Skirts Books

I saw this book in a bookstore and was going to purchase it, but I decided to look at Amazon.com first. Imagine my surprise when they have it cheaper, including shipping and handling! Thanks Amazon for making this an easy purchase.

If you want to make simple patterns and design your own skirts, this book would be a great choice! The book has stylish ideas for creating different skirts, and each can easily be personalized. This book is super cute and fun to read.

I really liked this book as I am kind of a "do my own thing my own way" type of person. So if that is you, I think this book may appeal to you. The only thing I would change in her text is that I would add more room to the hip measurement, from 6 to 8 maybe. It just gives a lot of possibilities to work off of and I liked that. I can't buy just all the books I would like but I considered this a good purchase. It may not be that great for a person with no sewing experience at all though but you would have to judge that for yourself. Maybe just think ten times about what and why you are doing something and then cut once.

Lovely ideas, clear instructions. Spiral bound is awesome so you can leave it open as you sew. Loved this book because it helped me work out how to draft a pattern JUST RIGHT for my body. If you want to be able to make yourself a variety of skirts - this book is perfect for you!!

I read the reviews for this book before I purchased it. I was a little taken aback by the negative reviews, but with all the positive ones, I bought it. The book arrived and I was making skirts within the week. My two daughters and I wear loads of skirts. I am a professional quilter, so I know how to sew, but making clothes is different. The book is great in giving me clear directions and great tips. The first two skirts I made were not exactly ones in the book, but slight alterations based on existing skirts. In one afternoon I made two beautiful skirts. When I wore one to the quilt shop, everyone wanted to see the book. I highly recommend it. I am already on to my third skirt. Enjoy, as I do!

Lots of scarf patterns and none of them that I liked. In fact, I did not find a single pattern in this book that interested me. I'll probably try to sell it on ebay.

So far, I've made two sweaters from the patterns included in this book. The skill level is easier than indicated and the patterns themselves are easy to follow. I like that the author makes comments on several of the patterns - one being to make it in a color you might not choose, to stretch your comfort zone. Overall a good resource for patterns in a wide range of sizes.

This is a great book - clear instructions and some great funky accessories and beautiful clothes - I love the tangerine top. I'm so glad I got this book - the only problem is I just don't want to put it down! Any crocheter would be happy with this book.

This is a great book - clear instructions and some great funky accessories and beautiful clothes - I love the tangerine top. I'm so glad I got this book - the only problem is I just don't want to put it down! Any crocheter would be happy with this book.

This book has some of the most wonderful patterns and most are super easy!!
Most are actually useable.
Brenda

There's nothing sexy about cancer! How can such a serious subject matter be turned into something ridicule?
I can't believe a publisher even accepted to publish this manuscript!

This book is not just for people with cancer. After seeing the author's documentary, and totally falling in love with her, I pre-ordered this book. You can't -not- fall in love with Kris Carr. She's open and fun and intelligent and has wonderful infectious energy. The guy shooting the film fell in love with her too and now they're married.

What drew me in is my belief in Prevention. I have been close to people suffering with cancer and at an early age became interested in a healthy lifestyle with emphasis on whole foods. Her focus on greens is right in line with my thinking and I find this book to be a great support for my own vegan lifestyle which at times can be just a little bit difficult (culturally, not personally). Her blog is great support as well and is also infused with her brilliant spirit.

I can't say enough good things about her or the book, just get it. Give it to anyone you know who might be struggling with any sort of degenerative disease and use it for support in prevention. The China Study by Campbell is mentioned in her book repeatedly and is my favorite work on the subject of healthcare and food. I highly recommend reading it in conjunction with CSC.

I am an 18 year leukemia survivor. I was diagnosed at age 5 and I'm 24 now. I am in my last year of college and I really didn't start feeling pretty, or sexy or anything because I've never had a boyfriend so I thought I wasn't beautiful enough for anyone. Then I saw Kris's documentary on TLC and that changed tha way I felt about myself. I still don't have a boyfriend yet but I know there is one guy out there who will find me someday and he will see me as beautiful and sexy.

