Change We Can Believe In: Barack Obama's Plan to Renew America's Promise Review

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(More customer reviews)Folks, I've met Obama once, heard him speak in person twice, and am very much and admirer of his, but this book (the first half, at least) just doesn't cut it.
The first half of this book, apparently written by campaign satffers, attempts to spell out what "Barackism" has to offer. In other words, it's his program statement through the words of his staffers. My friends, these ideas are good, but reading this part is as exciting as watching paint dry. Dull, dull, dull. Every other sentence begins, "In an Obama administration, this or that will happen." Bring out the sominex, people.
Part 2 is the good stuff. This contains the best of his actual recent speeches from Iowa (Jan. 4, 2008) up to a speech he made this summer in Michigan about the economy (this apparently went to press before the Denver speech of Aug 28, 2008). Even on paper, this is exciting and inspiring. Highlights include the New Hampshire speech of Jan 8, 2008 (best known as the "Yes We Can" speech), the Father's day speech (the one that inadvertantly killed off Jesse Jackson's career after the Rev. was caught making profane and jealous remarks on camera about this message), and his race speech in Philadelphia which articulates what a lot of us post-movement Blacks feel about the bitter ranting and pessimism that passes for Black nationalism.
So for reading the "Best of Barack" in his own words, it's pretty good. The rest? Let the buyer beware. Readers are better off with the various compilations of the "Best of Barack" in speeches and writings.

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The election of Barack Obama as President of the United States is a defining moment in American history. After years of failed policies and failed politics from Washington, this is our chance to reclaim the American dream. Barack Obama has proven to be a new kind of leader–one who can bring people together, be honest about the challenges we face, and move this nation forward. Change We Can Believe In outlines his vision for America. In these pages you will find bold and specific ideas about how to fix our ailing economy and strengthen the middle class, make health care affordable for all, achieve energy independence, and keep America safe in a dangerous world. Change We Can Believe In asks us not just to believe in Barack Obama's ability to bring change to Washington, it asks us to believe in our ability to change the world.

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Racing Towards Excellence Review

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(More customer reviews)What will YOU get from this book? That depends entirely on your background and what you already know, but I expect
- Most people will wonder "why did nobody tell me this before?"
- For the remaining minority, I am certain it will still provide some potentially life-improving lessons for you, if you give the book a serious try.
As said above, some people will find the first half of the book, `Book One', a bit dry and technical. Certain economic terminology is used from time to time, too - opportunity cost, utility curves, ceteris paribus and a few others - if you aren't familiar with these, you may have to head to Wikipedia a few times.
But see this as an investment which will soon provide a good return. It forms a very logical and functional system vital to understanding Book Two, where I suspect most people will derive the most tangible value.
Exactly what you gain from Book Two depends entirely on your circumstances, but it covers such a breadth of information that you will simply have to come across ideas, concepts, perspectives and advice that are ground breaking to you. Personally, Book Two was an education I somehow missed or forgot along the way (I have detailed my own experience at the end of this review).
I'll summarise it like so:
***Racing Towards Excellence is quite simply littered with invaluable insight, across a breadth of subjects covering virtually all aspects of life.*** Overall, as a potentially life-changing book, I cannot recommend this enough: And that is why I am insisting that my close friends and family read this too. --------------------------------------------------------------------------
What I personally gained from the book:
Perhaps most exciting for me has been Thinking Outside The Box (chapter 16), which turns a concept I saw as inevitably elusive into a relatively solid and even controllable tool. It provides astonishingly practical advice for improving your ability to think outside of popular boundaries, and explains the value and process of forming such ideas in a way I think all teachers I've ever had have neglected to explain.
Jan Sramek's section on Study Skills is, as you will no doubt agree, extremely thought-provoking. I see his methods as something to adopt particularly cautiously, but is once again an exciting prospect and could potentially yield huge rewards. As a 'hard working student' (I had never heard that phrase carry a negative connotation before), I simply wish this had been available to me many years ago.
While those are two chapters that stand out as particularly noteworthy, there are simply countless more pieces of invaluable information here... On all topics, I have taken away a little snippet of potentially life-changing information.
Plenty of others have reiterated the author's advice: this is not magical, you do actually need considerable effort to implement and benefit from all this advice. But actually, some of the things I've learned are already paying off. I have an infinitely better understanding of the human brain, how it works and how to exploit this (in memory retention, and using repetition to `tell our brain something is important', for example). I am blown away at the authors' insight into our 3 modern `key skills' - reading, touch-typing and memorization - and I am now rapidly increasing my reading speed and comprehension, which is rightly described as "the ultimate low-hanging fruit".
In fact, I've actually come out feeling like a bit of an efficiency freak, always trying give myself more time in life - something which I've always known should be the case, but which I previously never really adopted myself (see section 6.5 for more on this). I think that, having read the results of the authors' own time-saving behaviour, I've definitely been inspired: And I expect many others will be similarly inspired, too.
It'd be interesting to read what the authors have to say in another 10 years, and another 10 after that.

