Travel Books

A dear friend gave me this book when it was released and I became hooked on all things "Polar". The Frank Hurley photos alone are worth the price of the book. If you really want a treat, check out the photos under a magnifying glass---there are many interesting details missed with a casual glance. This is Ms. Alexander's best work (I read The Bounty a few years ago, and while a nice read, it pales in comparison to this gem.) I've given at least a half-dozen copies of this book to friends and family. And, while it may have the dimensions of a coffee table book, please read it if you have it; the prose is tight---and the Hurley photos. This book would be an excellent gift to a young person, as the photos are spectacular, but more importantly, the example of leadership of Sir Earnest Shackleton (a true leader) is inspiring to say the least.
Very highly recommended.

Caroline Alexander's work of non-fiction The Endurance is a wonderful read, effectively portraying Shackleton's Antarctic expedition in an exciting and enjoyable manner. Alexander effectively uses the journals of the members of the expedition to demonstrate the feelings of the crewmen about their plight, their leader, and other members of the crew. One such example would be from the diary of Frank Worsley, the skipper of Endurance, describing crewmate Timothy McCarthy. "`He is the most irrepressible optimist I've ever met,' Worsley wrote in his navigating book,'" (Alexander 148). In addition, Alexander also demonstrates how optimism can lead to survival in situations in which the odds are heavily stacked against it. "`Optimism,' Shackleton once said, `is true moral courage'," (Alexander 56). Alexander's choice to include this Shackleton quote demonstrates how she believes that optimism is important in a time of crisis. The one aspect of the book that is mildly irritating, however, is the placement of the pictures. There are many pages of pictures placed at seemingly random intervals throughout the book, and this can cause quite some confusion due to the fact that the pictures often interrupt a sentence or a paragraph. However, overall The Endurance is a wonderful book about facing impossible odds and living to tell the tale.

Caroline Alexander's The Endurance, the memoir of Sir Ernest Shackleton's 1914 Antarctic expedition, is a relentlessly intriguing story, even with its few passages of slow, monotonous detail. This recollection of the voyage and survival of the Endurance is consistently awe-inspiring in its seemingly mythical events and journeys of Shackleton's 28 men. The artistic weaving of the crew's diaries and quotes with the haunting photographs of Frank Hurley, the expedition's photographer, is powerful and, for the most part, attention consuming. Its only problem is a few passages of too much detail, creating a slow, less interesting pace for the story.

The amazing situations and actions of the men, particularly Shackleton, is what made the book so enjoyable. The men lived in sub zero degree weather for over a year, eventually journeying almost 80 miles in three wooden life boats, but still come across as normal human beings. They argue about wives and hold grudges over dead pets. It is Shackleton, the timeless leader that he is, who creates something special from these men and drives them to safety. His ability to draw from others and please all (only Chippy McNish expressed any unhappiness during the journey) is an awe-inspiring feat that exemplifies what a great leader is and should be. The most amazing accomplishment of the expedition, created by the men and Shackleton alike, was the 800-mile journey by six men in a 22-foot-long life boat through a hurricane in the most inhospitable ocean in the world. When they finally made contact with civilization, they met another sailing crew. Frank Worsley recorded the following interaction with one man in particular: "He said he had been at sea over 40 years; that he knew this stormy Southern Ocean intimately, [...] and that never had he heard of such a wonderful feat of daring seamanship as bringing the 22-foot open boat from Elephant Island to South Georgia [...]. All the seamen present then came forward and solemnly shook hands with us in turn" (Alexander 166-167). To impress fellow seamen of the day, not to mention Norwegian seamen, truly displays the power of the accomplishments of the Endurance and the intriguing nature of the book. What made it all better was the care and leadership of Shackleton. After such an unbelievable adventure, he did not take time to celebrate, but turned to the help of the Chilean government in order to complete his journey. According to Shackleton, "[...] the grace and strength that had brought them so far would count for nothing if, when they eventually arrived, they found even one man dead on Elephant Island" (Alexander 169) The incredible strength and leadership of Shackleton, along with the endurance and misfortune of the crew in The Endurance leads to a very interesting read and an unforgettable story.

