Courier-Post from Camden, New Jersey • Page 34

COURIER-POST, Sunday, January 19, 1992 Latin-American V0IC6 Where I'm Coming From By Barbara Brandon comes out in thriller 100 Book Review "The Killing of the Saints," by Alex Abella. (Crown; $19; 308 pp. By ALAN RYAN Gannett News Service I don't put much stock in dust-jacket blurbs. But I agree with Richard Condon's endorsement of Alex Abella's first novel: "If Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler had been Latinos, they might have written "The Killing of the A Havana-born, Los Angeles-based screenwriter, Abella has a rich store of material at his command, the Latin-accented seamy side of the California dream. Here Latinos different in their dialects but identical in their North American dilemmas face barriers of language, prejudice and economics.

They face the familiar problems of immigrants, older generation clashing with younger and both with the establishment. And they face the problems of all exiles, cut off from their sources of identity. Too often, the outlet is violence, and Abella puts violence on the page the way blood spatters on a wall. His narrator, Charlie Morell, is a Cuban lawyer who has rejected his heritage and failed at his profession. Now he is drawn into defending a fellow Cuban responsible for the goriest jewelry store heist in Los Angeles memory.

And the bad guy tums out to be as charming as he is dangerous, as educated as he is primitive. Abella delivers everything a novel like this promises. There are danger, intrigue, suspense, surprises, sex, a timely and unflattering view of the Los Angeles Police Department, courtroom battles, an outlandish legal defense cooked up by the killer, thoughtful takes on the meaning of justice, and a conflict between good and evil matched in intensity by the struggle between flesh and spirit. And Abella adds something else. The most interesting element of the novel may well be his straightforward, and frightening, treatment of the Afro-Cuban religion, santeria, derived from the same Yoruba sources as Brazilian macumba and Haitian voodoo.

All the ancient African gods Shango, Oggun, Yemaya are present here, powerful, and able to possess the reader as vividly as they terrify the narrator. While the book has flaws scenes overwritten, a plot more complex than it needs to be, brand names sprinkled about for verisimilitude "The Killing of the Saints" is the real thing. It's an intelligent thriller with an authentically American, Latino-American, voice. 1 -1 Riveting stories from a rickety bus run in Ireland Book Review "The Lilac Bus," by Maeve Binchy. (Delacorte; $20.) By ANN HICKS Gannett News Service Short story collections usually leave me dissatisfied.

There is too little space for character development. Plots are often thin. Not so with "The Lilac Bus," a collection by Maeve Binchy, author of "Cir- (162 pages), satisfying read. "Dublin 4," the second collection, is equally rewarding. A clever Dublin matron manages to disrupt her husband's love affair in "Dinner in Donnybrook." Life in the big city is not what a young woman from a small village expects in "Flat in Ringsend." An unmarried pregnant woman recalls her sister's similar problem and the troubling reaction of their family in "Decision in Bel-field." And in "Murmurs in Montrose," a husband and wife learn to face his alcoholism.

A gifted storyteller, Binchy addresses contemporary problems with ease and insight. But Binchy fans know she is no Rosamunde Pilcher, so be forewarned: Binchy's endings are not always rosy. Paperback Review College buildings get day in the sun cle of Friends" and "Light a Penny Candle." In the title collection, a lilac-colored van travels from Dublin to the tiny Irish village of Rathdoon each Friday night with seven weekend commuters on board. Nancy is a miserable, miserly, mean young woman with no plan in life. Dee is having an affair with a married man Nancy's boss and comes home weekends for lack of anything else to do.

Judy works in town all week, too; there is little left for her in Rathdoon since her husband took their children to the United States years before. Mikey wants to help his brother and sister-in-law cope with his senile father. Rupert's father, too, is ailing, and he reluctantly leaves his lover to play the dutiful son. Shy, silent Kev is involved with a bunch of thieves and wants no part of their weekend heists. Celia, a nurse, helps out in the family pub because her alcoholic mother has become an embarrassment.

The bus driver, Tom, who drives the bus rather than work in the family business, is furious with his mother for ignoring her anorexic daughter. Although each chapter is a separate and complete story, the lives of all eight characters are intertwined, which makes for a lengthy Many of the answers are simplified to make them more easily understood by children, but the book still includes a great deal of relevant information. Perhaps because of the world's brief experience with peace, the book deals mostly with war. Despite an introduction urging peace, most of the book is spent describing the military and how it works. The chapters include informa- tion on how wars start, how wars work, the armed forces, a day in the life of a soldier, the home front and the end of the war.

