Product Description
A touching, meticulous portrait of two boys growing up in a Chicago housing project reveals how they help each other maintain a shred of innocence among street gangs, gunfire, violence, and drugs. Book available. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

The most compelling read I've had in a loonnng while ...
All of the positive reviewers of this book got it right. This book paints an equally grim view of the disturbingly painful(and unfortunate given we live in the most powerful nation in the world) existence of some of those most marginalized by society. And yet, I'd call it just as equally uplifting in terms of the triumph on the human spirit.

This book is a year-long documentation of the experiences of two young boys growing up in the projects on Chicago's West Side (just a mile from the downtown loop) and their families attempts to get out, get ahead and live a better life (in essence the American dream, though this image is never called by name in the book) during the late 1980s.

The big picture you'll get from this book is the horrific and violent conditions these boys face and must cope with on a daily basis. Lafeyette, 12, and Pharoah, 9, create an interesting though loving brotherly contrast.

Given the environment, you've got little Pharoah, smart, alert and very patriotic, who buys into the belief through education he can lift himself and his family out of poverty. He's independent and stunningly focused on success at his age.

Lafeyette's like the older extreme of Pharoah though further along in life, he's starting to lose faith in the myth of the American dream given 3 significant acts : 1) a close/positive friend being mistakenly murdered by police, 2)a celebrated cousin graduating from high school only to struggle to find work, struggle to pay for part-time college classes all while STILL LIVING in the projects 3)the mental wear of just being tired of living in his conditions & being consumed by general vibe of hopelessness that surrounds him.

Perhaps the saddest part of this read is the overwhelming sense of hopelessness that most of the inhabitants hold that they'll never rise above these circumstances despite all of their attempts to do so.

Economic empowerwent, pursuit of excellence and education are pretty much at war with politics of the day, the lure of the evils of streetlife (drugs, drug selling, gang culture) and even religious faith (innocent little Pharoah actually stops believing in God b/c he doesn't think he's listening to his prayers to get them out of the projects and away from violence).

Kotlowitz does an amazing job of giving you enough color to get the full picture of just about every person he details in the book. You'll have your moments when you look at a person, perhaps judgmentally for making a bad personal decision, but you'll get to the root of a lot of the problems of these people so much so that you almost relate to them as if they're your own family/friends.

That being said you'll more than likely come away with an equal feeling of people taking responsibility for their lives/actions AS WELL AS a sense of what the government should be doing to make sure all people have the shot at the American Dream regardless of race or class -- after reading this book, set in the 1980s, you'll definitely get a sense that not providing equal resources and access to quality education can be blamed on the powers that be.

This book puts a human face on families forced to live in the most inhumane of positions in life & just goes to show that for all those critics who'll point the blame at the poor for their own circumstances, please remember there are innocent children born into this lifestyle that suffer physically & mentally on a daily basis and aren't really being given the "chance" in life they deserve.

The American Genocide
Kotlowitz captures the essence of life in government housing. This book is a painfully wonderful read. Glorious and uplifting at times, wrenching and frustrating at others. This book should be required text for anyone claiming to be a represenative of the "people".I wish George Bush would read and understand how policy truly affects people.After reading this book, anyone who claims that poverty is not a form of violence should seek professional help.

Kotlowitz touches on the "other America"
For those readers who have commented that this book is boring, I have one question....is the existence of this type of devasting poverty boring and insignificant to your partiticular life?This is not a ficitional story ofthe hardships and struggles of the River's family; rather, it is a harshreality that exists in our country, one of which we turn our backs andclose our eyes to daily.This book is touching only if you understand andacknowledge the facts that perpetuate poverty and welfare-denpendency inthe United States.I believe that the readers who comment on LaJoe'slaziness are truly portraying their ignorance and stupidity in theircomments.In my opinion, this book paints a vivid picture, too vivid forsome, of the America that most people do not want to see.My advice forothers- read this book because you will be shocked a horrified at our"land of the free."Are those in poverty truly free or are theydrowning in a world that smothered them to begin with?