The smartest, the bravest, crazy sexy book I've ever read about cancer!
Kris Carr's book should be read by everyone - it does not matter if you are lucky one and do not have a cancer scare, read it. She did all work for us-very deep and serious researches especially how to have healthy living habits.
Life is precious! And you can feel this message through each page of this fantastic book.

After a personal cancer diagnosis, this was one of the first books I read pertaining to recovery. I read many more later, but none were quite as uplifting and encouraging as this one.

Besides detailing her own struggle with cancer, Kris Carr offers page after page of tips that are do-able, and will make you feel as if you really can beat the disease.

All the other five star reviews are here for a reason. This book is informative, helpful, optimistic, and bravely written.

Bravo, Kris Carr. I'll be reading your next book for sure. (Just ordered it, in fact :)

This book left me with my mouth wide open. I had been back and forth with myself on should I read this book. I finally did and this book is a page turner, I read it in less than one day. This book is not normally the type of book I read,but those were some bad chicks. Can't wait to the sequel comes out. If you have not read Pittbulls in A Skirt go out and pick it up.

Behind every strong man lies a strong woman and no woman embodied that saying more than Yvette, Mercedes, Carissa and Kenyetta. But these ladies did way more than just stand behind their men; they took ride or die chick mentality to the next level and literally hugged the block for Thick, Cameron, Lavelle and Dyson! They entrusted their better halves to hold down D.C.'s Emerald City Projects which they did willingly to help their families make it out of the hood.

But when Thick's relationship with Yvette sours once he gets caught cheating, in a test of loyalty Thick convinces Cameron, Lavelle and Dyson to turn their backs on the women. But after single-handedly running Emerald City there's no way the ladies are just gonna turn it over to the men who turned their backs on them. Will the women be able to outsmart the same men that taught them the game?

Author Mikal Malone delivers with Pitbulls in a Skirt! The characters are realistic and the struggle to control Emerald City will have readers captivated. Cartel Publications has yet another hit on its hands because Pitbulls in a Skirt will definitely make it on to many readers' top reads for 2008 list as it did for mine!!!!!

I loved this book! It kept my interest from beginning to end! I can't wait for the next one!

Pitbulls in a skirt is a fast paced novel that deals with friends Yvette, Mercedes, Carissa and Kenyetta that are the ladies of emerald city and the better halves of the EC squad head honchos.

The story starts out with introductions and giving background on each character basically. the women were made promises of a better life outside EC like their girl Stacia who was the wife of the captain of the EC squad Dex. After Dex's and Stacia's gruesome murders the entire squad is on alert not knowing the horrible truth behind the ordeal.

Thick is Yvette's man or so she thinks. he has a hidden agenda that none of the EC squad know about. As things progress Thick coerce Lavelle, Cameron, and Dyson to break up with the girls because of his failed attempt to get Yvette back after a lot of drama and pain caused when one of his secrets were revealed. Going along with Thick because of their loyalty to the EC squad they soon find out through a chain of events that the girls have taken over and they're supplier, Dreyfus has cut them lose once Yvette and Merceds deliver some info to him. All hell breaks lose after the girls take over as unforgiving truths are revealed.

Pitbulls was a page turner. i love the storyline and how the women (although i don't agree with their choice of business) took off the blinders called love and took a stand against the men they thought would love them forever. love ins't good enough for me to risk jail by being in control of a drug ring and it sure isn't good enough for me to sit out in the cold or heat for 14 hours a day like they did.

There were times when i forgot who a character was due to being introduced to so many at a time and even throughout the book more and more were being introduced. I love the flow of the story and the fact that there will be a part two. Can't wait for January 09 not only do i get to see who the next president (prayerfully Obama) will be but i'll also get my fresh copy of PBIAS 2.

Great work Malone!

This was my first read from The Cartel Publications and I was pleasantly surprised. To say this was Mikal Malone's debut, I was even more impressed. The ladies were definitely the brains behind the whole organization, and at times proved to be more thorough then their men. I look forward to reading more from Mikal and The Cartel in the future.

