Transportation Books

Rosa Parks: My Story immediately invokes a sense of warmth and intimacy. The autobiography is written in such a way that one can imagine a small, unassuming, elderly lady describing memorable moments of her life, as if she were speaking to a grandchild or friend. This style easily invokes vivid imagery of the events, providing intimate glimpses into the life of one of the most influential leaders in the Civil Rights movement. Through this personalized tone and realistic imagery Rosa Parks tells a history of hatred and compassion, of fear and strength, but most of all of her own commitment to non-violent change in a balanced and fair way.

My Story is a collection of personal stories, which serve to demonstrate the extreme racism and as well as the incredible commitment and compassion the Civil Rights icon encounters throughout her life. Rosa relates the violent reaction of the KKK to the black soldiers homecoming after WWI, saying, "At one point the violence was so bad that my grandfather kept his gun... close by at all times... just in case the Klansmen broke into our house" (30). While the entire book could be filled with horrific stories of the blatant racism and violent actions of white Southerners, Rosa chooses to also relate the counterexamples. Her extraordinary experiences include, not only stories of extraordinary wrongs but extraordinary courage to do what is right, as well.

One poignant story is that of Miss White, the white woman from Massachusetts who chose to "educate black girls [despite] being ostracized by the white community in Montgomery" (42-43). The numerous stories juxtaposed against one another serve not only to demonstrate the extremes but they also show Rosa's extremely aware yet fair view of the world throughout her childhood and adolescence. While the book is written in a simplistic manner, this only serves to draw the reader closer into a more intimate contact with Parks herself.

While white people's attitudes were shown to vary widely and extremely, Rosa depicts blacks in the South in the same light. She acknowledges the understandably fearful acquiescence of the majority of the black community brought on by years of intimidation and threats of violence to those who would deviate from the status quo. She mentions her grandmother's chastising words when Rosa stood up to some white children to protect her brother. Parks tells of how hurt she felt by the fact that her grandmother thought she should simply accept the unjust behavior without a defending her or her brother's integrity. However, she also realizes later that the harsh words of her grandmother were brought on by love of her grandchildren and fear of the very tangible threat of violence and harm that any sort of pride in the black community would surely entice (22-23). Although this attitude of fear was common, it was by no means predestined. Strong black men and women made an impact on Rosa as a child. Her grandfather and neighbor both had a strong sense of pride and dignity that no white person could intimidate out of them. Rosa herself recounts her own "very strong sense of what was fair" (22). Her internal sense of justice is apparent throughout her story; not only because of her direct assertion of these feelings, but also through her view of the world and her personality, which is seen in the content of the book.

Rosa Park's values of justice, fairness, her balanced view of the world and internal strength all attributed to the most notable moment in her life: refusing to give up her bus seat and, in doing so, launching the non-violent civil rights movement in the United States. Her willingness and commitment to the cause is evident. More importantly, though, this autobiography also demonstrates very clearly that she, too, had doubts and was only human. She expresses her own doubt that non-violence could truly accomplish all that she now knows it did in the Civil Rights movement, attributing her own steadfast commitment to non-violence to Martin Luther King Jr. This seems to be too humble a self-assessment, but it is not hard for one to understand from her writing that she was just like any other person, with her own unique life experiences and conviction which she applied and committed to a cause. Rosa Parks says it best: I couldn't do everything I wanted to, but I did what I could (181). Perhaps the most important message of this biography is that of strength and commitment of character despite the uncertainty and fear inherent to the fight against oppression and injustice.

Upon finishing the biography, one is left wanting--not for lack of story or inadequate biases, but rather because this incredible woman so eloquently and intimately shares her life and in doing so bestows her own tacit understanding of the world upon the reader. It is obvious Rosa Parks is just one woman who is not without doubt or fear; this simple fact makes her story even more of an inspiration. Hence, the reader feels as though she needs to learn more, to hear more of her experiences, and to understand more about her quite source of strength. It is apparent upon finishing her autobiography that Rosa Parks writes My Story in a simple, unpretentious way that reflects her own strong sense of fairness and justice.

the rosa parks: my story book is about a real story. rosa Parks is a wonderful preson that changes people how they are with black peolpe.The front book is not hard hard cover; it has pictures of her and on the bus, and another one with Martin Luther King. The story Rosa Parks is black and white and by the front it title is Rosa Parks: My Story.
One day it was December 1, 1955 Rosa Parks just came out of work tires and weary from a long day, she got on a bus and saw a white 40 year old man saw Rosa Parks. Then Rosa Parks just sat and did not refuse to not give her seat for him......
Rosa Parks was born in Tuskegee, Alabama.

