You Have to Be Careful in the Land of the Free

Average customer rating:

Garbage - Kelman has written )better

a dark view of contemporary america

"Everybody vanishes, that is what life is, unresolved."

You Have to Be Careful in the Land of the Free
James Kelman
Manufacturer: Harvest Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Literary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Kelman, James | ( K ) | Authors, A-Z | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0156031728

Book Description

In the superbly crafted and critically acclaimed You Have to Be Careful in the Land of the Free, James Kelman has created an unforgettable character and a darkly comic portrait of a post-9/11 America.

Jeremiah Brown, a Scottish immigrant in his early thirties, has lived in the United States for twelve years. He has moved as many times, from the East Coast to the West Coast and back again, all in the hope his luck would change. To add to his restlessness and indecision, he now has a nonrefundable ticket to Glasgow--by way of Seattle, Canada, Iceland, and England--to visit his mother. On his last night in the States, Jeremiah finds himself in a town south of Rapid City, moving from bar to bar, attracting and repelling strangers, losing count of the beers he has drunk. All the while he is haunted by memories and by an acute sense of foreboding.

Customer Reviews:

Garbage - Kelman has written )better.......2006-02-11

Poor James Kelman - seems the Booker Prize has finally gone to his head. He's actually starting to think that what he does is important. After writing some excellent novels live How Late It Was, How Late and Translated Accounts he spits out this garbage. Good for nothing, alcoholic, paranoid, Scottish loser comes to America looking for opportunity - when it is not handed to him on a silver platter he decideds its due to American racism (and George Bush). Of course we all remember those sad post-911 days when Scottish immigrants were the target of so much American hatred. And who can forget the terrible invasion of Scotland (that damn war for oil!). Kelman has totally lost his mind if he thinks the reader will be able to feel for poor Jeremiah Brown. Brown sits in a bar drinking his face off, complaining about American immigration policies (ever consider putting some of that energy into cleaning yourself up and looking for a job?).

The use of Scottish phoentic writing in How Late was an interesting idea and Kelman can be forgiven for trying this gimmick in one or two more novels, but I think its time he gave it up for good and tried something different (Translated Accounts was a good first step).

a dark view of contemporary america.......2005-09-22

A brilliant extended piece of stream of consciousness writing and a scathing indictment of GWB's Hobbesian american dystopia. Unlike Kelman's earlier works this novel is not set in Glasgow, but is instead set inside the head of a working class Scottish immigrant who becomes stranded in the snowy wasteland of Dakota while trying to work his way home to Glasgow. As do all of Kelman's novels, this one operates on numerous levels, being both a celebration of the rich working class dialect of his native city as well as a commentary on the inadequacies of human communication. Like a more sympathetic (and more hopeful) S. Beckett, Kelman notes our miserable failure as a species to live up to our potential, yet holds out hope that one day we might do better in communicating/loving/caring for one another. Kelman's work falls in the great Marxist/Existentialist tradition of those writers who believe that we may indeed be all alone, but that that aloneness is a shared condition which allows for the possibility of us mitigating our suffering (and in turn creating meaning) by caring for one another.

"Everybody vanishes, that is what life is, unresolved.".......2004-07-05

Jeremiah Brown, another of Booker Prize-winner James Kelman's down-and-out protagonists, thinks of himself as a writer and keeps a notebook into which he jots down his observations about his life, recording them in the vernacular--phonetic spellings ("Skallin" for Scotland, "Uhmerkin" for American, for example); pervasive profanity; and run-on sentences and paragraphs. No chapters interrupt or divide the stream-of-consciousness narrative, told by Jeremiah, as he drinks his way through a series of bars in Rapid City, South Dakota, the night before he is supposed to begin his roundabout trip home to Glasgow, by way of Seattle, Montreal, Newfoundland, Iceland, Amsterdam, and Edinburgh.

As he reminisces about his life, especially his life with his "ex-wife" Yasmin, whom he never married, and their daughter, now four years old, he shows himself to be aimless, "a non-assimilatit alien...Aryan Caucasian atheist, born loser...big debts, nay brains." A compulsive gambler, pool player, and heavy drinker, Jerry has held a series of dead end jobs, the only kinds of jobs, he tells us, that are open to immigrants with Class III Red Cards--primarily bar-tending and nighttime airport security work.

