Average customer rating:
|
The Silent Twins
Marjorie Wallace Manufacturer: Vintage ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback Similar Items:
ASIN: 009958641X |
Book Description
This is the astonishing tale of June and Jennifer Gibbons, identical twins whose silent, antisocial exterior hid a rich, vast, creative life. From early childhood through their twenties, they spoke only to each other in a secret langauge, building an elaborate fantasy life. Then, from their self-imposed isolation, they were catapulted into the hormonal havoc of adolescence, plunging into a wild spree that led to their incarceration in a hospital for the criminally insane. A profoundly powerful and moving story.Customer Reviews:
A Twin Tragedy.......2004-05-12
I found Marjorie Wallace's research admirable, but not nearly as in-depth as it could have been, especially in delving into the family dynamics outside of the twins themselves. It is hard for me to believe, as a mother of four sons, two of whom are fraternal twins, that these girls were left to their own devices for so long or that they held the entire household in their grip. All with the seeming acquiecence of traditional West Indian parents and a military dad to boot!!??? Baffling! I think Wallace could have shed some needed light on their story if she had looked at this side of the family closer.
I was moved by some of the twins' journal entries, able to gain incredible intimacy into their minds, their world. I think we all are facinated by the secret lives and languages of twins, how they seem to have a bond that transends mere sibling connections. In other entries chosen by Wallace, I felt that she was guilty of one of the most freshman of journalistic flaws: inserting yourself and your opinions into your story. At times I felt she manipulated their words and pain to move her story along. I think this was a dis-service.
Both sisters, in my opinion were brilliant, creative, visual, and incredibly insightful observers of human behavior, strengths and weaknesses. But in the end, because society--starting with their own family's desire to 'fit in' with the white 'Proper British' world-- and ending ultimately with the failure of the English educational, mental health care and judicial systems to deal with these girls--sadly, it is painfully obvious that race played a role in the tragedy that was the Gibbons Twins' lives.
Wallace herself alludes to the failure and selective ignorance of authorities through the years and the overall treatment of the girls because they were 'coloured'. And these perceptive young women on numerous occasions recognized and manipulated others' prejudices in order to attempt to belong and ultimately to survive.
The book has some weaknesses, but those are easily forgotten as one lives the loneliness, desolation, isolation and despair right along with June and Jennifer Gibbons. I found myself silently screaming along with June and Jennifer that someone, anyone would save them from each other.
I truly think that these were wasted lives; lives that did not have to be lost to such pain, violence, abuse and neglect.
After I finished the book I was left with a haunting need to know what became of the two sisters. I did a Google search and I cried as I read that just hours after being released from Broadmoor, Jennifer had died. Just hours before her release and her death, joyfully accepted her fate by confiding in Wallace that "We have decided that I must die!". They had decided that one must die in order for the other to thrive. Indeed, Jennifer had pulled the short straw which meant that one of them had to choose death, in order for the other to live.
This was a distrubing book, but nevertheless a very good read!
"Vulnerable as flowers in hell".......2004-01-08
June and Jennifer stayed in Broadmoor hospital until 1993, when they were to be remanded to a more appropriate facility. Originally, they had had an understanding that if one of them should die, the other must begin to speak normally and tell their story to the world. By the time of their release, they had come to believe that they not only needed to be physically separate, but that in order for one to live a normal life, the other would have to die.
In an Observer (Guardian Unlimited) article following the deaths of the Bijani sisters, July 13, 2003, Wallace reports having tea with the Gibbons girls just before their release, at which time Jennifer informed her that she had decided to die, leaving the way open for June. Ten days later, they left Broadmoor, and Jennifer promptly leaned on June's shoulder and went unconscious. She died at 6:30 that evening. The autopsy showed a virulent inflammation of the heart. The doctors were unable to identify the source. To this day, Jennifer's death is a mystery, and June lives in their old hometown, near their parents. She revealed their complete story in an issue of Harper's magazine in late '93, with a followup called "We Two Made One", reprinted in the New Yorker for 12-4-2000. The song "Tsunami" by the Manic Street Preachers is based on their story.
We should love to see "Pepsi-Cola Addict", "Discomania", "Taxi-Driver's Son" and especially "The Pugilist" published in America.
