back of my mind.

These essays are the best when he is just focusing on telling the stories.It's when he starts to theorize or psychoanalyze every event using language that requires me to grab my dictionary every other sentence that I really got frustrated and wanted to give up.However, he always seemed to get back on track and then I couldn't stop reading about his early boyhood memories.

I especially enjoyed "Checks and Balances" about his experience with classmate Luke and his first sexual feelings, and "Questions of Travel", that wonderful experience of "the" family vacations, which is so easy to relate to.

The moments of frustration aside, I really did enjoy this book.Probably because I could identify with so much of James boyhood and his early experiences.If you want an intellectual read, I believe this book is a true success, and very enjoyable!It brought back many memories for me and it will for you, too! ... Read more

Product Description
High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! "Wonderful World" is the second single by British singer James Morrison. The song is the second to be released from his debut album, Undiscovered, which was released on July 31, 2006. The song peaked at #8 on the UK singles chart in October, following the CD single release. Currently the song is being played in the latest Disney Cinemagic advertisement in the United Kingdom. A version also appears on the 2007 compilation album, The Saturday Sessions: The Dermot O'Leary Show (EMI). ... Read more

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In Producing American Races Patricia McKee examines three authors who have powerfully influenced the formation of racial identities in the United States: Henry James, William Faulkner, and Toni Morrison. Using their work to argue that race becomes visible only through image production and exchange, McKee illuminates the significance that representational practice has had in the process of racial construction.

McKee provides close readings of six novels—James’s The Wings of the Dove and The Golden Bowl, Faulkner’s The Sound and the Fury and Light in August, and Morrison’s Sula and Jazz—interspersed with excursions into Lacanian and Freudian theory, critical race theory, epistemology, and theories of visuality. In James and Faulkner, she finds, race is represented visually through media that highlight ways of seeing and being seen. Written in the early twentieth century, the novels of James and Faulkner reveal how whiteness depended on visual culture even before film and television became its predominant media. In Morrison, the culture is aural and oral—and often about the absence of the visual. Because Morrison’s African American communities produce identity in nonvisual, even anti-visual terms, McKee argues, they refute not just white representations of black persons as objects but also visual orders of representation that have constructed whites as subjects and blacks as objects.

With a theoretical approach that both complements and transcends current scholarship about race—and especially whiteness—Producing American Races will engage scholars in American literature, critical race theory, African American studies, and cultural studies. It will also be of value to those interested in the novel as a political and aesthetic form. ... Read more

Product Description
This scarce antiquarian book is a selection from Kessinger Publishing's Legacy Reprint Series. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment to protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature. Kessinger Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone! ... Read more

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A graduate of the University of Aberdeen, James Morrison lived in Moose Jaw, Canada as a student minister from April 1894 to April 1895. This diary is a first-hand account of life amongst the prairie settlers of western Canada during its formative period. Morrison recounts social, political and religious gatherings, often with wickedly funny observations, as well as describing natural phenomena. ... Read more

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High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! The discography of James Morrison, an English singer, songwriter and guitarist, consists of two studio albums, ten singles, eight music videos and a number of other appearances. Morrison released Undiscovered, his debut album, in 2006. It topped the UK Albums Chart and reached the top ten in other countries and was certified three times platinum by the British Phonographic Industry. His debut single was also his most successful; "You Give Me Something" reached the top ten in nine countries including peaks of #5 in the UK Singles Chart and #1 in New Zealand. Four more singles were released from Undiscovered: "Wonderful World" and "The Pieces Don't Fit Anymore" in 2006; and "Undiscovered" and "One Last Chance" in 2007. Morrison's second album, Songs for You, Truths for Me, was released in September 2008. It reached #3 in the UK, and the top 20 in six other countries. The first single from the album was "You Make It Real", which reached #7 in the UK, #18 in the Netherlands and #38 in Ireland. "Nothing Ever Hurt Like You" was also released as an American-exclusive single. ... Read more