4 stars

Skirt seems clearly targeted to younger women (although these days, fewer and fewer women wear skirts to work). A lot of the advice would apply to both men and women of any age.

A good part of the book is devoted to being feminine vs. being unprofessional (i.e., no crying). Many pages give advise on asking for a raise. The author has great tips for getting ahead (pp. 34-35). She offers good examples of women who made big mistakes (including herself) and includes some basic taboos (getting drunk at the office party and dating your boss).

Chapter 10 is superb. I would tell my client and ezine readers to buy the book just to get Chapter 10: great advice on leaving a job and moving on to the next. I especially like her advice about what she calls "quitting in place." I've been saying that for years.

Two negatives:

On page 59, Johnson encourages anyone with emotional issues (such as inappropriate crying) to see a therapist. So far so good. But in today's environment, a good executive coach might be an even better choice. Coaches focus on strengths, not pathology. They create action plans instead of delving into history.

Johnson says therapy doesn't have to be expensive. She's half right. You usually get what you pay for. A lower-cost therapist might not have the educational credentials or experience to deal with a smart executive on the rise.

On page 59 she urges the reader to get names of therapists from their EAP and use the company's insurance plan. On page 67 she gets it right: don't trust anyone including EAP. She reminds readers that bosses get monthly reports of who's using the service and "can easily get more." I wonder if the HR manager sees reports of who's using a therapist and even the diagnosis (therapists have to make a diagnosis to get insurance coverage).

My career clients who were employed told me their tax advisors allowed them to deduct coaching fees from their taxes. Much better than potential embarrassment, in my opinion. And if you're very senior in a company, you should be very careful about "seeing someone." If your coach has a PhD in clinical psych, you may get the best of both worlds: it's executive coaching and you're discussing heavy stuff.

Second, the book's graphic theme is just too cutesy for its own good. There's just too much pink all over the place. A savvy senior exec might dismiss the book as too juvenile or simplistic, and that would be a shame. The author dishes it out like a quarterback lobbing passes and she rarely misses her target.

This is an easy to read and humorous book for someone new to the workplace. I don't agree with some advice - such as "absolute no bringing home cooking to the workplace." There are business settings where it is appropriate and adds to the atmosphere and both sexes contribute. There are some helpful references and additional resources to check out.

I wish I had read this 20 years ago after I graduated from college and before I entered the work force. I have experienced many of the things she speaks about and her advice is right on the money.

Thank you, Kelly, for writing such a fun and anecdotal guide to getting the job you truly want! You know exactly what it takes and you tell the reader exactly how to get from Point A to Point B in the quickest way possible. I loved all of your personal stories and the checklists in the back of the book were extremely helpful. I recommend this book to anyone who wants a change of pace--and a better view--in their current workplaces. (PS: I was promoted after reading the advice in this book. It really works!)

To those who have read no other advice books I write this for you,

1st Go to the library and check out six random books of this genre. The material does not change much over time, company, or sex. The books will not magically make you more successful, it will take YEARS to build a base to climb.

2nd If you have to "out man a man" then you started going down a different path then the men and "you" need to change your perception of how to advance.

3rd Attempting to stand out by dressing different and stating that it is because you are a woman says to your coworkers that when you think about your job in the morning the first thing that comes to mind is what you are going to wear simply stereotypes the situation even more. This applies to men as well as women, as much of the advice that was "purloined" and placed in this "book."

4th Do not attack the company for a higher position. They only care about their profit and appearance. Making it expensive to promote someone else ahead of you creates dead ends.

5th Networking starts young. This is not emphasized enough. Contacts are very important. Do NOT relegate yourself solely to female networking. You will need to know the information that goes on at business vacations and the clubs. Know thy enemy.

I learned and laughed alot!! Could totally relate!! I am now motivated to get my $$ in order!