I am not even remotely a history buff, but I started trying to learn more about African American history after seeing it being ignored in high school and my first college. Books like these make it far more interesting for me to want to learn more about our legendary American icons. Most people know the basics of Rosa Parks, but this book clears up some issues that photo captions or books written by others may not (ex. the real reason and day that Rosa Parks took the fingerprinting picture, her mood about taking photos on the bus after the boycott was over, how she feels about her health being documented, a prisoner she helped after the woman threatened her husband, how Mrs. Parks feels about nonviolence and Malcolm X). I can read any dry history book to find out an overview of Mrs. Parks, but this book felt like I was sitting cross-legged in front of her, and she was conversing about her life. I enjoyed it.

As the bus driver asked the blacks in the front of the colored section to stand up most of them stood, Rosa Parks just scooted to a new seat and made an available seat. She said, "No." The driver looked straight at her and said, "Well, I'm going to have you arrested." Then, she calmly said, "You may do that." Rosa Parks was arrested that day of December 1, 1955 and maintained her dignity going through the process of getting arrested and going to jail. She didn't give up her seat because she was tired, she didn't give up her seat because she was tired of giving in. Rosa Parks was born February 4, 1913, in Tuskegee, Alabama. She died on October 24, 2005, in Detroit, Michigan. Her book, Rosa Parks: My Story, is very interesting it explained her importance in Civil Rights and other movements. It talks about how there were killings and white people being ostracized of being part of the Civil Rights Movement. She is inspirational and has a very clear mind. This book is for anyone who likes reading about the Civil Rights Movement and the view of black people in the early 1900s.

This book recognizes a lot of the Civil Rights Movement being that she was a part of the mistreatment of African-Americans. As said in the first paragraph she didn't give up her bus seat because she was tired of giving in to white people intimidating her and other African-Americans. That and other arrestments started the Montgomery bus boycott.

She recognizes the fact a lot that everyone's the same and shouldn't be treated any differently than others. She also says that Dr. Martin Luther King, jr. made a point about not fighting back with violence. When Rosa was young she didn't know what nonviolence really was. All her and her brother knew were to say if someone did something to them they would go right back and do something to them. After Dr. King's speeches' she realized that he believed strongly in nonviolence and listened to Mohandas Gandhi on liberating India from Great Britain.

Rosa is and inspiration. She will maintain her dignity in bad times, protest for what she believes in, and is very caring to her family, friends, and society. Rosa has helped a race maintain their dignity and has helped the youth to grow up and try to make a difference in their lives and other's.

Rosa has been a national icon when you think of the Civil Rights Movement. Her nickname is the Mother of Civil Rights just for her accomplishments. It wasn't because she didn't give up her seat. It was because she is a strong woman and cares about her friends and family. Rosa Parks died a great person. Even if she got arrested she is still a great person.

T. Shepard

If there is a single autobiography that should be read by all American children as they go through school, it is this one. Rosa Parks was the person who lit the spark that ignited the civil rights movement in the United States that led to so much positive change. Tired after a long day at work, she was riding the bus home. According to law, if a white person wanted her seat, she was forced to give it up. A white man wanted to sit, but she refused to yield. The white driver then ordered her to relinquish the seat and when she again refused, the police were called, which led to her arrest. This action sparked the famous Montgomery bus boycott, which led to a change in the law. Once the civil rights movement started, it could not be stopped, despite ferocious and violent opposition by southern whites.
This story is one of an otherwise unassuming but proud woman who possessed great courage. Her life is one of hardship, trials and eventually great triumph. Young children of today do not understand what life was like in the segregated, racist society of the first half of the twentieth century. This book will help them understand the debt we all owe to the people who sparked, nurtured and led the civil rights movement to the success that it was. It is a very moving and inspiring book.

Bought this as a gift for husband, and he absolutely loved it! He looks through it all the time, even wants me to order more books about abandoned or wrecked cars. He is a car enthusiast to the fullest, and I recommend this book.