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The life of young people around the world has become more complicated in the past two decades. The pressure is on; expectations are increasing and the race for children to outperform and succeed in life starts earlier than ever before. Unfortunately, the teaching of life skills required to succeed in this new competitive landscape has in general not kept up with these developments. The outcome is inevitable. High expectations, both of the individuals and those around them, collide with a lack of relevant preparation and result in unhappiness.It is the universities and corporations across the world that later face the consequences of these problems. Too often, students and recent graduates are either relaxed and 'happy', or successful, but rarely both. Numerous cases of burn-outs on the one hand and drop-outs on the other illustrate the problem. It is unfortunate, albeit perfectly understandable, that only a small proportion of students and graduates succeed in finding the elusive 'work-life' balance, and outperform in a way that leads to happiness. Why? Nobody has ever taught the majority of them how to do it.At last, finally here comes a book for a generation that is often almost as confused as it is ambitious. Racing Towards Excellence fills the gap; it explains how and when outperformance happens, how it leads to happiness and how to practically achieve both. Its principles are surprisingly universal and applicable to any field or activity, e.g. academia, business, entrepreneurship, finance, sports, arts etc.Amongst the thousands of self-help books, this book stands out with its refreshing attitude, well executed combination of theory and practice, and the unique background of the authors. Covering areas ranging from inspiration, vision, love and responsibility to habits, study skills, health and fitness, communication, networking, mentoring and productive leisure, Racing Towards Excellence is a must-read for all ambitious students and recent graduates.

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Tell Them Who I Am: The Lives of Homeless Women Review

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(More customer reviews)Tell Them Who I Am is a tale about several homeless women and one non-homeless man. For all its merits as an ethnography of women's shelters, which are many, one of the most endearing things about this book is its author. In 1984 Elliot Liebow found out he had terminal cancer. He promptly quit his job at the National Institute of Mental Health and headed for the soup kitchens and shelters of a small city outside of Washington, D.C. Taking notes "out of habit" he gradually compiled his thoughts (and those of his informants) as he got to know the women of these shelters. His participant-observation approach led him to be very involved as an actor in the lives of the women he met, and they too became involved in the writing of their stories. The result is a fascinating book which details the trials of homelessness alongside the joys and sorrows of being human

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The Holy Man Review

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(More customer reviews)This book is a metaphor (in the tradition of the Canterbury Tales) for the various journeys each of us take to find wisdom. Often we feel that someone or a place will give us the results we seek in life, but eventually the realization grows on us that the answers are already programmed in ourselves. In her writing, Susan Trott takes us along for the ride as she slices into many perspectives on the road to the Holy Man. Highly recommended reading... but give yourself some thinking time in between the chapters. It will help you reconnect with your beliefs in an authentic way.