Couldn't put it down.......2004-01-03
I feel the same frustration with the twins' actions as others, including the author, and I think the girls' lives were a game they invented to fill the many dull hours in their lonesome bedroom. I think the parent's actions (or lack of) should have been explored more. The author seems to defend the parents at all costs, but the parents' inability to deal with the twins problems are the root of the tragedy and should have been addressed. Still, if you enjoy true-crime and psychological thrillers, you'll love this book.
Intriguing subject, flat writing.......2000-06-26
A gripping study of mentally ill twins.......1999-09-18
Average customer rating: |
The Silent Twins
Marjorie Wallace Manufacturer: Prentice Hall Press ProductGroup: Book Binding: Hardcover Similar Items:
ASIN: B000NQ5362 |
Average customer rating: |
The Silent Twins
Marjorie Wallace Manufacturer: Prentice-Hall ProductGroup: Book Binding: Hardcover ASIN: B000OEFDVS |
Average customer rating: |
The Silent Twins -
Majorie Wallace - Manufacturer: Prentice Hall Publishing - ProductGroup: Book Binding: Hardcover ASIN: B000OC0O8M |
Average customer rating: |
THE SILENT TWINS
MARJORIE WALLACE Manufacturer: PENGUIN ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback ASIN: B000S5FZC0 |
Average customer rating: |
Silent Twins
Manufacturer: VINTAGE (RAND) ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback ASIN: B000GTPP0K |
Average customer rating:
|
The Silent Twins
Manufacturer: Ballantine Books ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback ASIN: 9994770934 |
Customer Reviews:
thumbs-up for the subject matter.......1999-03-03
Average customer rating: |
SILENT TWINS -- BARGAIN BOOK
MARJORIE WALLACE Manufacturer: Prentice Hall ProductGroup: Book Binding: Hardcover ASIN: B000SR32M8 |
Average customer rating:
|
Most Secret and Confidential: Intelligence in the Age of Nelson
Steven E. Maffeo Manufacturer: Naval Institute Press ProductGroup: Book Binding: Hardcover Similar Items: ASIN: 1557505454 |
Book Description
In today's world of satellites and electronic eavesdropping it is hard to appreciate the difficulties involved two centuries ago in collecting and disseminating secret intelligence in time of war. This book treats readers to a close-up look at the ingenious methods used to obtain and analyze secret material and deliver it to operational forces at sea. It brings together information from a variety of sources to provide the first concise analysis of the use and development of intelligence in the days of fighting sail. The British experience from 1793 to 1815 is the book's main focus, but it also includes French and American activity. In addition the book examines how commanders used the information to develop strategy and tactics and win--or sometime lose--battles.A naval intelligence officer himself, author Steven Maffeo illustrates the role of this "dark craft" by concentrating on the experiences of Lord Nelson and his contemporaries. A profoundly complex figure, Nelson epitomized the active acquisition of intelligence and the bold execution of decisions based on an understanding of the material, and Maffeo offers fresh and illuminating information that supports the admiral's high regard for intelligence work.
Reading at times like a cloak-and-dagger mystery, the story is filled with examples of how Nelson and his associates dealt with intelligence obstacles and how the outcomes affected their own futures, and, in some cases, the history of the modern world. Maffeo's anecdotes give marvelous insight into the thoughts of the era's important figures, Bonaparte, Pitt, Spencer, and Cochrane--not to mention C.S. Forester's Horatio Hornblower and Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey and Maturin. The author's winning combination of vibrant narrative and zeal for accuracy assures this book a place in the libraries of military and intelligence professionals, historians, and Forester and O'Brian aficionados.
Customer Reviews:
Interesting, but requires effort.......2001-07-03
A report on intelligence.......2001-06-01
A solid examination of naval intelligence 200 years ago.......2000-07-05
A good deal of attention is devoted to Nelson as an extremely effective Intelligence Officer. In the Nelson Era, fleet and ship commanders, aided by minimal or no staff at all, basically acted as their own intelligence officers, coordinating collection efforts and analyzing the information themselves. Maffeo repeatedly reminds us of the severe restrictions under which these men operated, almost unimaginable in today's electronic world. There were no radios, fax machines, computers, reconnaissance satellites, patrol aircraft, etc., and information dissemination was no faster than a courier vessel subject to uncertain winds.
This is not a book primarily of derring-do tales of midnight landings of secret agents from boats with muffled oars, although Maffeo does recount the exploits of such naval officers as Lord Cochrane and his raids against enemy communications. But it is an unparalleled look at the secret world behind Royal Navy operations during the Age of Sail.