The Endurance, by Caroline Alexander, is an exceptionally well-written epic about the human will to survive. The story begins with legendary Antarctic explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton and his crew's daring quest to be the first to cross the continent of Antarctica. But bad luck and poor planning leave their ship, the Endurance, trapped in the Antarctic ice. As their ship is slowly crushed by the ice, the crew realizes that their journey is no longer about discovery, but survival. The crew eventually leaves the safety of their ship to brave the dangerous floes of the Antarctic ice, because "what the ice gets, the ice keeps" (Alexander 3).
Now laid before the crew is a situation that is "not merely formidable; it was, as every sailing man of the company knew, impossible" (Alexander 133). Shackleton's brilliant leadership and determination bring his men to safety from the brink of death, and his optimism keeps his crew believing that they can still survive. The diary entries of the crew leave nothing to speculation about the hardships of the men of the Endurance. From their lack of food and dry clothes, to the freezing Antarctic weather, the men of the Endurance survive for almost two years in a land not at all hospitable to humans.
As with every story, a picture is worth a thousand words. The breathtaking pictures by Frank Hurley put the reader right onto the ice with the crew. The reader can witness the sheer cliffs, never ending ice floes, and the break up of the Endurance, just as seen by the men of the ship themselves. Alexander truly puts the reader into the minds of the crew, and shows the Antarctic from the crew's eyes. This tale of survival brilliantly documents one of history's most daring stories of survival.

Excellent book; well presented with photo's. Difficult to put down. It was recommended by Jeff Masters from Weather Underground and is well worth reading. It is surprising the amount of difficulty that people can experience and survive. It really shows how leadership and discipline, something we lack in our socitey, can be used to assist in goal attainment.

As someone who left Indonesia years ago, this guide is an interesting reminder. A little superficial maybe. It's a travel guide and not a political history book, so it omits a lot of bloody history about the previous Suharto dictatorship.

But the photos are nice and convey some of the tropical beauty of the countryside in Java. The authors show several scenic spots, though focused on Java since most of the people are there. Bali gets a lot of coverage, because foreigners throng to its beaches and nightclubs.

For those of you who know the expression "The Bible" when referring to lonely planet guides you know that this book is a must have when heading into distant lands. It is a great source of information both historically and on a day to day use. In its own, it is a great traveling companion. The format of this guide is less appealing than the older versions where they separated sections of main importance, transportation (internal flights and how much they may cost), money and weather as examples. Before it was easier to obtain this important information.

Indonesia is amazingly diverse. Their national motto, "Bhinneka tunggal ika" ("Unity in diversity") is a testament to that. As such, writing a guidebook encompassing the whole is a feat in and of itself. This guide provides a historical overview, potential itineraries based on your time availability and interests, and lots of useful practical information. The section on each province provides more detailed background.

See this as an initial guidebook to help plan your trip. If you know where you're going - say, Bali and Lombok - you may be better off finding a specific guidebook. But if one is not available, this is a great choice.

I'm at the end of my 4 months living in Jakarta. I bought this book in the states before going but when I arrived in Jakarta, i was originally very disappointed by the thinness of the jakarta section. The lack of depth was a problem throughout the book. However, I later traveled to Yogjakarta, Bandung, Bogor, Bali, Lombok, and the Gili Islands, making this book actually pretty useful. Although it doesn't have extensive information on each area, it does cover a lot of areas in a good-enough way.

However.. since the vast majority of people who come to Indonesia do not actually travel to many different places (usually just around Bali, or Java), I would recommend a book which focuses more on the place you will actually go, since you are otherwise paying for and carrying around a lot more bulk than is necessary.

Although I'm not a fan of Lonely Planet,this guide is exemplary!I have used it during my 3-month journey around Indonesia and it turned out to be my Bible. It is accurate,informative (on culture included), with deep knowledge of all aspects of this incredible and diverse part of the world,and exudes,throughout,true love for the country and people.It is more than obvious that the writers have been to the places they write about,did a lot of on-the-spot research and have missed very few things,usually details (e.g the procession of the Sultan of Ternate on the 15th day of the Ramadan,which,because of that,I had missed!).

This is by far the best book of the Lonely Planet series I have come across until now(of more than 30 LP books I have consulted,wholly or in part,over a period of years)and I dare claim that it is one of the top-5 guidebooks(of any publisher)I have ever used--fullstop...or rather...exclamation!