It's like watching a movie...
"There are No Children Here" is a book,in my opinion, that is good for the soul.While reading it you realize that things in your life could be a lot worse then they really are.... well at least I did.Irealized that I should be more greatful and thankful for the little thingsI have in my life that I take for granted.I got so wrapped up in thewhole story that i forgot that this was about real life while reading"There are No Children Here."I totally forgot that all of thisactually happened.Reading this book was like watching a movie. Growing up in the city myself, I didn't realize that such poverty andviolence could exist.I was never exposed to gangs or even gang bangs, thepoverty, and the violence probably because i had a mother like LaJoe, aloving mother who did everything she could to keep her kids children.Yes,I did experience the feeling of being scared of bullies but not for mylife.I didn't go through anything compared to what Lafeyette and Pharoahhad to.These children, little adults, saw nothing but violence and andpoverty to the point where all theywanted to do is die to escape it all.An example in the book is: "We're gonna die one way or the other bykilling or plain out," James said to Lafeyette."I just wannadie plain out."Lafeyette nodded, "me too." If youask me.. I'd say go out and get yourself a copy of this book because youwon't regret it.It will open your eyes up to what the "otherAmerica" is like.

I wanted to care for the entire family
This book takes on a 'true approach' to living in poverty, especially for blacks to live in poverty.I'm a social work undergrad college student, and until I read this book, I was'nt aware of exactly how it was inpoverty.Alex writings in the book, made me feel as though I was livingwith the Rivers and feeling their emotions.Thank you Alex for writingthis excellent book.I encourage all college students to read the book,especially social work students.It really made me understand how blessedI am.Now I'm trying to see how I can get a copy of the movie, OprahWinfrey played the mother.I didn't even know there was a movie for it. Can't wait to see it! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

It Rocked!!!!
i had just bouht this book from amzaon.com and i though it was amazing. the detail the intrest. it seemed like the author was really into whoopu for he explaied her very well. if you are thinking of getting this book i wil reasure you it is awesome! o now have a new respect for whoopi for i know now what she has gone threw. ... Read more

Product Description
The first in a three-volume collection of short stories by the grandmaster of the horror genre features unabridged narratives of the spinetingling tales. Amazon.com Review
Many people who write about horror literature maintain thatmood is its most important element. Stephen King disagrees: "My deeplyheld conviction is that story must be paramount.... All otherconsiderations are secondary--theme, mood, even characterization andlanguage."

These fine stories, each written in what King calls "a burst of faith,happiness, and optimism," prove his point. The theme, mood,characters, and language vary, but throughout, a sense of story reignssupreme. Nightmares & Dreamscapes contains 20 shorttales--including several never before published--plus one teleplay,one poem, and one nonfiction piece about kids and baseball thatappeared in the New Yorker. The subjects include vampires,zombies, an evil toy, man-eating frogs, the burial of a Cadillac, adisembodied finger, and a wicked stepfather. The style ranges fromKing's well-honed horror to a RayBradbury-like fantasy voice to an ambitious pastiche of RaymondChandler and RossMacDonald. And like a compact disc with a bonus track, the book endswith a charming little tale not listed in the table of contents--aparable called "The Beggar and the Diamond." --Fiona Webster ... Read more

Customer Reviews (107)

The Brooklyn Bridge, Over and Over Again
In his introduction to this collection, Stephen King recalls being a credulous youngster who believed all sorts of things--from the reality of Santa Claus to Richard Nixon's plan to get the country out of Vietnam.He is still like this, and willingly accepts the recurring disappointments in exchange for the ability to believe in a story and bring it to life.In this collection, his third following Night Shift and Skeleton Crew, King believes into existence twenty-two stories--and one nonfiction piece--intended to scare the reader "...so badly you won't be able to go to sleep without leaving the bathroom light on."Some of them deliver all too well.