A special bonus to fans of O'Brian, Forester, Pope, and Kent: To provide illumination of various points discussed, Maffeo frequently quotes from modern nautical fiction, showing how Jack Aubrey, Horatio Hornblower, Nicholas Ramage, and Richard Bolitho were subject to the very real restrictions upon and from naval intelligence.
Average customer rating: |
The Routledge Companion to World History since 1914 (Routledge Companions to History)
Chris Cook Manufacturer: Routledge ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback ASIN: 0415345855 |
Book Description
The Routledge Companion to World History since 1914 is an outstanding compendium of facts and figures on World History. Fully up-to-date, reliable and clear, this volume is the indispensable source of information on a thorough range of topics such as:
Thematically presented, the book covers topics relevant from the First World War to the Iraq war of 2003, and from post-colonial Africa to conflicts and movements in Southeast Asia.
With maps, chronologies and full bibliography, this user-friendly reference work is the essential companion for students of history, politics and international relations, and for all those with an interest in world history.
Average customer rating: |
Birds of Madagascar: A Photographic Guide
Peter Morris , and Frank Hawkins Manufacturer: Yale University Press ProductGroup: Book Binding: Hardcover Similar Items:
ASIN: 0300077556 |
Book Description
This beautiful book is a photographic guide to the birds of Madagascar--260 species, including 108 that are endemic to the island. The book details the plumages, vocalizations, habitat and behavior, range, status, and habitat zones of each species. "Where to watch" advice and a gazetteer to birdwatching locations provide invaluable information for visitors planning to see the avifauna of Malagasy.Copublished with Pica Press For sale in North and South America
.
Average customer rating:
|
Birds of the Indian Ocean Islands: Madagascar, Mauritius, Réunion, Rodrigues, Seychelles and the Comoros
Ian Sinclair , and Olivier Langrand Manufacturer: New Holland Publishers, ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback Similar Items:
ASIN: 1868729567 |
Customer Reviews:
Brilliant - a Model for Field Guides!.......2007-06-01
Average customer rating:
|
Guide to the Birds of Madagascar
Olivier Langrand Manufacturer: Yale University Press ProductGroup: Book Binding: Hardcover Similar Items:
ASIN: 0300043104 |
Customer Reviews:
Outstanding Resource.......2005-01-25
Average customer rating:
|
The Aye-Aye and I
Gerald Durrell Manufacturer: Arcade Publishing ProductGroup: Book Binding: Hardcover Similar Items:
ASIN: 1559702044 |
Book Description
Here is the riveting tale of Gerald Durrell's adventures and misadventures in the enchanted forests of Madagascar, in search of the elusive Aye-aye.Once thought to be extinct, the Aye-aye, the beast with the magic finger, still lurks, though in fast dwindling numbers, in the forests of Madagascar. Durrell's mission to help save this strange creature turns into a madcap journey in which you will meet not only the enigmatic Aye-aye, but the catlike Fosa, the Flat-tailed tortoise, the Gentle lemurs of Lac Alaotra, and the Malagasy chameleons, among others. Truly nothing escapes Durrell's sharp eye, whether he is describing the great zoma (market), the village dances, the treacherous bridges and river crossings, the strange foods and stranger music, or the vagaries of local officialdom.
As the San Francisco Chronicle noted, "It is impossible for Gerald Durrell to write anything that is less than exuberant, eccentric, and amusing." And in his account of this "rescue mission", Durrell is, quite simply, at his superb best.
Customer Reviews:
durrell continues.......2006-10-29
Aye-aye!.......2003-12-08
Durrell has gotten old and it shows.......2003-11-20
loquacious lemurs make good.......2002-08-24
Aye-ayes are wonderful!.......2001-01-09
Average customer rating: |
A Photographic Guide to the Birds of the Indian Ocean Islands: Madagascar, Mauritius, Seychelles, R??union and the Comoros
Ian Sinclair , Fanja Andriamialisoa , and Olivier Langrand Manufacturer: Struik Publishers ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback Similar Items: ASIN: 177007175X |
Average customer rating: |
Birds of Madagascar: A Photographic Guide
Pete Morris, Frank Hawkins Peter Morris Manufacturer: Yale University Press ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback ASIN: B000OSD61S |
Books:
Recommended Books