Ed Edge
This book the greatest generation, I find it funny Brokaw would call them "the greatest" I personally don't think they were, and here's my reasoning, this was the same generation they tolerated discrimination, and allowed it to continue. this was also the same generation that would've told a black person to ride in the back of the bus. an as for winning ww2 at first the united didn't care less about what was happening to the Jews much less Germany at the time, they even supported Hitler for awhile until pearl harbor was bombed. I think tom missed the mark on this one. the ww2 generation had their false and it took their kids and grankids to point out that racism was wrong.

Thetis
I have read many books on the subject of The Greely Expedition, but this book is paramount in its detail and accuracy. My great uncle was a volunteer on the Thetis, the ship that rescued the Greely party. My name is Thetis, named for this ship. I knew most of the story, but not in such detail. The book is so well written that, with each word, the reader feels they are actually there.
This book is a must read, it kept me enthralled until the very end.

Chris at Winnetonka High School
The Girl who loved Tom Gorden is an inspiring book that makes you happy for what you have! Trisha McFarland is a young girl who gets lost in the woods. No matter how many times she wants to give up, she thinks of number 36 Tom Gordon. Trisha is a big Red Sox fan and her hero is Tom Gordon. I think it has a little uncalled for cussing but is still a good book. I think is is good for ages 13 and up!

Deb Staley
This book is a must read for all Stephen King fans. Once again he has written a story that pulls you in and keeps you there 'til the last page.

Lonna Schmidt
Again, Tony Hillerman has written an intriguing novel about the Navaho people and those wonderful police officers Jim Chee and Joe Leaphorn. Though one of his shorter novels, the plot quickly takes shape and you are left guessing "whodunit". Though I have to admit, I did guess before the end! This book has a scary premise and will leave you wondering if it really will happen! I recommend it heartily!

Marcia Humphrey
I anxiously waited for this book. Ms. Coulter's previous suspense novels, THE COVE, THE MAZE, and THE TARGET, were her best ever. And I expected THE EDGE to be equal to the others. For me, it was and it wasn't. The storyline was great, the characters were strong, I just wanted to know more about them. I had some difficulty getting into the first person narrative. I wanted to know more about what the others were thinking and why they were reacting as they were. After the first third of the book, though, I was HOOKED, and the pace picked up tremendously and I was rushed toward the end. If you haven't read the first three suspense novels by Ms. Coulter, I would recommend that you do so. This story is great, but not in the same league as the other three. I enjoyed it, but for the price, it wasn't as good a bargain as the others. Especially in hardcover, with the WEIRD PAPER. Still a devoted Coulter fan, and I'm still waiting for the next one. Marcia in Oklahoma

Richard Katz
The Gift of the Jews, like Mr. Cahill's other two books, offers more information and insight than can be absorbed through a single reading. Like the Bible from which he draws so much of his material, serious readers are encouraged to refer to his source materials (e.g., Fox's translation of the Five Books of Moses) for a more complete understanding. While I don't agree with everything the author has to say, all of it deserves careful thought and reflection. Some readers may feel that -- by providing academic, popular, alternative descriptions of issues central to our religious and secular worlds -- Mr. Cahill is playing with fire. I for one welcome the light and heat these books provide. I can make up my own mind and Mr. Cahill's books bring me closer to understanding people from other cultures, religions and times. And that might be the greatest gift of all.

Joe Smith
I believe that Mr Cahill does describe Eastern thought, religion, philosophy (take your pick) simplistically. He may do so perhaps more as rhetorical device to advance his thesis. I agree that this flaw weakens slightly the impact of his presentation. However, his core idea that now any person, as a distinct entity, could access eternity, just as any god could, by sustaining a personal relationship with a god who jealously demands it, sounds valid to me. i.e. Let's not get religious about this! It is a book that put light on some dark corners for me. I remain an atheist.

George
The author doesn't convince me of a single thing. Rather it seems more likely that the Jews assembled their personal and religious ideas from the more advanced nations around them.

Jo
Cahill could not be further from the truth in his assessment of the Old Testament. His arguments attest the the fact that the mystical interpretation of the Old Testament is completely in keeping with the mystical traditions all over the world. The circle of life is as evident in the old testament as in any other tradition, though he argues to the contrary. This view of the world is the ultimate expression of hope, not hopelessness, as he contends. And yes we are all individuals as is also expressed in it. Cahill obviously has an agenda, and agendas don't cut mustard when it comes to the essence of ultimate truth.

Susan Hodos
A superb re-telling of a great tale of heroism and perseverance. Since my cruise to Antarctica in January 1995 which included a brief landing on Elephant Island, the Shackleton epic has consumed me. The author has done a fine job. I will be in New York this August, primarily to view first hand Mr. Hurley's photographs. This little-known tale of heroism deserves all the attention it can muster.