The novel follows no logical time frame, spooling out from Jerry's memories in more or less random fashion. We observe his relationship with Yasmin, his "ex-wife," and meet his acquaintances, including Suzanne and Miss Perpetua, two other security guards from the Alien and Alien Extraction Section who also patrol the periphery of the airport car park where he works; two down-and-out war vets, Homer and Jethro, who sleep wherever they can find warmth and space; and "the being," a grocery cart pusher who frequently disappears into thin air and about whose gender bets have been made.

Obviously, plot is not the focus here. In choosing to recreate Jerry's aimless inner life in such a realistic way, however, the author has created a character who does not change or gain the self-awareness that makes his life relevant to most readers. As a character, Jerry does not really engage the reader, and that seems to be part of the author's point: Jerry is and always will be an outsider. Humor, most of it dark, permeates the novel, and an episode with "the being" in the airport VIP lounge is hilarious, but the ending is startling in its abruptness and may surprise readers. Kelman the iconoclast has, once again, produced an unusual and iconoclastic novel in which he experiments with form and structure, bringing to life a character who remains forever on the periphery, even for the reader. Mary Whipple

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You Have To Be Careful In The Land Of The Free
James Kelman
Manufacturer: Harvest Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000OCB7LU

Product Description

Mass Market Paperback: 240 pages ; Dimensions (in inches): 0.76 x 6.80 x 4.25 Publisher: Tor Books; ISBN: 0812524659; Reprint edition (June 2000) There are so many outsiders in YA fiction, it's time for a novel about the loneliness of being normal"

Customer Reviews:

A Dark Fantasy.......2006-10-20

Shadow-black tentacles wrapped around the cradle of the telescope. A clouded face that swarmed with a million hideous insects descended upon the astronomer's desk and something with cold dark fur brushed past Tory, its breath sickly sweet.

Scorpion Shards by Neal Shusterman is an exciting novel in which six kids, each with a strange physical or emotional mutation, must discover how to get rid of their deformities. It is a powerful fantasy filled with darkness and suspense.

One interesting concept of the book is how a hunger for something can completely overpower a person. Each of the six teenagers has one, some worse than others. Dillon Cole, the most dangerous of the group, is driven by his "wrecking-hunger" to attempt to destroy all of civilization. Michael "Lips" Lipranski can usually control it, but once his almost unnatural hunger for girls went too far, leaving the unlucky girl without a soul after his kiss.

Another exciting part of the fantasy is its dark and chilling thrills. Like when the astronomer Dr. Bayless meets his untimely demise at the hands of the hungry monsters inside of each of the kids. Or when Dillon destroys an entire city block to feed his hunger. In the end, the six must all face their demons in a strange, lost world.

One last fascinating aspect of the novel is how a single thought can cause so much chaos. Dillon drives whole towns past the brink of insanity, after whispering a simple suggestion into a person's ear. He can alter the entire future of a victim, from possible millionaire to vagabond. Dillon has the uncanny ability to see patterns, whether it be of people's lives or tumbling boulders. He uses this skill to find a human "fuse", from which he can set off a whole chain of events.

Neal Shusterman's book, Scorpion Shards, is one of his greatest achievements. It is a gripping novel, with twists and turns until you reach the back cover.

W. Hodson

shards.......2003-12-08

Dillon Cole is 15. He loves to destroy things, but not for fun. There's some invisable force inside him that "makes" him do it. So in order to feed this "wrecking hunger," the same power that makes people go insane when they touch him, he has to keep on destroying.

Deanna chang makes everyone afraid. Even herself. When she's around people, she feels claustrophobic. Houses couuld fall on her. Things could kill her. And people around her are so afraid.

Winston is growing shorter and paralyzing people, and Tory is a living bacteria. Not to mention Miachael, who makes women fall in love, and men want to kill. Or Lourdes, who doesn't eat, but gets fatter.

Who are these extremely screwed up kids? They are the Scorpion Shards. Six kids that have enough power to kill or hurt everyone around them. Except themselves.

