White Reviews

"It Happened On Broadway" is nothing short of living, breathing theatre history. Carol Channing's first appearance on stage at a grammar school in San Francisco; Patricia Neal's subsistence jobs cutting pies and scooping ice cream while waiting for her career to bloom (which really didn't take all that long by today's standards); the advent of the Theatre Guild; Celeste Holm and John Raitt on creating the grand-daddy of musical theatre, Oklahoma; Kim Hunter on Marlon Brando; Donna McKechnie on Michael Bennett; Linda Lavin on Neil Simon and Len Cariou on Stephen Sondheim, it's all in there. With vintage photos, drawings, posters and Playbills the Frommer's provide us with a look at theatre history from a time when $1.50 would buy you a movie and six or eight vaudeville acts to the impact of the AIDS crisis on the theatre community to the vast corporate culture now responsible for many of today's Broadway shows. An invaluable and engrossing book for anyone interested in an insiders perspective on the business of the Great White Way. .*******************************************************

By Peter Lathan - It Happened on Broadway is a collection of interviews with 107 Broadway luminaries, including Carol Channing, Betty Buckley, Joel Grey, John Kander, Fred Ebb, James Hammerstein (son of Oscar), Mary Rodgers (daughter of Richard) and Kitty Carlisle Hart (widow of Moss). It tells the story of Broadway from the point of view of those who were deeply involved in its development as the centre of American theatre. It takes us behind the public faces and into the private thoughts and feelings of the stars, writers, composers, directors, producers, designers, press agents, playwrights, and even the restauranteurs (Vincent Sardi Jr. is there, too). It tells about the great successes (and some of the spectacular flops). It reveals much about the great writers - Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein II, Moss Hart, Irving Berlin, Cy Coleman - and the performers - the portrait of Carol Channing in her own words is stunning. And we see the great directors and choreographers - my own favourite, Bob Fosse, is talked about at length - through the eyes of those who worked with them. I thoroughly enjoyed it. What this book shows very clearly is the deep love of theatre, of live performance, which these Broadway luminaries share with the rest of us. In their words I could hear echoes of myself and all of my theatre friends.

It Happened on Broadway: An Oral History of the Great Whire Way by Myrna Katz Frommer and Harvey Frommer. A husband and wife team of Professors in the Masters of Arts in Liberal Studies at Dartmouth College, the Frommers have gathered together the living memories cf over one hundred actors, directors, producers, lyricists, playwrights, critics, designers, publicists, and stage managers to create a volume filled with the light and magic of Broadway itself. These collected memories take us from the enduring dramatic successes of the years~ before and after World War II, through the golden age of the American musical, right up to today's megahits. It Happened on Broadway offers priceless recollections of Broadway hangouts, such as Sardi's and Lindy's; performing with Brando in "Streetcar," the collaborations of Kaufman and Hart and Rogers and Hammerstein; and countless encounters with the likes of Mary Martin, Carol Channing, Jerome Robbins, Tennessee Williams, and Steven Sondheim. There's enough theater lore here - from back stage to the orchestra pit - to entertain the most devoted Broadway aficionado.

This is probably the best book I have ever read. Ryan was an incredibly strong boy who left his mark on the world. He will never be forgotten for his endless efforts to help people with AIDS and for all of the lives he's touched. Ryan accomplished more in his seventeen years of life than most people do in one hundred years. You will fall in love with Ryan and his family. Ryan loved life and he made every second count. While fighting his illness, he did everything possible to help other people with AIDS. Although short, Ryan led a very full life, one that he was very grateful for. Ryan was put on this earth for a reason and after reading this book, you'll soon realize why.

