Product Description

Ben Greenman is a writer of virtuosic range and uncanny emotional insight. As Darin Strauss has noted, "Like Bruno Schulz, George Saunders, Donald Barthelme, and no one else I can think of, Greenman has the power to be whimsical without resorting to whimsy." The stories in this new collection, What He's Poised to Do, showcase his wide range, yet are united by a shared sense of yearning, a concern with connections missed and lost, and a poignant attention to how we try to preserve and maintain those connections through the written word.

Customer Reviews (4)

Epistolary Time Travel
Greenman devises a kaleidoscopic collection of lust and disillusionment in "What He's Poised to do".Epistolary time travel, and stylistically varied prose captivate and lead to excessive underlining of artful passages.

Insightful & Well Written
I picked this slim collection of short stories up on a hung over whim at a small Brooklyn book store and very quickly realized that I had made a wise decision. Greenman, who is an editor at The New Yorker, employs a quirky, effective literary technique of posing the stories as chronicles of romantic correspondences in times past, present and future. Illustrating an insight that can occasionally be a tad uncomfortable, each story is delivered with a keen understanding of what makes us smile, cry and what turns us on. As much as I would like to offer a comparison to another author I simply feel that this would do Mr. Greenman a disservice as his voice rings in a tone apart from any that I have come across. But if I had to make an attempt, "What He's Poised To Do" reads like the offering of an Ann Beattie/Donald Barthelme literary love child. From the existential angst of "Against Samantha" to the bittersweet nostalgia of "What We Believe But Cannot Praise" this is a winning volume of smart fiction.

Shockingly good
Anyone who doesn't own a copy of this book is half the person they are meant to be. Seriously, I'm a longtime fan of Mr. Greenman's prose. I had thought I preferred his nonfiction in The New Yorker but man was I wrong. I don't know why this is called fiction when it's packed with truths.

A Wonderful Read
This is just the most wonderful little book of short stories.It touched me in so many ways.It was sensitive, funny and provocative.It was beautifully written and when I finished it I was sad because that was it-it was over.I think that's a sign of a good book.I know I will read this book again because I loved the characters. ... Read more

Product Description

At eighteen, Ben is in the world, but not of it. He is too large, too awkward, too inhumanly made. Now estranged from his family, he must find his own path in life. From London and the south of France to Brazil and the mountains of the Andes. Ben is tossed about in a tumultuous search for his people, a reason for his being. How the world receives him, and, he fares in it will horrify and captivate until the novel's dramatic finale.

Customer Reviews (21)

Depressing
Doris Lessing may be a skillful writer but to anyone who has ever been made to feel like The Other, especially those who may presently feel cruelly estranged and alienated from those around you, SKIP THIS BOOK. It's definitely not going to encourage you or help your life get better.

Flawless
I was looking forward to Ben's story and the epilogue to "The Fifth Child" by the same author.I have enjoyed this book even more than I had its predecessor.This is a book about being different. About acceptance and understanding.A book that pierces the heart.
Ben Lovatt.Who was he?What was he?As vulnerable as a newborn baby, yet at times very wild, instinctive, almost... feral.

May I suggest to read "The Fifth Child" first.This sequel stands on its own perfectly but I still feel that the reader would understand Ben's tale better by reading about his birth and family beforehand.

Once again I have admired Ms. Lessing's writing style (just like before, no chapters in this book, just a few pauses) and her ability to convey an emotional pathos with a simplicity that captivates deeply.This book was gripping, powerful and really sad.The quote from a British newspaper on the book cover -I bought the UK book edition- summarizes my feelings "A wonderful novel, flawless as a black pearl".

Heartbreaking and disappointing
I was expecting some sort of redemption for Ben, but alas, it was not to be.Why didn't Lessing perhaps focus on Ben getting assessed by child specialists so that perhaps he could have been helped and protected?It really made me angry that there was obviously no remorse on the part of Ben's father for putting him in that institution.You would think in the sequel that perhaps Ben's family would have tried to understand Ben a little better, that perhaps Ben's father would develop some compassion for his own son!

The ending was a cop-out.

Award winning author?Bah!
I read The Fifth Child and found it a passable piece of literature:It had a fair amount of character development and an interesting plot.It interested me to the point where I wanted to read more about Ben.Big mistake!While Ben, In the World started off along the same lines as TFC, it changed, horrifically, about midway through.Perhaps Lessing pushed the writing assignment onto a hack as she tired of writing the book.The pages became filled with tripe, plain and simple.All of a sudden, the reader is taken away from Ben, and vice versa, to be fed a bunch of little stories about this side character or that one, and those stories are, at once, insipid and inane.I found myself angry as heck as the book drew to a close.It was easy to see where it was leading, but painful to go along for the bumpy ride.The ending, as written, was not necessary, to strongly disagree with another reviewer here.It was as frustrating to read as the preceeding half of the book, leading up to it.I am now soured on Lessing.I may read a few reviews of other books she has written, but unless I can determine that she is a better writer than what I have been shown in this Ben book, I will pass her by, for good!

