Longhorn Reviews

By: Albert W. Hoffman ; edited for publication by David R. Hoffman.

The author is a mutual friend. Anyone who had a parent or grandparent who lived
in Texas in the mid-Twentieth Century, or just knows somebody raised in that time
and place, will find this a most fascinating read.

In the present age of cell
phones and ever-evolving electronic media it’s hard to imagine the importance of the
written word, especially during such hard times as war, and there being no feasible
alternative, a written word the only means of communicating with a loved one,
despite the unpredictability of mail service. And thanks to a collection of letters
written by a Texan in Europe to his wife and children in Brownwood during the
Normandy invasion, one war veteran’s story, what got through the censors’ hands, is
carefully preserved.

Sadly, due to regulations, those letters received by this
man from family and friends on the home front had to be quickly read, then burned to
be kept from enemy hands in case of capture. So even though about half the story is
missing, “I’ll Be Home…” tells it like no movie or newsreel ever could.

Extensive research was done to note people, places and things mentioned in the
correspondence. The author notes the dates which these letters were written and
received stateside. While some of the words may be deemed “incorrect” we cannot
change the attitudes of another era. This book is real treasure and time capsule of
a nearly-forgotten age.

Reviewer: Longhorn Reviewer

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By: Stoll, Robert

A book rather good in two senses, one intentional, the other unintentional. The
intentional sense can be inferred from the Table of Contents. The unintentional
sense is summarized here by ordered pairs of quotations.

I. On the one hand,
after stating Cantor's conception of the term 'set' as any collection of definite,
distinguishable objects ... the author is careful to discuss the words
'distinguishable' and 'definite' as used there. But on the other hand he does not
even hesitate, much less pause, to speak of a set with no elements. How is such a
thing a 'collection of definite, distinguishable objects'? My classroom example was
a box containing glasses - a set of glasses: then take out the glasses, and put them
on the table beside the box - now what constitutes the set of glasses? - is the box
now an empty set of glasses? No, it is a box, the set of glasses is those things on
the table beside the box. Now hit each glass with a hammer, producing pieces of
groken glass - what is the set of glasses? Is there a set of glasses? No, only
pieces of glass. So there is not a set of glasses, and certainly not a null set, or
an empty set, of glasses

II On p.229, the author is careful to phrase the
axiom "for all a in G, ae = ea = a" and the axiom "for each a in G, there exists
..."followed by the canonical comment about omitting the dot denoting the closed
binary operation. But on p.329, the axiom G is "for each a in G, ae = a" instead of
"for all a in G". The item here is not the shift from two-sided identity and
two-sided inverse to left-identity and left-inverse, but rather the shift from "for
all" to "for each" - "for each" in G (both on p.229 and on p.329) clearly means that
each element has its own inverse: the "for each" on p.329 does not mean that each a
has its own identity. The "for all" as distinct from "for each" on p.229 are proper.
Failure to distiniguish between 'for each' and 'for all' is anticipated on p.195
where the author explicitely regards "for every x", "for all x", and "for each x" as
having the same meaning - they do not. Furthermore the author fails to distinghish
between the symbols backward E and backward E!, there exists and there exists
uniquely.

III On p.372 the Bibliographical Note for Section 2 is described as
"a more comprehensive introduction...", but the Note for Sections 3-5 speaks of
"more complete accounts...". Surely 'comprehensive' is a relative adjective and can
be compared by the adverb 'more' - 'more comprehensive' is descriptive. But
'complete' is an absolute adjective - something either is complete or is not
complete - completeness does not have degrees of completeness - 'a more complete
account' is meaningless, a "figment of the imagination" (p.128).

Reviewer: Retired Prof

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By: Fray Jose de Jesus Sacramentado

Novena a la Inmaculada concepcion de Maria

Reviewer: Emma Fonseca

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By: Alma Guillermoprieto

If you (like me) have a fascination with Brazilian Samba culture, then this book
is for you! The author is a former dancer and journalist who spent a year dancing in
a Samba school and living in a favela in Rio. This book is a fascinating tale of
carnival, the Brazilian underworld, and the joy that dances brings.

Reviewer: Karen Holt

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