Six years ago, I walked into a bookstore.. I was an innocent child of 10 years old, looking for something to read..Well, I glance up and see Ryan White's smilimg face, looking down at me.. Something drew me to this ook, and so, I bought it. Little did I know, that I had stumbled upon the greatest, most beautifully written, and most compelling story I would ever hear.. As a baby, it was dscovered that Ryan White had contracted the disease known as hemophelia.. This simply meant, that he would need many blood transfusions to go through life.. As a teenager, at the young age of 13, RYan is diagnosed with AIDS.. It is then, when his miraculous journey and story begins.. His communitty deserts him; his church wants nothing to do with him; those he has loved, returned his love with hate; with all the odds turned against him; and with the doctors saying he had 3 months to live, comes his heroic tale. Ryan, more or less, conquered AIDS and brought it to a new level.. He didn't let defeat conquer him, he was always a winner in his family's eyes.. and in mine.. Never has a story brought joy, triumph, defeat, laughter, happiness, or sadness to me, as Ryan's had.. His story is indescribable, and I would be doing him and his family a terrible disservice if I tried to summarize his life story in a few lines.. All I can do, is tell you to read for yourself.. Thanks.

He had brown eyes and light brown hair. He is Ryan White. Ryan White, was born Ryan Wayne White, on December 6, 1971. His parents, were told three days later, that he was a hemopheliac. A
hemopheliac means your blood does not clot the way it is suppose to. But there was a new product out that contained the clotting agents found in blood, it was called Factor VIII. Ryan grew up having many bleeds, and would get Factor VIII thrue an IV, twice a week. When had pneumonia, he had to have an surgery. So on December 17, 1984, he had 2 inches of his left lung removed. Two hours later, the doctors told his mother that he had got AIDS. He was given only 6 months to live. He was determined to continue to go to school and live his life normally. But in 1985, not much was known about AIDS, and what
most people knew about it, was not the truth. Not very much was known about AIDS. Ryan faced a lot of discrimination. His school tried to keep him from attending. But he fought against them.
Bullets were fired and bricks were thrown into his home. Then,
he and his family moved to Cicero, Indiana. People there had been educated and Ryan was happy again. He had his learner's permit. He had friends, his family, and he was turning an incurable disease into a way to edcuate America. He got to meet two of his favorite singers, Elton John and Micheal Jackson. When Ryan died, ELton John wrote a song for him called, "Candle in the Wind." Micheal Jackson who brought him a car, in favorite colors, red and black. He met Alyssa Milano, who kissed him.
He even appeared on, Good Morning America, CBS Morning News, Today Show, Sally Jesse Raphael, Phil Donahue, Home Show, Peter Jennings, Nightline, West 57th Street, Entertainment Tonight, and Primetime Live. He recieved these awards, Norman Vincent Peale Award, A street named -- Ryan White Circle, Bob Hope Award--Spirit of America Awards, Poster Child of Indiana, Hemophilia of Indiana, The Young Hero Award, Indiana Civil Liberties Award, and Sagamore of the Wabash Award. There was a movie made about him, based on this book. Ryan played his friend Chad. But on April 8, 1990, the world lost a wonderful person.

This was beautifully written; it was almost like reading urban literature and poetry mixed together. Jason L. White is a talented writer. There is a strong focus on people living in dire circumstances and once they were able to obtain faith within their lives, their problems became challenges that they felt could be overcome. I was amazed at the movement of the story. The author's narration has an elegant style and grace that leads the reader to learn more about the personalities of the characters and, quite possibly, for the reader to take a look in the mirror themselves. I really got the full enjoyment when reading the moments shared between Katen and Tima and the knowledge that Katen gained through real-life experiences. There was a bigger reason for Tima being in Katen's life, and he found out eventually that no knowledge is complete without first knowledge of yourself. Mr. White also points out very closely, through Paula and her daughter Sarah, how the breakdown of the family can cause numerous social problems. In addition, those who made sacrifices in their lives deserve more than can be mentioned. Katen showed this in taking Paula and Sarah into his house and putting up with Paula as she ranted about her problems. The descriptive essence of these stories seemed to have been written effortlessly. I am pleased I found this book. I hope the author has another book in him!