Three of my favorites:

In "Dolan's Cadillac" we live through years of obsessive investigation and planning for revenge.A man traps the mob boss who ordered his wife's death and systematically covers up all evidence of his crime.Perfect.

If you could remove mankind's violent tendencies and bring about "The End of the Whole Mess" of murder and war, you would do it, right?Even if it wasn't the smartest thing to do.

In "Suffer the Little Children" we meet Miss Sidley, a teacher who has been taking care of children all of her adult life.One day her students begin acting strangely...so she takes care of them.

This book is highly recommended for Stephen King fans and readers who enjoy a well-crafted story that makes their brains squirm for a day or two after reading.

Expect the expected--and the unexpected
One of the many things I love about Stephen King as a writer is this--when you read one of his works (whether short story, novella, novel, or epic novel), you get exactly what you expect, along with a bit of what you don't expect. And that's one of the characteristics that make him such an entertaining and amazing author--he keeps building his repertoire and impressing you with talents that you didn't know he had. This collection of short stories allows King to showcase many of the talents you'd expect from him, as well as a number of talents he doesn't often get an opportunity to showcase in his novels. There's a revenge tale reminiscent of Poe's "The Cask of Amontillado" ("Dolan's Cadillac"), a story featuring creepy kids ("Suffer the Little Children"), stories about animated things that shouldn't be animated ("Chattery Teeth" and "The Moving Finger"), apocalyptic tales ("The End of the Whole Mess" and "Home Delivery"), an homage to Lovecraft ("Crouch End"), and what is probably one of King's best short stories, "The Ten O'Clock People"--all pretty standard, and well done, Stephen King fare. And then there's the unexpected--a teleplay ("Sorry, Right Number"), a Sherlock Holmes story ("The Doctor's Last Case"), a poem ("Brooklyn August"), and--the most pleasant surprise of all--a non-fiction piece about King's son's Little League team ("Head Down"), which resulted in an effect I never imagined a piece of Stephen King's writing would have on me: I cried. I will continue to sing the praises of Stephen King and insist that he is one of the most under-rated and under-appreciated writers around. Despite his massive popularity, he is often derided as a one-dimensional writer with no skill outside of his chosen genre--horror. "Nightmares & Dreamscapes" offers ample proof that that is not the case at all. Read it, and be surprised.

2 stars for Seller;5 stars for book
The book had many interesting short stories.I would recommend the book but not the seller, Thriftbooks.The book they sent me had pages out of order.For example, you're reading on page 342 and the next page is 382.The pages were mixed up throughout the middle of the book.All the pages were there but not in order.

Good fun, lots of chills
This collection is chock full of everything King aficionados love, and it'll easily hook the uninitiated.There are many different samples on display, from one of King's true oldies (a Castle Rock story originally published in a college literary magazine, and feeling its roots very deep...when the autumn pumpkins get loving detail, you know it's a young man's voice) to something he finished in about three days in the year this was published.They are, for the most part, very good, full of story and gab, which is what you expect from King.I especially liked 'Popsy', which is a sort of child abductor revenge fantasy meets vampire tale (parents everywhere are confronted with their greatest nightmare and must give a cheer at the end), 'Suffer the Little Children', which kept me up for HOURS later that night, 'Rainy Season', which walks the line between horror and humor very well (the only time King tips his hand is when he name drops 'The Lottery'...you'll see what I mean), and 'Umney's Last Case', since it's clever and I'll gobble up anything Raymond Chandler-esque.

There are actually only a couple of bumps in the road.King's Sherlock Holmes story is passable Conan Doyle, at best.If you want a BRILLIANT modern attempt, read Neil Gaiman's 'A Study in Emerald.'King probably gets a moderate grade because Holmes requires icy precision, subtle restraint and a wry, nimble style of writing, and King, much as I love him and much as he has great talent, is not especially gifted in those areas.(I could be wrong, but I think Holmes makes a pussy joke somewhere in there...reader, I cringed.)

