Customer Reviews:
Family Ties.......2004-09-18
REACHING BACK is a novel that will capitivate its reader. This is a tale about a young woman named Mignon who is capatulted through time as family secrets are revealed. The book touches on many societal issues - discrimination, rape, incest and classism. This is definitely a book that will touch your heart! Ms. Simone is to be congratulated on a job well done on her debut novel.
Inspired.......2004-06-15
Reaching Back took me on an INCREDIBLE journey! The characters were so real I think of them as old friends and wonder what they will be up to next. I hear Miss SImone has just finished the sequel and I can't wait to read it....I am a fan for life!
Can't Run From Your Past.......2004-04-14
In Reaching Back, debut novelist Nea Anna Simone introduces us to Mignon Samuels. Samuels finally gets the courage to escape her marriage to her `not so prince charming' husband, and enlists the aid of her stepfather Richard Warner to help her.
Thinking that it is finally time to explain to Mignon of her life, Richard hands her a leather journal. "Your mother has asked me to give this to you, " he tells her. "She thought now was a good a time as any to read up on your family history."
As Mignon settles back and flips through the pages of the journal, she is taken back through history of her great-great grandparents, The Devereauxs of a small Louisiana town named for the largest plantation and landowners, cousins Robert and William.
Every time a child is conceived by one of the Devereaux clan, there is great fear the child will `reach back' into their slave ancestry and tell their heavily guarded secret. Even the children too dark to pass for White, marry someone with light skin in hopes of being accepted by society. They too will learn that everything what might look good to you is not good for you. How many lives will be ruined by this family's web of lies and deceit?
Simone weaves a horrid tale of slavery, rape, incest, family betrayal and much drama. Reaching Back was a very enjoyable novel. The plot, twists and turns will have you reaching and turning the pages to find out what lies ahead for the characters. I highly recommend this novel and I look forward to reading what else Ms. Simone has in store for us.
Reaching Back -Absolute Read.......2003-12-27
Reaching Back will grab your attention from beginning to end. Nea Anna Simone touches on the complexity of skin color with depth and actualize without the use of a documentary. The characters are so real that you are pulled into every experience they encounter, praying the best will come out of it. This book is definitely on the top of my list.
Reaching Back.......2003-11-30
Reaching Back is a great read! You'll think about your own family history as you delve into the characters and gain insight into some of the internal issues we have. I look forward to future titles by the author.
Book Description
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission chaired by Archbishop Desmond Tutu is widely recognized as a defining experience in South Africa's transition to democratic and non-racial rule. This anthology, uniquely combining contributions by some of the Commissioners and their staff, those who bore witness, and scholars, reviews the context in which the TRC did its work.
Customer Reviews:
Another loss for democracy in South Africa........2003-07-10
The aim of the Truth and Reconcilliation Commission (TRC) was supposedly to reveal the atrocities committed by the apartheid government in the period 1948-1994. However according to a South African advocate, dr. Anthea Jeffreys, 99% of all the hearings did not comply to the necessary criteria to qualify as legally valid. No oaths were taken, cross examinations were highly superficial, evidence was seldom produced, and as much as 16 500 of the hearings were based on heresay and not on personally experienced human rights violations.
This is probably the reason why the crimes of apartheid were not heard inside a bona fide courtroom, for the likely chance that a court might find no support to declare apartheid as a crime against humanity, which obviously did not serve the interests of the ANC government at that time. Official government statistics during apartheid places a question mark on the extreme atrocities apparently committed by this regime. To top it off, the TRC had a survey done and discovered to their chagrin that 40% of all South Africans (black to white ratio is 8 to 1) claimed apartheid was "basically a good idea". Mr. Villa-Vicencio's findings are ultimately no more than anti-Afrikaner rantings which have become fashionable ever since Communism started ailing in the early eighties, leaving many left wingers without an ideology, which made them take to heavy anti-apartheid demonstrations to distract the attention from the problems in Eastern Europe and to find a new moral ground to justify themselves. Moreover, hardly any atrocities from British colonials were brought to trail, whilst Afrikaner atrocities were highly exaggerated in the abovementioned heresay.
This book was a disapointing read, with little relevance to the actual situation experienced by millions of South Africans of all colour.
Average customer rating:
- Excellent conversation starter and guide
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Reaching Back
Alice Chapin
Manufacturer: Betterway Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 General
| Genealogy
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
Oral History
| Historical Study
| History
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 155870454X |
Customer Reviews:
Excellent conversation starter and guide.......2001-12-28
I've had this book for several years, and tried to interest my parents and in-laws in it. Their interest was only marginal. But I recently used the book to help me with interviewing my father-in-law. I used a video camera to record the event so that I didn't need to write during the interview (the book is designed as a workbook to be filled out), and worked through the questions in the book. While some of the questions seemed silly at first (what clothing did you wear as a child), they actually helped us to explore some interesting topics (his mother was good at sewing, and made knickers for him!).