Beautiful images of burnt out, rusted, and
dead classic cars, trucks and vehicle parts,
dressed in weeds, grass and mud...lovely.
Not so much in your neighborhood, but they
make fabulous images in their abandoned settings.

Being a resident of Curacao myself, and thus very familiar with this incident, I was really glad when this book came out. Very few people know about the ditching of ALM 980, and I hope this book will change this fact.
Very detailed and written on a personal level. the book does not give you the feeling of being isolated from the events happening, and never spins the situation in a way that would make it hard to follow.

I most certainly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in aviation, or just would like to know about a very little known fact of history.

I'm not generally a non-fiction reader. I much prefer crime thrillers and Stephen King novels, and the occasional biography (which, let's face it, isn't always 100% non-fiction). However, when I started to read 35 Miles From Shore, I was immediately sucked in. The book tells the story of the only recorded open water ditching of a commercial jet. ALM Flight 980 landed in the waters of the Caribbean after running out of fuel. The author takes an interesting approach in not only describing the details of the doomed flight and its passengers, but also giving background on the chain of events that led up to the tragedy. Not only does it make for a more interesting story, but it gave the book a uniquely human element that I would imagine isn't often present in books about disasters.

The book opens by explaining that most accidents aren't a freak occurrence but rather the end of an unfortunate chain of events. In the case of ALM Flight 980, this is especially true. The author covers the choices made by the airlines, the crew, and the air traffic controllers on the ground that added to the inevitable end result. From the secondary fuel tank that was never added to the plane to the last second decision to head for their alternate landing destination due to bad weather, the author painstakingly researched every available detail about the flight and the events leading to the disaster.

In the process of revealing all the events that may or may not have contributed to the crash, we learn about all the people involved. We learn about the passengers, the crew, and even the rescuers. Reading about why each passenger was on the flight (last vacation before having a baby, returning home, business, etc.) really brought the story to life. Knowing that the author interviewed most of these people directly reminds the reader that this tragic story really happened.

One note about the endnotes in the Kindle version of the book - they work wonderfully. Typically when you read a book with annotations, they are either at the bottom of the page or at the end of the book. I typically dislike reading books where the notes are at the end because that means I have to stop reading and find the right annotation at the back of the book. However, in 35 Miles From Shore, all you have to do is use the scroll wheel to click on the line with the number and then choose the number from the menu. It takes you directly to the appropriate annotation, and simply hitting the back button brings you back to your place in the book. The only problem I found with this - and it's a small one - is that the asterisk-marked pieces often land in the middle of paragraphs. However, once you've realized this, it's easier to read around them.

I truly enjoyed the book. It was a fast read, unbelievably well-researched, and extremely interesting. Even if you're not much of a non-fiction reader, this is an entertaining book that can capture your attention just as easily as a novel.

[...]

Emilio Corsetti has done a great job of researching this accident and has written a rivetting account of the events. It is a great read for an aviation professional or anyone looking for real-life drama.

Imagine it's May 2, 1970, and you're departing JFK en route to the tropical island of St. Maarten on a DC-9 jet with fifty-six other passengers and six crewmembers.

The forecast includes a chance of thunderstorms, but because of the experienced captain and crew, you're not alarmed. The thunderstorms grow in intensity until, at four hours and thirty-four minutes of flight time, the plane's fuel reserves are depleted.

You barely get your life vest on...wham, the plane, still traveling one hundred miles an hour, hits the angry sea, slamming people and debris into the aisles. Screams fill the air as water rises around your ankles. Dazed, you manage to get free and are shoved out an open hatch. Sea water closes over your head. Panic gives you strength to pull the tabs that inflate your vest and shoots you up to the turbulent surface.

Fellow passengers, many injured and bleeding, bob like bright-orange fishing lures around you, however there's no sign of a life raft, only the inflatable escape slide, which holds three people. Belts are tied to the slide's handles to hang on to, but hypothermia will soon take its toll, or sharks will be drawn by the injured and dead.

The plane slips under the sea leaving forty souls clinging to life. The closest help is two hours away. Once the first rescuers arrive, fifteen-foot swells impede their valiant efforts to save the crash victims.

Hopefully that exercise helped you envision the heart of this non-fiction story. The author has included tons of in-depth research that define the mistakes, the aircraft, and the many individuals involved in this catastrophe. I found the weighty amount of narrative details overshadowed the humanity of the story and made for a laborious read.