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The Wolf at Twilight: An Indian Elder's Journey through a Land of Ghosts and Shadows Review

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(More customer reviews)Dan, the Lakota Elder who we met in Kent Nerburn's nationally acclaimed book "Neither Wolf Nor Dog", reconnects with Kent via a mysterious note attached to a tobacco pouch that says, simply, "Fatback's dead."
"The Wolf at Twilight", a "novelized non-fiction" account of Kent's second encounter with Dan, unmasks the dynamically complicated relationship between a white American and a Dakota Indian. Nerburn creates this remarkable partnership through humor, gentle understanding, wisdom, historical revelation, suspense, full embodiment of real people, and his personal journey through the colorful lives of the Lakota people. The Lakota Elder, Dan, has an abiding trust for Nerburn, not because he can pay for the gas, motel rooms and meals, but because Kent has proven his genuine understanding of the Native people through an earlier book project with the children and elders of the Red Lake Indian Reservation, "To Walk the Red Road: Memories of the Red Lake Ojibwe."
It's been many years since Kent and Dan shared an adventure together on the sprawling plains of the Dakotas in "Neither Wolf Nor Dog". But, a cryptic note and a strong sense of duty (and some remorse) again send Nerburn on the road with Dan and Grover through the sprawling plains of the Dakotas. There is a colorful collection of Native characters embedded in this excursion including Fatback, Dan's dead dog who Dan has preserved in a freezer for Nerburn to bury; Grover, Dan's crusty, intrepid friend and protector; Wenonah, Dan's granddaughter who makes it clear to Nerburn that he better not disappoint her grandfather; young Native relatives and friends practicing the traditional ways of the Lakota; and small town Americans responding to the confusing juxtaposition of the modern world and an ancient way of life.
Nerburn is the student (and sometimes the stooge); Dan is the teacher. Throughout the book, Dan the Elder practices the traditional indigenous pedagogy passed on to him by the many teachers before him. We are reminded constantly, at the expense of Kent's pride, to stop talking and just listen. He asks Nerburn to engage not only his ears in the listening process, but all his senses. Many scenes in the book are masterfully descriptive in their sensory sensitivity. But, Kent also accesses the deep sensing of the forces of nature and brings us into the world of the unseen.
Dan is the ever patient but desperate pedagogue. He must get the message to Nerburn. Dan trusts Kent with the responsibility to pass on the information and experiences of his life. It is a life that is fading quickly and Dan needs Nerburn to just do what he's told. We can learn from Dan many of the traditional teaching techniques that worked just fine for thousands of years before the arrival of the Black Book. If Dan can bring Kerburn to understand that the sacred is in everything, they can travel through the unseen world of the spirit guides who will lead them to Dan's long-lost sister, Yellow Bird, and ultimately, to resolution.
There are many times when the student, Nerburn, tries to settle for "contempt prior to investigation", but Dan refuses to accept anything but full cooperation. When Dan explains that his newfound, mange riddled mutt, Charles Bronson, was revealed to him by the spirit of his former (and once frozen) dog, Fatback, Kent is incredulous. But Dan persists, and we find much later that Charles Bronson takes on an important role in solving the mystery of Dan's lost sister. Nerburn learns along the way that the seen world is only a fraction of what Dan accesses to guide him through life. It's more often the vast unseen world that directs Dan, and Nerburn's not always reading the same script. It's this spiritual tension that gives us so many vibrant exchanges between the dying Lakota Elder and the Stanford and Berkeley educated Ph.d.
At the end of this book, there is a realization that Nerburn, the word sculptor, has carved a beautiful piece of art from the dirty, dark historical secrets of the Indian boarding school experience. He has taken this huge, gnarled chunk of wood and allowed us to observe him carve through rotten pieces of historical and intergenerational trauma. This is not a wandering travel-log we are on. We are the observer, watching a master craftsman follow the grain and knots of a twisted past. We see him in dialog, and in process, with a form that was there before the work began. The shavings on the floor of the studio are the remnants of an ugly episode in American history that cannot be swept under the rug of denial and propaganda. We realize that what we have today is the result of what was created in the past. Nerburn is here to bring it to life.
There is a very complicated dynamic between the Native American people and the predominant White culture. It is a twisted web of superiority braided with submission; shame carefully disguised as hegemonic religiosity; genocide justified by hubristic government policies that declared that we must "Kill the Indian to Save the Man"; federally issued educational edicts that ignored the constitutional separation of church and State and bankrolled church sponsored schools of torture and cultural homicide; and the portrayal of the "Noble Savage" on Saturday morning TV shows with big lips, hook noses, buckskin loincloths, and an intuitive sense of humility (a la Tonto). The White culture has always attempted to justify their superiority over indigenous peoples by using the smoke screens of charity, righteousness and pity. The result has been an entire indigenous culture that has lived their lives with the realization that, "I am no longer myself. I am someone else." Dan's search for his sister also becomes a search for his own sense of self. It is a search led by a resilient survivor and not a broken down victim.
It is unfair to assume that this book is going to be a "downer" or another swing of the White guilt stick. "The Wolf at Twilight" is, above all, a great story. It takes you through the lives of real people who experience the full range of emotional dynamics and complex human relationships. Kent gives us breathing, crying, dying, laughing, Mountain Dew swilling people who are very much a part of the ethnosphere, and not just anachronistic remnants of Manifest Destiny.
Tom Kanthak
Perpich Center for Arts Education
Liaison for Indigenous Arts Education
Teacher on Special Assignment