So, I can heartily recommend this book as a guide to interviewing your ancestors/relatives. Be forewarned: it takes quite a long time to do the interviewing, so don't wait until your relative is on his or her deathbed.
Average customer rating:
- Can you celebrate a sister?
- The best book any book club can read and discuss
- The best book any book club could choose to read & discuss!
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Reaching Back
Linda Waters
Manufacturer: Ethnic Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Contemporary
| General
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0963088785 |
Book Description
What do you do when you are a beautiful woman with everything going for you: a career, a handsome man in your life, money, freedom, etc., and your dad suddenly dies and you feel a lost and a concern for your mother who lives in another state with a totally different lifestyle from yours?
Renda Sionnaro's life mirrors two worlds. She's a savvy businesswoman in New York City, miles away from Magnolia, Louisiana, where she is simply known as Mrs. Evelyn's daughter. She heads south for the funeral where her love for her mother almost pulls her back into the life she fled. A stranger, willing to give all of himself to help her make the transition back to Magnolia, offers her the one challenge in life that she never learned how to conquer. Her mother's illness forces Renda to learn how to incorporate career, love, and family and reach back for a part of the life she left behind.
Customer Reviews:
Can you celebrate a sister?.......2003-07-05
Reaching Back is a contemporary, savvy novel for adult women who are not jealous of other women. This novel will entertain you and warm your heart if you can stand to see a sister succeed.
This savvy, beautiful, wealthy character, Renda Sionnara, does not have any problem getting a man or even getting one to fall in love with her. What she has is love for her mother that serves as a guiding light to help her find her way to true happiness.
Go on a journey with this book and let your imagination spark your senses for a glorious read.
The best book any book club can read and discuss.......2003-03-04
Reaching Back by Linda Waters has been a chosen book of the month by numerous book clubs, including a sorority book club. It was the first book that my book club chose. At our monthly club meeting, I had the privilege of inviting Linda Waters to discuss her book after we had read it for the month. Every book club member came to the luncheon with her own experience with the novel, REACHING BACK. Some club members even talked about how they've changed their lives in trying to test and incorporate some of Renda's experiences in their own day-to-day world. Once club member said she took a trip recently and carried no luggage to see how it felt to buy everything she needed and just travel free.
The main character of the novel, Renda Sionnara, in her quest to care for her mother finds romance, two-fold; and on her life's journey in this novel, she finds and redefines herself. There are a lot of sisters in America looking for the kind of man that Renda is lucky enough to find two of. There is family love, romance, travel, the quest for one's dreams, and pure entertainment all bound between the pages of this wonderful novel. A lot of professional women will relate to Renda Sionnara, and a lot of women, period, will probably secretly wish they were more like Renda, a woman with her own mind, and a heart and a pocket-book big enough to open her arms wide to not only include her mother, but a man who any woman could love. From Louisiana to New York to Accra, Ghana, Linda Waters takes you along with this character, Renda Sionnara, and holds you through every breath and through every word.
REACHING BACK by Linda Waters is a wonderful read, well worth the money. Don't be mad if you stay up all night reading and can't get to work the next morning. You will not want to put this book down. Enjoy.
The best book any book club could choose to read & discuss!.......2003-03-04
Reaching Back by Linda Waters has been a chosen book of the month by numerous book clubs, including a sorority book club. It was the first book that my book club chose. At our monthly club meeting, I had the privilege of inviting Linda Waters to discuss her book after we had read it for the month. Every book club member came to the luncheon with her own experience with the novel, REACHING BACK. Some club members even talked about how they've changed their lives in trying to test and incorporate some of Renda's experiences in their own day-to-day world. Once club member said she took a trip recently and carried no luggage to see how it felt to buy everything she needed and just travel free.
The main character of the novel, Renda Sionnara, in her quest to care for her mother finds romance, two-fold; and on her life's journey in this novel, she finds and redefines herself. There are a lot of sisters in America looking for the kind of man that Renda is lucky enough to find two of. There is family love, romance, travel, the quest for one's dreams, and pure entertainment all bound between the pages of this wonderful novel. A lot of professional women will relate to Renda Sionnara, and a lot of women, period, will probably secretly wish they were more like Renda, a woman with her own mind, and a heart and a pocket-book big enough to open her arms wide to not only include her mother, but a man who any woman could love. From Louisiana to New York to Accra, Ghana, Linda Waters takes you along with this character, Renda Sionnara, and holds you through every breath and through every word.
REACHING BACK by Linda Waters is a wonderful read, well worth the money. Don't be mad if you stay up all night reading and can't get to work the next morning. You will not want to put this book down. Enjoy.