Ben
A continuation of The Fifth Child finds Ben on his own.His differences make him stand out.His struggles to succeed makes for an interesting story.Easy to read. ... Read more

Product Description

The well-meaning protagonists of Brief Encounters with Che Guevara are caught—to both disastrous and hilarious effect—in the maelstrom of political and social upheaval surrounding them. Ben Fountain's prize-winning debut speaks to the intimate connection between the foreign, the familiar, and the inescapably human.

Customer Reviews (24)

Absorbing
I found this book to be gripping, authentic and; at times sadly realistic. The author's long and difficult labor have proven worth while not only to himself but also to readers like myself. Apart from the book, I was most touched by the role his wife played in making a 'late' exceptional talent emerge. A must read for fellow readers out there.

fantastic stories...except the last one
I really enjoyed this collection of stories. The author has developed a strong voice and ability to convey the loneliness and helplessness that can accompany third world experience (poverty, government corruption) either as a native experience or a visitor. I enjoyed each story more as I came to understand his worldview. But then - where did the last one come from?It is not a bad story, just disconnected from the others, geographically and thematically. It seems a poor editing choice above all.So a five-star recommendation becomes a four-star recommendation. Read this book, but don't feel bad if you don't get to the last story.

a mouse is born!
The elephant squeezed and grunted, and bellowed and sighed: then he gave birth to a mouse.
That's how I feel about these stories. They're well written, by a man who's got style; just look at the way he puts together them words.
He wants to take us into the dark and problematic corners of the world: Colombia, Haiti, Burma. He doesn't shy away from politics, like so many other literary types. He doesn't shy away from morality.

But, man, the stories are so thin. You get in there, like with the golfer who teaches the Burma junta, and you want more. You want to be taken in, submerged in the thing, get knocked about and emerge with a sort of humbled awareness of that place. What you get, instead, is a bland approach to morality, a light bedside manner -a writer who enjoys describing scenery in fairly great detail - but when it comes to people it's mostly indirection and large brushstrokes.
Disappointed, to say the least.

Brief Encounters With Che Guevara: An insanely good collection of short stories.
Unlike a lot of good modern-day American literary fiction where the gaze is mostly turned inward, this is a delightful amalgamation of stories situated in different parts of the globe connected by the sole premise that they all happen to be eternally blazing hot spots replete with action and misery. The fact, that the author hasn't even visited some of these places and yet managed to capture them in such fine detail, makes the work even more inspiring.

Most of these tales are conceived as thrillers thus making for an absorbing read; an art that most literary fiction has not quite mastered through the ages. In story after story, humour and humanity is served up in a compelling mix. And at most times, the protagonists come through in equal measure as masters and slaves of their own destiny.

What is also undeniably the work's strength is the denouement: a skill that in Mr. Fountain's case comes across as a gift. And no, we are not talking about a mandatory O Henry twist that does the trick here. Each story has been rounded up with what I would like to call, `imaginative realism', so as to make the story's passage unpredictably rewarding. The reader feels a genuine unfurling of a plot-point towards the end; one which is guided by the destiny of its characters and the naturalness of the setting rather than creative artifice.

I cannot resist discussing the stories individually at some length in the order of my preference. This may not be a very scientific rating (and nothing in literature can ever be), but my absolute favourites in this collection (in the order I admire) go thusly:

Bouki and the Cocaine: For sheer sense of plot, pacing and pathos this one is right up there amongst the best stories one can ever hope to read. It's sad, beautiful and uplifting at the same time. If I could grant more than 5 stars to any story, this is the story I would be most likely to give to.

Near-Extinct Birds of the Central Cordillera: There is so much of rich subtext in this story at every level. Realpolitik, terrorism, the usual machinations of the moneyed class, all delivered with the author's customary sense of humanism--and without the heavy-handedness that can actually bog it down. A fascinating read through and through; made even more gratifying by an end that's heartbreakingly evocative. If this story would have been stretched out as a novel over 300 pages, it would have probably been celebrated as a work of pure genius.

Fantasy for Eleven Fingers: This tale, in this collection, is an oddity; and yet on its own merit, it stands tall as one that is impossible to get out of your head long after you have put the book down. Fantasy... is compactly delivered, precisely narrated and crafted with love and an old-fashioned respect for story telling. And yes, the journey is as arresting as its heart-stopping end.

The Lion's Mouth: If there is a rich example in short fiction of how the characters can lead the story to find its own conclusion, this is it. An improbable cast makes up this story against the backdrop of a war ravaged Sierra Leone. And the beauty of it lies in the way their paths cross and their motivations collide. An absolute stunner in an assortment of gems.

Reve Haitien: This is a hauntingly beautiful tale of common decency, naïve commitment and a revolution gone wrong. So real in its telling that in another form, it could probably have been mistaken as a piece of heroic reportage.

