Book Reader's Heaven

A Cure For Night - Title Concept Great Idea!

Mon, 06 Oct 2008 17:10:14 GMT

A Cure for Night

By Justin Peacock

Doubleday

ISBN: 978-0-385-52580-0

341 Pages

“That’s what...criminal law is: it’s how the day tries to correct the night’s mistakes...

“What does that make us? ...night’s janitors?

“We’re absolutely that...a cure for night.” (p. 152)

I think I was most intrigued by the concept of Justin Peacock’s novel, A Cure for Night. Consider that the majority of crime is committed during night/dark hours; you quickly realize that, indeed, criminal lawyers could be called the nation’s janitors—or more, its doctors!

Based upon that concept, Peacock takes readers into all facets of various law cases, looking deeply into the lives of many of the main characters. I don’t recall becoming so empathic toward characters’ lives in other legal novels or, perhaps, I was just more drawn to those created by Peacock. Bottom line--A Cure for Night pulled me in and held me until the end...and beyond...

Joel Deveraux began his legal career at one of New York’s most prestigious law firms, earning a six-figure salary that was exchanged for most of his waking hours. That was until he met Beth, a paralegal assigned to one of his cases. Along with fulfilling Joel’s sexual needs, Beth introduced him to heroin. But when Beth OD’d and the death was investigated, Joel was scrutinized and found guilty—guilty enough to lose his position and be placed on probation for retention of his law license.

He was finally able to acquire a new position—as a Brooklyn public defender. While his new boss knew the background that led to his “resignation” from his former position, Joel wondered how long it would be for word to leak out. In the meantime, he was inundated with minor misdemeanor cases, most of which were handled by plea-bargaining.

Finally, after putting in sufficient time, his boss assigned him to assist in a big new murder case. Although Myra Goldstein was not thrilled, she made the best of it, while still letting Joel know that this case was definitely hers! The defendant was Lorenzo Tate, a black drug dealer of marijuana who had never been caught and jailed! The victims were a white college honors student who had been killed while he was talking with a major drug dealer, who had only been injured.

“A criminal trial is a search for the truth, but the defense lawyer isn’t a member of the search party.” (p. 72)

The case is clear-cut from the prosecution’s standpoint. He has two major witnesses: Devin Wallace’s sister who claimed that Tate was threatening her brother regarding money he owed him. The other claims to have seen Tate run by her the night of the crime, carrying a gun.

For Joel and Myra, they must defend their client, no matter what is or is not the truth. But in doing so, an innocent man is later shot and Joel and Myra face their own deaths, as lies are used to manipulate those involved!

Joel’s past use of drugs becomes part of the picture as more than one of his clients become involved in the “whodunit” investigation. And Joel and Myra find that, for this case, justice and truth will not be found, in the courtroom—or, on the streets!

Peacock’s debut is a winner from my standpoint. His movement deep into the entire case was a welcome addition. Although there is a feel of Raising the Bar, the impact is more slowly developed as discovery is made, and thus momentous as the book’s surprise ending comes! Highly recommended by a lover of drama!

G. A. Bixler

For Amazon vine

Tags: Justin Peacock, public defenders, legal system, drugs, drama

Human Trafficking Highlighted in Novel!

Mon, 06 Oct 2008 17:07:27 GMT

Lost Girls: A Sherry Moore Novel

By George D. Shuman

Simon & Schuster

ISBN: 978-1-4165-5301-4

244 Pages

Lost Girls by George D. Shuman is one of those books you hate to love! The storyline of human trafficking is horrendous; however, the story created surrounding the topic is an exciting, fast-paced thriller that takes you from the cliffs of Mount McKinley to the jungles of Haiti! Shuman is a 20-year veteran of the Washington D. C., Metropolitan Police Department and he writes with the fascinating detail that comes from that experience!