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A note is left on a car windshield, an old dog dies, and Kent Nerburn finds himself back on the Lakota reservation where he traveled more than a decade before with a tribal elder named Dan. The touching, funny, and haunting journey that ensues goes deep into reservation boarding-school mysteries, the dark confines of sweat lodges, and isolated Native homesteads far back in the Dakota hills in search of ghosts that have haunted Dan since childhood.In this fictionalized account of actual events, Nerburn brings the land of the northern High Plains alive and reveals the Native American way of teaching and learning with a depth that few outsiders have ever captured.

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Is That Really You, God?: Hearing the Voice of God Review

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(More customer reviews)I've read this book many, many times. This last time I was seeking an answer from God and wondering if what I was hearing was really the voice of the Lord. I learned to seek the Lord not the answer, to focus on God not just the tools He uses in our lives. I learned some steps to be really open to hearing God's voice.

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This practical guide to hearing God's voice shows how an ordinary man who committed to hearing God and obeying Him, became the founder of the largest interdenominational missions organization in the world.Loren Cunningham's dream began with a vision -- waves of young people moving out across the continents announcing the Good News of Jesus Christ to the whole earth. Decades later, Loren's vision has grown into an interdenominational movement of Christians from around the world who are dedicated to presenting the Gospel to this generation.How did God move Loren's dream from vision to reality? He led Loren and his wife, Darlene, through a series of tough lessons in guidance. The exciting story of Youth With A Mission has much to teach us about the art of listening to God as we seek to be used by Him. Is That Really You, God? is not only a practical guide to hearing God's voice but also an amazing testimony to how following His direction can impact our lives and our world for the glory of God's kingdom.

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Never Die Easy: The Autobiography of Walter Payton Review

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(More customer reviews)If you think this is just the typical sports biography containing the typical boasts about on-the-field exploits and off-the-field hi-jinx, remember the subject is Walter Payton, and think again. This book is not even a sports biography. It's a life story, and by that I mean, a story about life. To linger or dwell on what Walter did on the gridiron would be to minimize and trivialize what he accomplished in life, and I say this realizing that he was one of the two greatest football players ever. The book is an easy, informative, and interesting read. You learn about his life in football, but the book is not a study in X's and O's. Instead you learn of Walter's work ethic, his compassion and empathy for others, his fun-loving ways, his sensitivity, his selflessness, his toughness, and his courage, to list only some. He operated a philanthropic foundation that reached out to millions in his lifetime. He anonymously distributed hundreds of thousands of toys at Christmastime. Even after he became gravely ill, he campaigned for greater awareness of the need for organ donors. And he raised two children who have become promising young adults, which he felt was his greatest accomplishment. Walter Payton inspired millions of his fans by giving his all on every play, and he lived his life off of the gridiron the way he did on it: he went all out and made the most of it. That the book was finished in an oral-history style, is fitting. It was never like Walter Payton to talk a lot about himself. Credit is due to his family members and friends, for being so open about their feelings about the man. The book has the ring of the absolute truth. It has been written: "Show me a hero, and I'll write you a tragedy." This book is anything but that. Like the man they called "Sweetness," Never Die Easy is an inspiration. The tragedy rests with our society, which lost this great hero of humanity at such a young age.

