5 comments about In the Footsteps of Jesus: One Man's Journey Through The Life of Christ.

1. This volume has been a complete blessing to me! It found it's way to my door by Divine intervention while I was already on the road from FL to NY while my only son was a reported missing person in NY. Amazon ships sporatically and I received this the day I left, again, I was already packed, in my vehicle and on the road. I returned home and grabbed this from in front of my door, threw it into my SUV and headed back out. My son was murdered and I found out while I was still en route north. This book was a HUGE blessing during this worst of all possible tragedies.
   
   It announces a very different picture of the serene, somber Jesus we've heard about throughout our lives, a picture of love, gaiety, kindness, passion and, most of all, smiles. I read this in my weakest moments and found inspirations, blessings and, ironically, perfectly timed revelations.
   
   "In the Footsteps of Jesus" tells the story of the "Matthew" actor that played Jesus, Bruce Marchiano. It details how the author came to play the role and how playing the role changed his life through daily insights into the life, love, compassion and gentleness of Jesus as seen through the Gospel of Matthew.
   
   What an absolute goldmine the Lord sent my way during this most horrific time in my life! Without this volume, safely tucked away in the backseat of my SUV, I don't believe I would have been able to make it through this terrible time. Thank you to Bruce Marchiano and GLORY TO HIM!!!



2. This book has done more for me in learning to love Christ than any other I have ever read, with the only exception being the Bible. Bruce Marchiano does a wonderful job of making Jesus real, approachable, and, more than anything, lovable. If you have any question about God's love for you, read this one!



3. What a joy to read the book and be given the idea that Jesus was joyful and loving, not like other Hollywood movies where Jesus never blinks and is very pious. This Jesus character related to the people he was here to save. Loved the book and the movie-which is word for word the Gospel of Matthew.



4. I bought this book for my book club. We usually read fiction but I had read this and wanted them to read it too. They loved it. The experience the author has as he plays Jesus, along with the cast and crew in making this move Matthew is truly amazing. The way they depict Jesus in the movie this book is about, is more like I like to think of who Jesus is and what he was like while he was here on earth. Truly inspiring!



5. It was an encouragement to me to read Bruce Marchiano's testimony about his amazing journey of following Christ and his life changing experience of portraying Jesus in the film "The Gospel according to Matthew". I enjoyed reading every page of this book because the love of Jesus flows through it.
   I recommend this book to everyone, especially those who loved Bruce Marchiano's presentation of the joyful Jesus in the film "The Gospel according to Matthew". After I read "In the Footsteps of Jesus", I had to watch the film "The Gospel according to Matthew" again and again. In my opinion, it is the best Jesus film I have ever seen! Check out the plans for Bruce's new film "The Gospel according to John".

5 comments about The MESSENGERS CASSETTE: A True Story of Angelic Presence and the Return to the Age of Miracles.

1. I bought the book as a gift and thought I was getting a hardback and that it was new,. I paid quite a bit for the book and was shocked when it arrived as it was a used paperback that was $6.50 and I was charged $45. + I was very embarrassed to send it and felt ripped off.NO FURTHER COMMENT,



2. A thought provoking book. If you are closed minded you probably want to skip this book.
   
   I consider myself rather open minded so I gave it a try. I thought it was about angels, and the first part sort of way. However, I admit that the first part did not hold my interest.
   
   I also should admit that I am not a fan of St. Paul in the Bible. I thought his writings in the New Testament as the high and mighty over the top view of a convert. You know, the types that get religion and then shove their ideas down your throat, rigidly applying the law and their "truths" as gospel.
   
   So, when I realized that the bulk of this book was about a hypnotic regression to the past life of Saul of Tarsus I drew in a deep breath and started reading the life this person.
   
   I am glad I did. Read the book and see what you think.



3. The Messengers is an amazing book, I was enthralled by the journey experienced by Nick Bunick. The overall feeling of the book was one of hope, a commodity becoming most rare in todays economic and political upheaval. I am now safe in the knowledge that I will continue to exist on many planes after I finally shed this mortal coil.



4. Angels really do exist, but I probably never would have read this book had it not been for the fact that I too began to "notice" some oddly recurring numerical sequences about a year ago and then experienced various Angelic "occurrences" which are continuing to this very day!
   
   Then, some of my friends began to report some very "interesting" things. Being a professional reporter and editor for many years - Hearst, CBS and NBC affiliates, numerous other papers - and a College-Bowl (like "Jeopardy") All-Star player, and having some truly remarkable friends around the world, it did not take me long through research and personal contacts to find out that Angels were involved; and that's what led me to "The Messengers" which is the true story of a multi-millionaire Jewish businessman in Portland, Oregon named Nick Bunick who not only begins to "notice" the "Divine Numbers" but also has high-level business associates who also "notice" them and soon begin to encounter Angels.
   
   Yea, it was just like my deal, except Bunick and associates experienced a few things that, so far, have been even wilder than my own experiences. Wow!
   
   Among other things, Bunick, it turns out, also has been told by several psychics over the years, friends of friends, that he "walked with the Master Jesus" in a previous life. Well, old Nick, a tough but open-minded man, finally is "prompted" to visit another friend's past-life therapist just to see what happens. Remember, Bunick is a real-life, top-notch businessman who also is Jewish. He doesn't need money, he really doesn't want the publicity, and why would a modern-day Jewish entrepreneur want to stick his neck out for Jesus? What he does want are some answers to some very nagging questions. Something money can't always buy, so why not give hypnosis a try?
   
   Enter Julia Ingram who, over many sessions, finds that Nick Bunick not only walked with Jesus but was none other than Saul of Tarsus who later became known as "The Apostle Paul."
   
