Gerald W. Riley

This book is excellent. It following the path of teenagers who are rejected, feel unwanted, or trapped, and how their choices result in drugs, death, and even prostitution. The key emphasis is that the teenagers and the parents for a variety of reasons are not communicating. That means that they are not talking AND listening to each other. The result is that a schism develops and widens. This is NOT a parenting book. Rather it is a book that lets you, as the observer, watch and become scared as you want to save these kids from their path of destructiveness only to realize that the saving needed to start before they ever left home. I believe that it is a very good book for teenagers and parents. However, there are multiple sexual descriptions that may not be appropriate for the preteen or the sexually naive teenager.

I usually listen to books when going to bed..rarely comedies though. I loaded the book up and proceeded to start laughing almost immediately. This is funny sh*t!!! Really. I tried to stifle my laugh repeatedly to the point that my wife said....LISTEN IN THE LIVING ROOM!! This never happens. I Loved this book because a little bit of it reminded me on my own father! It shorts and just keeps you laughing!!!! It is also great to listen to on a break from work unless you really stimulating co-workers! Well done!!!

I love history and especially enjoy history from a personal viewpoint. This is a classic. It is well written and you feel as though you are transported in time as you watch the Frank family struggle to survive and cope with their fears and dangers of Nazi Germany. Yet, at the same time, while hiding they have to cope with each other. Can you envision living is a small living area, 24 hrs a day, not leaving and waiting for some sign that you will be able to leave. Great book!

My granddaughter loaned me "Crank" the prequel to this book. The prose writing style is, at times, is difficult to track when reading, but is much easier when listening to. The book is written in such a way that you do not need to read "Crank." The central character and a brief recount of her experiences are reported in the beginning. We have seen those TV commercials where the kids becomes addicted to Meth and someone says "I will only do this once. I won't be be like that guy!" This book is that commercial and it shows what they will do to get their fix of Meth or "The Monster" as Meth is referred to in the book. These books are excellent reads to understand the teenager who does drugs and what they experience. It also re-enforces the needs for parents and teenagers to talk and listen to each other on a frequent basis.

This is an excellent book to help you understand why people make decisions the way they do. I was surprised at how marketing is done or misinterpreted by companies and how we, as individuals, say we want one thing when in reality we want something else. This is NOT a textbook or some dry reading material. I found it thought provoking and also gave me new insights into how I market my business and even to the personal choices I make when shopping.

Basically the stories are great but the guy that does Watson does it with a very rough voice making it very difficult to listen to on a sustained basis. If I could have heard this first I would have never bought it.