This is not chicklit! Well researched and iconoclastic view of America's short-term economic future (probable deep recession), and how to survive and survive well. This is Econ and Finance 101 mulched down to understandability and peppered with other useful stuff like blocking the theft of your husband to fixing your own Volvo to learning a second language, preferably Mandarin. Jill's book is going into my research library next to the Merck Manual and James Beard's American Cookery.

The first 30 pages are about the author biography and statement why she wrote the book( because the women in her neighborhood were so dumb about finance and investing). Keto admitted that she herself also know nothing about the subject she wrote or has the background in personal investing, but her husband is an economics buff, and eventually his interest led her to write the book. Witty and funny at times, the book is a good read in chapters 1, 2, and 14. The rest are pretty much commonsense, or what others may called them fillers.


Chapter 1, basic info about the current state of the economy. The dollars, the national debt, the boomer generation, oil price, inflation, stock market.

Chapter 2, Keto predicts three scenarios to the economy: a mild recession, a deep recession, and a long depression.

chapter 3, how to calculate your net worth(total assets less what borrowed), and cash flow(income less expense).

Chapter 4, debt: credit card debt, student loan debt etc. The advise is to reduce our debt by spending less!

Chapter 5, Real estate: buy vs. rent, opportunity cost, mortgages, foreclosure. What to do if you are in foreclosure(contact the lender).

Chapter 6, I'm not sure what to think of this chapter. It is supposed to be advise on disease, divorce, and down sizing. The advises are: don't get sick, stay healthy, spend less, and don't let other women steal your man.
On page 144, Keto wrote "During a weak economy, expect that your man will be hit on by other women with alarming frequency. The vultures will be hungry and looking for a meal ticket from an man with a pulse and a steady income." Hmmmm, really?

Chapter 7, Brand names vs. Generics. Advise to buy generic brands.

Chapter 8, general advise on thriftiness. Advise to do it yourself, be frugal, buy at secondhand stores.

Chapter 9, short chapter on thrift stores, Craig list, and Ebay.
General info about what they are and how to use them.

Chapter 10, four skills you will need: learn new language, learn how to haggle, learn how to be a handy(wo)man, and have positive out look.

Chapter 11, another short chapter on be frugal: getting the kids to do chores instead of hire housekeeper, exercise at home instead of paying for the gym, grow your own food.

Chapter 12, networking: 5 pages on getting to know your neighbors and communities in the neighborhood.

Chapter 13,second income: start a business.

Chapter 14, Keto's investment: gold, silver, foreign resources stocks, foreign ETFs, foreign bonds, foreign investment trusts.
Three top picks on books: U.S. and Global Economics by Harry Dent Jr., The Fourth Turning by Strauss and Howe, and Cash Proof by Peter Schiff

I'm using my wife's acct to write this review. My wife ordered this book, but I picked it up after she kept going on about it. I thought I already knew a lot about what was happening in the economy - I prided myself on it actually. But this book had some fresh insights about why we are where we are, and what's to come. The author backs up her info with some good analysis, and then offers some no BS advice. Ended up being a much better use of time than watching the financial news network or reading the NY Times.

This is coming from a SAHM who, if lucky, reads a book a month! This woman
is the "Mac Mommy" of mommies! She is a motivator, humorist, and, most importantly, a realist!! Wake Up Mommies!! Read this book!!!

I enjoyed "The Red Flared Skirt" immensely. I found the story intriquing and the characters so convincing that I found myself thinking about them even when the book was closed. Although the life journey of Meg, the main character, is one entirely different than my own, her struggles and emotions are presented in such a way as to allow me to "walk in her shoes" -- to relate to her experiences on a personal level. Additionally, I was impressed with the author's ability to create visuals -- often, I could "see" the landscape... or person's face... or stormy sky... I liked this book very much and would definitely recommend it.

The author's description of characters and events makes the story true to life. It was interesting to see how the main character grows from teen years to adulthood and how she deals with situations that confront her. The storyline keeps your interest right to the end.

I attended Margaret Takaki's book launching where I was introduced to the book. I began reading the book when I was indoors with a cold. I could not stop reading it even though I am not an avid reader. The characters and situations were so real, I had to know what happened. The book is great.