Asian Tiger: Myanmar's cardboard cutout Generals' are unlikely fodder for literary fiction, but in this skillfully woven tale of a Golf player residing on the margins of professional sport, they come alive in full regalia; with their vanity, greed and intrigue intact.

Brief Encounters with Che Guevara: The title story ironically is one of the weakest two in this fine collection. Disappointing in the way it unfolds and rather pointless in its journey. There is nothing fundamentally wrong with the writing though, but for once, it just fails to transport you anywhere.

The Good Ones Are Already Taken: This is a tale that brings you right on the edge and just when you have primed yourself for a revelation of sorts, fizzles out tepidly. But then, if every story would have been so pitch perfect, this would have been an eerily perfect debut collection.

Just fantastic storytelling
It's been around the house for years. Picked it up at a local coffee shop. The title threw me off. But the comments on the cover with the Pen/Hemingway caught my attention. What a pleasant surprise. Can't get enough. Ben writes his stories as if he himself was telling them. And what a bunch of interesting and educational bunch. Well presented events in modern life that should make us wonder where are we going as a species. The answers not a pretty one, but a real one. And now that Haiti is on the news, we are not surprised anymore. A most read for all... Very entertaining to say the least... Love it when it makes me feel... ... Read more

Product Description

Ben Mezrich, author of the New York Times bestseller Bringing Down the House, returns with an astonishing story of Ivy League hedge-fund cowboys, high stakes, and the Asian underworld.

Customer Reviews (97)

An entertaining read for someone who works in finance
As someone who works in finance, I found some of the technical details of arbitrage trading in tokyo to be fascinating. Not sure where fact, fiction, and exaggeration intersect in this tale, however. Am pretty sure that the book is at least based on fact and, as such, provides nice insight into a foreigner's Japan.

I Loved It
I was eager to know what happened next, I thought the characters were vivid and entertaining, I thought the story flowed, my one complaint might have been Ben Mezerich's interjecting of himself into every few chapters, as he tells us how he got the more interesting information, so we could know--I guess--how hard it was to get all the information on these characters, I don't know.But other than that, this book was awesome, funny, entertaining, romantic, and overall a good read all around.I would reccomend it to anyone interested in stories of the world of finance, not in finance itself.

Great read
I have read a lot of books where finishing them was just a matter of finding closure but this book broke my heart to end. I blew through it and anyone from the States who has lived in Asia can appreciate the "Wild West" aspects of the book.

Great read.

Enjoyable Book
Ben Mezrich, author of "Bringing Down the House" (the movie is called '21') writes a very enjoyable book about young Ivy League graduates with little finance experience who manipulated the Asian financial markets to make a fortune.

awesome book!
this book was really good -- I enjoyed it very well -- it made me feel like I had led an alternate life in japan raping the markets ;) ... Read more

Product Description

Drew Burke is twenty--a working-class college student in Baltimore.Seduced by the wealth that surrounds him, Drew finds himself drawn into a complex and sensually charged freindship with Bahar RTichards and her brother, Jake.Then, over an intimate long weekend at the Richards family home, certain shocking details about Jake's past come to light, and the more Drew learns, the more he suspects he hasn't heard the whole story.Torn between brother and sister, whose versions of the past don't quite match, Drew becomes caught in a maze of half-lies and manipulations as he tries to figure out who to trust, and, ultimately, who to love.A young scholarship student, the rich girl who befriends him, her handsome brother who wedges himself dangerously between the two; a rape, a murder, horrifying photographs found at the crime scene; and the undeniably sensual draw our hero feels to both sister and brother, who may or may not have blood on their hands.Fresh from the success of his critically acclaimed debut, Hey, Joe, Ben Neihart delivers a searingly intelligent, emotionally gripping thriller with a triangle of betrayal at its heart.

Drew Burke is twenty -- a working class college student in Baltimore.Seduced by the wealth that surrounds him, Drew finds himself drawn into a complex and sensually charged friendship with fellow student Bahar Richards and her brother, Jake.With Bahar, its a soulmates bond, with Jake, it's a romance born of a fierce sexual attraction.But a strange wall of mystery surrounds Jake, which Drew can't seem to penetrate.Then over an intimate long weekend at the Richards' family home, Jake confides to Drew that in high school he was wrongly accused of a grisly crime.The more details Drew learns, the more he suspects he hasn't heard the entire truth -- from Jake or Bahar.Torn between brother and sister, whose versions of the story don't quite match, Drew becomes caught in a maze of half lies and manipulations as he tries to figure out who to trust and, ultimately, who to love.Fierce, haunting and fuelled by an undeniably powerful voice, Burning Girl established Ben Neihart as a major new talent of his generation. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (26)

Not my kind of book
I could not get into this book.And I tried, really tried.The plot was too convoluted and the dialogue was completely unreadable.The worst part was I didn't care about the characters, so after about 70 pages it wasn't worth it to me to keep reading.Not for me.