I know, I know.. there are so many guidebooks out there, how do you pick the right one? Well, it depends what your need is. If you are looking for travel advice in general, the Rick Steves Rick Steves' Italy 2009 (Rick Steves) or the 'Italy for Dummies' Italy For Dummies (Dummies Travel)as they're both good. If you need information on history and highlights on the cities and sites, I would go with Eyewitness's Italy (Eyewitness Travel Guide). If you need suggestions on hotels or restaurants, the Michelin guides Michelin the Green Guide Italy (Michelin Green Guides) are better and less biased.
Frommers has a melange of all of the above, but I think overall it's a little dispersed.

Not a bad travel book, fairly complete, decent detail on many of the cities within the country, but the book does lack pictures, has a few in the front of the book. That would have made the book more complete and enjoyable. As the old saying goes, "A picture is worth a thousand words."

We are still in the planning process of our trip so I can't speak for how true the information in the book is, but I can say that it is not an easy read. I bought Rick Steve's book and read the entire book in 2 weeks (including highlighting and visiting websites). So, I thought I would go ahead and get another guidebook since our trip was 4 months away, and I planned to compare notes. I've had this book 1+ month and simply can't motivate myself to read it. It is much denser.

It does offer tons of information. Far more than the Rick Steve's book. The dining section is organized by area of town which I like, and I get the impression it lists every available attraction versus Rick Steve's which lists only the ones he thinks are worth visiting. I guess it depends on what you like. If you want to make the choice for yourself, this is probably better. If you are a first timer (like my husband and I), you appreciate someone kind of telling you what's better, than Rick Steve's is probably the better choice.

I'm also suspicious that there is an element of paid advertising to Frommer's. When I cross reference their recommendations with online travel reviews, Frommer's recs are offen crucified by travelers. Often with the inclusion "We chose this hotel based on Frommer's recommendations..." It worries me that its users are dissatisfied, yet the hotel stays in the book. Rick Steve's has a strict policy that he asks that you contact him directly with complaints or unfair pricing so he can keep his recommendations true.

Ultimately, I think this is a fine reference book with plenty of useful information. My personal preference is Rick Steve's style. My plan is to use Rick Steve's while in Italy and carry it with me, but make notes in it with info I picked out of Frommer's.

This is a great book with many details and suggestions. We always use Rick Steves' books and so I got this one as an extra. I was not disappointed by the content. Frommer has wonderful details for your trip. Like the Steves book, it describes in details all you need to know to be comfortable and have a great trip. I highly recommend it.

I bought Frommers Italy 2008 on a lark as I was headed for a long weekend in Pisa/Florence and couldn't find my usual Lonely Planet or Let's Go travel guides. All I can say is that it was truly a disappointment. The authors stated that the Stazione Pisa Centrale (main train station for Pisa) was, "a 10 to 15-minute walk from the Leaning Tower." My husband and I walked to the Leaning Tower from the station at a good pace (we really enjoy walking), and it took us about 30 to 40 minutes to reach the station.

Secondly, the Antica Trattoria Da Bruno was one of only two recommended places to eat in Pisa. Again, the authors state that, "It served old-fashioned but market-fresh dishes of the Pisan kitchen", and, "It's one of Pisa's finest restaurants." Well after a long day spent wandering in Florence, we returned to Pisa, mouths watering in anticipation of a memorable Italian meal. What we got instead was bland, pinged-in-the-microwave pasta and straight-out-of-the-tin canellini beans! The bread was stale, pasta over-cooked and wine horrible. What the place capitalizes on, though, is over-the-top ambiance, a huge wine list, and a waiter that 'cheeses it up' for tourists. If you are ever in Pisa, please go to the Pizzeria Galilei. We ate there 3 times! The traditional home-made Tuscan specialties, gorgeous wine, tasteful decor, attentive staff made our time in Pisa heaven.

Don't get me started on the hotel recommendations (there are some wonderful pensiones in Pisa, but the tacky Jolly Hotel right across from the station got a mention?!).

If you want travel books you can trust, stick with Let's Go--they've never done me wrong, and I travel a lot!

Though many swear by the LP guides, my Eyewitness guide did me well during my recent 10 day excursion through Marrakesh, Fes, and Casablanca. It's not so great for finding hotels and restaurants, as well as many "big picture" details (like where to find walking tours, etc.), but the history sections at the beginning of the guide were incredibly informative and helped me understand the culture and background of the people before I went, and the pictures (both photos and illustrations) and descriptions of the sites are great. Especially important since in Morocco, if there's a non-Arabic description of anything, it's typically only in French. Finally, it's a good keepsake at the end of the trip... a great collection of photos of the sights in case you weren't able to take enough.

