Fourth of July Books

I was very pleased when I received my audio book. Not only was it in excellent condition, I received it promply.

This series just keeps getting better and better. After just the first paragraph I couldn't put the book down. Not often do I find a book that holds my interest so intensely. With such great interaction between writer and reader the only way to get more is to read two at the same time while waiting for the next one to come "hot" off the presses. Please keep them coming. S.L. Chessor, Author of Poodlums, Boogeymen and Booglers and My Tongue Fell Out.Poodlums, Boogeymen and Booglers: A Poetry Collection
My Tongue Fell Out

I really enjoy these books & try not too take them to seriously. I like to be entertained when I read fiction and to be taken away into a fantasy world. I read a lot of non-fiction, so this type of book is an escape for me. My only negative thing is that they are not developing the character that replaced Jill very well, we don't know that much about her & her interactions with the other club members seems to be limited. I really wish they would not have killed Jill.

a slower read than other patterson books. I liked it the least in the series.

I particularly loved this story because there were two stories going on at once. Taken right off guard, right off the bat, by the shootout which left me hanging throughout the entire novel. Once again, this was another faced paced novel that is what I've come to expect from the Lindsay Boxer novels. Another must read for anyone who loves mystery/crime novels.

Timothy Lassiter, author of The Devil You Know, Three Degrees of Separation

I just recently saw the movie and became obsessed with it, so the next logical step was to read the book. It took me a few days to find it though, and in the meantime I read a lot of things about it, which might have been a mistake but whatever. Aparently it was a lot more violent than the movie, and a lot of people found it less satisfying because of this. Views on it are pretty polarized. Either people love it and put it up there with (or even above) Lord of the Flies, or they just don't get it and are turned off by how different it is from the film.
The edition I found has a new introduction by the author that talks about how it came to be written and his reaction to the film when it was made. He didn't like the film. He thought they made to many changes and that it only coincidentally resembled his novel. Things like making the gang mixed instead of all black, not using the slang that he worked so hard to portray accurately (apparently he sat in a rented van for weeks observing urban gangs talk and interact) and he thought the acting was generally poor. I can see where he's going with these things. it's his vision and they missed it, but I don't really agree. The changes that were made to the movie were pretty necessary. I don't really think it would have worked or had the same appeal if it was done exactly like the book. If for no other reason that it was written in the mid 60's and the movie made in the late 70's, times had changed a lot.
This sense of anachronism was something that I had to keep in mind as I read it. At first it was hard to get a hang of the narrative, but I got used to it. I think it helped a little that I was prepared by the author and other reviews. I had a better idea of what was meant to be important while I read it.
The plot points were more or less the same as the film. The only major difference is that in the book the gang is not directly blamed for the death that happens in the beginning. In the movie this is used as the driving force behind the numerous antagonists. But in the book it felt as though the entire city was already against them. The looming feeling of danger was all around them and it didn't need to have a coherant motive or reason to oppress them. I thought this was more subtle, but a lot more effective once I noticed it.
Since the danger is mostly intangible, and formed from their own perception of the world, it's much harder for them to overcome it. Instead of fighting other gangs to get home, they have to wrestle with one another and themselves to try and figure out what home is.
I had been warned about the violence, and it was there. But there was something strange about it. It was almost as if the violent acts were commited by the gang as a whole, and not the sum of it's parts. These were the things that the gang did to survive or keep face. But when each of them is taken away from that entity, they do not share the burden or guilt of it's actions. I will admit that they do some pretty terrible things, but in the end I did not hate them for it. They acted like a gang, not like a bunch of young boys. There's even a clear distinction of this in the text. The act of wearing or concealing the gang emblem had a real effect on the characters. A lot can be read into that, but I won't go into it here.
The end of the book was another thing that a lot of people took issue with. Some reviews I read said that it wasn't nearly as satisfying as the movie, that it just kind of stopped. I disagree with this completely. In the movie they reach their home and look back on it with a new kind of respect, and also the understanding that it is not the whole world. It's hinted that they will give up this life and leave. Maybe even grow up and become part of that bigger world.
In the book it doesn't just end. There's is something similar to that restlessness and need for change, but as with so many other things in the book, it's a lot more subtle.
I originally read this book to fuel my obsession with the movie. I wanted more of those characters and that city. Instead of getting just more though, reading the book was almost a whole different experience, and just as rewarding. In the end I thought it was very good. I greatly apreciate it's differences from the fim. In his introction to the book the author says that even though the movie is a cult classic and helped define a generation, no one really knows that it was based on a book. This amuses him because without the book there would have been no movie. I'm glad that I tracked it down and am part of that smaller minority.

So I bought the game for ps2 having never heard of it but thinking 'this looks good'

Anything 70s cult or camp appeals to me.
Then I bought the movie, then I found out there was a book!

The movie is one of my all time favourite movies AND games.

The book is the origin of its idea.

The book is violent, brutal, filled with rape and extreme ultra violent crimes. The 'coney island dominators' (name the Warriors in the movie)
are ruthless.

I recommend this book to ANY fan of the movie.

Warning = extremely violent. Extremely hard to put down!

This is a case of going overboard on detail. I found it stupid at times and boring. The characters had very little appeal to the reader, even though they are bad guys, sometimes you can still relate. The subway ride was drawn out and the final conclussion had no substance

This book was amazing! Sol Yurick did an incredible job with description! I couldn't put it down from the moment I got it. It was way better than the movie!

cool book quite different from the film..and as a fan wasnt expecting it.charachters in the book put a relatively new twist on my perception of it both film and book.
good though.