burning girl has no flames
Thrillers are difficult to write.Mostly because their purpose is to incite extreme emotions in the reader such as fear and the desire to know what is going to happen next.Thrillers about murders are even harder to write.Mainly because the readers probably would not seriosly consider murdering someone in their life, and the killers motives would have to be interesting, plausible and bring meaning to the novel.
Ben Neihart's second novel struggled with all of those things which is why I am disappointed with it.The protagonist is Drew, who hangs out with a wealthy pair of siblings.He dates the brother, Jake, and the relationship to Jake's sister, Bahar, isn't an innocent one.He hangs out with them over a weekend where secrets come up, new things are discovered and his weekend of relaxation goes down the drain and turns into a survival game.Jake is forced to decide what is right versuses helping out Jake and Bahar.
I read the critically acclaimed "Hey Joe" about four days before I picked up "Burning Girl."Niehart's first novel focuses on Joe's nightly odyssey, and I fell in love with the lyrical language and relaxed nature of the piece.I didn't find any of that in "Burning Girl".The characters are too obssessed with fast cars, bed hopping and their own high social status in order to care about anything else.And the secret that comes up- well, let me just say that I didn't find it plausible that something as serious as that could simply be swept under the rug for such a long time.I don't think the revelation of the secret brought any meaning to the novel or to the character's lives.I just think it was a plot point to keep readers interested.The character development was weak, and made almost all of the characters look shallow with small ambitions.The thriller elements didn't do it for me either.I just wanted to novel to end.It seemed like a nightmare.Indeed, it was creepy, but not the right kind of creepy.Most thrillers are good when it's so creepy that you just want to lock your door and feel safe when you end it.This book was creepy in the way the characters manipulate each other and the situation, something which is not my cup of tea.
Don't get me wrong.I do like Niehart a lot, and I hope his next novel is better.I should have known that he was going to attempt to writer a thriller after looking at the counterplot in "Hey Joe" and I wonder, why?Niehart's gift is the ability to use language and words to create a dream-like, yet realistic existence for his characters and to use their five senses to describe the current state of their minds.It's like a movie, or a languid dream.His stories are so full of imagination and connection with characters that he does not need to throw a thriller affect in as a wild card to keep his readers interested.I think he should focus on character development, the reactions of the characters in realistic situations.That's when an audience is the most sympathetic. I know that's where my attention was, and where he won my admiration.But "Burning Girl" is not it.

good like a trashy romance novel
i have to say, burning girl was a page-turner, but it reminded me a bit too much of those fear street and sweet valley high books i read as a kid. and someone should tell ben neihart that he cannot necessarily acheive authentic twentysomething dialogue by inserting the word "like" haphazardly into his prose. yes, we all say it, but who wants to read it?

Up and Down
In a word: intriguing.This novel captures the reader from the beginning and slowly lets you down.I feel as though he gave up on writing at the end.And the ending--WHAT??All together though, it was sexy, fun, and a little eery.

SIMPLISTIC? NOT HARDLY
In BURNING GIRL, the Joe Keith character from Neihart's debut, HEY JOE, has evolved into Drew Burke, a 20-year-old New Orleans native on scholarship to Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. Because he's smart, charming and utterly guileless (despite a healthy dose of sweetly angsty self-doubt),Drew has an irresistible appeal to the spoiled-verging-on-decadent rich kids who set the tone of campus life.

While it's easy to understand how a stout-hearted but wide-eyed "white trash" boy from the boonies would be seduced by the chic material pleasures of Northeast preppie trappings, Neihart's niftiest trick here is to show how seduction runs in two directions: As Drew becomes entangled in the sordid sexual and criminal affairs of his cosmopolitan classmates, Neihart makes a subtle argument that salvation may tempt sinners even more strongly than sin tempts the innocent. ... Read more

Product Description

In writing, style matters. Our favorite writers often entertain, move, and inspire us less by what they say than by how they say it. In The Sound on the Page, acclaimed author, teacher, and critic Ben Yagoda offers practical and incisive help for writers on developing and discovering their own style and voice. This wonderfully rich and readable book features interviews with more than 40 of our most important authors discussing their literary style, including:

Customer Reviews (10)

A recommended title for your "how to" shelf
As nearly as I can recall, I began consciously trying to write sometime in junior high. I had found an enormous old bound, lined ledger book and all those empty pages demanded I try to fill them. I wrote execrable short stories, I wrote self-conscious essays of opinion, I wrote terrible verse. If I thought about "style" and "voice" at all, I suppose I thought such things were intuitive. They would appear on their own; all I had to do was keep writing. I took a couple of creative writing classes in high school and I wrote dozens of feature articles for the school paper, which taught me discipline and how to think about what I was doing, and (most important) how to rewrite and revise. I ended up becoming an historian instead of a novelist or a journalist, and making a career in library science and archives management, but I've never ceased to write. The difference now is, I know full well there's very little that's "intuitive" about the process of getting thoughts and inventions down on paper, and so I've read quite a few how-to books on writing. Ben Yagoda made his own reputation at THE NEW YORKER and is a noted critic and historian of "literary journalism," as well as an academic teacher of writing, so what he has to say about his field automatically deserves some attention. While this is not a how-to manual for wannabes, he does an excellent job on those mysterious authorial qualities of style and voice, from the use of self-conscious idiom (like "Black English") and a fondness for certain parts of speech (adverbs are painfully popular) to the influence of writers on other writers and even the impact of word processors and computers on the development of style. (I know I write quite differently on a yellow pad with a pen than I do in Word.) He depends heavily on dozens of interviews with working writers, some well-known, some not so much. (Though you shouldn't miss Andrei Codrescu, New Orleans NPR's very own S. J. Perelman.) The result is a mix of Yagoda's own thoughts and his commentary on the observations of those who make a living at this stuff. The style is easy and flows nicely, as you would expect from a top non-news journalist. Highly recommended to anyone who thinks they want to be a writer.