All in all, my travel buddy had an LP guide, which we used for finding hotels and to figure out a walking tour in Casablanca, and we used my Eyewitness guide for everything else. Perfect for us.

It is a great book because gives you pictures of what you are expecting to see. Also gives you information.
Very easy to use.

It is a colorful book but lack the basic information and tips on basics. Gives you a nice history of Morroco political life. But it was't as helpful on basics like maps, tours.

This is a cheap book its ok for a overview. If your thinking of visiting Morroco with only this book as experience, dont. Always do some research and get maps in the city you visit. Especially Marrakech

Just returned from Morocco and this book was indispensible! Great insight, great information about what to see. The photos are terrific to look at even if you don't make it to your destination.
Can't wait to use the one from Turkey soon!

Having travelled to Morocco April of 2007, I wanted an armchair mode to relive and add to places, events, memories of the trip. While no book can replace the marvel that is Morocco and its people, this gives a good and accurate overview, with lots of interesting information. All those things your tour guide shares and you can't remember!

This map was very useful when we were in Venice. However, some of the street names are slightly different - for example, a letter might be missing out of the street name in the map. If you pay close attention, you shouldn't have a problem! I don't know if there are any maps of Venice that are 100% accurate, but this one was close enough for us.

And sturdy to carry around with you. But if you're older, you will need reading glasses!

I have many maps from visiting Italy and have ordered some that were similar from the hotel lobbies, but this one is excellent compared to those. It shows all the little side canals and even has the canal where my future hotel is, which based on trip advisor comments, alot of travelers had a hard time locating. I am happy with this map - streetwise Venice; as well as streetwise Rome.

It's a pathetic small map of Venice.
Only room for main island, even that much to small.
No information at all.
If you want good map of Venice, buy the Borch.

My husband and I found this map to be extremely helpful, in large part because of the clear identification of the monuments. It's worth the money to have it for the first day or two until you get your bearings.

I can not make my review by the simple reason that I did not received yet the book i've bought one month ago.
Regards

Roberto Felicio Coimbra

I am from Istanbul and I cal tell you this guide is fantastic. Before you visit my country Turkey read this guide. It is accurate and colorful.

This Travel Guide is Awesome! It's very easy to read, great pictures and cool tips regarding your next trip To Istanbul.

It's a Must!

I had never used this series of guidebooks before, so I did not know what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised during my recent visit to Istanbul in June of 2007.

The main selling points of these DK guides are the superior maps and illustrations of tourist attractions. Major museums, mosques and palaces are shown in detail, with drawings and photos of the interior and exterior, as well as nicely illustrated historical tidbits. For doing the touristy things like visiting major attractions and taking pictures, this guide is great.

I am not sure how good this guide is when it comes to restaurants and nightlife. I did not explore that side of Istanbul as much, and what I saw did not impress me much.

Overall, I think I would have preferred a guide geared more towards active young people with a slightly cynical edge - this guide seemed to present everything as pretty and somewhat sterile. From what I saw, Istanbul definitely has an interesting culture that this guide did not fully capture.

Overall, good guidebook, and highly recommended. Read it ahead of time to know where the main sites and activities that interest you are located. Then do some more research online for good hotels to stay in - online reviews are more up to date.

This is one of the best guide books I have ever read! SO easy to leaf through it and find exactly what one is looking for. The maps are well drawn and easy to navigate, and the photograph make the whole experience complete. I loved most the chapter on foods and drinks to be tasted in Istanbul. Will be a great guide to take along on my trip there.

I don't remember the last time I read a book that made me laugh out loud. As I read this book, I laughed often as I recognized myself and my family within the pages.

In this collection of essays, Dumas describes her experiences while growing up in Iran and her life in the U.S. Dumas' writing is honest, light, and laced with humor. Her stories are simple, yet powerful. This book is a fabulous reminder that our similarities far outweigh our differences- regardless of our cultural background. I can't wait to read "Funny in Farsi."