While this was not typically my type of book, I was impressed with the writers ability to bring characters and situations to life. Character description in particular stood out as it made you feel visually involved as you met each character. The story flows well and makes for easy reading. All in all, I would give this book the two thumbs up!

The author, Margaret Takaki, presented a great story line that followed Meg Sebastian and her family, from her early days, through many character building situations in her life. The story continues effortlessly, with lots of human interactions in Meg's life, and that truly makes for a good read. Good Job.

Reinke's fictionalized account of the Baroness Elsa's life is hard to put down. The writing in the book only highlights the charming character that Reinke has brought to life - showing that Elsa needed little help in showcasing her own brilliance. Though largely ignored by history (I don't know many people who read her poem's in school), she led an amazing life. The book jacket calls her a proto punk, which I would agree with, if you take away all the negativity that surrounds such an image. Elsa herself is a contradiction. Throughout her life, she remained strangely naive, in regards to both men and women, but she also created a sophisticated persona, one that masked a lonely young woman who was still reeling from the loss of her mother, the one person that seemed to understand what made Elsa Elsa.

Besides a wonderful main character, Reinke has brought to life some of the members of the Dadaist circle, giving a glimpse into the imagined mind of Marchel Duchamp and a slightly lecherous and leering Man Ray. But it's Elsa determination to live her artistic life, to live as she feels is true to herself, that is most clearly recognized in the book and it is one that makes Elsa so unique not only to her time but to ours.

One of the best books I've read in the past 6 months! Ms. Steinke's writing is masterful, sensuous and deeply satisfying. Baroness Elsa is unique, artistic, intelligent and decades ahead of her time in her writing and self adornment. While reading of her life and times the world of 1920's Greenwich Village is so well described as to place the reader in the streets with it's outrageous scenes, characters and "signs of the times". What a time to be an artist, a German one at that, trying to reach out to people to understand your poetry and self. Being from Wisconsin with students at the University of Wisconsin where copies of the Little Review are stored, I am anxious to pursue looking at copies which should shed additional light on this character.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it. It is very literary and heavily descriptive and should appeal to readers of such historical fiction as Middlesex, Crimson Petal and the White and Master Butcher's Singing Club.

Rene Steinke's Holy Skirts is a powerful and sweeping historical epic, an all-encompassing novel that fully merges fact with fiction. It's an audacious portrait of the early twentieth century, covering two continents and transporting the reader into worlds of bohemian society in both Berlin, and New York. Holy Skirts tells of poetess Baroness Elsa von Freytag-Loringhoven, her life of art and writing, and her contributions to the Dada movement, which included such notables as Man Ray and Marcel Duchamp.

Elsa, as a young girl, always new that she was different. Growing up in the provincial town of Swinemunde, Germany, she seemed to develop a very different way of looking at the world. Her father was disparate and uncaring and her mother, riddled with syphilitic madness, was left to die in an asylum. Elsa, awakened to the possibilities of life, decides to seek her fortune in Berlin, but she doesn't really have any obvious skills apart from her obvious physical beauty.

Elsa realizes from an early age that men are attracted to her, and she uses this to her advantage. Sexually voracious, she revels in her sexuality, and she freely admits, "to be a woman was to be looked at. But what was seen was partly up to her." It was like a dream Elsa sometimes had, "when she was the princess and the prince, the beauty and the hero."

Defying convention and ignoring the stuffy feminine mores of the time, Elsa gets a job at the Wintergarden Palace, a saucy Berlin Cabaret, where girls often appear semi-nude. Together with her friend Natalye, they unashamedly court and have sex with men, sometimes even asking for money. A hedonist by nature, Elsa wants to stretch each of her senses, piety just doesn't interest her, "only the bright flash of inner sight, when a hole tore through the ordinary world."