For a Special Audience
A lot of space on this page has been devoted to defending The Elements of Style Illustrated against Yagoda's abrupt dismissal. Fair enough. Anyone who's ever read undergraduate prose in the days before the kids just copied it all from the 'net has to acknowledge that clarity and simplicity are the foundations of expression. If it ain't clear, it ain't stylish.
But Yagoda doesn't seem to be denying this obvious truth. He is simply saying that obeying the rigors of S&W is not the same as style in the sense that the word applies to our best writers.

*S&W talk about what makes style possible for any writer.
*Yagoda talks about the nature of style itself after the brush has been cleared, the foundation laid and all the unnecessary metaphors put away.

That said, this is a delightful and provocative book. It suffers, as any book on literary style must, from the necessity of using its subject matter as the means of its own discussion. That is, the style of a book about style is bound to be a little strained. (See Insights and Illusions of Philosophy for both explanation and evidence.)

The best use for this charming book is in forcing the reader's attention to words and style. The most horrific part is that it forces a writer's attention to his own words and style. It's nourishment for the former, medicine for the latter who would be well-advised to take small doses and continue writing.

--Lynn Hoffman, author of New Short Course in Wine,The and
the slightly stylish bang BANG: A Novel

Willfully wrong-headed
The introduction ruined this for me.The author is so willfully wrong-headed, so determined to misunderstand Strunk & White's Elements of Style, and so arrogantly dismissive, that I dismissed him in my turn.Yagoda's own style is characterized by frequent italicization for emphasis, leading to a sing-song effect reminiscent of Valley-Girl speak--a bad habit affected by many contemporary writers trying to sound like "folks just talking," but really demonstrating a deep distrust of the written word.A good writer doesn't need italics to show where the emphasis should fall.

He is so breezily shallow that I thought, "Why should I listen to this man on this subject?"Not to mention the egregious proofreading errors. (For example, on page xx, the following: "One measure of this doctrine's weirdness is that its absolute inapplicability to E.B. White's own prose style, which, although outwardly plain, simple, orderly, and sincere, is also idiosyncratic, opinionated, and unmistakable.""That" should have been deleted.This was obviously written and edited on a computer and was left uncorrected after the sentence was recast from an earlier draft.)

Mr. Yagoda, please re-read The Elements of Style (or read it through for the first time, since I can't believe you've read it through attentively).Try to understand the last section.It is not advocating the erasure of personality from writing; it is only advocating the erasure of bad writing habits so that one's personality may appear more clearly.Then look at your own work again, examine your own writing habits (frequent italics, perhaps?), and let us know if you change your thesis.You can still explore authors' styles without denigrating a classic.

And another tip: citing Harold Bloom's violent prejudices as a justification for your own will not profit you with a large number of people.

A Disappointment
Yagoda was a big disappointment for me.I found the writing turgid and I never quite got the organization of the book.He was handicapped by directly quoting so many different authors, whose individual styles (or writing and talking) presented a cacophony of different, clashing sounds.This is the first book I've read on writing that left me with little enlightenment.

Best book I have read about writing !
As a writer and teacher of writing for over thirty years, I have read hundreds (thousands?) of books, articles, and conference presentations on style and how to teach it. This small book, with its own engaging style, combines advice, experiences, and examples from writers we all recognize. Excellent ! It could easily replace all the stuffy anthologies usually required in college classes. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

This was Ben Hecht's light and friendly to Charlie and Helen MacArthur
Charles MacArthur was a gifted, lovable rogue who wrote many screenplays and a couple of books, married "the First Lady of the American Theater," raised two children with her, and saw their daughter die of poliomyelitis. Ben Hecht was his sometimes co-author andpartner-in-mischief. Hecht's book is a glossed-over but loving account of his friend's life. What it sometimes lacks in meat and interpretation is made up in anecdotes -- this book is a Valentine.