Laughing Without an Accent is Fizooreh Dumas' follow-up to her first book, Funny in Farsi. Both serve as anecdotal memoirs of situations Dumas faced as an Iranian growing up in the United States and eventually marrying a Frenchman. The book covers a vast time period; the youngest story is from when she was a six-year-old girl living in Iran, the oldest from events which probably took place mere months before the book was published. The stories are in no particular order; some reference events that took place in others.

The vignettes are curious glimpses into a culture that is foreign to most Americans. For example, the first chapter of the book deals with Dumas' attempts to have her book translated into Persian (the major language in Iran). The author was passionate about those in her home country reading her works as they were written, so she went about seeking her own translator rather than relying on the lowest common denominator. She recounts the roadblocks that were thrown in front of her, as well as how well the book was received once it was actually published in Iran. It's a wonderful beginning to establishing a relationship with a foreign culture, rather than fearing and vilifying it.

Some of the anecdotes are not so foreign, such as parents buying gifts for their children that the children abhor. Through these stories, Dumas illustrates that while she is from a different culture, the distinctions aren't as numerous as the similarities. That is what is important about this book, and why it is crucial that Americans read it: understanding is the beginning of acceptance. In the book, Dumas describes her family's reaction to and treatment during the Iranian hostage crisis. She speaks of their horror at the situation and her subsequent friendship with one of the hostages. In some ways, Dumas is brave; in her own way, she is standing up for the normal, everyday Iranians who only want to live their lives in peace. At the same time, by insisting her books be published in Iran, she is showing them that Americans aren't a people to fear. It is a phenomenal thing for one woman to do, and she does it incredibly well.

Perhaps the best element of Dumas' work is her sense of humor. It is apparent that most of the anecdotes are intended to be humorous; she fully expects the reader to laugh along with her about the nuances of her culture. However, it is not a malicious laughter - Dumas respects and loves her background, and she is not trying to make fun of it. It is charming and affectionate, full of love and life. Both Laughing Without an Accent and Funny in Farsi are funny and sentimental without being cheesy. The vignette style makes them incredibly easy to read, and the message is equally relevant in today's tense atmosphere: we are all different, yet we are the same.

One needn't have read Mrs. Dumas' first book, Funny In Farsi, to enjoy this take on the ethnic translation into American culture, but it would certainly help to get you into the mood. Knowing a bit of the family and its ways means you can start smiling, even chuckling, before the stories unfold. An occasional outburst of pure laughter also happen. Mrs. Dumas, in this sequel, shifts the terrain a bit, with a heavier focus on Iranian ethnic life amidst the bits and pieces of American life. An occasional downward spin on some of our habits and mores is fair game, but doesn't spoil this never-ending story of confused Iranians coping with the "New World." After all, this "New World" is now Mrs. Dumas' as well.

While not laugh-out-loud funny it is amusing, enjoyable book. So many of us can see pieces of our own family dynamics in her stories of gifts that you pretend to like, food you serve they won't eat, and those incidents you laugh at only in hind-sight. Her last chapter where she spends time with one of the Americans held hostage in Iran for 444 days is wonderfully poignant.

I heard the author on NPR and immediately wanted to read her book. She did not disappoint. She provided a much-needed antidote to the current stereotype of people from Iran. She is smart, sensible, and very amusing. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about how her family has successfully adjusted to living in the United States.

OK first of all let me say for the record what we all know to be true. There are no such things as Ghosts. Every single solitary unbiased examination has proven this to be the case. That being said we all love a good ghost story being told and this book has a number of really fun and enjoyable ones to tell around the campfire on a dark night. Weird Hauntings has a number of fun and enjoyable stories, none of which I would take too seriously.

The authors do a good job of making these stories seem real because in many cases there is enough information given to make the story seem juicy but of course just enough so it can never be verified. All of these stories are full of crimes and lives cut short but at some point in the past that can never be proven. So none of them are at all credible but you are not reading this because you believe it is a text book. You're reading them in a dark room to scare yourself! For that alone it's worth reading!

I enjoyed reading this book very much. The book has great artwork. Just a great book all around!