An appendix tells children how -they can express their opinions about war and peace. It includes information about a kids' group for peace and two organizations that provide children with information to resolve conflicts without fight- ing. Kids and war "What is War? What is Peace? 50 Questions and Answers for Kids" by Richard Rabinowitz. (Avon Camelot; 119 pp.) By CYNTHIA EISENMENGER Gannett News Service Although the war in the gulf is officially over, historian Richard Rabinowitz believes many children still are seeking answers to their questions about war and peace. His book deals straightforwardly with children's fears and their curiosity about how war works.

The questions addressed in the book include such zingers as "Why do nations fight?" and "Who says when a war can actually start?" Hall. Willamette University, the West's first institution of higher learning, was founded by Methodist pioneers in 1842. That was 17 years before Oregon became a state. The capital city, Salem, grew around the university. Waller Hall was named for the Rev.

Alvan F. Waller, who served as construction supervisor during the years the building was being erected. Restored in 1989, Waller Hall now houses the university president's office, administration offices and a chapel. First day cancellations, you may purchase the cards at your local post office, address them, place the cards in a larger envelope, and send to "Customer Supplied Cards, Waller Hall Postal Card, PO Box 14000, Salem, Ore BySYD KRONISH Associated Press Two famous institutions of higher learning are featured in a pair of 19-cent Historical Preservation postal cards by the U.S. Postal Service.

The first card to receive postal recognition hails Cobb Hall at the University of Chicago, which celebrates its 100th anniversary this yetk Cobb Hall, the first building erected at the university, was build with funds donated by Silas B. Cobb, a Chicago pioneer. The indicium area depicts a front view of Cobb Hall. At the bottom left in three lines of blue type are the words "Cobb Hall-The University of Chicago-Centennial Yew, 1991-1992." At the top left is "19 USA." The Cobb Hall postal card was designed by Michael P. Hagel of Stamps in the Kens Arlington Heights, 111.

Hagel also designed the Hull House (1989) and the Orchestra Hall (1990) postal cards. All three are in the Historical Preservation Series, which features American architectural landmarks. The easiest way is to get first day cancellations is to buy the new cards at your local post office, address them, place the cards in a larger envelope and send to "Customer Supplied Cards, Cobb Hall Postal Card, Postmaster, 433 W. Van Buren Chicago, 111 60607-9991." The second card salutes the 150th anniversary of Willamette University in Salem, Ore. The design features the university's oldest existing facility, Waller Another chapter in the life of a prodigy yj It's about finding On Chess SOLVE-IT AFTER 17RXC3? Karpov mm.

wm 1L UWC that power you 0 and using it.) 7iH Hi Hi 4 PI ft if Mb IK 2 is mmm mm By SHELBY LYMAN Special to the Courier-Post I've long been an admirer of Frank Brady's meticulous indepth biography, "Bobby Fischer Profile of a Prodigy." Brady, a long-time friend of Fischer, played a major role on the American chess scene as editor, writer and organizer during Fischer's formative years. But despite his own involvement, he manages a remarkably restrained and objective account of the Brooklyn chess genius. Recently, film rights to the book were acquired by Darnay Hoffman BEGINNER'S CORNER Hint and explanation: Finish with the bishop. BEGINNER'S CORNER The power to lose weight is inside every one of us. At Weight Watchers you'll learn to use that power with a program that's tailored to your special needs the New 1992 Personal Choice Program.

You make the choices, and we'll be there to support you every step of the way. It's been that way for over 28 years. But here's something that hasn't our new Quick Control Option, designed to make weight loss even easier. There's no complicated weighing or measuring just results you can see. All for just $10 a week.

117 i Films for $100,000. Hoffman, a lawyer from a family with a background in radio and theatre, has long been fascinated by the Fischer phenomena and its television and film potential. "Now is the time to tell Fischer's story," says Hoffman. "Twenty years is a long time for Fischer to be out of the public eye. He is one of the few important prodigies America has produced, an authentic genius, the Mozart of chess.

Seemingly brash and self-confident, Fischer is a loner who struggled to achieve greatness against enormous odds, says Hoffman. "America loves the underdog. Although curiously, Fischer was even more of a hero to Russians than Americans. "In the 50s and 60s there was a crisis in American education. We had an inferiority complex vis-avis the Russians.