... Read more

Product Description

Before Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell, Julius Erving, or Michael Jordan––before Magic Johnson and Showtime––the Harlem Globetrotters revolutionized basketball and spread the game around the world. In Spinning the Globe, author Ben Green tells the story of this extraordinary franchise and iconic American institution. We follow the Globetrotters' rise from backwoods obscurity during the harsh years of the Great Depression to become the best basketball team in the country and, by the early 1950s, the most popular sports franchise in the world. Green brings to life their struggles with racism and segregation, and their influence upon a nation's views about race and sport. We witness the Globetrotters' fall from grace to the brink of bankruptcy in the early 1990s, and their ultimate rebirth under Mannie Jackson today, as they once again amaze kids and families around the world. Now in paperback, this is the true and complete story of their amazing eighty years as a team, told with lyrical prose and masterful storytelling by Ben Green.

Customer Reviews (1)

A three Pointer at the buzzer
It is an honor to be the first person to review this book. One of my greatest childhood memories is of my father taking my brother and I to see the Globetrotters in the late 60's. I fell in love with the show then and have gone to see them about ten times since then. I love introducing people to the trotters who never saw them in person before.Now this great new book comes along about the Trotters. It was too good to be true. This is a very scholarly tome. It is richly detailed. I came away from it marveling at the stamina and endurance of this team. Being in existence for 80 years is truly remarkable. This book traces the teams' history from their humble beginnings in the 1920's to their resurgence in 2005. I was startled by the poor conditions they played under early on. Abe Saperstein, the founder and owner of the team is an enigma. I found myself admiring him greatly at times and hating him for his veiled prejudice and sense of superiority.Mr Green devotes a lot of space to Goose Tatum and Marques Haynes. It is worth it to get to know these great players that came before my time. The story about Goose and his "son" was very funny. I was really looking forward to reading the section on Meadowlark Lemon. He was my globetrotter hero growing up and it was a bit sad to read about his career as a Trotter. The book really picks up steam when Mannie Jackson is introduced as the current owner of the team and all of his changes are instituted and the Globetrotters are returned to glory. The book has great closure.If I had one quibble with this book I would have liked to know more about the inner workings of the games and how the Trotters work with the Washington Generals or whichever team they are playing. I would have loved to have read what it is like playing against the Trotters night after night. It would have been interesting to read about the referees throughout the years. They have borne the brunt of many a globetrotter riff. It would have been nice to have seen them paid their due.I applaud Mr Green for an exhaustively written book about one of the greatest sports teams of all times. ... Read more

Product Description

An unstoppable collection of the most hardcore figures who ever strapped on chain mail and ran screaming into battle

Customer Reviews (55)

It be bad
I haven't yet read this.I got it for my son and, based on his enthusiasm for the contents, is a great book.It's currently in my small stack of books I need to get around to reading.

Haters
Pretentious sackless haters are the only ones that find this book off-putting. reserved only for those with the utmost testicular fortitude, don't hate when this guy tells it like it is and does a good job doing it. forget conventional writing, this is the future of the good king's language. take shots because you are not worthy

Fun read
I bought this book for my best friend's young son (he has to call it "Badbutt").
The stories in the book are great - heroes, warriors and a booze chugging bear.
The illustrated format makes it even more engaging. I wish they would have had books like this when I was growing up.

WAY TOO COOL!!!
This is how history should be taught instead of the PC, p*ssified crap they teach now.This book had me since the chapter on Alexander the Great and kept me all the way through to LTC Jonathan Netanyahu.The one star reviews sure helped, as I can tell these are the same effeminate latte-sipping liberal p*ssies I dealt with in college who crap their pants at anyone who is as PC as Rush Limbaugh, but the saying goes, the more they disapprove, the more I enjoy.Ordered another copy, along with Sun Tzu's Art of War, for my nephew, who had graduated from US Army Basic Training at my own Alma Mata, Fort Knox.It ought to make a better soldier of him, maybe even an officer.I recommend it without reservation, but it is not for the effeminate PC Democrat p*ssies.It might send them into intensive care.That's the best reason to buy this book.

Good toilet reader
I liked this book mainly because it is unlike what is out there.I expected it to be a bit juvenile from its description but it really, really is juvenile.

Still, fun to read.However, the descriptions seem to blur together after awhile because they are so repetitive.

It found its place by the toilet where it made a fun toilet reader.
... Read more

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Ben-Hur ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Drags on and on.Skip this and just see the movie.
I watched the movie Ben-Hur 8-10 years ago, and I enjoyed it. So, I finally got around to getting the book and giving it a go. It pales in comparison to the movie. If I had not previously seen the movie, I would have dropped the book in the first section with the long drawn-out description of the wise men meeting and finding the Christ, and the shepherds, and Mary and Joseph, etc. Besides going significantly beyond what Scripture says, the 60+ pages made almost no real contribution to the main story and could have been pared down to less than 10.

I pressed on and persevered because I had enjoyed the movie, but it was a struggle. There were many long and boring narrative parts, many of them totally unessential to the story. This title would probably be in complete obscurity these days if not for the movie. I skimmed heavily through many sections, and by the end, was just glad to finally be done. This book would have been much improved by good editing choices to cut its length by half.

