Sibyl's Cave

Book Description

Steeped in the landscape and colors of its locations, this deft and graceful novel about memory and discovery follows the orphaned Billie through her childhood in Italy to the United Kingdom during World War II with her adopted family, to art school, and then, finally, to a new life as an adult in Australia. With an evocative eye for personality and place, the narrative alternates between Billie's past, unearthed in her diaries and memories, and her present-day reclusive life on an Australian island, recently interrupted by the unannounced arrival of her niece, Lorelei, and Lorelei's daughter, Elissa, from England. As their lives intertwine, Billie comes to accept and appreciate the importance of family and identity as she faces the memories and secrets that she had hoped to forever leave behind.

Customer Reviews:

A beautiful, beautiful book.......2005-10-28

In 'Sibyl's Cave', Padmore has created a stunning piece of realist fiction. The author's eye for detail brings her characters and settings to life in a vivid and completely convincing way. This is a totally immersive, rich and delicious reading experience. A beautiful, beautiful book.

Rich and evocative..........2005-10-28

In realist and non-genre fiction so often a first book is so imbued by the author's personality the narrative is obscured. In Padmore's work she skilfully removes any sign of autobiography and ensures that the reader is given a clear path to the characters - charting that path with remarkably rich and true description. It is her ability to create a lush and textured external landscape for the characters - whether it be the sun-drenched Italian islands, the greyness of England in the 40s or an aromatic and sensual Australian island - that invokes powerfully the characters' internal environment.

Each island that the protagonist Billie lands upon resonates with a part of herself. And it is these changing selves that Padmore explores with a sense of empathy and veracity that makes the book an extraordinary representation of character and place.

An added layer to the truthful tone of the novel is a more fantastic atmosphere imbued with ancient myth. The tales of the Sibyl and Dido overlay the story and resonate in a real and passionate way within the narrative. Padmore's obvious scholarship and erudition does not intrude on the story but rather creates a timeless substance for which the stories of our lives can be seen as tales of wonder.

'Sibyl's Cave' is a refreshing and beautifully written book that gives the reader a strong sense of intimacy with the characters and an authentic involvement with the story, and a sense of the worth of our own stories.

Book Description

This value-priced collection features over 500 pages of classic comics showcasing the adventures of Ralph Dibny, the Elongated Man- a mystery-solving super-hero with the ability to stretch his body into nearly any shape. Proud of his abilities, he becomes the first hero to reveal his secret identity to the public while solving crimes along with his adoring wife, Sue.Together, they travel the world to ferret out clues, solve crimes and bring down evil-doers of all sorts while crossing paths with Batman and Robin, the Flash, Green Lantern and Zatanna.

Customer Reviews:

Showcase of Carmine Infantino's artwork.......2007-07-28

Some respected comic book historians have mentioned three artists as primary innovators in the early Silver Age at DC Comics. These artists were Alex Toth, Joe Kubert and Carmine Infantino. These three were serious about improving their comic book storytelling skills and their work from this period shows just that.

Carmine Infantino became active in comics during the 1940s and his style strongly resembled one of the comic strip giants of the period, Milton Caniff. In the early and mid 1950s Infantino's style began to change. He when back to school and studied under a highly influential art professor. This professor encouraged Infantino to study the French Impressionists like Edgar Degas and others and especially be concerned about the design principles they used. Above all else (even draftsmanship) Infantino became fascinated with design and composition. He used good design to propel his comic book story telling.