I enjoyed reading this book. Jason L. White has a very talented style of writing that weaves an interesting and captivating story. I especially like the part of Jeanne trying to find herself in an area of confusion and shallowness, Novella Beach. I, like Jeanne, have found myself taking a vacation, thinking that my problems would be solved when I return from a little R&R. It didn't work. Jeanne found herself having to leave the entire country in an attempt to solve her problems. The only thing she found out was that she couldn't run away from her problems and that the solution to her problems was right where she started from. In her case, it was at home with her family and leaving a city with a bunch of superficially fake people.

Her life changed dramatically and unexpectedly for the better. When we are in the midst of our problems, isn't that what we are all waiting for too?

New authors seem to have a vibrant thirst to write and to have their ideas and thoughts explode off the paper. This book did that and then some.

I was enthrilled at the body of this remarkable work. I am an advent reader of non-fiction books, but I found this novel to sway me into reading it - even if it was just the first chapter or two. Well, I couldn't put it down until the end! I twisted along with the story in the book and my emotions were charged. What a touching story and what an imaginable way to bring people together again after so much turmoil in their young lives. I found this to be especially touching. I applaud the author for his understanding of faith and displaying the importance of maintaining faith even in the most dire circumstances.

My 28 year old daughter just emailed me your selection of the Lion's Paw because she remembered it from when I had read it to her and her siblings some 20 years ago. At that time it had been out of print for decades and I managed to find a ratty copy at a library about 50 miles from where we lived. Like several other reviewers, I had this book read to me in my third grade class at Florida High School in Tallahassee, FL. and it sparked a lifelong interest in reading. I'm ordering a copy now to read to my grandson...and so it goes!

What a treat to find my favorite childhood book available again--and to discover that other people shared my opinion of it. I had a paperback copy of The Lion's Paw in the mid-50s when I was in grade school and I read it and re-read it so much it finally fell apart!

I admit I was a little afraid to read it again: what if it was not as good as I remembered? (After all, my then-beloved Nancy Drew books did not age well.) No problem with Robb White's plot and characters. Penny and Nick and Ben are still brave and their adventures are still exciting. And note that Penny is a pretty good role model--she works just as hard and faces just as much danger. Pretty enlightened characterization for 1946 when the book was originally published.

And the illustrations...I forgotten all about them until I opened the book: the map on the inside cover, Ben sailing at night with the stars filling the sky behind him, Nick escaping from the alligator, and the storm-tossed Lion's Paw. As familiar to me as the Mona Lisa's smile.

Welcome back, old friend.

The Lion's Paw was read to my fourth grade class at North mi Elementary School and I re-read it several times. What a great story! My parents took the family all over South Florida so I had the wonderful shock of finding that Sanibel Island, Lake Okechobee and the Calusahatchee River were REAL PLACES! I grew up in the Boy Scouts canoeing all these places and now have a kayak tour business in the Everglades and the Bahamas (ibistours.com). My Dad and I built a wooden, sailing, pram while I was in elementary school, and I had many great years of sailing and paddling it. I have spent a lifetime on the water and I am still drawn back to the magical scenes from the Lion's Paw. After my father died, I had a dream of walking the beach at Sanibal looking for the Lion's Paw that would bring him back. In all my years of walking beaches with my head down, I still have not found the elucive shell. Cannot think of a better book to encourage children to be couragous and self reliant. It would make a great movie.

Old Path, White Clouds is a wonderful book for anyone wanting to learn more about the life of Buddha, whether they be experienced with Buddhism or completely ignorant. The simplicity of this book makes it readable by a scholar or a junior high school student. Many popular books on Buddhism overlook the role of this historical Buddha. This book changed the way I thought about life and helped me experience mindfulness. Don't let the large size of this book deceive you. It is so engrossing and easy to read that you seem to quickly slide through it wishing for more when it is done. A book I would strongly recommend for the Buddhist and non-Buddhist alike.