So why are they like this? Not everyone has the power to strike fear into everyone else. Or see patterns in everything. Something is causing this, other than hormones.

Scorpion Shards tells this story about these six innocent kids, who have had the universe single them out. Their journey takes them through pain, worlds, and death. A wonderful book to read for anyone who likes to see teenagers and out-of-this-world problems.

The best book I have ever read.......2002-10-03

I think that "Scorpion Shards" and the Star-Shards trilogy is the best ever. I began to read it in my 7th grade year since my 6th grade techer told me to read books by Shusterman because she thought that I might like it. Scorpion shards is just awesome..It has an incrdible plot and make you want to keep going and when u stop reading it.. u still think about it.. Just getting through half of Scorpion Shards I wanted to read the whole trilogy.

The Best Book I Ever read.......2002-05-22

This is one of my all time favorite books. I like this book because, of all of the characters. The characters are very unique. Dillon is a crazy power hungry psycho who causes chaos where ever he goes. All the shards have powers that make them different from every day human.
The shards have powers of that can be used for good and if they desire evil. The shards are controlled by these parasites that make the story interesting. It keeps you interested by an enthralling story line that makes you have to read the next book. I like this book because the battle of good and evil and the chance that all the people in the worlds minds can be shattered if the goods shards don't stop the evil psycho in time.

Shusterman's Shards of ideas come together perfectly..........2001-04-11

...in Scorpion Shards. This books is amazingly diverse in areas of interest, and has such great detail that it is hard not to imagine yourself standing next to the characters seeing what Shusterman is describing. This book has little pieces of information from many different fields, such as astrology, astronomy, and even a little biology! I am writing this review within 15 minutes (give or take) of finishing this book, and I would storngly recommend this book to anybody. I know I intend to purcahse the second book as soon as possible, Thief of Souls

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Scorpion Shards
Neal Shusterman
Manufacturer: Tor Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OTNYFK

Average customer rating:

Scorpion Shards
Neal Shusterman
Manufacturer: Tor Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000P20D8W

Customer Reviews:

CREEPY AND FUN!.......2003-07-01

This follow up to the first series of Three Minute Thrillers is lots of fun for kids and adults, who enjoy a good scare, alike. Plus, the author displays a talent for telling a good, creepy story in very few words! Some of the premises are far-fetched, but hey, it's primarily targeted as a kids' book, right? I also recommend the first book, "The Oozing Eyeball..." Both books will satisfy fans of "Scary Tales to Tell in the Dark" series. Keep in mind both of these books are difficult to come by.

OH...I'm shaking in my shoes! NOT!.......2000-03-29

This book is not even scary! On the back of the book... scare the toughest buff? Yeah right! I'm 11 years old and it didn't even scare me for a sec! God, I can write scarier stories than him! I am very dissapointed! Thank god I didn't buy this book, I got it out of the school library! The reason why I gave it 2 stars is because of the creativity and how he writes...good wording, or whatever. I don't reccomend this book at all! Just a waste of time!

Awsome Book! Great For Teachers!.......1998-05-22

Some of the stories, such as "The Stray " are awsome to write endings to. Children really get into it!

Roller Ghoster (What's New Scooby-Doo? Junior Chapter Book)

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Roller Ghoster (What's New Scooby-Doo? Junior Chapter Book)
Joy Brewster
Manufacturer: Tandem Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: School & Library Binding

Humorous | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

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Karl Barth's Theology of Culture: The Freedom of Culture for the Praise of God (Pittsburgh Theological Monographs ; New Ser. 2)
Robert J., Sr. Palma
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General | Theology | Christianity | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0915138549

Average customer rating:
The Community of Freedom: Barth and Presuppositionless Theology (American University Studies Series VII, Theology and Religion)
Rolf Ahlers
Manufacturer: Peter Lang Pub Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Theology | Christianity | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0820405647

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KARL BARTH Theologian of Freedom
Clifford Green
Manufacturer: Collins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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Cooking with Flowers
Jenny Leggatt
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Binding: Hardcover

General | Baking | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
General | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0449902528
Release Date: 1987-06-12

Average customer rating:

Cooking Resources From Your Own Garden

Never realized how many edible flowers there were out there.