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Terror by Night: The True Story of the Brutal Texas Murder That Destroyed a Family, Restored One Man's Faith, and Shocked a Nation Review

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(More customer reviews)On March 1, 2008, author Terry Caffey's life changed forever.
Caffey and his wife of almost 19 years had set firm rules with their sixteen-year-old daughter, Erin, in regards to her romantic relationship with eighteen-year-old Charlie Wilkinson.
She saw only one way to escape her parents rigidity: their death.
And on that fateful night, Penny Caffey would die; along with her two young sons: Matthew, 13 and Tyler, 8. Erin's father Terry would (barely) survive.
Terror By Night is Caffey's first hand account of the events that would change his life in ways he could have never imagined.
From a true crime readers standpoint, it's an interesting case but only about half the book is dedicated to the actual crime.
Terror By Night should be approached with the mindset for which it was intended: inspirational.
Readers are invited into the heart and soul of a man who lost (literally) everything and struggles to understand why while coping with a daughter's betrayal.
If you're looking for strictly the cold, hard facts of the crime, this book probably isn't for you. If, however, you enjoy a story brought forth by survival and hope, then I highly recommend Terror By Night from Terry Caffey.


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At 3:00 a.m. on March 1, 2008, Terry Caffey awoke to find his daughter's boyfriend standing in his bedroom with a gun. An instant later the teen opened fire, killing Terry's wife, his two sons, and wounding him 12 times, before setting the house ablaze. Terry fell into deep depression and planned to kill himself, but God intervened. Upon visiting his burned-out property, Terry noticed a scorched scrap of paper from one of his wife's books leaning against a tree trunk. The page read: '[God,] I couldn't understand why You would take my family and leave me behind to struggle along without them. And I guess I still don't totally understand that part of it. But I do believe that You're sovereign; You're in control." That page was like a direct message from God, and it turned Terry's life around. Now, one year later, Terry is remarried, the adoptive father of two young sons, and working to rebuild his relationship with his 17-year-old daughter, who is currently serving two life sentences in a Texas state penitentiary for her involvement in the crimes. Terror by Night tells the compelling story of how Terry Caffey found peace after his wife and sons were brutally murdered and his teenage daughter implicated in the crime. Sharing never-before-told details about the night of the crime and subsequent murder trial, it explains how Terry was able to forgive the men who murdered his family, and how he even interceded with the prosecutors on their behalf. A powerful example of how the power of forgiveness can bring healing after tragedy and great loss, it shows how God can bring good out of even the darkest tragedies.

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Rise and Shine: The Extraordinary Story of One Man's Journey from Near Death to Full Recovery Review

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(More customer reviews)More than a book you can't put down, although it is that, Rise and Shine is an unforgettable ride that propels the reader through the roller-coaster adventure of Simon Lewis's recovery, from the deepest coma possible without being dead to his triumph over the naysaying doctors, the impossible door slams of the insurance industry, and the ineffectual healthcare quagmire. After 16 years of persistence, with the loving care of his parents and the shining healers he found among the many medical professionals he consulted, Mr. Lewis emerges with his humor, keen insights and gift of inspiring language intact. The wealth of scientific data he has assembled in very accessible form will help many individuals around the world who will be informed and uplifted by his stunning effort to share his discoveries with a global readership, particularly those who have suffered traumatic brain and spinal cord injuries and believe they have no way out. For me, the most touching passages come near the beginning of the tale, where Mr. Lewis recounts the dream-like snippets that came back to him from his month in the coma. The book is a prodigious effort that has as much poetry and spiritual perception as it has revealing medical truths.