Average customer rating:
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Reaching Back for the Neverendings
Mario Rene Padilla
Manufacturer: Red Dancefloor Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Poetry
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
| African
| Ancient, Classical & Medieval
| Anthologies
| Asian
| Australia & Oceania
| British
| Canadian
| Carribean & Latin American
| Chinese
| Criticism
| Epic
| French
| General
| German
| Inspirational & Religious
| Irish
| Japanese & Haiku
| Limericks & Humorous Verse
| Love Poems
| Middle Eastern
| Norse & Icelandic Sagas
| Poets, A-Z
| Russian
| Single Authors
| Spanish
| United States
| Writing
ASIN: 1881168328 |
Book Description
In, Reaching Back to Touch My Soul: Thoughts on Love, Laughter and Living, everyone has a chance to read about the parts of life that matter most: love, laughter, and living a meaningful life. In today's world, which is filled with so much nonessential data that clings to our mind like tissue paper to a shoe. Reaching Back to Touch My Soul gives us a chance to reconnect not only to each other but also to the often forgotten parts of ourselves. The stories and essays in the book came into the world as op-ed pieces for The Virgin Islands Daily News. From different times, places and themes they have emerged as a family of ideas and grown as one.
There are three major themes in the book. The first is Love, the second, Laughter, and the last Living
Choosing Love as the starting point was easy, according to author Linda DePass-Creque, "Love breathes life into everything else. It is from love that everything else flows" The theme Laughter is a potpourri of topics and commentary written to make you smile as you take in its message. The last theme in this delightful book, Living, explores many of life's "basic skills", including coping, understanding, tolerance, friendship and sometimes making sense out of nonsense!
With the wonderful illustrations of each theme , its humor, and its wise, down- to- earth philosophy, this book is well worth reading.
Average customer rating:
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Reaching back: Queensland aboriginal people recall early days at Yarrabah Mission
Manufacturer: Aboriginal Studies Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
Australia
| Australia & Oceania
| History
| Subjects
| Books
Anthropology
| Social Sciences
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
| Cultural
| Ethnobotany
| Ethnology
| Evolution
| General
| History & Philosophy
| Physical
| Primitive
| Religious
| Sociobiology
ASIN: 0855752076 |
Customer Reviews:
A Yummy Read.......2007-08-03
This was the first of the Wilde series I read. I LOVED this book. Dennison has a way of pulling you in and you needing to read what happens between the drool worthy guy and the woman who's about to change his life.
A fun and yummy read.
Light on plot... super heavy on the steam.......2007-01-17
Daily Grind coffee house owner Liz Adams is worried about her phone sex operator cousin Valerie who disappeared with a client. She's been gone a week, so Liz hires hunky PI Steve Wilde with whom she has shared many a lustful glances. Liz is forced to go undercover as a phone sex operator and she and Steve engage in every carnal pleasure you can imagine while solving the whodunit.
Despite being over 300 pages, the novel itself seemed incomplete - easily read in a day but leaving the reader wanting more of a plot and less sex. While the novel is extremely steamy, the "romance" was rushed and therefore didn't seem believable - giving new meaning to "you had me at hello" since they were getting down and dirty within the first chapter. But let's be honest, we don't read Denison for her literary ability!
Not Wild About Wilde Thing.......2005-11-24
When I picked up Wilde Thing by Janelle Denison, I knew the book was supposed to be sexy and steamy and all things a romance novel should be. I am by no means a prude and I can enjoy a well-written sex scene as much as the next gal. I should also add that this book is well-written. Denison's style is smooth, the sensations and emotions created between her two characters -- Liz Adams and Steve Wilde -- in the bedroom throw sparks off the pages.
Page 29, in fact. And that's part of the problem.
Liz Adams, owner of The Daily Grind coffeehouse, and Steve Wilde, a PI, have been bumping into each other for a couple of months, but not speaking. The attraction they feel toward each other is the "across the room" kind so, when Liz heads over to Steve's PI business to hire him to find her missing cousin and she's already in his lap (literally) by the end of the first chapter, rolling into a quasi-sex scene by Chapter Two when they've only been speaking to each other for a couple of minutes... The book started to lose me.
There is a difference to me between hot, steamy sex in a romance novel and lust, and this one of the problems I have with a lot of romance novels lately. When I close the book, I want to feel satisfied (and I'm not talking sexually). I want to believe that the hero and the heroine have found THE person they are supposed to be with. That they love each other, and that that love will last them a lifetime.
With Wilde Thing, I didn't feel that way. I felt like all these two had between them was good sex. It didn't strike me as love, it struck me as two people in heat. And heat doesn't last. I didn't "get" why Liz and Steve were right for each other. I actually shut the book thinking they'd burn out before too long and go their seperate ways. That's disappointing in a love story.