This book is a wonderful tour of arguably Infantino's best period as a comic book artist. Starting out with an early Flash story from 1960 that introduced Elongated man we observe Infantino's work and sense of design and composition develop during the course of the 1960s. His last Elongated Man story published in this volume is Detective Comics #367 (September 1967). During this period we see Elongated Man graduate from an occasional guest star in The Flash to receiving his own strip in the back of Detective comics starting with #327 (May 1964). On several different occasions Infantino was allowed to ink runs of his own stories. His delineations were scratchy when compared to the more polished Joe Giella or Murphy Anderson, but we see here what Infantino was truly trying to communicate through his art without the involved of other hands no matter how talented or skilled. When Sid Greene began working on Infantino Elongated Man's pencils he strove to keep his inking as close to Infantino's original drawing as possible. Later on Greene injected much more of his own personality into the work and some stories appear to be partially penciled by both artists (Greene also did full pencils and inks on several later EM stories). Infantino used elegant vertical and horizontal panels to great effect especially in depicted the grotesque stretching abilities of Elongated Man. Along with his fascination with design he was a frustrated architect. He captured the look of buildings, houses, interior design and the fabulous big finned autos of the period. When he had the chance he also drew some marvelously evocative landscapes. Because of his concentration on design and composition Infantino's work was the height of "cool" in comic book art in the early and mid 1960s.

As a designer myself I can't help but get enveloped into studying the compositions of Infantino's work whether on Elongated man, the Flash, Adam Strange or any of the wonderful science fiction tales he drew during the period. Perhaps this is just my problem, but I get so much into Infantino's design that I tend to forget about the story. I figure that most of the young readers who read these stories when they first appeared (and I was one of them) didn't have that problem. This book contains non-Infantino penciled stories by very capable comic book practitioners such as Greene, Gill Kane, Irv Novick, Murphy Anderson, Neal Adams and Mike Sekowsky and I don't have the same problem with their work. And it it interesting to observe how each artist approached this strip and how they compare with Infantino's work
.
In this review I've concentrated on the art of the Elongated Man. The stories are finely crafted, light, humorously good natured mysteries that editor Julius Schwartz and scripters Gardner Fox and John Broome were capable of producing during this time. However it is the wonderfully innovative artwork that is the star in the book, This volume is truly a showcase for one of the great comic book artists, Carmine Infantino.

The "Mr. and Mrs. North" of the superhero set!.......2006-08-07

"Showcase Presents: The Elongated Man" reprints some of my all-time favorite stories. Not only are these tales silver age classics written by John Broome and Gardner Fox, and drawn by Carmine Infantino, but they also add a twist of mystery in every tale that makes them stand out as particularly clever.

I've heard it said about the Elongated Man that some heroes are born to greatness and some heroes find it, but Ralph Dibny drank it. Consuming gingold extract, he gains pliable powers to become similar to Plastic Man.

But while Plas shared Ralph's sunny disposition and tendency toward humor, his stories were essentially satires of crime noir. The Elongated Man told classic mysteries in the mold of 1940's Hollywood movies, complete in every story even though the tales were often only eight pages long!

I compare the tone of the stories to the classic "Mr. and Mrs. North" characters, which combined mystery and humor with just the right balance so that neither genre negatively impacted the other. Throw in stretchable super powers, and you have the Elongated Man, Ralph Dibny, and his wife Sue!

These characters are designed to be light and entertaining. As long as they are kept in that context, it's hard to go wrong. You'll find no angst in these stories, and none would be welcome!

Recommended!

Book Description

The ultimate Star Trek® saga, spanning four thrilling adventures!

Long ago, even before the days of myth and legend, our worlds belonged to them. Now, across time and space, comes a fury that will test every one of Starfleet's greatest heroes....

STAR TREK: FIRST STRIKE
Diane Carey

The Invasion begins when Captain Kirk receives a desperate plea for help from the Klingon Empire. A mysterious starship has invaded Klingon space, but the worst is yet to come as Kirk discovers that this ship is only the vanguard of a vast alien fleet intent on conquering the entire Alpha Quadrant!

STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION®:THE SOLDIERS OF FEAR
Dean Wesley Smith & Kristine Kathryn Rusch

After a century of peace, the Furies return, more powerful than before. Now their arsenal includes a way to project incapacitating fear into the minds of their enemies. To defeat the enemy and save the Federation, Captain Picard and his crew must first conquer the darkest terrors of their unconscious minds!

STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE®: TIME'S ENEMY
L.A. Graf

Millennia ago, the Furies were first driven from the Alpha Quadrant, but what became of the enemy that drove them out? The answer may lie in a mysterious starship found frozen in an icy cloud of cometary debris. Now Captain Sisko must discover the secrets of the past to ensure the future of the Federation!

STAR TREK®: VOYAGER™: THE FINAL FURY
Dafydd ab Hugh

Far from the Federation, now under assault by the Furies, Captain Janeway discovers the very source of the Invasion itself. Now, at last, Voyager takes the battle to the enemy -- for the sake of a home they may never see again!

Collected at last...the bestselling Star Trek epic of all time!

Customer Reviews:

Star Trek Invasion! - Star Trek's wonderful first Omnibus!.......2003-12-08

This great first crossover series and great first Star Trek Omnibus contains at least three out four of Star Trek fiction's best tales. First encountered in the twenty third century by the Klingons, the Furies sent a vanguard in the form of a nearly indestructible starship where it was met by the venerable Captain James T. Kirk and the USS Enterprise. Some one hundred years later, the Furies became an issue once again where they were dealt with by first Captain Picard and the crew of the USS Enterprise NCC-1701-D and concurrently by Captain Sisko and the crew of the USS Defiant in an extraordinary time sweeping tale. The conclusion to this massive Star Trek tale is wrapped up perfectly by Captain Janeway and the crew of the USS Voyager, lost deep in the Delta Quadrant.

Included both with "The Final Fury" and this Omnibus is fantastic section titled "A Word from Our Authors," where there are some great insights into what the authors were thinking when writing these novels.

Overall, I'd highly recommend this "Invasion!" series to any and all fans as, with one exception; it is a highly intriguing and epic tale that sweeps across all four series. Listed below is the premise for each tale!

Star Trek #79 First Strike, Invasion #1:

The premise:

"Across time and space comes a fury...!" A quote directly from the cover and yes, it is an extremely accurate and telling statement. For many years the Federation has dealt with the Klingon Empire from either open war or cold war but never has the Federation received a call for help from them. That is exactly what they receive and the Federation sends their very best to deal with whatever the situation may be.

The Klingons have found themselves dealing with a massive starship that they're unable to destroy. Captain Kirk and the crew of the Enterprise come on the scene and discover that this ship and its leader, Vergo Zenner are but the mere vanguard of a massive invasion fleet that is headed to reclaim what they believe to be there territory since time before memory and that territory happens to encompass the Federation, Klingon Empire and the Romulan Star Empire.

What follows from there is an extremely interesting and intriguing tale that is also a bit rare in Star Trek fiction where it deals more with Captain Kirk as the negotiator. Of course, when comes time to revert to the creative combat leader that he is, he steps right up to the plate.

Star Trek The Next Generation #41 The Soldiers of Fear Invasion #2:

The premise:

After a century of peace and no sign of the Furies, they return with a vengeance to reclaim the territory they believe is rightfully theirs. To make matters worse for Starfleet and the rest of the Alpha quadrant, the Furies have returned with a massive fleet of even more deadly ships than the one that came a century before. To add to that, they learned something from their first encounter and are now employing a weapon of fear upon their enemies, literally crippling them and then moving in with their physical weapons to destroy them.

What follows from there, as stated above, is novel that was wrought with potential that is ultimately unrealized in its execution. I would still recommend this novel and the other three in the series as this is only a bump in the road for the series as a whole.

Star Trek Deep Space Nine #16 Time's Enemy Invasion #3:

The premise:

Captain Sisko, Dax and Bashir are called to Starbase One, which is at the fringe of the Terran system by Admiral Judith Hayman. Once there she asks them to review some data chips, which they do and it doesn't take them long to discover that they're from the Defiant under his command, and these data chips describe in some detail, the destruction of the Defiant. They soon learn that these chips were found aboard the Defiant, which had been encased in a comet in the Oort Cloud surrounding the Terran system for over five thousand years...