If you read only one book on Buddhism, let it be this one. Thich Nhat Hanh is one of the world's great teachers, and this life of Shakyamuni Buddha is his masterpiece. Every chapter is a perfect gem, every idea put forth bears witness not only to the noblest spiritual tradition, but to the purity of heart of its author. I have read this book many times over; it has never failed to move me, never ceased to nourish within me immense avenues of hope and understanding. I think it is an extraordinary literary accomplishment, however efficacious its spiritual impact. Conversely, it is clear that it derives at least some of its literary merit from the profundity of the ideals which it transmits. It is a clear, often surprising, reverent and humane book, a classic of religious literature in the finest tradition of a universal humanist aesthetic. The breadth of Nhat Hanh's gifts is apparent from the outset; the chapters on young Gautama's princely early life, his marriage, the nascent inward understanding that is his even before taking up the search for life's hidden meaning, are so exquisitely composed that one finds oneself already in possession of the truth to come, already one knows intimately the thirst that takes the Buddha from the life he has known and loved, against the wishes of his father's heart, against his love for and committment toward his own wife and child. This is literature of an everlasting kind. The art of narrative found here really has no equal in all of contemporary religious literature. Beautifully delicate line drawings accompany every chapter like a faint temple bell, the language is as constant and profound as a child's, able to encompass the sophisticated searching of the most ardent doubter and the simple heart of the believer alike. It is a truly great book. Art of this kind is surely what Gutenburg's invention was intended for. A perfect treasure. Read it, and live.

My deepest gratitude to Thich Nhat Hanh and all those who have helped him to bring this book to light.

As a full time behaviourist I get to read lots of canine related publications and I put TITD right up there with the very best. Whilst being an absolute must for toy or potential toy owners, dont let the title put you off!! This book is for all dog owners everywhere, the information contained is clear consise and incredibly well researched with whole chapters on subjects such as housebreaking and preparing your dogs homecoming which could be made into books on there own. I am currently reading it for the second time and am not ashamed to say learning all the time and TITD will be recommended to all my clients as just about the best overall book for dog owners I have seen for a long time. Congratulations Darlene Arden more of the same to come I hope

As a person who is owned by six Yorkshire Terriers and as I have had yorkies for the past twenty years, I thought I knew just about all that I needed to know. Then I read "The Irrepressible Toy Dog" by Darlene Arden and I realized how very little I did know. This book is based entirely on the Authors search and research for the truth about these wonderful little dogs. This author reached her conclusions after thousands of hours of interviews with some of the best veterinarian experts in their respective fields. For anyone who owns a toy breed or for anyone who is considering adding a toy dog to their family this is a must have book. This book has become my yorkie bible. This author has even provided me with answers to questions that I never thought to ask. I have come to rely on this book for any and all problems that I have encountered with my six yorkies. The author has certainly done her homework and it shows in this user friendly book. She explains in plain english what every owner of a toy breed must know. Thank you Darlene Arden for this wonderful book and my six yorkies thank you because thanks to the information you provided they will have longer healthier and happier lives.

Being a to-be-new toy dog owner I found this book very informative and helpful in knowing the things to look for in toy dogs everything to basic weather care to major health care. It takes you from bringing the pup home for the first time to sending it to its dog heaven in a very comfortable and knowledgeable format. Very highly reccomended if you are thinking about having a small or toy dog in your household.

Just before Christmas my husband and I saw this author speaking on BookTV and he called and ordered Creekers for me. I am glad I saw and listened to her before I read the book because I could clearly hear her cadences as I was reading. In a most unique writing voice she takes us along on her journey from an Appalachian Creek, to which she forever remains loyal, out into the wider world beyond. Though she speaks lovingly of her home in Appalachia, along the way this writer manages to show us the time and the place and the people without a hint of sentimentality or condescension. I particularly enjoyed her description of the metamorphosis brought about by her education. Her story is by turns funny and painful, sometimes simultaneously! Both my husband and I enjoyed this book, which is not the usual occurrence, though he liked the first half while I preferred the last half. We look forward to more work from this talented writer and we agree that she really should put this book on tape!