I would only recommend this book to those who *really* enjoyed the movie and like long narrative texts. Or who really want to read the alternate account of the miraculous healings, the only thing I think was better about the book. Otherwise, no, I would not recommend it. I have enjoyed many "classics" over the years, and many books that others would only read for school. But, this is not one of them.

ben hur
an excellent book turned into a movie,starring charlton heston.this book is a classic that will leave you in suspense and awe.a must read, ... Read more

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Q: What do Tiger, Paris, Lindsay, Alec, and Oprah have in common with the enduring characters of Anton Chekhov?

A: Love, loss, pride, yearning, heartbreak, renewal, transcendence: the very stuff of life.

Customer Reviews (3)

Excellent introduction or re-telling of Chekhov
If you think Anton Chekhov's writing would be too staid, too removed from modern life to be worthwhile then Celebrity Chekhov is an inventive (and very amusing) retelling of some of Chekhov's most famous stories, recast with celebrities. Greenman does an excellent job fitting personalities to stories, making Chekhov accessible to new readers and treating old fans to a new prism through which to view his works. Great fun. Guest stars include: Paris Hilton, David Letterman, Tiger Woods and Jack Nicholson.

Humanizes and Satirizes Celebrities At the Same Time
"Celebrity Chekhov" is one of those genius ideas that makes other writers kick themselves for not thinking of it first. However, unlike some high concepts that are good in theory, "Celebrity Chekhov" is quite brilliant in execution. It's the rare "mash-up" using work from the public domain that actually works. And why not? Chekhov was a satirist, and using his stories to satirize our celebrity-obsessed culture is a natural fit. Greenman manages to somehow give inner lives to celebrities such as Britney Spears and David Letterman, while at the same time breathing new life into Chekhov's impressive ouvre. The emotional range of the stories in "Celebrity Chekhov" ranges from funny to heartbreaking.

[NOTE: "Celebrity Chekhov" is published by Harper Perennial, the publishing house that is also publishing my debut in 2011.]

(4.5) "Only entropy comes easy."(Chekhov)


In a brilliant cornucopia of life's absurdities and the culture of celebrity, Greenman taps into the universalities of Chekhov's short stories, marrying the Russian's dramatic acuity to current-day actors and reality show personalities. As Chekhov culled insight from every level of Russian society, these angst-riddled folk are equally democratic, "flawed specimens of humanity ruled by ego and insecurity" caught in unscripted moments of tortured self-absorption. From David Letterman's frantic efforts to hide a baby left on his patio ("A Transgression") to an awkward meeting between Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie in an airport ("Tall and Short"), these sly stories reveal the burdens of fame and the banality of ordinary life, like Sarah Palin's emergence on a national political stage, family interactions unedited for media consumption ("The Album").

Eminem demands absolute quiet while wracking his brain for inspiration, leaving his study door open lest anyone forget a genius is at work ("Hush"); conversely, Alec Baldwin arrives at his family's summer digs only to be shuttled from one room to another, temper waxing and waning with the source of provocation ("Not Wanted"). As Chekhov mines the layers of Russian society, Greenman finishes with a flourish, a mildly poignant "Trilogy" wherein Jack Nicholson ("Gooseberries") admits, "I wish I was young! I wish I was young!" and Jamie Foxx reminisces about a secret love for his friend Jay-Z's wife, Beyonce ("About Love").The sad Fate of Lindsay Lohan is bemoaned in "A Classical Student", Lohan's mother, Dina, flayed for the exploitation of her troubled daughter as a commodity. Uncomfortably coincidental, "Terror" features a bemused Michael Douglas in an existential fugue over his own idealization of his perfect family, quiet confidences to a friend compromised by the down-on-his-luck-but-still-smiling Gary Busy, self-effacing and penitent, but with one eye alert for an appreciative audience.

As Chekhov bridges the boundaries of class for a wealth of dramatic material, this author taps into the celebrity-fueled mania of the new millennium, the use of famous (and infamous) names injecting an insidious temptation: the outsider privy to intimate (fictional) conversations of the rich and famous. Where else might a nobody be privy to the rigorous self-examination of Nicole Kidman, a beautiful cipher who entertains no opinions aside from her current mate ("The Darling") or the hubris of Billy Ray Cyrus, a man oblivious to insult when a free haircut is at stake ("At the Barber's)? Celebrity Chekhov has a little something for everyone, a peek into the rarified worlds of those fortunate souls who have capitalized on their fifteen minutes of fame- and a smattering of respected actors- designer footwear tossed aside to reveal feet of clay. Will these stories, like Chekhov's, stand the test of time? Nah, but who can resist eavesdropping on a faux moment of familiarity? Luan Gaines/2010.
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"Ben Schrank 's debut novel, Miracle Man is a brilliantly observed story about the desire to live in an egalitarian world. The protagonist, Martin Kelly Minter, is a white middle-class son of hippie schoolteachers who finds himself increasingly troubled by the socioeconomic inequality that he sees all around him. He also happens to be a kleptomaniac. Kelly's crusade to redistribute the world's wealth begins when he drops out of Vassar, moves into an illegal sublet in Spanish Harlem and takes a job with the Miracle Moving company, which specializes in relocating rich clients.