What follows from there is nothing less than one of the most spectacular and intriguing novels ever written in the Star Trek line of fiction. I highly recommend this novel either as a stand alone in the Deep Space Nine series or as the third in the "Invasion!" series as it furthers that series extremely well, for it is here where we finally get some of the history of the Furies and the why behind their invasion today.

Star Trek Voyager #9 The Final Fury Invasion #4:

The premise:

While the battle rages on in the Alpha quadrant between its inhabitants and the invading Furies, the USS Voyager and her gallant crew are steadily making their way home when they receive a distress call from a Starfleet vessel, something of which they thought they'd never hear again. They soon discover the source of the distress call and massive Fury invasion fleet on a constructed planetoid containing twenty seven billion Furies. As the novel progresses, Captain Janeway finds herself in one heck of a quandary as she comes upon the realization that in order to save the Alpha quadrant, she must destroy the twenty seven billion Furies who are bent on invading the Alpha quadrant and a possible way for her ship to make it home quicker, if there is to be a home to return to...

What follows from there is nothing less than a impressive and decidedly compelling Star Trek Voyager novel and a brilliant finale to Star Trek fiction's first crossover series. I highly recommend not only this novel but the entire "Invasion!" series, whether you procure the individual books or this fantastic "Invasion!" Omnibus. {ssintrepid}

3 out of 4 ain't bad.......2001-05-19

This four-part story that spans the entire "Star Trek" universe (until the fifth show arrives, that is) begins spectacularly, continues well, and almost peters out before returning with a bang. The first segment, "First Strike," takes place in the 23rd Century and depicts Kirk as a hero in both his accomplishments as a warrior (impressing even the Klingons) and in his determined efforts as a diplomat who wants to avoid the war in the first place. "First Strike" could easily stand on its own. But "Soldiers of Fear" fortunately avoids the danger of becoming just a remake/sequel to "First Strike." The added element of new technology for the villainous Furies -- a weapon that strikes at the very minds of the Enterprise crew -- creates an interesting element that maintains our fascination with the story. Then the whole thing goes south in "Time's Enemy." The initial premise -- involving time travel and the mysterious appearance of a centuries-old Defiant -- is certainly intriguing, but the story itself is rather dull and turns out to have very little to do with the Furies story as a whole. In my opinion, it is completely unnecessary, especially considering that the fourth segment, "The Final Fury," picks up exactly where the second segment left off. I wasn't much of a "Voyager" viewer at the time, but I became interested in the series when "Invasion" so fluidly continued the same story from the original characters to the Next Generation to Voyager. I would definitely recommend "Invasion." But skip the DS9 segment, which is as boring and pointless as the other three segments are exciting and epic. Well, three out of four ain't bad.

Marvellous!.......2000-09-29

This was an immensely spellbinding and interesting read... The concept of having such a wonderfully continuous storyline is great, and extremely well thought-out. The stories blend nicely, and tell different parts of the complete story in each book. The characters, especially in the last two books, are portrayed very lifelike and true to their roles in the TV series -- they had me laughing at quite a few occasions! I had to put down everything else to finish this book first!

Simply the finest written Trek yet..........2000-08-28

If you're like Trek then you will like this book. The 4 novel saga spans the centuries and does so with the greatest of fluidity. The basic premise is simple, an epic war took place in our little piece of universe before we got here. The loser of the war wants the universe back and the winners are nowhere to be found. The first novel introduces the losers and reveals that their presence has actually been well documented in the history of our quadrants aliens through mythology, from the Vulcan mythology to Human mythology and so on. The second novel finds Picard and the NG crew fight the FURIES off again in a true epic. The third novel gets a little more technical but finds us finally introduced to the victors in that epic war fought so long ago. These creatures are just plain cool... If not a bit gory... LoL. The 4th brings us back to the FURIES as they attempt to simply transport their entire planet into the alpha quadrant! This is by far the best of the 4 and completes the saga perfectly. I read this installment in a day. All and all it took me 10 days to read the 958 pages and that's saying a lot for me... You'll enjoy this..