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A Promise Kept Review

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(More customer reviews)For a young single it's easy to fantasize about the joys of having a lifelong love - often at the neglect of counting the true cost of actually having one. This small but powerful book shows that cost, and how one man remained faithful to his wife despite it.
Robertson, a distinguished man high in Christian academic circles, is shocked when his vivacious wife Muriel is diagnosed with Alzheimer's. Gradually, she begins to succumb to its ravages and is forced to abandon her popular radio show and speaking engagements. As the disease takes its toll on Muriel, Robertson devotes more and more time to watching over her. He leaves his work and other pursuits to care for her because without his presence, she becomes fearful and agitated. Only with him near is she happy and content. Eventually she becomes totally dependent upon him, unable to perform rudimentary tasks or even converse.
But the heart of the story is that he remains with her gratefully, and with a loving attitude. He is not an angry or resentful caretaker. Of course, he is not thrilled to watch his lovely, intelligent wife slide into helpless dementia. But he sees his caretaking as a holy task, one entrusted to him by God. Indeed, she "took care" of him for decades, so he finds it a priviledge to return the favor. However, he is careful to state that his is not the "ideal" way to care for a severely ailing loved one. But I would say that his attitude and actions are examples for anyone, regardless of whatever caretaking path is chosen.
Elisabeth Elliot once wrote that marriage is the abandonment of self. Robertson lovingly exemplifies that principle in the midst of a heart-breaking situation - all for the glory of God. Highly recommended.

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A compelling true tale of love and devotion as a husband cares for his ill wife. He shares the story of their struggles and the remarkable lessons they have learned together about God's love.

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Neither Wolf nor Dog: On Forgotten Roads with an Indian Elder Review

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(More customer reviews)I love this book, this story perhaps more than any other that I own. It is that moving! All my life I have had a deep heartache about the destruction of our Mother Earth at the hands of industrial humans in general, and the destruction of this land we call America at the hands of the European invaders in particular. This book delves deeply into this wound, brings tears of pain and anguish, and ultimately brings about some healing as well. I think it is a GREAT combination of Kerouac and Black Elk Speaks. It is beautifully written and hard to put down. I have read the book many times by now and have given copies to friends. Rumor has it there's a movie version in the works. I love this book so much I'm not sure I'd want to see what Hollywood might do to it! The book is enough, anyway.

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The Running Dream Review

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(More customer reviews)
You know how it is when you wake up in the morning and sigh...you have to go to work at a place that makes you ill, or you have to face down a bill collector, or spend hours in your home trying to work and take care of your child while outside your next door neighbors are playing music so loud it could wake the dead. Or maybe you can't sleep because of the aches and pains or the icy wind blowing against the window, and you wish your life could be better? I'm guilty of this; I'm guilty of cussing or crying, sighing or grumbling...but what if it was worse? What if I really had something to complain about? I don't. I get up every day on two good legs, with minor aches and pains maybe, but able to walk out the door and follow my dream. This is a book that shows us what real troubles are, and how someone can overcome the fact that they have lost the destiny that they were shooting for with their whole heart, body, mind, and soul.

Jessica Carlisle has a gift - she can run like the wind and win race after race for her team. She's so good, in fact, that she's looking at winning gold medals in the Olympics when she gets older. Not only is she good at running, she loves it. There is nothing like the power - the "whoosh" - as her feet glide across the asphalt to people cheering. In that world she is Queen; in that world everything else makes sense. After a meet one day, where she has set a record almost impossible to achieve, Jessica is sitting on the bus with her friends when the crash comes. The lights go out and when they blink back on, she's in a hospital bed. She has a mother crying beside her; flowers on the table telling her to Get Well; a father who is angry and pacing the floor ready to take out the fates that have hurt his little girl; and, a cheery doctor who can say nothing more than 'you're healing well...you're fine...everything will get better...' and smiling like Jessica should feel like she's just won the lottery. A smile that says forget about the fact that one of your legs is gone, at least you have your life.

What life? Her whole future has been taken away from her. Her leg was smashed under a tangled piece of metal while others escaped with only cuts and bruises. Jessica is mad...beyond mad. Why her?