However, if you are a pilot or have a love of commercial flying, this book's detailed behind-the-scenes information may intrigue you. I give it 4 stars.

Armchair Interviews says: This story brings you into that event very clearly.

This true story about a jet ditching is a riveting read. Corsetti is able to tell the reader what happened in a clear, concise manner. Even with all the technical parts of flying an airplane, Corsetti made it easy to understand. I found his end notes and his bottom of the page notes very helpful in furthering my understanding as to what was happening.


The most intense part for me was the crash and the rescue. I saw and felt the chaos that had developed when the crew and passengers realized that they had to ditch the plane. The frustration of looking for the life vest under the seats and trying to get them to fit properly. The anxiety of trying to retrieve a life raft and it being accidentally inflated by a passenger inside the plane and then the stewards were unable to get it out of the plane.


After I finished reading the book I thought WOW!! I am so glad that I read this book. If you like true survival books or even if you don't; this book is worth the read. If you want to know more definitely read this book.

My 6 year old son brought this home from his school library yesterday. I was eager to sit and read a book about a fireboat to my first grader!
I was so shocked by the abruptness of the content switching from almost a sing-songy storyline, to airplanes crashing in to the towers. My son said they were bombs and smiled at the big explosion on the following pages. My eyes teared up as I remembered being pregnant with him while frantically driving home afraid that the Boston skyline behind me was about to be assaulted and changed forever.
Back on the couch in our living room, I realized that a discussion about 9/11 was going to have to take place before my first grader understands this tragedy and this book. I put the book away, and will return it to his school's library. I have chosen to let my 6 year old be a first grader, to live in a world that is at peace. For now.
He will soon enough learn that there are evil individuals in the world who could strike down innocent people by the thousands. Soon, enough. But not at 6 years old.
This book is an important book, particularly for children who experienced a direct impact from those terrifying days.
Note to publisher: Please republish with a tag line referring to 9/11 on the cover.

A true triumph over adversity. A very nice book to read to your little ones and not such a scary way to let them know a sad part of our history.

Heartwarming Hero!!!

Imagine your most favorite hero. Is he tall, strong, courageous, and faithful? Well, this hero is all that and more. Fireboat, by Maira Kalman is a heartwarming story of a boat that was built in 1931 with all the newest and greatest gadgets to aide in fighting fires. The fireboat is named the John J. Harvey and for many years it fought fires on ocean liners and along New York's busy piers. After 64 years of protecting the New York area the John J. Harvey is retired. Left unused for five years it was ready to be sold as scrap material when a few people got together and brought the John J. Harvey back to life. After many repairs the old fireboat is up and running again. Not as a fireboat but as a pleasure boat for all. As the story progresses history is in the making. The most horrific thing imaginable happens on September 11, 2001. This is where a hero of the past steps in to help and doesn't stop until his work is done. A tragedy, yes, a hero, yes, forgotten no. The John J. Harvey is an important part of history that will always have friends to care for him. If you are looking for a book about September 11th to share with yourself, your children or your grand-children then this is the book for you. It is a simple and loving example of what people can do to help others during such a tragic time. This is a must read and an unforgettable story of what America lost on the day of September 11, 2001.Fireboat: The Heroic Adventures of the John J. Harvey (Picture Puffin Books)

The author deals with the terrorist attacks on the twin towers in a very dignified way. Nothing in the story would devistate young readers or listeners. The illustrations are wonderful and quite appropriate. Next year when 9-11 arrives I will read this story to my students to help them remember this tragic incident.

There is a traditional story of the retired firehorse that responds to the bell. John J. Harvey is a true example of that. She and her crew answered the bell that day. It troubles me that so many reviewers want to "revise" this book to remove the horror of that day. You can not revise the events and remove the horror from them. It needs to be recalled, remembered and dealt with, both by children and adults. I love this book. As a firefighter and Naval Reservist I can't say enough good things about the story here. More importantly enough good things can not be said about John J. Harvey and the crew that saved her and then brought her back into service that day.

Interesting history of Weber carbs, with general theory and specific info on a range of side and downdraft models, but dated (1988). Good for restorers, but if you're doing a new 32/36 or 34 DGEC conversion on a Jeep, for example, it's not covered in this book.