excellent as usual.......2000-02-29

Diane writes them well, whether it is the war between the states or Trek, she seems to add the human factor into history and the future. My personal opinion is that she does best with ORIGINAL stories that she creates but she does a very fine job with a adaptation. A writer of detail she seems to bore some but to each their own. She adds color and impact to the picture of your imagination while reading the words. Some readers tend to be too critical, Lighten up and enjoy. Ship of the Line was fun and she interacted a character from 2 shows. That story needed at least 100 more pages. Thanks Diane, From ZC (ghost from the past)

Invasion (The War Against the Chtorr OMNIBUS 1&2)

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Invasion (The War Against the Chtorr OMNIBUS 1&2)
David Gerrold
Manufacturer: Nelson Doubleday, Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000BJUP78

Average customer rating:

Good prayers but not a good balance

Prayers of comfort

Laughter, Silence and Shouting: An Anthology of Women's Prayers

Manufacturer: HarperCollins Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
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Dancing on Mountains: An Anthology of Women's Spiritual Writings

ASIN: 0551028890

Book Description

An inspirational and soulful collection of prayers written by women for women: Included are prayers by Mother Teresa, Florence Nightingale, Emily Bronte, Helen Keller, Janet Morley, Carter Heyward, Dorothee Solle, Julian of Norwich, Teresa of Avila, and Marjorie Chappell.

Customer Reviews:

Good prayers but not a good balance.......2001-07-10

The prayers in this book are, as the title suggests, specifically for women as illustrated by some of the titles: Bakerwoman God, Womb of God, Before Birth: A Waiting Prayer, For He who Would Marry a Childless Woman ... The collection includes Celtic prayers, prayers from other cultures, classical prayers from women saints, and contemporary feminist theologian prayers.

While each of the prayers has sufficient quality to justify its inclusion, the collection is poorly balances ... only the Celtic and feminist prayers consistently fit into a whole. The classic prayers, especially, feel like foreign insertions to give lip service to tradition.

As a resource to pull a few prayers from for special needs, this collection provides solid material but for a prayer book to represent the full range of feminine prayer needs, this book fails.

Prayers of comfort.......1999-12-15

I have shared this book with several women who are struggling with critical health issues - Lou Gehrig's disease, recurrence of breast cancer - and they have found great comfort in the prayers in this book. I would recommend it for others in crisis situations.

Laughter, Silence, and Shouting : An Anthology of Women's Prayers

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Laughter, Silence, and Shouting : An Anthology of Women's Prayers
Kathy Keay
Manufacturer: Marshall Pickering
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000KPATSI

Customer Reviews:

Very nicely arranged into five distinctive categories.......2004-10-11

The collaborative effort of Kerrick James, Jim Ross, John Running, David H. Smith, and David Wend which is very nicely arranged into five distinctive categories, the recipes comprising Northland Publishing's The Ultimate Route 66 Cookbook reflect and showcase classic American cuisine and regional restaurant specialties associated with the Route 66 road trips of yesteryear. From Timberline Pancakes; Golden Peach Muffins; and Green Chile Quiche; to Hot Chicken Salad in a Ring; Chicken and Dumplings; and Pistachio Bundt Cake, The Ultimate Route 66 Cookbook is a welcome and enthusiastically recommended compilation of mid-20th Century American culinary nostalgia.

Average customer rating:

Not as good as her Miniature Gardens book.