Bong D. Fabe, Deputy Bureau Chief, The Manila Times Visayas Bureau, Philippines
Jamie Rhines Lankford's third book and first published novel, The Crowning Circle, is a thriller of a friendship and relationship gone sour but saved by the most unexpected and life-threatening circumstance. From its opening tale of death, Ms Lankford has woven a tale of a compassionate, intellectual and mystery thriller that showcases man's inner struggle to find his bearings in a very simple world made complex by the pursuit of happiness.
An explosive original in the caliber only Ms. Lankford could pull off, The Crowning Circle is a story about two very different and great guys--an African-American intuitive forensic psychologist Dr. John "Skeet" Cullum, a Vietnam veteran, and a white American logical inventor-engineer, Jake Morrison, owner and CEO of Solutions, Inc.--whose bond is Aaron Neville's "Down Into Muddy Waters" and their guitars. The two are the most unlikely detectives I've encountered so far. And I'd like to meet them again. Set in the imaginary Ohio town of Chatsford, Skeet and Jake's friendship, as well as Skeet's relationship with Shirley, his girlfriend of seven years who's ostracized by the Vietnamese community for being a "bui doi" (mixed blood being an African-American-Vietnamese), were put to the severest test as Skeet lost his job at the police department for helping Jake helped solve his cases with him.
This unusual mix is what makes this story tick. Its thesis that different culture and social status can indeed work together in love and harmony to solve this world's ills and give happiness where it is needed is explored to the hilt, carried on by compelling prose and unhindered dialogue, building up to an explosive climax that any reader of the thriller genre would be compelled to shout "hurrah!" and clap at the end.
At the center of it all is love. This is primarily a love story so tragic and compelling that it gives the antagonist/murderer a human face and explained why he was driven to kill. All in all, The Crowning Circle is mixed bag of a love story, a murder, a friendship story, a psychological drama, etc. that may be the reason why no publisher had published it, prompting her to self-published it. But isn't human life a big mixed bag? I highly recommend this book to all who love thriller. And I want to meet Skeet, Jake, Shirley and Gabrielle again in the near future. To Jamie, congratulations! Keep pushing that pen.

Chuck Schwager, a reader from Sudbury, MA USA
"How many murder mysteries are at their core a meditation on love? In my experience, not many. But in Lankford's novel, we are treated to an intellectual thriller with the most unusual cast of characters in the genre. Skeet is a black PhD psychologist with a ton of secrets from his time in Nam. His music buddy, Jake, is an eccentric white software genius. Skeet's girlfriend, Shirely, is a black/Vietnamese beauty who is not accepted by the Vietnamese community. The unusual mixture works perfectly due to the clear and concise writing and the compelling narrative drive. We are most vulnerable in how we love and this vulnerability is explored in depth in both the bad guy and the good guys. Any fan of the genre owes it to themselves to check out this book, and encourage this first time author to continue writing. But understand that once you start, be prepared to read it whole."

Sandi von Pier, a 39-year old MOM from New Jersey.
"I loved the characters, especially Jake, because I just love how quiet and shy he is. But I love Skeet too. He's an endearing man, but closed up like so many men I know. I loved how the author had the characters be introspective - it made me think too. My life doesn't give me the time to just sit and read cover to cover. Basically it is a little here and a little there. I found that with this author's style of writing I didn't lose it if I had to leave for a few hours,even though I didn't want to. J.R. Lankford is definitely on my list of authors to watch!"

Evans Munyemesha, a reader from Phoenix, AZ
"Lankford wants us to know that original creativity is still alive. In this work, the author masterfully lures us into the maze of mystery by dangling before us the simple yet complex feelings of fear, and love. She wins us over in one terrorific moment!
The writing is easy, and laid back, the characters identifiable with weaknesses that makes us relate, the storyline relentlessly gripping and believable. This is a winner! The only reason I didn't cry is because I am too macho!! Great piece. Write on---"

Richard Bray, a reader from Yokohama, Japan
"It was as if 'In the Heat of the Night' had been updated to 2001, and moved from Mississippi to Ohio. The book is full of small town atmosphere, the characters are flesh and blood, and you feel for them as they move through the streets, alleys and small company workshops, trying to solve the crimes as they become enmeshed in a web of deceit, going back longer than any of them could imagine. JR Lankford is one of the few authors who has successfully handled the multiethnic character, without being condescending or stereotyped, reminding me a lot of Trevanian's Shibumi, still one of the great novels, and coincidentally featuring a Basque theme..... I just could not put it down, and though the ending was a little hurried, I closed the page and thought, 'That was a beautiful book!' JR Lankford has made this first novel so good, she will have her work cut out to ensure number two is to the same high standard, but I am sure she will. All readers will want to read more of Skeet and Jake, Shirley and Gabrielle. I do!"

N.B. Leake a reader from Fort Lauderdale, FL
"J.R. Lankford has something for every reader, from strong well-developed characters with deep cultural backgrounds, intricate plot lines with multiple subplots, twists and turns with psychological undertones, to enduring friendship, and love at first site. A psychodrama that surprises with every new page. Readers will be stalking the bookstores in the hope of the return of Skeet, Jake and their women, Shirley and Gabrielle."

Antonio Harris
Early one morning a co-worker and I were discussing family and after hearing bits and pieces of my home life she asked if I had read the story "The Color of Water", to which I replied that I had not. She felt that since I was biracial I would enjoy the story, so she brought the book in the next day. My co-worker was quite correct in assuming that I could relate. In fact I was truly inspired! I loved the story so much that I am going to encourage each of my five siblings to read it as well.

Megan
An excellent book written by an outstanding author. Excellent uses of flashbacks, imagery, and descriptive language. I recommend this book to anyone who is having trouble finding themselves. This book describes the true color and meanings of love and acceptance.

May Chong
I think this book is really good and it shows me the difference about culture and his background. His mother is such a sweet lady. Reading about her life and experiencing it I felt like I was apart of it. I felt like I was in the book seeing everything I had read.