Still, there is much to enjoy here.I won't give a blow by blow of everything I liked (which was a lot), and everything I didn't (which was a little.)Instead, I'll take on two stories, my favorite and the one I liked least.

Crouch End- King goes to Lovecraft country, and I absolutely didn't want it to end.Everything you love about King-- the sense of place and character, dialogue and dialect, rising sense of terror, and flat out crazy, tentacled monsters living under the city streets-- is here.It's also one of the best examples of story and mood working together, instead of fighting with each other.A young couple visiting London go to meet the husband's colleague in Crouch End.The moment they enter the suburb, I became unsettled.It got worse from there.The wife, who (spoiler) lives to tell the tale, notices the strange orange light, the claw-handed child, the people with rat heads (but she imagined it...?), the one-eyed cat who seems to become a vagrant under a bridge later.The woman's tale is interspersed with the kindly officers at the police station, who listen to her story and don't know what to make of it.The editing in this tale is very good, so that the action unfolds as you might see it on television or at the movies.I won't say what happens to the husband, or how it ends, but it's very satisfactory, very frightening, and also very creepy.I had to turn on the lights when I was done, and it was only afternoon.King's command of the British dialect in this is nearly always spot on, and he makes everyday things in the light of day appear sinister and evil.The plotting, writing, everything is good here.Happily, most of the collection falls into this area, though I think this is the best example of the book.

Home Delivery- Unfortunately, everything that is right about Crouch End is wrong about Home Delivery.The story starts out as some kind of Lifetime movie, with an incredibly mousy woman, unable to cope without a man.She once married a dashing sailor, you know, who showed her love, until...until he was drowned at sea.Now, weak minded and pregnant, she must face the void alone.And then the zombies eat the president.Not kidding.That's basically the next line.King's instincts here are wrong, between trying to play all this nonsense dead serious and the wall to wall folksiness of EVERY F---ING SITUATION.The down home charm is one of the reasons I like King, but if you were up in a space shuttle, watching space worms eat your compatriots' brains (don't ask, it'll make sense) and knowing you're next, would your last musings to the world via satellite be 'I did so like all of them, especially the fat guy who dug around in his nose.'Yeah, it's a British character.King's knack for the Brit dialect vanished on this one.Sometimes, it does seem like King will be folksy if it kills him.Then the pregnant woman fights the Ray Harryhausen (in my mind) sailor husband back from the grave, zombies you know.And the men of the island town machine-gun the whole graveyard.And the woman is happy that she'll have a home delivery.Probably the two greatest failings here were the decision to, as I said, play it straight, and the relentless down home chat.Honestly, Steve, I know you have an ear for dialogue.I BELIEVE YOU.

Still, snark ended, this is a very good, creepy read, excellent for curling up with on a dark night.Going through it, piece by piece, you see and understand how much love King has for the craft, how hard he works at it, and how much joy it brings him.It's bound to bring you happiness as well, even if it's the squirming, terrified kind of happiness.It'll do.

A Great RIde
I really enjoyed this book, its a lot like enjoying classical music. The moods, the tempo and the pacing of the stories is so enjoyable. The story that still freaks me out to this day is "Home Delivery" simply for the scene that takes place in the space shuttle!! King could have made a whole novel based on that scene. But he didn't and that is what makes him so good at the short stories. I think a good short story forces your mind to ask "what would have happened if the story kept on going"? Not that his novels do not do the same, but in the short story King is forced to put down the bare bones of the story. The other stories that blew me away were: The Night Flier, The Moving Finger, Crotch End and My Pretty Pony. My Pretty Pony shows the depth of King's thinking on the philosophy of time. The Ten O' Clock People is a nice story but to me it's just a ripe off of John Carpenter's They Live. All in all not a bad collection of stories. ... Read more