"The only remnants of Kelly's past that survive his ideological overhaul and self-exile from his family are his relationship with his childhood "brother," a Puerto Rican Fresh Air Fund kid named Felix, and their shared devotion to theft. As a Miracle mover, Kelly pockets small valuables and gives them to Luz, his girlfriend and fellow criminal, or buys food for the neighborhood homeless. Still, he never manages to feel "full." He finds he can't change the world or heal his own heart with petty crime. His eventual shift into large-scale art theft fails to solve this central problem.

"Schrank, who was himself a moving man as well as a teacher in Harlem, creates a protagonist who, despite his moral shortcomings, remains an affable presence. Imbued with streetwise passion, Schrank's characters expose a frustrated fringe society that simply wants to feel comfortable." (Autumn De Leon, Time Magazine, 8/9/99) ... Read more

Customer Reviews (20)

Catcher in the Rye (for the 21st century)
I hadn't heard anything about this book or author Ben Schrank before I started reading it. I found the book at a discount book store about three years ago and it sat on my shelf unnoticed for all that time. Then last week I picked it up and started reading it (thinking I could clear my shelves of it if I didn't like it). I read it straight through in two days! The book is fast-paced, well written, with amazingly alive, realistic characters. Very rarely have I felt that the events taking place in a book involved such real people with real emotions.

The mullings of Kelly Minter keep the story going and you find yourself rooting for him, even as he continuously messes up. In other reviews I've seen the book compared to Catcher in the Rye, and I think it's a very apt comparison. Kelly and Holdenwould have gotten along every well. I think they'd enjoy complaining about the world to each other.

I can't recommend this book enough. So many characters reminded me of people I know. If you get a chance and you can find it, check this book out.

Ben Schrank, My Marxist Friend
Ben Schrank is obviously a "child of the eighties", (at least as much as his character Minton is a child of Holden C, who I suspect may have been a "liberal" as well, given the chance).Anyway. It's that damned "Forrester" character, played by Sean Connery that's really the proverbial "Pinko".Has Ben Schranks writing been infused with a militant, or coercive, brand of surviving Marxism?The wicked scheme of some covert cabal?Maybe he was simply influenced by the mentally deficient fascism of Reagan/Bush era world politic?Who knows? He sure understands more about both politics and life than whoever wrote that cripe about leftwing-politics above this review,And his book might be responsible for the lives of millions of people.Ben Schrank, you are a true AMERICAN.And I don't say that slightly.

Ben Schrank, My Marxist Friend
Ben Schrank is obviously a "child of the eighties", (at least as much as his character Minton is a child of Holden C, who I suspect may have been a "liberal" as well, given the chance).Anyway. It's that damned "Forrester" character, played by Sean Connery that's really the proverbial "Pinko".Has Ben Schranks writing been infused with a militant, or coercive, brand of surviving Marxism?The wicked scheme of some covert cabal?Maybe he was simply influenced by the mentally deficient fascism of Reagan/Bush era world politic?Who knows? He sure understands more about both politics and life than whoever wrote that cripe about leftwing-politics above this review,And his book might be responsible for the lives of millions of people.Ben Schrank, you are a true AMERICAN.And I don't say that slightly.

We're all confused by love, and the inequities of life...
Martin Kelly "Kelly" Minter is our protagonist in this modern tale about a young man raised in the suburbs but with an urban heart who bumbles through a strained relationship with his 'bonfire-of-the-vanities' prototype older brother, a confused relationship with an artsy older woman (met in college his freshman year) for whom he leaves school, and a largely contradictory current life.He is a "miracle man", that is, one who works for the "Miracle Move" moving company in NYC.He has come to this job through his 'brother', Felix, a former Fresh Air Kid that Kelly's parents took in one year and with whom he believes he has a blood bond.Kelly believes he exists to 'do good' and seems to have a real complex about what is right and wrong in society and how it should be corrected.His confused solutions to the misaligned society in which he lives tend toward the illicit and illegal in a funny, twisted sort of way.I enjoyed very much the prose of this young writer but this was not a tidy story and as such, there were times when I wanted an expansion of a situation or relationship.Schrank is a writer who seems to have reached a young, hip audience and Kelly's desire to right societal wrongs is a good message to send - regardless of how screwy the means end up

that ben schrank is one sharp writer
in "miracle man" ben schrank explores the world of kelly minter, a disillusioned, complex and thoughtful young man.minter seeks something that he just can't seem to find- until he meets Luz, the smart-talking tough girl from the streets.their love is by nomeans easy but profound and achingly necessary.schrank writes with such sharpness and wit.there is nothing superfluous in his writing.he is a young, hip and smart writer.i recommend this book highly to those of all ages, especially those in their 20s. ... Read more

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After rescuing the stocking child from the weeds, Sam helps his new friend search for his missing button eye. ... Read more