But then he added Sherry Moore as his main character—not somebody you’d meet on the streets of D.C. Sherry has one paranormal ability; she can touch the hand of deceased individuals and see their last 18 seconds of thoughts! Sometimes those thoughts are those that we would all expect to have—thoughts of our loved ones, or thoughts based on their beliefs about life after death. Surprisingly, many different thoughts can also occur within those seconds, and sometimes Sherry is able to discover those thoughts and use them to help the living!

And it was based upon that hope that Sherry was whisked away to Mount McKinley where a sudden storm had caught many climbers somewhere on that mountain. One climber had fallen and was hanging from his supports, clearly visible from the ground. It was hoped that by taking Sherry to him, she would be able to see his thoughts and perhaps gain information on the location of those with whom he had been climbing. And, indeed, she was able to learn the coordinates of where the remainder of his group was and they were rescued!

While that is just the exciting beginning, the remainder of what she saw in those 18 seconds, was so hideous that Sherry couldn’t just forget them! She had seen jungles, a castle, a red room, a chair with a woman who was being tortured—visions that were so terrifying that the man who had died had found himself reliving them as he, too, met his death.

Little by little, things begin to happen. A policewoman is kidnapped. A young woman on a cruise does not make it back to her ship. News of drugs and human trafficking are whispered in the dark. Interpol is finally able to begin putting things together. One of the first solid leads is that the man who had died on Mount McKinley was the son of a major drug lord who had recently died! And then another death, this time in Haiti, brings news that his death was connected to having seen women being held in a prison in Haiti.

When it is discovered that the young girl from the cruise ship is from a very rich and connected family and her mother refuses to accept not finding out where her daughter is, Sherry is once again contacted, joins together with the girl’s mothers to try to discover what she can from the murdered man who had seen the imprisoned women. When she reaches the location of the corpse, she soon finds herself comparing visions with the local voodoo priest!

Needless to say, this novel is loaded with twists and turns as pieces of information are collected and molded together to find the location of the castle. While the gift of paranormal experience is part of the storyline, I found the overall action and adventure much more compelling. The book is well written, a page-turner, and just might be read in one sitting, as I did!

Highly recommended! But please consider this book adult content!

G. A. Bixler

For Amazon vine

Tags: George D. Shuman, human trafficking, Haiti, paranormal, voodoo, action, adventure

Iodine is Brilliant but Haunting!

Sat, 27 Sep 2008 21:17:50 GMT

Iodine

By Haven Kimmel

Free Press

ISBN: 978-1-4165-7284-8

221 Pages

Iodine by Haven Kimmel, New York Times bestselling author, was a very disturbing book for me. I could not say I liked it, but I feel compelled to give it high praise for what Kimmel has created in this portrayal of her character, Trace Pennington. If you dare--enter her psychotic mind:

"I never
I never had sex with my father but I would have, if he had agreed." (p. 1)

The majority of Iodine comes to us in the form of journals. The excerpt above is how Kimmel opens her novel. Certainly attention getting--certainly a setup of what may be coming. Whether or not any of the interactions between Trace and her family members ever really happened, we cannot be sure of--what we do know for sure is that Trace Pennington believed everything that she wrote--at the time she wrote it. The false starts, again as demonstrated above, are also accompanied by failure to finish thoughts, beginning new thoughts in the middle of others, and various sidetracks of her ongoing thoughts.

Trace has a form of epilepsy that is not discovered, or even considered, until late in her life. Once she is medicated, she begins to realize and investigate what has been happening to her.

Where does a brilliant woman escape to when she is delusional or hallucinating? Even earlier, and perhaps more critical--where does she go to escape abuse from her own mother, who described her as a changeling?

Readers enter Trace's life during her time at university. She has created a persona, Ianthe Covington, who is now considering various Honors courses that will not only complete her degree but also provide her various minors in fields such as Women's Studies. It is quite obvious that she has read far beyond all requirements and, in fact, has exceeded the experience of some of her professors. Indeed, readers quickly become aware of the brilliance of the author, even though it is bizarrely portrayed through her central character.

