I am not an American, and I often find that I come short when discussing history with my American friends. Therefore, I am always looking for books that can fill gaps in my knowledge. "The Children" is such a book.

This is one of the best books you can find covering the Civil Right Movement. With a journalists precision Halberstam narrates the extraordinary story of the rise of the Civil Rights movement, which in the end broke the back of the Deep South segregation. "The Children" covers the fight for racial equality, including student protests, the story of lunch-counter sit-ins, to the freedom marches. We meet Sheriff Bull Connor, Jim Crow on the one side of the fight, and the young students James Lawson, Rodney Powell, and Diana Nash amongst others on the other side.

Halberstam does an excellent job showing us what the Civil Right movement was all about, and what its supporters had to endure to end the segregation in the South. His first-hand familiarity with the conflict is evident throughout the whole book. (What most people don't think of is that, the covering the Civil Right movement was David Halberstam first "serious" story as a journalist for the Tennessean in Nashville. He was fresh out of colleague and a complete "nobody" in the world of journalism!)

"The Children" was my first reading on the Civil Right movement and it was a true eye-opener for me. I learned so much from this book. With 800 pages "The Children" is not a quick read, but I never felt that too much was included. Now, 2 years later I still refer to this book when discussing the topic.

This is one of the best books that I have ever read. "The Children" should be required reading for everyone. I couldn't recommend it higher!

The book "The Autobiography of Martin Luther King Jr." is Stanford University historian Clayborne Carson's amazing account of one of the most impressive leaders to have ever lived.

This is an outstanding biography and it accounts for the full story of Dr. King, literally from cradle to grave. Martin Luther King Jr. at university, when he met his wife Coretta, their children being born, the movement begins, fights and struggles, getting arrested etc. etc. Carson does an absolutely amazing job transporting the reader into Dr. King's thoughts, ideas and feelings. I have only read a couple of other biographies that I rank as high as I rank this one. The other two are Che Guevara and Malcolm X's biographies.

Few people are given strength, means and opportunity to make a real and great impact in the world. Martin Luther King Jr. was not only given such opportunity; he seized upon his opportunity as well. His fights and sacrifices made life better not only for millions of black people in America - his fight made the world a better place to be for all of us.

The author uses Dr. King's letters, college papers, and speeches; such as the "I have a dream" speech from 1963, and the Nobel Peace Prize speech from 1964 when telling his story. I had never read the whole "I have a dream" speech, so I greatly enjoyed that.

Carson has done a great jobs combining his own research with Dr. King's own speeches and writings and this is all masterfully woven together into a unique biography. Dr. King had a huge impact on the Civil Right movement, and he made his way into American history as one of its greatest, most charismatic leaders ever.

My recommendation is given for two reasons. Firstly, Dr. King is an extraordinary interesting subject, but also because of Carson's excellent job writing this biography.

Great read - highly recommended!

Cunningham received the Pen/Faulkner Award and the Pulitzer Prize for this book in 1999.

We meet three women in this story. The first woman we meet is the author Virginia Wolff, living in London in the 1920'ies. We enter the story while she is writing "Mrs Dalloway". The second woman we meet, Laura Brown, is living in LA in the late 1940'ies, and reading "Mrs Dalloway". She is a 30'ish woman, married with one son, pregnant with child number two. She is the housewife struggling both with her self-image/identity, and with something as trivial as how to prepare the perfect cake for her husband's birthday. Slightly claustrophobic from the life that is closing in on her, she sets out driving, checking in to a hotel, just to be able to sit alone and read.. The third woman we meet is present day Clarissa Vaughn, a gay woman in her 50'ies, working as a literary agent and living in Greenwich Village. She is planning a party for her dying friend and ex-lover Richard. He has just received a major literary award, and Clarissa wants to celebrate the reward.

What starts out as three separate stories, Cunningham masterfully weaves into one gripping story in the end. Very impressive!

I had not read Mrs. Dalloway before reading this book and I know for sure that I would have enjoyed the book even more if I had been familiar with Virginia Wolff's writing prior to reading "The Hours". Because what to me in the beginning seemed to be meaningless jumping back and forth between three women, would instead probably have appeared to be elegant and seamless shifting between the three protagonists' stories.

Having said that, I really enjoyed the book. I am going to read "Mrs Dalloway" and then re-read "The Hours". An enjoyable read!

J. M. Coetzee was awared the Booker Prize for this book back in 1983, so I had great expectations for this book. "Life & Times of Michael K" did not disappoint me, and I think it is highly deserving of the Booker prize.

The story is set in South Africa, in the midst of poverty, Apartheid, and Civil war. We enter the story when Michael K is 30 years old, and working as a gardener. Michael K was born with a harelip, which has never been fixed. His mother, Anna K, works as a maid for the Buhrmann family. As the civil war erupts the family Anna was working for flees out of town. While continuing to watch out for the apartment and the belongings to her employer, Anna falls ill. She has only one wish that K takes her back to Prince Albert where she was born.