The story that follows hits you right between the eyes. Not a standard drama, the author writes her pages from Jessica's own mind, showing readers the steps of depression, anger, and the torrent of emotions that happen to someone when life becomes brutally unfair. The power that Jessica shows, the courage and bravery that comes upon her when she realizes that it's not over and there's no way the devil who made this happen is going to win, makes for one of the most powerful stories I've read in a long time.

Jessica's best friend, the boy she's always loved from afar, the support of her parents, schoolmates, and coach, as well as a young freshman in a wheelchair named Rosa who becomes a large part of Jessica's life, all come together to make a story that the reader WANTS to read. Not because of the lessons taught, mind you, but because Jessica's life, while tragic at first, turns into a fun, enjoyable read about friendship and starting over.

I hope this book goes straight to the top where it belongs...and I will try never to whine again. I will chase my dream until the lights turn out for good no matter what stands in my way or is thrown at me. Jessica is a fantastic role model for children and adults to simply keep going and, no matter what, doing what you love. Bravo!
Until Next Time,
Amy, Bookpleasures.com Reviewer

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The Missing Piece Meets the Big O Review

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(More customer reviews)This book is a great book for kids from one to ninety-two! I read this book with my friend's children in mind and I found that this book has an important message about recognizing who your true friends are and finding that one true best friend who "fits" your personality and lifestyle. I recommend children of all ages and children at heart to check this book out. As always, Shel Silverstein has a very innocent, colorful and fun way of looking at life and this book reflects it. It's a breath of fresh air. For a better understanding of this book however, I would check out Shel Silversein's "The Missing Piece" before reading this one -it's also a very cute book.

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The missing piece sat alone waiting for someone to come along and take it somewhere....

The different ones it encounters - and what it discovers in its helplessness - are portrayed with simplicity and compassion in the words and drawings of Shel Silverstein.

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A Passion Most Pure (Daughters of Boston, Book 1) Review

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(More customer reviews)This was a wonderfully rich historical romance that kept me guessing until the last few pages about who will win Faith's heart. I love those kinds of books! I couldn't stop reading because I had to find out how everything turns out.
The characters are very strong Christians with strong faith. They have a mighty impact on the people around them like Collin, with his anger at God, and Mitch, with his stagnant relationship with the Almighty he grew up with.
This is a more sensual book than typical CBA historical romances, and I loved that aspect of it. It made the characters' struggles so much more realistic and relatable.
The characters are so well drawn that I felt strongly for each of them. In fact, I hated Charity so much, I kept reading and hoping she'd die or get maimed or something in the next chapter!
If a reader is looking for sweet, perfect characters who never sin, who never give in to physical temptation, then this isn't the book for you. Faith, who is strong in her relationship with God, nevertheless sins by responding to her sister's suitor's physical overtures. I could relate to this, because who hasn't been drawn to the bad boy even though we KNOW we shouldn't? Faith is very real as a character--in her Christlike behavior and in her sinfulness.
The novel's theme of futile chasing after the wind--pursuing things that have no eternal value--is very deftly woven into the story, and resonated with me quite a bit.
I think this would be a fabulous novel for any teenage girl to read. The sensuality is not graphic, and the struggles of the main characters are things any single woman could relate to. There's a great deal of realism and yet encouragement in the characters' actions and choices.
I highly recommend this novel. Fans of Deeanne Gist will probably enjoy this one.


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Refusing to settle for anything less than a romantic relationship that pleases God, Faith O'Connor steels her heart against her desire for the roguish Collin McGuire. But when Collin tries to win her sister Charity's hand, Faith isn't sure she can handle the jealousy she feels. To further complicate matters, Faith finds herself the object of Collin's affections, even as he is courting her sister. The Great War is raging overseas, and a smaller war is brewing in the O'Connor household.Full of passion, romance, rivalry, and betrayal, A Passion Most Pure will captivate readers from the first page. Book 1 of the Daughters of Boston series.