While Ianthe is steadily moving toward her degree, Trace has left home and lives in an abandoned house with little money. It is there where she writes of visiting the Underworld, to meet with Pluto or Hekate. Or she might share her dreams and then her own interpretation of those dreams--or what interpretation Freud or Jung might provide.

Trace's mind seems to never stop and readers are thrown page by page into Greek mythology to Jung to Freud and back to Jung. Fortunately, Trace has Weeds as her totem, to provide stabilization to her life--her beloved dog, given to her by her beloved father...until...

One day, Ianthe sees and meets her "fate." He is one of her professors, Jacob Matthias. And, so, she discovers where he lives, goes there and waits on an outside porch until he comes home...to tell him so. Surprisingly, she just might be right this time! Indeed, she doesn't know how fateful he has been until, perhaps, the day she hears a doctor ask him how long they had been married. In her mind, she tried to say, four months. But she hears, surprised, when he responds "Four years and four months to the day." (p. 202)

Once I made it through some of her journal entries, I had become absorbed into Trace's life. It is then fascinating to sit back and watch her internal thoughts within the academic community, and her overwhelming brilliance as she explores Hades or her dreams and/or hallucinations of her parents. There is a realism that is beyond comprehension for many of us, yet the author has indeed placed us directly into the mind of this woman! It is truly amazing. It is disturbing. It is horrible. It is wondrous...

But no matter what, for me, Haven Kimmel's Iodine is one of the most memorable books I have ever read and it will continue to haunt me! Outstanding writing!

G. A. Bixler

for Amazon Vine Program

Tags: Haven Kimmel, literary fiction, Jung, Freud, Underworld, Greek Mythology, psychosis

New Series I'll Definitely Follow!

Thu, 25 Sep 2008 17:31:21 GMT

Baby Shark’s High Plains Redemption

By Robert Fate

Capital Crime Press

ISBN: 978-0-9799960-2-3

288 Pages

“In a spine-jolting crunch that flattened me against the steering wheel, the Mercury slid under them and their car came down on my hood, leaving my horn blaring and my engine roaring...I spun around in the seat, used both feet to push open the door, moved fast...and started forward with my pistol in my hand.” (p. 137)

Like Fast-paced? Like strong female PI’s?

Meet.... Baby Shark!

I came in on the “third act” of Baby Shark, in High Plains Redemption, but I’ll be going back to pick up the first two books...and continue on with this hot series by Robert Fate! Baby Shark reminds me of Geena Davis in my all-time favorite action movie, The Long Kiss Goodnight! If you loved Geena in some of her outrageous acts in that movie, then you’ll certainly want to meet Baby Shark:

She can take it:

“He grabbed me by my hair and pulled me around so hard I thought my neck would snap. He jammed a hand between my thighs, picked me up by my crotch and the hair of my head, swooped me up shoulder high—and then I was falling...” (p. 130)

And she can dish it out:

“I moved instantly, swinging my hands out as I fell forward, chopping my blades into their necks as if I were striking cymbals. The first cuts were to the bone, but I slashed up and pressed in, doing even more injury as I withdrew, leaving their neck wounds open wide and their heads nearly detached from their bodies.” (p. 251)

High Plains Redemption takes Kristin Van Dijk, aka Baby Shark and partner, Otis Millett into bootlegging country and two warring mountain clans, as they are hired to find and return Savannah, daughter of one of the clan leaders—hired, but not by her own family!

Baby Shark is as confused as everybody else as they try to determine exactly what is happening and who is leaving the trail of bodies behind as Savannah is located and then lost again. Baby Shark knows only onething—she must protect Savannah! No matter what or who gets in the way.

Unfortunately, that could actually be her lover, Lee, who happens to be a law officer who expects her to follow all the legal rules that he does in protecting the innocent! It is a constant struggle, for Baby Shark knows, “we work on the edge of the law, and...it gets blurry out there were Otis and I deal with things.” (p. 198) And Baby Shark just doesn’t think she can trust Lee...

Admit it, readers! This sounds like that exciting novel into which you want to escape this weekend! Well, you’ll be right! This book is highly recommended for lovers of action thrillers!