There's a steady beat to the text, which plays into the movement of the parade, and arrests the listener almost enticing them to turn the page. The phrase "music and drum" is repeated throughout, and is so catchy I find myself humming it afterwards. The poems are strained in places, but overall the writing is pleasing to the ear. The illustrations are delightful, and brightly colored. The artist, Gustaf Miller has a homespun appeal. The images are realistic; yet there's a casualness, and lose flair to his paintings.

We don't learn anything about Independence Day in Hats Off for the Fourth of July, which is fine, but I wonder if the illustrator has ever been to an Independence Day parade. There are a few American flags painted into the scenes, but every Fourth of July parade I've attended is adorned with American flags, and even the spectators are decked out in our nations colors.

As there's little in the way of reading material for young ones on our country's birthday, the book passes the test, and the illustrations are certainly worth a long look.

What a great book to introduce children to patriotism and the All American parade! The illustrations bring a parade to life! All three of my kids ages 6, 4 and 20 months loved this book! Like a real parade, something for everyone!

This book captures the essence of a favorite American event - the annual Fourth of July parade that can be witnessed in almost every small town. Ziefert's rhyming story is wonderfully illustrated with vivid paintings of the different entries in the parade. Uncle Sam on stilts, the Little League, the High School Band, the local beauty pageant winner---it's just like the author says "Everyone marches on the Fourth of July". My favorite picture is the one of the baton twirler trying to retrieve her baton from the mischievous pup that caught it. This book is an excellent one to read aloud to toddlers and preschoolers.

This book was so evocative of my memories of Fourth of July celebrations in my hometown in Wisconsin. From sparklers to grand fireworks, from wagons to parades, from wiggling jello to yummy picnic fare, this book is populated by a never-ending family--it's wonderful, joyous reading. And the ending gives me shivers each time I read it--thank you Marsha Wilson Chall for putting my memories into words.

As a librarian living and working in the midwest, I was thrilled to get a beautifully illustrated book celebrating July 4th. Not enough is published on this holiday. I was very disappointed, though, to see that the book lacks any depiction of people of color, who certainly inhabit many small towns throughout this country. Shame on all the powers that be who allowed this to go to print with such a narrow perspective. There is no excuse for not making this book truly representative of America, with all its hues, especially in the long shots, where dozens of townsfolk are depicted.

It's a funny book. We really like the way Nick and Justin pretend to be knights. When we went on our summer vacation to the Adirondacks, we hiked Bald Mountain (the one referred to in the book). The book makes the hike seem more adventurous. We strongly recommend this book.

James Giblin does a fine job of tying our Independence Day symbols back to the beginnings of our country. After a brief but comprehensive account of how and why the Declaration of Independence was written, Giblin focuses subsequent chapters on such symbols of patriotism as "The Flag," "The Eagle," and "The Liberty Bell," explaining in detail the stories behind these familiar symbols and how each was propelled to the iconic status that it holds in our culture and traditions today.

Unfortunately, while the text of Fireworks... is interesting and age appropriate, the illustrations seem to be more of an afterthought - instead of truly supporting the text, in most cases they seem at best ornamental. The illustrations admittedly are well rendered; however, they lack inspiration, which is especially unfortunate in the case of this book, when there is such potential and opportunity for outstanding supporting illustrative detail.

Former TV news anchor Kyle Champion reluctantly accepts the invitation from his old college buddy Matt Kreuger to attend a memorial service for the latter's deceased dad. Actually, the invitation was offered because Matt's sister-in-law Marcia demanded he ask Kyle. She knows Kyle has had some success in solving homicides and Marcia wants Kyle to investigate the death of her father in law, P.J. Though officially P.J. died of a heart attack, Marcia feels his four-decade younger second wife Sorah killed him because she inherits everything in his revised will.

Matt drives the three hours from Minneapolis to the remote "Kreugerland" cabins near Bent Line Lake. There he meets the family he met several years ago when he stayed at the cabins. He also finds Sorah to be quite charming and not at all like a murderous Jezebel. As he unenthusiastically discusses the death with everyone remotely involved, Kyle begins to uncover disturbing discrepancies that makes him wonder if perhaps P.J. was murdered.

THE FOURTH OF JULY WAKE is an interesting amateur sleuth mystery that readers will enjoy because of the depth of the ensemble's secondary characters. In spite of his TV exposure, Kyle remains a charming idealist though he loses some of rosy optimism due to the results of his inquiries. Though why the dominating Marcia would stay as a second fiddle seems stretched, this cozy will delight fans that will wonder along with Kyle whether a homicide occurred and if so did Sorah really murder her elderly spouse?

Harriet Klausner

Part of my daughter's and my July 4th celebrations every year is to watch the video "1776," not because it is the most accurate portrayal of American history, but because it at least commemorates WHY we celebrate Independence Day. My daughter enjoyed the book "A Fourth of July on the Plains" on several levels. First, the characters clearly remembered why we celebrate the 4th as they sewed a flag and gave speeches. The simplicty of the celebration also showed how people can have a great time with just the basics of good food, good fellowship, and an impromptu parade. Finally, the tale of pioneers heading west in a wagon train -- a piece of history in itself -- celebrating an even earlier era in America's past evoked a sense of continuity. It helped me show my daughter how for over 200 hundred years, generations of Americans have paid tribute to the country's founding.

This is a great 'read aloud book' for younger children who need to know about the history of our nation. I accompanied this book with D'Aulaire's, George Washington and Benjamin Franklin and got so much out of them all, much more than children can be getting in the class room today. I found my children (including myself) absorbed in the book wanting to keep reading more. I had checked this book out from the library but decided I needed this great resource in our home library so ordered it. I was pleased Amazon had it available.

An excellent book. The author brings out many points about the founding of this country that are just not common knowledge. This book should be required reading in all advanced level high school senior classes.