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I Like You Review

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(More customer reviews)I was given this book when I graduated high school, and I kept it with me all through college. I would sometimes read it aloud to friends in my dorm and when it came time for college graduation, I got an amazing surprise. My best friend "stole" the book from my room, and armed with a video camera, videotaped people who were special to me each reading a passage from the book and relating memories of our college years. That was almost 10 years ago. My best friend is now about to have a baby, and I am going to make sure it is the first book my little "niece" or "nephew" gets. It is a simple, unsappy, silly, and timeless reminder that friends are to be cherished, and the person who is willing to be a "goofus on the roofus" with you is a special pal indeed.

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If You Meet the Buddha on the Road, Kill Him The Pilgrimage of Psychotherapy Patients Review

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(More customer reviews)This book is a wonderful read for anyone who wonders, worries or agonizes about the meaning of life, and whether they're doing it "right." Psychotherapist Kopp wrote this book in 1972, but it still works today.
Whether giving or receiving therapy, this book reminds us that we are all humans -- nobody has all the answers. The eschatological laundry list (which I've seen roaming around the web, but never attributed to Kopp) has become a classic.
1. This is it! 2. There are no hidden meanings
3. You can't get there from here, and besides, there's no place else to go
4. We are all already dying and we'll be dead for a long time.
5. Nothing lasts!
6. There is no way of getting all you want.
7. You can't have anything unless you let go of it.
8. You only get to keep what you give away.
9. There is no particular reason why you lost out on some things.
10. The world is not necessarily just. Being good often does not pay off and there is no compensation for misfortune.
11. You have the responsibility to do your best nonetheless.
12. It is a random universe to which we bring meaning.
13. You don't really control anything.
14. You can't make someone love you.
I'll stop there -- there's more in the book, and if you find the list discouraging, you need to read the book. If you find the words encouraging, you need to read the book. Add it to your list of books to give friends who are feeling glum and hopeless.
Use it as a group discussion book!
After reading this (at different stages in my life), I still find it centering and soothing. A good addition to the self-help library, along with The Road Less Traveled.

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Therapists do not and cannot give answers. Explore the true nature of the therapeutic relationship, and realize that the guru is no Buddha. He is just another human struggling. Understanding the shape of your own personal ills, will lead you on your journey to recovery. Sheldon Kopp has a realistic approach to altering one's destiny and accepting the responsibility that grows with freedom.

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Meditations in an Emergency Review

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(More customer reviews)If you wondered what Don Draper was reading and why he got that far away look in his eye then your curiosity is much like mine. I had to know. Meditations In An Emergency is that book. Frank O'Hara was the voice that spoke to the madness, the chaos, and the contradictions in the cultural transition between 50's and 60's America. He was one of the best poets of the twentieth century and along with writers like Denise Levertov, Allen Ginsberg, Robert Creeley, and Gary Snyder, a crucial contributor to what Donald Allen termed the New American Poetry.
O'Hara's poetry is vital, raw, gritty, and extremely moving.
And Don Draper is thinking:
Now I am quietly waiting for
the castastrophe of my personality
to seem beautiful again,
and interesting, and modern.
The country is grey and
brown and white in trees,
snows and skies of laughter
always diminishing, less funny
not just darker, not just grey.
It may be the coldest day of
the year, what does he think of
that? I mean, what do I? And if I do,
perhaps I am myself again.

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Frank O'Hara was one of the great poets of the twentieth century and, along with such widely acclaimed writers as Denise Levertov, Allen Ginsberg, Robert Creeley, and Gary Snyder, a crucial contributor to what Donald Allen termed the New American Poetry, "which, by its vitality alone, became the dominant force in the American poetic tradition."Frank O'Hara was born in Baltimore in 1926 and grew up in New England; from 1951 he lived and worked in New York, both for Art News and for the Museum of Modern Art, where he was an associate curator. O'Hara's untimely death in 1966 at the age of forty was, in the words of fellow poet John Ashbery, "the biggest secret loss to American poetry since John Wheelwright was killed." This collection is a reissue of a volume first published by Grove Press in 1957, and it demonstrates beautifully the flawless rhythm underlying O'Hara's conviction that to write poetry, indeed to live, "you just go on your nerve."

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