So, excuse me, now...I’m going back to start reading: Baby Shark—first book in what I expect will be Robert Fate’s fantastic series! You might want to start at the beginning... but, no problem, High Plains Redemption stands alone as a great addition, so wherever you meet her, I think you’ll thoroughly enjoy Baby Shark!

G. A. Bixler

Independent Professional Book Reviewer

Tags: Robert Fate, Baby Shark, Pulp fiction, Female PI, thriller, action

The American Skyscraper!

Mon, 22 Sep 2008 16:13:24 GMT

Skyscraper

By day the skyscraper looms in the smoke and sun and has a soul.

Prairie and valley, streets of the city, pour people into it and they

Mingle among its twenty floors...

It is the men and women, boys and girls so poured in and out all day

That give the building a soul of dreams and thoughts and memories...

--Carl Sandburg’s Chicago’s Poems (p. 325)

Sheer serendipity brought me into the formal facilities planning and management activities I directed for many years. However, in many ways, it merged with an instinctual love of the architectural form in all of its beauty. Thus, for me, Joseph Korom’s The American Skyscraper, will become much more¾a “coffee-table” book to be picked up and read again and again.

In reality, however, it is a complete text on the history of America’s creation and use of Skyscrapers with in-depth information and over 300 images highlighting buildings across the United States. It includes over 60 pages for the bibliography, index, footnotes, and tabular presentations of celebrated skyscrapers! The author notes, “Between its covers are the stories of 287 American skyscrapers which were, or still are, located in seventy-one cities and towns...” (p. 21) Reflections of exterior details or interior shots, as well as architects’ personal pictures, create a significant historical contribution for the libraries of both students and professionals in the fields of architectural and engineering, as well as all those who, like myself, are awed with the majesty and beauty of structures.

Architect Joseph Korom earned a Master of Architecture degree from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where he also served as mentor. He is an accomplished artist whose paintings are represented in many private collections and is a freelance writer, architectural critic, and photographer. He is a member of the Society of Architectural Historians, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Milwaukee Art Museum. Joseph Korom, who has also authored Look Up Milwaukee (1979) and Milwaukee Architecture A Guide to Notable Buildings (1995.

“Very tall buildings, those now known as “skyscrapers,” were invented here—in America.... Humans built tall for many reasons: to do so was communally satisfying, personally fulfilling and perhaps most of all it was a celebratory act—for everyone. To build tall was defiant, it was risky and it was scary but inherent in these anxieties was the conquering of height itself, to pierce the sky with a manmade object while still tethered to the ground was simply irresistible...” (pps. 14-15) Korom thus introduces his impressive text with a brief historical perspective of the brave men who began to build high and chronicles “this country’s unique contribution to architecture...” (p. 16).

Presenting Chicago’s Sear Tower as his first picture, he notes that it “is the ultimate expression of skyscraper technology and is the embodiment of vertical manifest destiny. It stands 110 floors, 1,454 feet tall, and is North America’s tallest skyscraper.” The author includes interesting factual information such as when he notes, “When the sun sets, pedestrians at the Sears Tower’s base are plunged into shade. But due to the curvature of the earth, shade covers the tower’s floors from bottom moving upward at the rate of one floor per second. Consequently, those at the building’s top enjoy approximately two more minutes of sunlight...” (p. 21)

When I explored the buildings on the West Virginia University campus, working to better manage the utilization of those facilities and then plan what was needed to meet future needs, it was always the older buildings that I found more intriguing. Exploring Woodburn Hall all the way up into the clock tower, or walking through Chitwood and Martin Halls, prior to their being gutted and renovated, I thrilled at the basic beauty we wanted to retain, while at the same time, create updated classrooms, offices, and teaching laboratories that were needed for our School of Journalism and many departments within our College of Arts and Sciences.