Edible Flowers: A Kitchen Companion With Recipes
Kitty Morse
Manufacturer: Ten Speed Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Cooking with Edible Flowers: Storey Country Wisdom Bulletin A-223 (Storey Country Wisdom Bulletin, a-223)

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Customer Reviews:

Cooking Resources From Your Own Garden.......2000-07-26

Fascinated by the beauty of real flowers used in cake decorating, I decided to buy this book. And I'm glad I did! It is filled with a wealth of information of which flowers can be used for decorating and flavor as well as proper collection techniques and preparation methods. Recipes are also included. The color pictures are quite helpful and will give additional ideas to readers. Highly recommended for anyone looking for something exotic!

Never realized how many edible flowers there were out there........1999-04-21

I am new to working with herbs and have been to a Tea Room several times where edible flowers are frequently used on the dishes. This book is very informative as to the various edible flowers you can plant in your garden and has some great recipes.

Average customer rating:

Cooking with Flowers
Jekka McVicar
Manufacturer: Kyle Cathie Limited
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books

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The Gourmet's Garden: Cooking With Edible Flowers, Herbs and Berries
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Cooking with Edible Flowers: Storey Country Wisdom Bulletin A-223 (Storey Country Wisdom Bulletin, a-223)

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Cooking with Edible Flowers: Storey Country Wisdom Bulletin A-223 (Storey Country Wisdom Bulletin, a-223)
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ASIN: 1580172695

Book Description

Since 1973, Storey's Country Wisdom Bulletins have offered practical, hands-on instructions designed to help readers master dozens of country living skills quickly and easily. There are now more than 170 titles in this series, and their remarkable popularity reflects the common desire of country and city dwellers alike to cultivate personal independence in everyday life.

The Great Sunflower Book: A Guidebook With Recipes

Average customer rating:

Great little book!
Didnt even get the item!
A great Mother's Day gift!

The Great Sunflower Book: A Guidebook With Recipes
Barbara Jeanne Flores
Manufacturer: Ten Speed Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books

General | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Customer Reviews:

Great little book!.......2007-05-15

I love sunflowers and this book is a quick read with a unique shape that adds to its appeal. The book gives interesting sunflower facts/trivia, growing tips and recipes. Great pictures add to my enjoyment of this little jewel.
Chris Kline
SunflowerOcity

Didnt even get the item!.......2007-01-12

I ordered this product in Oct for a christmas gift and never received it. It took them 3 weeks to send a email saying it would be in the beginning of Dec and then halfway through Dec they sent another email saying it would not be sent. Horrible service!

A great Mother's Day gift!.......2000-03-26

I purchased this for my mother and she loves it. The book is a nice combination of facts/trivia, growing tips and recipes, plus the illustrations are stunning. The unusual size of the book (tall and narrow) adds to the fun and enhances the illustrations.

Beautiful Parties: A Practical Guide to Entertaining With Flowers, Food and Flair

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Beautiful Parties: A Practical Guide to Entertaining With Flowers, Food and Flair
Diana McDermott , and Sandi Britton
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Binding: Hardcover

General | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books

Tablesetting | Special Occasions | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books

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COOKING WITH FLOWERS
HANLE
Manufacturer: Unknown
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000S5J95Y

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Cooking With Flowers
Zack Hanle
Manufacturer: PRICE STERN SLOAN
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000SHTAP6

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Cooking With Flowers

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ASIN: 0449445976

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The Guide to Evaluating Books...

Old Books - A to Z

Official Price Guide to Old Books

The Official Price Guide to Collecting Books, 4th Edition (Official Price Guide to Collecting Books)
Marie Tedford , and Pat Goudey
Manufacturer: House of Collectibles
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Books | Antiques & Collectibles | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
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Book Description

A Collector’s Guide to the Wonderful World of Books!

Whether you’ve found a century-old cookbook in your attic, are curious about your favorite contemporary author, or want to appraise a classic from your childhood, Th e Official ® Price Guide to Collecting Books offers all the professional advice and information you need to determine the right values and the proper care for your books.