Elsa isn't as successful in married life: August, her first husband, is unable to consummate their marriage, and is too artistically obsessed with his own causes; her second husband Franz Trove, travels with her to New York - the Americans with their cowboys and pilgrims - but ultimately abandons her, and her third, the Baron Joseph von Freytag-Loringhoven - the love of her life is an impulsive gambler, who makes her feel as if the whole world were infused with the erotic - ends up back to Germany leaving Elsa innocently waiting for him, trying to survive on the streets of New York.

Hoping against hope for Joseph to return, Elsa gradually falls in with, and becomes a doyenne of the East Village art society. It is in the Village where fortunes are accrued just standing near a window next to someone who remarks on the heat, "or because one's good friend had offered a cigarette to some painter."

For Elsa it was mostly a life of poverty and hardship, where the rent remained unpaid, and where she managed to snatch jobs here and there, mainly working as an artist's model. But Elsa's life became one of deep-seated freedom, conducted with an arrogant disregard for any imperatives other than her own, and it was also where she had the liberty to write her minimalist poetry, eventually getting some of them published in the controversial Little Review.

Author, Rene Steinke paints a portrait of a woman living on the edge, getting more outrageous as the years pass. She goes to working class chop houses, tempting the blue collar workers with snatches of her poetry, unashamedly flirting with the men, and even crashing a Daughters of Democracy fundraiser, her shaved head painted vermilion, holding aloft an enormous model of a phallus as she recites a poem.

In Holy Skirts Steinke never judges Elsa, even when she is confronted by a society that is mostly appalled by her radicalism and extremism. Certainly, Elsa uses the tools of power to overcome opposition, embodied by her feminine wiles more than other women of the period. But what is truly amazing about this woman is her rise from such bourgeois roots to become such an arbiter of the anti establishment, forever challenging the social and artistic norms.

While Steinke infuses Elsa with undeniable humanity, it is perhaps impossible to know the true heart of her hero. In this fictionalized version, fact blends with fiction revealing a portrait of a woman as complex and tumultuous as the time in which she lived. Mike Leonard December 05.

Steinke's novel is a considerable achievement, a careful balancing of historical fact and fiction, the life of Baroness Elsa von Fretag-Loringhoven, a walking example of the Dada movement in the New York art scene.

Eccentric even as a young girl, Elsa Ploetz runs away from her home in Swinemunde, Germany, to Berlin, where she gets her first job on the stage of the Wintergarten Cabaret. Her mother has died in an asylum and, unable to endure her new stepmother, Elsa seeks her fortune in the city, around 1907. Elsa revels in her sexuality, a favorite of the men who see her onstage and entertain her after hours.

Ironically, it is Elsa's liberal attitude about men that brings her the most difficulty. Indiscriminate, she goes from man to man, enjoying the blush of youthful sensuality, her body tingling with expectations after each new amorous adventure: "I can never bow before men. I can only fling myself." Drawn to an assortment of males, believing their promises and suffering the consequences, Elsa is unable to control her romantic fancies, even when reality strikes. It is simply Elsa's nature, this open-hearted acceptance of possibilities; Steinke captures this unique aspect of the woman's personality perfectly.

Elsa's first marriage is to architect August Lydell, but she is a virago to him; he is afraid of what she might take from his creative spirit, unable to consummate the marriage. Eventually Elsa marries poet Franz Trove, pair touring Europe, as he follows his muse. World War I threatens and the couple moves to New York. Elsa writes her own poetry while living with a dissatisfied husband who finally abandons her. Then Elsa meets the most meaningful man in her life, the Baron Joseph von Freytag-Loringhoven, her soul mate. The Baron, a gambler, hopes to redeem his fortune in Germany while Elsa waits for him in New York and it is there, alone, that she makes her mark on the Greenwich Village society of artists and sycophants.

Elsa fashions garments from the oddities she discovers when wandering the city streets, assembling a series of outrageous outfits, proclaiming herself an artist/poet. She gradually claims the notice of the Village avant-garde, unafraid to shock the pretentiousness of that society, whether wearing gentlemen's suits or a bustle with a blinking taillight. Ever more extreme in behavior and dress, Elsa becomes a friend and confidant of Marcel Duchamp and through him, finds entry into the rarified art circles. Filmed nude by Man Ray, Elsa is beyond the cutting edge of the New York scene.