This book goes beyond being a mere product manual. It is, instead an education into the science of fuel/air intake for the internal combustion engine. Of course, it thoroughly vets its core topic, the Weber/Dellorto carburetor line. You'll learn about the evolution of the Weber carburetor and find out, in depth, how to work on these wonderfully engineered products.

Good historic and technical info.

I read this book in one day and then began a complete disassembly of my 40DCOE18 carbs the next day. Where the text was a bit unclear, the pictures more than made up for it. I was able to do both carbs in about 4 hours with no surprises and feeling a lot more confident that I'll be able to tune these when my car gets reassembled in about a month. Great book. Realize that, at this stage, I'm not tuning for racing - so take these comments with that perspective.

The book does not contain a schematic diagram of the 40 IDF, one of the most popular carburetors for Porsche 356 and is not of much value to me. I would not have purchased it if I had known this.

I like this version much better than the original. The biggest reason is that the text matches up better with the pictures. In the original, sentences ran from one page to the next, making it hard to read aloud. In addition, the vocabulary used is simpler for young children (my daughter is currently two years old and has been enjoying this book for many months now.)

Really, I wish I would have bought the original. Strangely enough we had the original version borrowed from the library in the house when this book arrived. Even my 2 1/2 year old daughter prefers the original. It is so much better. The details are more vivid. The language more interesting. This version isn't bad; it just isn't AS good.

All I can say is that I love this book. As a child my mother read me this book over and over. Its message is as inspiring to me now as it was then. I can't say enough how much I love this book. It's a wonderful addition to anyones collection, young and old. Brings me to tears when I read it and think back on my childhood. I don't think I could have gotten through some of those early years without it.

Just buy the REAL Little Engine That Could with its beautiful poetic lines. Skip the easy-to-read version. Little kids have a greater appreciation for real books than some people give them credit for.

A good description of how a road is made. This book is attractive with simple but accurate illustrations, and charming rhymes with "sound" words. I appreciated that there are a few female workers in the pictures. I bought it for a 3 year old, but I think it is too young for her - it will go to the younger one who is not yet two who will enjoy it for some time to come. Reading level may be 4-8, but appropriate age is younger.

This book was written and drawn by some of the original artists of Ed Roth's studio. It doesn't get any closer than this, great book!

My kids just loved this book. They are both aspiring artists and have done some great work since Christmas!

I bought this book for my husband, after several refferals from other hot rod friends. This book is better than described.

If you are someone new, like me, to studying the Eastern philosophies this little book is just lovely. It puts things easily and simply. I enjoy reading this for inspiration and deeper understanding. I found the Introduction helpful in explainging briefly the means behind the intent and how each section is set up.
It's size also makes it a lovely little book to tuck into my work bag without adding bulk or weight.

Haynes manuals are generally great, and this is no exception...if you don't own a car with an S54 engine (M3, M roadster, etc,). It has absolutely no info on these cars. Since the M3 shares some systems with the other 3 series cars, you can apply some of the info found in this manual to your M car, but if your looking for specifics or anything pertaining to the engine, its accesories, or other M specific parts, this is not the manual for you.

Although the Z4 and the 3 series share the same engine, this book is not helpful for Z4 owners. All pictures are of the 3 series equipment. Pics are all black and white and not very sharp. A pleasant surprise at the back of the manual is the wiring diagrams for the Z4. Probably a decent manual for 3 series BMWs. As a Z4 owner, I would not have purchased this manual if I had an opportunity to view it first.

I would not buy this book again.

The printing and photos are faded and when combined with small print,
this makes for a horrible automotive manual.

However it is possible to read this book in full bright day light.

The BEST E46 manual, dollar-for-dollar. The huge Bentley manual is excellent, but costs about 5 times as much. If your budget for manuals is limited, this is the one to buy.

I don't seem to have any problem with the print or the photographs in my copy - but then again I usually cover most of them with greasy fingerprints pretty quickly anyway.

This is a Haynes manual - they're good. They're far better than the Chilton's versions, which tend to cover every model made during a 10 year period in one book... which leads to vague descriptions and lots of caveats. This book is fairly thorough and covers all the jobs any typical home mechanic is going to mess with.

So far I've overhauled my entire braking system and front suspension components; and it hasn't steered me wrong yet.

If you're more serious than this manual, then you'll need the (much more expensive) Bentley book or a factory manual (which for European cars are frequently written by Bentley - at least I believe VWs were last I checked).