If you've ever thought about the consequences and significance of your life, your family and your home, then you are like me. And, if you're like me, then chances are pretty good that you'll count Scott-DeRosier's "Creeker" among your favorites. This is an interesting and gripping autobiography of a woman who is living the kind of life we all hope to live; it made me laugh out loud, reflect on the choices in my own life, and it moved me to tears -- all qualities of a book to be read more than once. In addition to all these strengths, Scott-DeRosier shared her Appalachian Mountain memories lovingly and candidly. Through her you will see what you've never seen before, respect people you might not have thought about before, and find reasons to hope for renewed community in our own lives. There was so much familiar in Scott-DeRosier's life story that I recognized those universal questions and truths that resonate in my own life, in all our lives no matter where we come from.

I loved this book. It really tells the story of my people.

The artwork in this book will keep any child interested. It took my daughter a few reads to get into the story and she still prefers Miss Spider's New Car, but we read this book often.

I happened upon Miss Spider about three years ago at the Denton public library. At the time my daughter was 3, I love the prose, I love the art, I love Miss Spider!

David Kirk does a wonderful job of creating an adorable "mis-fit" Miss Spider is so misunderstood! None of the other bugs want to come to tea. The story breaks your heart then shows how persistance and kindness pay off!

My daughter isn't as thrilled by the books as I am. but then again, I LOVE them. Thank God for people with such great imaginations as the author and illustrator of the Miss Spider series. I recommend Miss Spider to everyone, not just kids, the lessons are profound and the flowing prose style is wonderful. This is my very favorite book to read to children. I am a life long fan of Kirk!

I have loved this book since it first came out. The pictures are beautiful- very detailed and fun to look at. I have never seen such pretty flowers and colors in a children's book. Since reading this book, I am a big fan of Miss Spider and collect Miss Spider toys, books, etc. The story sends a very good message to kids. The story rhymes which makes it fun to read aloud.

Tom Miller's "Snow White Lies" is a very creative effort.
You have to give Mr. Miller a lot of credit for coming up with the characters and story lines in the book.
Perhaps this could be made into an action/thriller movie (or video game) someday.
Overall, a good read.
Somewhat disappointed with the editing/printing, though; I couldn't help but notice that Champaign Illinois was misspelled ("Champagne"), and my copy of the book was even missing some pages.

From the moment I started reading Snow White Lies, I could not seem to put it down. I was constantly wondering what was going to happen next. When talking with others who had previously read the book, whenever I thought I had come to a really juicy part in the story, they would always come back with, "just wait, its gets better!" Everything was described in such detail. I could picture seeing it on the silver screen, even down to what the characters might look like. I have never been one to read books for pleasure, but this book restored my faith in enjoying a good read. I was truly impressed that this new author could keep my interest more so then say Stephen King! I never thought that I, the anti-reader, would ever be this enthused about reading, but I can't wait for his next book to come out.

Snow White Lies has a great story line, suspense and romance. I read it on the train commuting to work, and couldn't wait to pick it up on the way home!

Mr. Miller's writing has a way of pulling you in and allowing you to feel the emotions of the characters.

It is a great read!

When I had to read a political book for 6th grade english, my first reaction was-yeuchh! Politics! After reading this book, not only was I hooked on the series, I knew more about politics. This book was funny and related to any teenager who read it. Mrs. White is an amazing author. I could almost feel how Meg was feeling.I've checked Long Live The Queen out of the library at least three times, and I've been trying to get my hands on White House Autumn for a year! Thank you, Mrs. White, for writing such wonderful, touching, enchanting books.

The trilogy (The President's Daughter, White House Autumn, and Long Live the Queen) are my three favorite books from childhood...and some of the only ones I've kept and continue to re-read even now, at age 26. Ellen Emerson White succeeds in capturing the complexity of growing up and of relating to family and friends. But this isn't a book full of angst and self-pity! It's a joyous, funny portrait of a young lady who is coming into her own...the bumps in her life are not glossed over, but dealt with fairly and accurately. It's a timeless story, a pleasure to read at any age. I always wished for another couple books about Meg and her family.

This book is a sooooooooo cool! Sixteen year old Meg has two brothers. Her mom is a senetor.One day her mom decided to run for president. Meg is than thrown into getting used to everyday life being the presidents daughter while still juggling homework,friends,boys and family life. This isn's a book you will soon forget.