Product Description
Winner of the 2010 Audie for Audiobook of the Year, Nelson Mandela's Favorite African Folktales is an extraordinary audiobook featuringGillian Anderson, Benjamin Bratt, LeVar Burton, Ricardo Chavira, Don Cheadle, Matt Damon, Whoopi Goldberg, Sean Hayes, Hugh Jackman, Samuel L. Jackson, LaTanya Richardson Jackson, Scarlett Johansson,Debra Messing, Helen Mirren, Parminder Nagra, Sophie Okonedo, CCH Pounder, Alan Rickman, Jurnee Smollett, Charlize Theron, Blair Underwood, Forest Whitaker and Alfre Woodard with a special message from Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Original Music by South African legends by Johnny Clegg and Vusi Mahlasela, Directed by Alfre Woodard. The audiobook was a truly international affair recorded in Los Angeles, New York, Miami, London, and Johannesburg.

The stories were chosen by the Nobel Laureate himself, from every region of Africa.


"We hope this audiobook will be enjoyed by people of all ages across the globe, increasing awareness of Africa's rich cultures while creating a better future for South Africa's most vulnerable children," said ANSA Executive Director Sharon Gelman.



In his original foreword for the folktales, Nelson Mandela wrote, "It is my wish that the voice of the storyteller may never die in Africa, that all the children of the world may experience the wonder of books." The audiobook brings his vision full circle, as these timeless tales return to the oral tradition to be heard around the world.


... Read more

Customer Reviews (17)

A Collection to Treasure
A wonderful collection of stories told in a rich assortment of familiar and unfamiliar voices, beautifully put together.This is an audio book to treasure.

Stories are good!
Stories are always a good thing. Diversity too. Hearing tales from other lands helps us to learn more about each other. I shared this set with my niece and two nephews ages 5 to 8 yrs old. They loved it too. Truthfully, the real reason why I made this purchase is because of Alan Rickman. He's one of my favorite actors/voices. I could find only one story read by him, but it was well worth it.

Great Stories for a Great Cause
I was moved by the fund raising effort support for HIV AIDS orphans in South Africa, familiar and admiring of the story collection released some years ago, I was delighted to listen through the entire collection. The blend of music and voice, brilliantly realized by a host of talented talents "Artists for a New South Africa", brings these stories alive!Libraries (like mine) and individuals will appreciate each and every track in this 3 CD set that is up for Grammy nomination.

Rating the CDs
We've given the audio book and the book as gifts to a number of people, and they've raved about it. I haven't heard every one of the readings but the ones I've listened to are superbly done.Artists for a New South Africa (ANSA), which produced the three CD audio book, assembled a distinguished cast that included (among many others)Desmond Tutu, Morgan Freeman, Helen Mirren, Samuel Jackson, Alan Rickman, Charlize Theron and Don Cheadle-- and had music composed and played by one of South Africa's leading musicians and sung by South Africa's best-known singer.The tales are collected from all over Africa, and they will interest adults as well as children. It's a wonderful present for Christmas or Hannukah or for a child's birthday. And, Hachette, the producer is giving the proceeds to ANSA and Nelson Mandela's Children's Fund which will use the money mainly to help AIDS orphans.

An all-star narration cast...
An all-star narration cast helps bring to life Nobel Peace laureate Nelson Mandela's collection of short stories that create a patchwork of legends drawn from all over the African continent, In one story, the children of an East African village must destroy a beautiful and enchanting bird that has brought bad luck to the surrounding countryside. In one story, a brave girl frees a prince from the spell that made him a python. From [...] ... Read more