On their way there (fleeing in the night, K pushing his mother in wheelbarrow) a day or two in to their journey, Anna is admitted to a hospital where she shortly after passes away. K is devastated with grief, and he looses all energy to continue. He finally makes it to Prince Albert, carrying his mothers ashes in a box. The war catches up with K, and he is taken to a camp where everyone is given food and shelter in return for their labour. K (or "Michaels" as one of the guards calls him) seeks no physical contacts with others, he feels no hunger and as a result, we see this mentally sleeping skeleton emerge.

K continues to flee from the camp where he is held. We follow his struggle to live his life the way he wants to, free and as one with nature.

The author introduces us to a topic that those of us who are not South Africans will probably never quite understand. Coetzee is a splendid writer, and his writing style is compelling, dark, but immensely beautiful.

A remarkable read reflecting on a man's inner strength. Highly recommended!

I picked up this book after reading about it and friends recommending it as a great laugh.. And "Lord of the Barnyard, Killing the fatted calf and arming the aware in the cornbelt" was funny, for a long while and it did make me laugh many times..

The protagonist, John Kaltenbrunner, was born and raised in Baker, a trash city in no-where land. He has lived a life, continuous with misfortunes and tragic events from even before he was born. As a very young boy he showed extreme interest and talent in running the family farm. School was of no interest, and each hour spent there he thought of as wasted time. As a teenager still in school, his mother Madam Kaltenbrunner falls ill. John helplessly watches how the people from the Methodist church lurks around, takes care of his mother in return for piece after piece of beautiful antique furniture from the farm. I really enjoyed following the war between John and the Methodist church, with Hortense as the focal point.

This is certainly not a read for people who like to identify themselves with the story's protagonist, the story is too far off for that. And with over 400 pages of John's insane world - the author outstays his welcome just a little bit..

Having said that, I really enjoyed parts of this book, but it is a bizarre more than a funny read..

I only started reading Hemingway a couple of years ago, yet I have become a huge fan of Papa Hemingway. His brutally economic writing style is simply fascinating. A masterful command of the English language!

"A farewell to arms" is the unforgettable story of this novella's protagonist, Lt. Frederic Henry (often referred to as Tenente). He was an American who during the World War I volunteered to serve for the Italian Army Ambulance Corps. He becomes the first American to be wounded in the war, and later receives the "Medal of Valor" for his deeds. Co-protagonist, Catherine Barkley, a beautiful British nurse, was working at the hospital where Tenente was later admitted after getting injured in the war.

Shortly after Catherine and Tenente met, they started their affair. In the beginning of their affair, Henry was thinking of this purely as a way to pass time, and did not plan to get serious at all. But we all know that feelings can't be planned nor controlled, and soon enough their affair turned serious for both of them.

Seldom is there a more hazardous combination than love and war. It is the love story that drives this novel forward, combined with the account of the war. It is easy to detect Hemingway's first hand familiarity with the World War I. This is Hemingsway's story, his endeavour to put into words the emotions he experienced, the environment that he was surrounded by, and the people he got to know.

All characters are very well developed. The fact that every character is so very well developed with Hemingway's brutally spare style, makes it even more impressive. One of my favourites is Henry's friend, the priest Rinaldi whom believes in traditional values and who constantly suffers from the other soldier's teasing because of his beliefs.

This novel represents a landmark in the genre of war fiction. It held my attention from beginning to end. It is a timeless classic, and I couldn't recommend it higher!

A great read!

I bought this book last year, but I just hadn't got around to read it. But for my holiday, I rounded up 3-4 of those "must reads" that was waiting on the shelf and took off. And what a great read this was! I loved "The Great Gatsby" from the very first page.

Written in the 1920'ies one would think that this novel would be outdated by now. But a book doesn't get the label "a great classic" for no good reason. Fitzgerald, with "The Great Gatsby", has written a novel with a timeless message.

The story's narrator, Nick Carraway, is the neighbour to the novel's protagonist Jay Gatsby. We enter the story when Jay has transformed from being a poor officer to a self made millionaire. He is throwing fantastic parties every weekend on his mansion on Long Island. Lots of people, lit garden, swimming pool and the full nine yards. Gatsby is a self-invented person, no one really knows him, what he does, or where he's from, but they all come to his parties. One of the other protagonists, Daisy Buchanan is married to Tom, but Daisy used to go out with Jay Gatsby. Back then when he was a poor guy and a no-body. When Jay went to serve overseas, Daisy married Tom. Tom is an incredibly rich young man. Brutal, low moral, arrogant and you name it.. but extraordinary rich..

So that's the scene setting for this novel. This book has everything, the (impossible) love story, money and wealth, greed, affairs, jealousy and obsessions. Fitzgerald's writing style is vivid and eloquent. Simply an elegant use of the language! His language reminds me of Hemingway, one of my other favourites. The different characters are extraordinary well developed. I especially liked the cynical narrator of the story, Nick Carraway.

Fitzgerald has written one of the best books I have ever read. This is a short book, and I read it in 50-page gulps at the time. A great book, ready to be re-read any day!!

PS. Make sure to get this edition, as it has a great preface written by Matthew Bruccoli. The preface contains valuable information about the author and background information on the story itself. Read the preface first, you will benefit from it.