I found this book to be quite disappointing. It begins well with a very readable and page-turning first chapter but from there on things just go downhill and never really recover. Every now and then an interesting and believable scary story pops up but mostly it seems just like what you could expect to encounter if you took a class entitled Creative Ghost Story Writing For Beginners 101. It seems that an awful lot of the tales stem more from the imagination of the narrator than from some otherworldly realm. And not a few times I cringed in embarassment when a paranormal suggestion or explanation was offered for events that were so obviously nothing of the sort. If you like your ghost tales served up with credibility and objective research and investigation then this book is definitely not for you. Spared from a single star rating only by the heroics of Chapter One.

Weird Hauntings by Joanne Austin is quite good for a book of ghost tale compilations. This is from the same team that does the entire "Weird" series of books (Weird U.S., Weird Arizona, etc.), and reminds me of the best of the books that I would find at my local library as a child with a voracious appetite for the macabre. Off the bat, the introduction by Ryan Doan in which he relates the fact that his father used to hide under his bed as a child starts off the bizarre proceedings on a wonderfully weird note.

In particular, another value in the book is that it details investigations or stories from individuals that have not been repeated ad infinitum in other books on the subject. There is also mention of a few famous areas such as Alcatraz or Gettysburg to keep one interested as well.

Well done: 5 out of 5 skulls

I enjoyed reading this book, very interesting as it leads you to different places and each author has his/her own story to tell. The table of contents was organized from haunted houses, historic haunts, terrifying travels, the otherworldly outdoors and so forth. It was a well-researched book with detailed events. Some of the photos of places and people were such a good addition that made the book more interesting to read. Although I'd like to add that some of these photos were edited to make them look more scary. One of the exceptions is the main photo for pages 214-215 (Eerie Eateries, Spooky Salons), it was a bit cheesy and tacky. The Graphic Artist/s could have done a better job than that and made the images look more realistic and believable. I am a Graphic Designer and I saw the flaw in this book. I gave the review 3 stars because with all these edited photographs, the authors could have used the space for more text and information. I will give the authors credit for the great content of the book. Overall, the book is more interesting than scary.

This is a beautiful book, very nicely done. But, having already read quite a bit about color management and inkjet printing, I was hoping for more specific technical details. The author makes many statements which I'm sure are true (I do believe he knows what he's talking about), but aren't illustrated with examples. For example, he says 200 to 360 ppi is the ideal range when sizing an image for printing, and that going over 360 can actually be detrimental. Ok -- how about an example to show exactly what the effect would be? Yes, I can spend the time (and cost) to run my own tests to see, but the book should have done that for me.

If you are looking for the intricacies of the different Epson Printers and their output, like I was, this is not the book. For Beginners in Ink jet printers it is good.

A marvellous book. Remarkably written, griping, and inspiring. A must for all mountaineers.

This book may have began a genre of climbing/adventure accounts because it was written some time ago, and this, more than the content (in my opinion) is the reason this book is the number 1 mountaineering book of all time; at over 11 million copies sold.

The first part is a bit slow and sort of parallel's the teams slow slogging through the land to get to the mountain. Overall, this was a harrowing and heroic feat, and gripping to read. It also opens the door to following books which dispute Herzog's point of view.

Good, not great. And there are some great books about climbing.

Reading the other reviews of this book, I'm reminded of a quote from one of my favorite, although little known Sean Connery movies, where he plays an Arab pirate. At one point Connery says to his second in command: "It is good." "What is good?", replies the other man. "It is good to know where we are going," answers Connery. Alas, Herzog and his men didn't know where they were going, and spent a month wandering around looking. It would have been good to send out an initial recon group to find the mountain before they started out. Or, to paraphrase an english adventurer, "to lose a pack animal is unfortunate; to lose an entire mountain seems downright careless."

Wow! This is one of those real life adventure stories that has you wondering how much more the people can endure before they collapse and die. These guys climbed one of the world's most difficult mountains with old climbing technology. What they lacked in modern equipment, they made up for with strength and fitness. The more I read about mountaineering, the more I agree that it is 75% mental and 25% physical. Being in the best physical condition possible definitely gives you a better opportunity for success on high ground. If you liked this book, I encourage you to read my book "Rocky Mountain Adventure Collection". Best wishes on your adventures in life!

Herzog provides a detailed perspective of the famed Annapurna climb that has inspired numerous high altitude and arm chair climbers.

Suffering frostbite and unimaginable suffering, Herzog has made a statement, worth reading in his epic account. No other sport has it's center pieces so open in sharing their innermost feelings.

The b/w photos were relatively scare and of only fair quality.