Basically the plot was thin and the whole bit about Liz's missing cousin working for a phone sex place seemed contrived for the sole purpose of allowing Liz and Steve to talk about sex on the rare instances that they weren't having sex. And let me tell ya... there aren't that many pages where these two *aren't* naked, tied up, tied down, or smeared with caramel.
I was hoping to add a new author to my list of "Must Buys" and instead added one to my ever-growing list of "Skip It".
Bummer.
An excuse for graphic sex.......2004-11-30
No literary genius here. If you're looking for shallow, quick fix stuff, this is for you. I didn't even finish it. No meat to the story, characters were one-dimensional. Again, written with the "sex sells" attitude in mind.
If you want compelling, great characters with a story that will leave you a better individual for having read it - forget this one.
If You're In Need Of Erotica..........2004-09-23
...then this book is for you. However, if you're looking for a book with a decent plot and characters, give this one a pass. The plot (a missing relative who worked for a phone sex company) is only a dressing to hang the graphic sex scenes on. The main characters are pedestrian, with woes we've all read way too many times before (a determined widow left in debt by her profligate spouse, a divorced PI who left the police force due to an injury). So, if you need someting to ease your night along, use this - otherwise don't waste your money.
Product Description
Contemporary romance between bad boy Steve Wilde and small business owner Liz Adams. Sexy and humorous.
Average customer rating:
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Dorian, Graying: Is Youth the Only Thing Worth Having? (Society and Aging)
Robert Kastenbaum
Manufacturer: Baywood Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
United States | Drama | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
General | Drama | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
General | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
General | Sociology | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0895031698 |
Book Description
In his latest and perhaps most adventuresome book, Robert Kastenbaum offers a fresh view of the quest for perpetual youth. The focus is on the "pretty monster" that Oscar Wilde created a century ago in The Picture of Dorian Gray. We see Dorian first within the frame of his own times, responding to the pressures of modernization by attempting to escape the natural progression of time. Next we enter Dorian, the Opera, a re-imagining of his quest in the postmodern world of interactive computers. Finally, we observe Dorian's obsession and plight in our own graying society. This insightful analysis of the dangers inherent in becoming "terminally young" also provides a set of propositions worth consideration by gerontologists, educators, philosophers, media mavens, and policy-makers.
Average customer rating:
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Things of Nature and the Nature of Things: John Wilde (Chazen Museum of Art Catalogs)
Lisa Wainwright
Manufacturer: Chazen Museum of Art
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General | Museums & Collections | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
Catalogues Raisonnes | Museums & Collections | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
General | Instructional & How-To | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
General | Graphic Arts | Graphic Design | Design & Decorative Arts | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
General | Painting | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
Contemporary Art | Schools, Periods & Styles | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
Wisconsin | State & Local | United States | Americas | History | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0932900984 |
Book Description
John Wilde (1919-2006) was one of the most notable artists in the Magic Realist school of painting, garnering attention far beyond Wisconsin, his native state. Wilde's gift for drawing and painting diverged from the style of regional artists such as John Steuart Curry and evolved into an aesthetic characterized by beguiling, intensely detailed images. He was particularly adept at mixing the discipline of taxonomy with icons of the subconscious.
Things of nature and the nature of things informed his work for some seventy years. In painstakingly crafted vignettes of figures and props and still life arrangements, Wilde served up grand parables on the existential condition of modern man. These are timeless and enduring narratives, drawing on traditions from the northern and early Renaissance periods and Flemish paintings to Symbolist and Surrealist iconography and strategy. Wilde amasses a potpourri of sources and motifs and brings them up to the present moment by setting his compositions in the Wisconsin landscape just outside his studio door. This catalogue presents a superb overview of Wilde's oeuvre, including the full palette of still lifes, allegorical landscapes, and portraits, and covers the period of his work from the 1940s to recent work from the 1990s.
Books:
- Sabbath's Theater
- Saints and Villains (Ballantine Reader's Circle)
- Sexing the Cherry (Winterson, Jeanette)
- Shanghai Station
- Snow Goose
- Sotah (Readers Guide Editions)
- Tell My Horse : Voodoo and Life in Haiti and Jamaica
- The Aguero Sisters (Ballantine Reader's Circle)
- The Atrocity Exhibition
- The Best Short Stories of Fyodor Dostoevsky (Modern Library)
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- Jackson Pollock: Energy Made Visible
- Endgame
- Watercolor Workbook
- A Ligurian Kitchen: Recipes And Tales from the Italian Riviera
- Associated Press Sports Writing Handbook
- Biology, Sixth Edition
- Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda
- Donatello & Michelozzo: An artistic partnership and its patrons in the early Renaissance
- Worms Eat Our Garbage: Classroom Activities for a Better Environment
- A Chindit story
Reborn
Unequally Yoked
Every Woman Needs a Wife
The Sisterhood of Blackberry Corner
Nowhere Is a Place