Product Description
Two sisters, both over one hundred years old and the daughters of a man born into slavery, recall the triumphs and tragedies of their lives together, discussing their success as African-American professional women during Harlem's golden age. Book available.Amazon.com Review
"I never thought I'd see the day that the world would want tohear what two old Negro women have to say," says Bessie Delany. ButBessie and her sister, Sadie, born in 1893 and 1891, saw plenty, byeating a low-fat, high-vegetable diet and outliving the "old Rebby[rebel] boys" who once almost lynched Sadie. This remarkable memoirwas a long-running bestseller, spawning a Broadway play and adding totheir list of seasoned acquaintances (Marian Anderson, LangstonHughes, Paul Robeson, Cab Calloway) such spring chickens as HillaryClinton. Born to a former slave whose owners broke the law by teachinghim to read, the sisters got a solid education. North Carolina wasparadise--despite the Rebbies--until Jim Crow reared its hideoushead. The girls had loved to ride in the front of the trolley becausethe wind in their hair made them feel free, but one day the conductorsadly ordered them to the back. The family moved to New York, whereBessie became the town's second black woman dentist and Sadie thefirst black woman home-ec teacher. They befriended everyone who wasanyone in the Harlem Renaissance (their brother won the 1925Congressional primary there), pursued careers instead of husbands, andlived peacefully together, despite their differences. Sadie was morepeaceable, like Booker T. Washington, while Bessie was a W.E.B. DuBois-style militant.

They're funny: Bessie notes that blacks must be sharp to get ahead,"But if you're average and white, honey, you can go far. Just look atDan Quayle. If that boy was colored he'd be washing dishes somewhere."And they are wise: Sadie says, "Life is short, and it's up to you tomake it sweet." ... Read more

Customer Reviews (101)

WONDERFUL SISTERS AND HISTORY
This is the life story of sisters Sarah and Elizabeth Delany, covering a span of a hundred years of American history.This will probably never happen again in such clear detail and memories, and by two sisters that were educated (both had advanced degrees),feisty, warm, loving and very conscious of family values. They spoke of slavery and of the reconstruction South, and famous figures such as Langston Hughes and Paul Robeson.They were front-runners in teaching and denistry,and helped break down racial barriers - and they busted through the glass ceilings before it was necessary and fashionable.The assistance from Amy Hill Hearth is particularly important as she was able to take their oral histories,and make them relevant to our world today. This is a signiciant book and a valuable resource, and I will make sure my teenagers read this one to give them perspective on the previous century.

Disappointed in MICH.
Advertised as first edition, not so. Cover dirty. Regretted the purchase, I wish I would have purchased from Borders.

A Great Book - A Lifetime Experience
This is a great book to read, enjoy and learn from.One major thing I learned from the Delany sisters, is that, our old parents do not need us to give them money or gifts; they just need our presence beside them when they are old and sick.This makes me wonder if I'm raising my kids the right way to be next to me in time of need, when I'm old.How about you reader?Read this book and post your review.

Like new book!!
Book arrived quickly and in better than expected condition.Would buy from this seller again.Thanks!

Wonderful oral history
This is the shared biography of two women who have seen and been a part of the history of civil and women's rights in the U.S. Easy read with the constant positive outlook both sisters maintain. A nice counterpoint to the dark realities of discrimination, and a success story on many levels. Each sister handles things in their own intelligent manner, defying dismissal as submissives. Can be used for middle school and higher classrooms to offer women's voices and a look at how gender impacts the language of dominance and alternate responses to repression. ... Read more

Product Description
High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! The NAACP Image Awards are awards presented annually by the American National Association for the Advancement of Colored People to honor outstanding people of color in film, television, music, and literature.Similar to other awards, like the Oscars and the Grammys, the 35 categories of Image Awards are voted on by members of the NAACP. There are also honorary awards, including the President's Award, the Chairman's Award, Entertainer of the Year and The Image Award Hall of Fame.The awards were first presented in 1970. The awards series, normally broadcast with tape delay and aired by Fox Network, was broadcast live for the first time in 2007 for the 38th edition of the awards show. It was first nationally televised in 1974. The ceremonies usually take place in or around the Los Angeles area in February or early March. ... Read more

Product Description
Ghost is a 1990 drama film starring Patrick Swayze, Demi Moore, Tony Goldwyn and Whoopi Goldberg, written by Bruce Joel Rubin and directed by Jerry Zucker. It was nominated for multiple Academy Awards, including Best Picture, winning for Best Original Screenplay, as well as Best Supporting Actress for Whoopi Goldberg. It inspired a musical stage version which will open in the West End in 2010. ... Read more