Remember Sputnik? Hoffman says the Russians placed enormous importance on their chess prowess and, suddenly, there was an American chess genius able to compete with them, on their own terms. "His victory was a shock to their cultural nervous system." Hoffman praises Brady for his ability to capture the milieu in which Fischer developed. "The book describes skillfully" he Bareyev BLACK TO PLAY explains, "what it was like to play chess as Fischer grew up." Here is a win by ex-world champion Anatoly Karpov over Russian grandmaster Yevgeny Bareyev from the 1991 Tilburg Interpolis Tournament. Karpov became champion in 1975, when Fischer forfeited his title. Bareye Karpov Bareysv Karpov 8 7 i 6 ye ktii ft i a Ask about our special January gift I A $10 value d6 Nxc3 e5! NhS 64 Bx(3 Re8 Qc6 15.

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re cm iou ve goi in you 10 gei on White resigns (a), (a). White is a piece behind with negligi ble compensation. Over 450 weekly meetings throughout New Jersey, so we're always close by. A must in these times: Tax-cutting strategies To bring Weight Watchers to your workplace call Fran Cohn. Minimum participation required.

1-800-242-5866 ESS Elmer Pennsville Salem Woodstown Pilesgrove Twp. Bordentown Berlin Clayton Browns Mills Blackwood Glassboro Burlington Blenheim Mantua Marlton Echelon Mall Mullica Hill Medford Voorhees Pitman Medford Lakes Weight Watchers Center Turnersville Medford Sicklerville Turnersville Mount Holly Washington Twp. Mt. Laurel Williamstown New Egypt Gannett News Service Money As state and local taxes continue to rise, the January issue offers four personal tax-cutting strategies, including a move to low-tax states. Part of the package is a state-by-state ranking by tax levels.

Lowest? Alaska. Other tactics include municipal bond funds and treasury investments, federal tax deductions and appeals of property assessment. Allure Imagine Ronald Re'agan, Frank Sinatra or Prince as Can't picture it? Then skim January's computer-generated images. Ronald looks like his wife. Sinatra resembles a PTA president.

And Prince sorry doesn't look any different. Other curiosities include a diary of a face lift (the graphic tales of how it feels before and after), and skin care in a pill. with a companion piece on presentation both upstream and down. Vogue The January issue applauds cutting-edge designers, including Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel, Isaac Mizrahi and Claude Montana who dare to experiment in a recessionary style-hungry world. The 15-page spread showcases supermodels Naomi Campbell and Linda Evangelista.

Discover Anthropologists vent their frustrations in the February issue about Neanderthal man, a link in the evolutionary chain that just doesn't seem to fit. Neanderthal man's (and woman's) bone structures, tendencies toward social isolation, eating habits and general separation of the genders make them a peculiar blip on the evolutionary grid. Also, there's a report on the war against cholera in Peru and a re-examination of the safety of suspension bridges. Magazine Rack Black Enterprise The recession is cutting deeply into white-collar ranks. January's cover story urges black professionals to build up work skills and pay attention to their company's fiscal and political life.

If cut, approach job hunting as a full-time job. In a nutshell, "as companies are focusing on defining their core businesses, individuals must do the same." Fly Fisherman Winter is the best season to read about fishing, so as not to waste precious stream time in spring. February offers lots of instructional help with clear, concrete tips on casting weighted flies, simple but varied mayfly designs and a package on tying simple but deadly streamers An exclusive, a youth group, fur ages 10-18, Is offered the Echelon Mali on Sundsyi et 10:20 a.m. ALSO FIND US IN ATLANTIC, CAPE MAY, CUMBERLAND, ESSEX. HUNTERDON, MERCER, MIDDLESEX, MONMOUTH, MORRIS, OCEAN, TASSAIC, SOMERSET, SUSSEX, UNION WARREN COUNTIES.

For Holiday schedules and locations, or other information, please call The Connection 1-800-333-3000 Offer valid Dfctmbtr Jinuary 25. 12 throughout nrepl Bf rjtn. Hudson axf parts ol GloucMlf r. Burtajton Camdfli couni May not bt combined iih amy other dwoum or spn nl rate WEIGHT WATCHERS is a mustered trademark of Weht Watchers iMernaooMl. Inc.

CIW2 Weight Watchers International Inc. All rijhls reserved. kirlk k-. jfe-n life efte Jj fc )-. H)k.

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