Thus, as I read through A Celebration of Height, it was not surprising that I eagerly studied the buildings with the older styles that were used during the “courageous beginnings” starting in 1850. (p. 22). Zachary Taylor was president “during the planning and erection of the famed Jayne Building in Philadelphia. Knowing that “Old Rough and Ready” was in charge helps place the birth of the American skyscraper in historical context.” (p. 23)

The following buildings included in the Celebration are just a few of those particularly enjoyed by this former Facilities professional/reviewer! I am sure others will choose those more modern.

The Palmer House Hotel in Chicago; built 1872, by the “first merchant prince of Chicago, Potter Palmer, at the cost of $200,000. (pps. 49-50)
Madison Square Garden Tower, 16 floors, 304 feet, New York. (P. 158)
Women’s Temple, Chicago, 1892, home of the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union. (p. 166)
Columbus Memorial Building, topped by a giant bronze status of Christopher Columbus, built in 1893. “In an utterly wanton act, this delightful skyscraper was demolished in 1959.” (p. 179)
Trinity Church, New YorkCity. Its steeple once ranked it the tallest structure on Manhattan Island. (p. 190)
The Carson Pirie Scott Store’s main entrance is marked by a most robust example of foliage This twisting mélange was executed in iron then painted a forest green. This building, completed in 1904, immediately was propelled into the annals of architectural immortality. The Chicago Loop was now home to a large department store, rising twelve stories, 168 feet. The building featured some of the most compelling ornamentation anywhere. (pps. 231-232)
City Investing Building, New York City, 1908, 487 feet, and containing one-half million square feet, making it the world’s largest office building. “If ever there was a skyscraper that evoked romance, historicism, capitalism, and the optimism of the early twentieth century the City Investing Building was it. Here was a tower that drew upon inspiration from French Baroque sources, and in so doing, cut a delightful profile on New York’s skyline. (p. 271)
Bromo-Seltzer Tower, Baltimore, 1911, 15 floors, 280 feet tall, with a facsimile of the original Bromo-Seltzer bottle atop its tower! (pps. 294-295)
Peter Cooper first manufactured structural beam for the Cooper Union Building in New York, thus setting the stage for skeleton construction and ultimately the skyscraper. (p. 25). Also in New York, the mid-19th century marked the age of cast iron architecture and is still concentrated in the “Cast Iron District, as a living museum, near the Greenwich Village. (p. 28)
And, of course, the history of the skyscraper must also include the invention of the elevator. Manhattan’s Haughwout Building was the first commercial building to employ a passenger elevator. “It was capable of lifting one-half ton at the rate of forty feed per minute and it was the first of its kind anywhere” when it was installed in 1857. Any facilities professional will not be surprised to hear that Elisha Graves Otis who eventually founded the Otis Elevator Company installed it. (pps. 28-29)

In addition to detailed facilities information, I also enjoyed the smaller details Korom added for interest, such as “Probably for the first time unrelated men and women worked side-by-side for eight or more hours in the same one or two rooms...skyscrapers, probably from their very inception, were places where ‘advantages were acted upon’ or there were rumors of such behavior...” (p. 137) and the various interior shots of those men and women dressed as they were at that time. Truly, The American Skyscraper 1850-1940: A Celebration of Height is a book that is highly recommended to all those interested in America’s history!

By his buildings great in influence and power...

His philosophy where, in “Form Follows function”

Sullivan has earned his place as one of the greatest

Architectural forces in America...

--Memorial Mark to Louis Henri Sullivan (p. 195)

Tags: Joseph J. Korom, Jr., skyscrapers, architects, architecture, engineering, elevators

Great Romantic Suspense!

Mon, 22 Sep 2008 16:09:04 GMT

But don’t go leaving here with the idea that I don’t love you. That would make your leaving way too easy...If it’s a case that you’re expected to marry a Kentucky Blueblood socialite rather than a good, Scottish woman, that’s a different story. Then, be on your way...(p. 154)

Meet the fiery and beautiful Maggie McGregor, horse trainer extraordinaire, in Patricia A. Guthrie’s wonderful first novel, In the Arms of the Enemy. Guthrie’s book is an exciting blend of suspense and sexy romance, within the sometimes dangerous world of horse racing.