Dolls' House Furniture: Easy-to-Make Projects in 1/12 Scale
Freida Gray
Manufacturer: Guild of Master Craftsman
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Dollhouses | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
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Dollhouse Furnishings for the Bedroom and Bath: Complete Instructions for Sewing and Making 44 Miniature Projects (Dover Needlework)

Miniature Iron-on Transfer Patterns for Dollhouses, Dolls, and Small Projects

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Dolls House Do-It-Yourself: Curtains (Dolls House Do-It-Yourself)

ASIN: 1861082584

Book Description

With a little imagination, ingenuity, and these colorfully illustrated projects, anyone can learn to make personalized furniture to decorate a dolls' house! Start with basic pieces that require little more than a craft set; as confidence and skills increase, move on to more demanding work involving cabinet construction and miniature power tools. At every stage, there's an inventory of the necessary tools, equipment, and materials, plus same-size drawings, cutting lists, and color photographs of the completed furnishings. Try easy upholstered furniture; balsa tables, benches, and birdhouses; and imitation basketwork, including a laundry bin. Among the beautiful and small-sized items: a simple winged chair; picnic table; elegant double bed; wardrobe, tall kitchen dresser, and a range of magnificent Portuguese painted pieces. They're works of art!

Customer Reviews:

Not as good as her Miniature Gardens book........2005-09-13

Simple projects, but nothing groundbreaking that isn't available elsewhere.

Average customer rating:

Informative book on centrifugal fans

How to Design and Build Centrifugal Fans for the Home Shop
David J. Gingery
Manufacturer: Lindsay Pubns
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Interior Design | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
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The Drill Press

ASIN: 0917914600

Customer Reviews:

Informative book on centrifugal fans.......1997-01-13

I planned to make a fan for a dust collection system and this book had lots of information on that topic. Gingery also has interesting sections on balancing fans, sheetmetal work,and airflow calculations. I can recomend this book to anyone interested in centrifugal fans and dust collection.

Book Description

The concluding volume of Coward's autobiography includes his travels in South America, Hollywood encounters with an array of contemporary stars, including Cary Grant and Franklin Roosevelt, and his theatrical successes. Future Indefinite sees Coward transformed from a "brazen, odious little prodigy" into one of the most exuberant characters of the British stage.

Noel Coward was born in Middlesex in 1899. His plays include Hay Fever, Private Lives, Blithe Spirit and Design for Living. He was knighted in 1970 and died three years later in Jamaica.

Customer Reviews:

The Latter Pieces of Coward's Style.......2006-11-07

This is a hugely subjective autobiography, penned by one of the most legendary playwright/lyricist/ composer/ entertainer combinations of the last century. For scholars and devotees of Coward's life experiences and his wittly elegant use of vocabulary and phraseology: it is highly valuable. Also of note are Coward's individualistic, personal turn of phrase and the inclusion of persnal habits and mannerisms of daily living: writing, sitting down to tea, fashion, dressing,social graces and vast friendships. To find more of the legendary playwright's private life and what exactly inspired him to write, other objective biographies need to be consulted.

Tender Comrades: A Backstory of the Hollywood Blacklist

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They just can't get over it.
Mesmerizing!
Image shattering
Absolutely Fascinating Read
Good look at the the Blacklistee's story.

Tender Comrades: A Backstory of the Hollywood Blacklist
Patrick McGilligan , and Paul Buhle
Manufacturer: St Martins Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Labor & Industrial Relations | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0312170467

Amazon.com

Tender Comrades contains a series of in-depth interviews with people who suffered during the hysteria of the red scare in Hollywood. The McCarthy era has been studied for years, and although we may know the basic stories of how careers were ruined by accusations and innuendo, hearing the stories from the participants themselves is very moving. Interviewees range from people whose careers eventually rebounded, such as Martin Ritt, Walter Bernstein, and Ring Lardner Jr., to people who never again worked as writers or actors.

Book Description

Fifty years ago, McCarthyism silenced Hollywood. In the pages of Tender Comrades, those who were suppressed finally have their say. A unique collection of profiles in courage, this extraordinary oral history brings to light the voices of thirty-six blacklist survivors, including two members of the Hollywood Ten; seminal directors of film noir; starring actresses and equally memorable supporting players; several of Hollywood's top screenwriters; and many others, lesser known to the public, who are rescued from obscurity by the stories they offer here. Casting a long-overdue light onto not only the blacklist itself but onto the close-knit, vibrant liberal community it decimated, Tender Comrades is the definitive portrait of Hollywood's dark High Noon.