Steinke inhabits Elsa to the marrow of her bones, intuiting thoughts, dreams and motivations of this character. In a time of extraordinary inventions, the Baroness achieves notoriety while chasing fame, a fringe-dweller of repute in the art world. From youth in Germany to the mean streets of New York that Elsa wanders in a poetic fugue, Steinke has created a memorable portrait of an eccentric and a visionary, a new woman in a new century. Luan Gaines/2005.

"Skirts", Mimi Albert's novel about 3 women in Greenwich Village in the early 60s, tells a familiar kind of story: women before they became "liberated" could have had limited options, and when young people get exposed to drugs and/or sex, bad things happen. One of the girls has to have a hush-hush abortion, another just goes on a long decline until near the end. The story really didn't grip me, and I felt the author brought nothing new here.

I read Skirts several years ago and loved it. I hope this gifted writer releases a new book soon.

This award-winning book deserves far more recognition than it's getting. Skirts is the mesmerizing story of three young women on their own in Greenwich Village, seeking excitement among the Beat Generation. Mimi Albert (The Second Story Man) writes with power of the seduced and the seducer with Zalman, the handsome son of a rabbi, urging `turning on' to life (which includes drugs). He is both alluring and scary, esp as he lures the innocent Helene deeper into a world of exotics she could not previously have imagined.
I believe it's difficult for today's female readers (the young ones, anyway) to imagine the strictures under which women of the 50s and early 60s were expected to live - and it is against that background that Helene, Ruth, and Victoria are operating. Albert's eloquent language and dramatic narrative help make that background come alive with even more contrast to what the women discover about the world and themselves in the rarified air of Greenwich Village.

I enjoyed entering the world of "Skirts" and read the book eagerly. It had no competition for my attention while I was reading it. I did not previously have any particular affinity for either New York or the Sixties beat scene, but Mimi Albert made them both so real for me I didn't think of categories but just about the lives of the young women I was reading about. Her writing was very grounded in time and place and her scenes wonderfully visualized. The book was absolutely swarming with mood and yet I never lost my bearings. Albert was always in control of her story and kept with with her start to finish.

The book is based on a true event that takes place in 1946 while the men are gone off to war. Margaret and her family are at the 1946 championship game of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. The two teams, Racine Belles of Wisconsin and the Rockford Peaches of Illinois are locked in a fierce battle for the championship. The score is 0-0 at the bottom of the fourteenth inning. Baseball fans can almost hear the crack of the bat as the author, young Margaret, vividly describes how Sophie "The Flash" Kurys connects with a perfect pitch. This book is sure to excite young readers and any girl who ever loved the game. Acclaimed artist, E.B. Lewis' artwork compliments the exciting text. Actual photographs of the Racine Belles and the Rockford Peaches on the endpages adds a nice historical touch. An added bonus for fans is the scorecard of the actual game at the end of the book. This would be a great read-aloud book for a classroom or family. Highly recommended.

It is wonderful to have a book like this to set an example for the girls of today who have so much more access to athletics. This honors the women who paved the road but then had to back out of the picture when the men returned from the war. Read this one to your daughters to let them know how lucky they are!

On September 16th in 1946, the world was healing from the war and the baseball was still America's game, even when played by women with "dirt on their skirts." The two best teams competed for the championship in September and Dirt on Their Skirts chronicles the championship game in 1946. Doreen Rappaport and Lyndell Callan tell the story of the Margaret, a little girl with baseball stars in her eyes. Like the boys in my class today, she is full of the statistics and habits of her heroes as she watches them in the biggest game of their lives. Margaret keeps careful track of the game on her scorecard...all the way to the 14th inning! E.B. Lewis's luminous watercolors draw the reader through the book. The book is a fitting tribute to the days where women played ball and men AND women cheered for them. Endnotes provide historical details. A wonderful celebration of pioneers in baseball!