When Maggie’s fiancé, Ricky Lane, showed up with a beautiful woman on his arm, along with George Blakely, owner of the horse, Black Autumn, she was suspicious and jealous. But her feelings quickly turned to anger when he left her alone to attend Black Autumn during the race. Then when the horse she had trained won, Ricky was quick to identify himself as the winner’s trainer!

It didn’t take any more than that for Maggie to finally end her engagement, quit and leave.

Even so, when Black Autumn, Ricky Lane and George Blakely, were all murdered within a week, it was Maggie that was most suspected—especially by Blakely’s son, Jonathan Adam!

As may be expected by the title, Adam and Maggie were instantly attracted to each other. Adam had come to investigate Maggie, posing as, first, a novice who wanted her to train his horse, and then later as a private investigator and also, sometimes, as an owner of a software company, aka a playboy entrepreneur. The clumsiness with which Adam tries to be undercover provides a thread of humor for readers since Maggie is quite adept at seeing the many mistakes he makes. But Maggie seems quite willing to play along with his various roles, at least until she figures out why he’s really there!

Guthrie’s inclusion of Maggie’s father as an important minor character also provided an unusual perspective to the emerging relationship between his daughter and Adam—whoever he was!

Fortunately while this antagonistic couple is falling in love, there are sufficient, real lawmen that are working to solve the murders of the two men and high-priced horse! Adam had at least been able to feed his friend and FBI agent important information, even as he struggled between wanting to prove who destroyed his father and his growing love and need for Maggie.

And then a series of accidents start—with Maggie as the intended victim! Adam now found himself the protector, rather than the investigator out to prove her guilt, as he strives to keep safe the woman he must admit to himself he loves. A scene between Adam and his former mother-in-law was one of the best in the book and revealed the author’s sensitivity to detail about her characters’ lives that was especially impressive, in my opinion.

Guthrie has a fast-paced, fluent writing style that makes reading her book fun! Only problem...I wanted more! Maybe there will be a series coming up, or at least a sequel. Maggie McGregor is too good a character and too good a horse trainer not to find another mystery to solve in her life, especially as Adam’s wife!

So, readers, are you planning a quiet Sunday afternoon for yourself sometime in the future? Grab a cup of tea and Patricia Guthrie’s, In the Arms of the Enemy! And Enjoy! You’ll be so glad you did!

G. A. Bixler

For Author’s Den

Tags: Patricia A. Guthrie, romantic suspense, horses, horse racing, horse training

Dial-Up

Mon, 22 Sep 2008 16:03:53 GMT

Well... I never thought I would say it! But I'm happy to be back on...dial-up!

During the last week, I was having telephone problems, so I went to Radio Shack to pick up another low-cost telephone to check out if that was my problem...

While there I was introduced to Sprint's Mobile Broadband and promptly signed up...

Fortunately, they give you a 30-day test period!

Can you think of anything slower than dial-up as a connection? Well, it was not only slower, it kicked me off so often, that I just closed up shop and turned my computer off!

Now to give the benefit of the doubt, I learned I was located where they called their service "fair" and given the time of the year, being surrounded by a lot of beautiful trees, I probably did not have the environment to use this process, so I'll not consider that I gave it a good test for anybody else's consideration.

In any event, a female telephone technician came calling at my door this morning, checked and repaired everything, and I'm back on...wow...dial-up! and excited about it!

Who knew?

So, bottom line, I've missed reading you guys and have lots of catch-up! But, I'm glad I'm back online!

Have a good day...and God Bless!

Latest Poetry from Adolfo!

Mon, 22 Sep 2008 15:59:20 GMT

My circumference

by Adolph Caso

20 Spt 08

At the center of my circumference

Its immensity increases

With each virtual step

I take in any direction

From or back to the home of my life—

God becomes dimensionless!