Customer Reviews:

They just can't get over it........2004-03-07

It has been nearly 50 years since the Hollywood blacklist and they just can't get over what happened. The blacklist victims were hardly "tender comrades", they were dangerous people who sought to destroy the American way of life. The real enemy is not anti-communism, but communism itself. The KGB and Venona files have confirmed that everything McCarthy said was right. Why can't they get over this? Why? They need to get over this and move on.

Mesmerizing!.......2002-11-17

I love this book. Its first person accounts by the courageous men and woman who fought valiantly for social justice and economic equality for all people, and stood strong against reactionary forces are so inspiring and moving that I was often in tears.

The book is also immensely informative and even quite funny at times. It vividly presents an amazing array of personalities and is arguably the most affecting, revealing and far-reaching volume about the most shameful chapter in Hollywood's history

Tender Comrades is required reading. We are all indebted to Patrick McGilligan and Paul Buhle for gathering these testimonials, which are true profiles in courage.

Image shattering.......2000-10-31

I grew up midwestern 1950's, in a hotbed of Mc Carthyism. Needless to mention, my ingrained image of who and what was a communist was somewhat different from the thoroughly humanized portraits that emerge in the pages of the book. Not that the interviews with individual victims of the blacklist result in glamorized or enviable cameos. They don't. Instead, we get a glimpse of what life was like for people of strong conviction who defied the fashion of their day even when it cost them dearly. The fact that most were communists was enough to demonize them in the eyes of so many of us, who, when it comes right down to it, were victims ourselves.

To those who have been assailed by America's peculiarly virulent strain of anti-communism, please read the book. It won't make a communist of you, but it will give you second thoughts about a political culture that regularly demonizes its opposition, whoever that may be. The interviews reveal not only an America that was, but in many ways an America that still is. The individual stories themselves are fascinating. The names are ones you may have seen briefly on a late night movie credit crawl. Here they come alive in their own words, names and faces that were on the screen one day, then gone the next. Not celebrities, but the kind of people who made movies memorable because they brought more than varying degrees of talent to their work, they brought social commitment.

I hope the authors soon bring us a similar volume on non-Hollywood victims of the purges, of which, I gather, there were thousands. Folks without marquee names, but with their own stories to tell about how the world was made safe for democracy.

Absolutely Fascinating Read.......2000-10-09

For anyone that's ready to move past the historical books about the Blacklist period and is ready to hear more about the people involved this is the book to read. It contains interviews with 35 blacklisted personalities (many of them screenwriters, two of them were even in the Hollywood Ten) and deals with more than just the blacklist. This is an intimate book that gives a voice to those that are not often heard or have been forgotten. Many of these people led fascinating lives outside of Hollywood (one of them having fought in the war in Spain against the fascists), and you will hear about their own childhood, how they came to Hollywood, and all the dreams and visions they had before the Red Scare destroyed them. It is also interesting to hear these people talk about this turbulent time in their lives since it is something that can only be explained by those who were wronged. Some have moved on and forgiven the friendly witnesses while others still recall those horrible moments and refuse to forget and forgive their transgessors (which they have a reason to). Among those included are Norma and Ben Barzman, Hugo Butler, Alvah Bessie, John Bright, Ring Lardner Jr., Frank Tarloff, and Bernard Vorhaus. All in all, this book is clearly one to read.

Good look at the the Blacklistee's story........2000-03-25

This book is a good resource for anyone who wishes to study the Hollywood Blacklist during the 1940s through 1960s. It has excellent interviews with two of the original Hollywood Ten and proves to be a very interesting read. For further reading on the subject I suggest Naming Names by Victor Navasky.

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Morley Entertainers
Ronnie Barraclough , and David Reekie
Manufacturer: Zodiac Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1904566006

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