I am not an American, and I often find that I come short when discussing political history with my American friends. Therefore, I am always looking for books that can fill gaps in my knowledge. "All the President's men" is such a book.

The beginning of this book contains a "Cast of Characters", a detailed description of persons and their involvement in the case. If you are a like me, you make sure to dog-ear this page for your reference, as you work your way through the flurry of different names and places. Fear not, the struggle of keeping track of everyone involved is worth it!

This book provides us with two distinct "different" story-lines. First, a fascinating description of investigative journalism. We learn how newspapers work, the fights over cover-page stories, the importance of getting your name under the story line, and arguments and discussions in the editor's office. I particularly came to admire the owner of the Washington Post, Cathrine Graham, for her tremendous courage during this period. The newspaper received threats, directed to specific people, as well as with regards to possible lawsuits. The case could have brought the paper down and destroyed it completely. Second, the very detailed and interesting guide to the collapse of Richard Nixon, the 37th President of the United States.

The Watergate Scandal started innocently enough, with a simple break-in in the Democratic headquarters in the Watergate Hotel. The "Washington Post" had Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward covering the case. The two inexperienced reporters would soon see that the more they kept digging, the more obscure and unbelievable the story got. In the end, they had a list of people involved including the top level of government, the US intelligence community and ultimately, the White House itself.

What most people don't think of is that, back in the summer of 1972, Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein were two young and enthusiastic, but complete "nobodies" in the world of journalism. What they had in common was that they both worked in the Washington Post's "Metro section", but not much more. They disliked each other, and were not keen on working together. So, after spending the first months using a lot of energy mistrusting each other, they learned how to trust each other and work together.

These two young men set in motion a powerful legacy, which extends well beyond their first set of writings for the Washington Post. They covered the case that stands as a milestone in US history. The Watergate Scandal won Woodward and Bernstein fame and fortune, including the Pulitzer Price. Their book "All the President's men" details all the events of one of the greatest political scandal in US history, which in the end, brought down a President.

"All the President's men" is fast-paced, and easy to read. It gives a very good summary of the Watergate Scandal (and American history) to the lay reader.

Comparing the Watergate Scandal with the election in Florida a couple of years back, or Clinton's Lewinsky affair and Travelgate, I think that "All the President's men" puts things in perspective for us, and highlights a REAL political scandal.

I couldn't recommend it more. A page-turner!

With "Longitude" Dava Sobel has written a very interesting book about the greatest scientific problem of the 18th century.

As a result of the 1707-shipwreck story (with a loss of 4 out of the 5 ships), the English Parliament offered in 1714 a 20.000 pounds reward to the person that could provide a practicable and useful way of determining longitude. (If you have forgot, longitude is the "lines" that runs from pole to pole). Not being able to determining longitude was a great problem. Ships spent excessive time trying to find its way back to port, or worse men, ship and cargo were lost at sea.

John Harrison (1693-1776) spent his lifetime trying to solve the longitude mystery. Harrison was a son of a countryman, with minimal schooling, and was self-educated in watch making. He made several timepieces, which all qualified for the reward, but the reward was delayed several times by the Longitude committee whom believed that other ways of measuring longitude were the preferred ones. Ultimately after a lot of harassment and trouble, Harrison was given the reward money.

Dava Sobel has done a wonderful job in this book, capturing Harrison's fascinating character, his brilliance, preserving and hard working nature. The author has also managed to strike a perfect balance between technical jargon and personal anecdotes, and she does it in such a way permitting the lay readers of the book to admire the elegance of Harrison's discoveries. I believe it is a sign of excellent quality when an author makes learning so interesting.

I was hooked from the first page of this book and I read it in 50-page gulps at a time.

Highly recommended!

I have not read any of Ali smith's previous writing, nor had I heard of her previous to reading this book. I picked up this book solely because I saw that it was shortlisted for the Booker Prize together with Ian McEwan (one of my favourite authors).

The concept of this book is interesting enough. We meet 5 main characters. Sara Wilby, the 19-year-old chambermaid. She was a very talented swimmer, and could easily have been testing for the national team. On one of her first days working at the Gobal Hotel, she bets with Duncan if she can fit into the dumbwaiter. She could, but she also plummeted to her death while doing so. Lise, she is the kind but slightly depressed reseptionist at Golbal's frontdesk. Else, or Elspeth, the homeless girl that Lise let stay one night for free. Else is usually begging outside of the Global Hotel. When she's not, she is wandering the streets, watching TV through the windows of other people's houses. Penny, a newspaper reviewer surveying the hotel, and Clare, Sara Wilby's grieving sister. Clare visits the hotel, determined to find out exactly what happened the day her sister died.

Each chapter is written in a different style, some works better than others. The stream-of-consciousness narration reminds me of A. S. Byatt, but Ali Smith is not able to bring it to same level. The chapter where "&" is used instead of "and", well, that gimmick gets tiresome after a while. The first chapters were interesting, and my favourite is Else's chapter. But after a while, I got tried with the whole idea, and must admit that I was glad when I was finished reading it.

How this novel got shortlisted to the Booker Prize I cannot understand. I give it 3 stars because I really liked Else...