COMPLETELY REVISED AND UPDATED: The Official ® Price Guide to Collecting Books contains values for thousands of titles, from classic to contemporary, to help you enrich your shelves with unforgettable stories and priceless collectibles!

LISTINGS BY AUTHOR FOR EASY REFERENCE: Plus, there are listings of authors cross-referenced by category.

EVERY GENRE IS INCLUDED: From medical texts and early travel journals to science fiction and poetry, this incredible sourcebook covers both the old and the new—from Shakespeare and Dickens to Clancy and Grisham.

PROFESSIONAL ADVICE: This book contains valuable tips on buying, selling, and preserving your books, as well as a complete glossary of book-collecting terms.

Customer Reviews:

The Guide to Evaluating Books..........2002-12-22

Why did I give this four stars you ask? Well it may say Price Guide in the title, but it spends more time of the evaluation and grading of old books.

I bought this to help with my selling of old books on online auction sites, and none of the old books I have are listed in this book as far as the book listing/prices go. BUT it did help me in other areas.

It helped me in evaluating or grading the condition of the old books I have, and in turn I have been descriptions on my online auctions.

This book has moderately in depth discussions on a review of the market, a closer look at the book trade today, the impact of the internet as far as buying and selling old books goes, the care and repair of old books. This book also includes a glossary, abbreviations, a listing of more that 15,000 books and prices, a listing of Bibles, Old Book dealers, and recommeded periodicals and research resources.

Old Books - A to Z.......2001-08-02

Nice hardcover A to Z listing by author.

Official Price Guide to Old Books.......2000-07-29

This is a treasure of a book and a wealth of knowledge. What fun it is for a collector to track their investment.

Average customer rating:

paper shoes you can actually wear - is this trip necessary?

Paper Shoe Book, The: Everything You Need to Make Your Own Pair of Paper Shoes
Julian Horsey
Manufacturer: Three Rivers Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
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Handmade Shoes for Men

ASIN: 0517884399
Release Date: 1995-04-25

Book Description

When is a book not a book?

When it's a pair of shoes, of course.

All you need is a pair of scissors, some glue, and this book, and you can make any of the twelve fully wearable paper shoes shown left.

This is no ordinary book. Its covers turn into soles. Its pages turn into uppers and treads, and the Velcro tabs inside become the fasteners for the basic sport shoe and boot. In addition to a complete set of patterns for all twelve original designs, you will find a separate book with clearly illustrated step-by-step instructions to guide you through this remarkable process.

But it does not end with just one pair. You can make pair after pair of paper shoes, choosing different papers for the uppers to create a colorful array of shoes to use for any occasion!

The patterned paper used in the kit is the one shown on this shoe.

Customer Reviews:

paper shoes you can actually wear - is this trip necessary?.......2007-02-18

if you understand what you are buying & carefully look at the 3 shoes pictured on the cover & still want it, then it is a 5 star purchase. i made a pair of shoes from this - cleverly, i thought, using foil-type wrapping paper backed by clear contac adhesive. came out with a doughy, roman-soldier-sandalish, faux-espadrille, oddly suitable for chinese new year due to the materials i chose. wearing them in public would be a dubious experience for two reasons - their native looks & the careful protective gait one would have to adopt to preserve them. ...but knock yourself out. you know you want to. crafty people of the world unite!

Book Description

Drawing on an array of original period documents, Thomson explores design activities in the printing, type founding, advertising, and publishing industries, setting the early history of graphic design in the context of American social history.

Book Description

An Inside Look at Daytime TV's Hottest Heartthrobs-With Full-Color Photos!

They've played a big part in your afternoon fantasies. Now get a closer-than-ever peek into the private lives, celebrated careers and personal secrets of TV's hunkiest male superstars. It's a dream companion for millions of fans worldwide who are seduced five days a week by the men of General Hospital, All My Children, One Life to Live, The Young and the Restless, The Bold and the Beautiful and more....

Playgirl Magazine June 1993 Celebrity Secrets Revealed, Daytime's TV HUNK HUNT

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Playgirl Magazine June 1993 Celebrity Secrets Revealed, Daytime's TV HUNK HUNT
Playgirl
Manufacturer: Playgirl
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Sex | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B000OPDFCQ

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