Beyond the tree line

Delineating heaven

I enter the highway of my existence

Forever changing lanes

On roads with one Exit after another

And not one Entrance in sight.

I am imprisoned within

Virtual lines in parallel without dimensions

Within which infinity and eternity

Become one

And,

Beyond my reach!

The center of my circumference

Remaining unmovable,

Destiny heavy on by back

I become the lonely driver

Of a Mack Truck without compass

Tags: Adolph Caso, poetry

Sir Colonel Dr. Charles McGee - Read His Biography!

Sun, 17 Aug 2008 13:11:31 GMT

Tuskegee Airman: The Biography of Charles E. McGee

By Charlene E. McGee Smith

Branden Publishing Company

ISBN: 0780828321860

245 Pages

In writing the biography of Charles E. McGee, her father, Charlene E. McGee Smith, Ph.D., in Tuskegee Airman: TheBiography of Charles E. McGee, also provides an extensive overview of nearly 90 years of American history!

Please consider this a major research effort, which highlights not only the life of a great American, but:

· An extensive history of the creation and present status of Tuskegee Airmen.

· The development of aircraft used during wartime.

· Highlights for all significant historical events during these years.

· A continual look at race relations; i.e., segregation, civil rights, and, in particular, racial issues within the military service(s) and in America.

· A significant list of resources and a detailed index!

There were just too many awards to mention in this review, from the Air Force Fighter Combat Record Holder through to The Congressional Gold Medal bestowed by the United States Congress. It will be each reader’s privilege to read of these recognitions and commendations.

I enjoyed most, though, reading of Charles McGee’s personal family life and of the many individuals affected through knowing him. The pictures on the front cover reveals a man whose eyes share the warmth of love and compassion—a man of integrity who claims respect due based upon respect given. Sample items I appreciated most included:

· Lessons passed down for generations in the McGee family dictated Charles endure them [acts of racism] with quiet dignity. So he turned a deaf ear... (p. 22)

· “As hard as things were, there (in the camp) I was not black or white. Just another American pilot and officer afforded the same treatment as the others. That was better than I got when I was freed and returned to my own country after the war.” (p. 55)

· Charles named his plane “Kitten...” (p. 56)

· Having come this far, the Tuskegee Airmen faced two enemies and one was American. (p. 59)...and, later, “They knew when they had Red Tails flying with them, they had protection from the Germans they could count on.” (p. 61)

· “...a lot of what we [Tuskegee Airmen] fought for was an opportunity to overcome having someone look at you and, because of your color, close a door on you.”

· Responsibility to God, country and family took on new meaning when it included six pound, ten ounce Charlene Edwina McGee... (p. 71)

· “Up there above 30,000 feet with the earth below and the canopy of the heavens above, you realize you are a speck, a grain of sand in the grandeur of the universe.” (p. 88)

· ...he completed the 7000th mission flown by pilots of the 18th Fighter Group, went on to complete 100 combat missions, flying his final mission on February 20, 1951. (93)

· When it was time to learn to swim, Dad offered a few pointers then threw me [the author] in the deep end of the pool... (97)

Forget about for whom this biography was written. Instead, add to your must-read list, the biography of one of America’s finest! Find a copy of Tuskegee Airman by Charlene E. McGee Smith and read one of the best Americana books around!

Sir Colonel Dr. Charles McGee – I am honored to have had the opportunity to review your life story!

Respectfully submitted,

G. A. Bixler For IP Book Reviewers

Tags: Tuskegee Airmen, Charles E. McGee, Charlene E. McGee Smith, Air Force Fighter Combat, biography, air force, historical wars, segregation, racial relations

Sometimes...

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 14:10:14 GMT

There are just some poets that I enjoy so very much...

Spencer is one of my favorites... He writes about everyday types of things... lots of times about relationships... others about friends of his on his street.

I enjoyed this one very much:

http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.jsp?articleId=281474977438818

You'll see Spence a lot on Gather.com...where he has quite a following. Check him out if you enjoyed this one!

Tags: DelCano