   Interestingly enough, I also have read "Sleeping Prophet" Edgar Cayce's "Story of Jesus" which was written long before "The Messengers," and information about Mary, Joseph, Jesus, Paul, and the Apostle Lucius provided by Cayce fully supports information about the same that is found in "The Messengers." The latter book, however, sheds a lot more positive light on Saul "Paul" and provides additional details about Jeshua "Jesus" and his ministry, contemporaries, and followers.
   
   I believe Nick Bunick deserves a lot of credit for having the curiosity, persistence, and courage to see this book through to completion; and I also applaud Julia Ingram, G. W. Hardin, and all the others who were part of the amazing story and/or contributed to the volume's success.
   
   To appreciate this book, one only must have some faith and an open mind, but it helps to be knowledgeable about Christianity and metaphysics (or at least the concept of reincarnation); and it really, really helps if the Angels start "prompting" you. Smile.



5. I admire the author of this book as I have been in her presence
   at a Women's retreat and am inspired by her and her book.

5 comments about Anne Frank: Diary of a Young Girl (Audio Editions).

1. A wonderful book for young adults and adults......filled with information on how the people lived and made it thru this terrible time. Especially the young Anne Frank what courage she had.



2. This is not your middle school edition.She really explores how it is becoming a teenager.I'm in awe of her writing skills.I would challenge today's teenagers to write so eloquent. A somber read knowing the outcome.



3. I had that question. But mostly, I wrote this review to cure a superstition. There were 666 reviews so I had to leave something...
   
   
   Your welcome. lol



4. Of course, I read the first published, "Diary of Anne Frank" in high school. It made me feel like I wasn't all alone with my feelings. I first bought the Complete and Unabridged book for my husband's niece when she turned fourteen. She loved it and still owns it. I also read the book at that time and it filled in gaps that I didn't realize were missing until they were added back. I liked how she spoke of her sexual feelings because in a very real sense, sex is one of the most important components of continuing the human species. That there are those who feel squeamish about speaking about it is a testament to beliefs about keeping some things "private" when speaking about them will rid teenagers of myths they may believe. Anyway, I bought this copy for my friend's daughter who will be turning fifteen in September and I am hoping she will enjoy it as much as my husband's niece and I did. And all the millions of girls who have.



5. I've been in love with Anne Frank since I was in Junior High and we read the play based on her diary. But the play is an amuse-bouche, the tantalizing bite that precedes a meal. In the Diary itself, Anne truly comes alive. Her words, the way she wrote them. When she was alive and hiding from the greatest horror man has ever known. And she never lost her courage, or her belief in the nobility of man. I cried and I laughed. But more than that, I felt a growing wonder and respect as I read her words and realized that during this period she was growing from a precocious child into an intelligent woman of depth and understanding.
   
   Let no generation ever forget. Let no generation ever stop reading the story of the young girl in hiding. And let no generation lose their ultimate faith in the goodness of mankind, as she never lost hers. Thank you, Anne, for giving us a living document of a beautiful spirit.

5 comments about The Liars' Club: A Memoir.

1. Mary definitely suffered some pretty detrimental and disturbing experiences in her childhood. If nothing else, this book made me appreciate my more happy, idyllic childhood. It's interesting the experiences that stand out in each of our childhoods. And admittedly by her, the memories aren't always recollected the same as by others, as she would sometimes share her sister's version. There were parts that really tugged at your heart strings like her relationship with her dad and not being able to see him when her parents split. Also the sexual abuse from her sitter really left me disturbed and upset for her. This book wasn't fantastic but it had its interesting points, however it probably won't be one that will stick in my memory.



2. I've soldiered my way through nearly half of this book. I'm not sure I'll make it all the way, although I suspect I will out of sheer obligation to the person who loaned it to me. I'd like to give it more than one star, but I really cannot.
   
   I think I'm supposed to find it funny or engaging. I don't. Although it describes a lot of severe neglect, parental alcoholism, etc. I find it surprisingly boring. I'm finding it dull because it mostly just seems to meander aimlessly. It consists of stream-of-conscious recollections of a young child, interspersed with her older sister's interpretations of the same events. I do admire the family's willingness to give each other a voice.
   
   My family has a totally dark sense of humour. I've often wondered if would be possible to recount experiences of abuse, neglect and dysfunction with the humour that got my siblings and I through it all. Mary Karr has given it about the best shot I can imagine, but it's just not working for me. I'm trying hard to like it, but it's not happening for me. The endless recounting of disconnected anecdotes quickly became boring. And in the end, this stuff simply isn't funny.



3. I really don't know what all the good reviews are about on this book. I really enjoy reading memoirs, but I just couln't get into this one. For the most part I thought the stories were not very interesting. I kept putting the book down, and then kept convincing myself that it must get better if so many people rated it with five stars. I just put it down once again, and I'm about 80% finished at this point and it hasn't gotten very interesting. I'm disappointed...I hoped to order the other 2 to take on vacation with me, but probably won't bother.



4. This vividly plain-spoken (1995) memoir of growing up after World War II near the Gulf Coast in Texas, with a brief stay in Colorado, recounts traumatic childhood episodes lived in an aura of toxic chemicals, unpredictable storms, trashy characters, abuse, alcoholism, snakes, reptiles, bodily and mental deterioration, dismemberment horror and intense family bonds. The low-down sensibility informing the book presents phrase-making and tale-telling as saving graces in a frightful world.



5. This is a coming of age memoir about a young girl growing up in what most would consider to be a dysfunctional family. The family itself, however, cares about each other in their own offbeat way. Proof of the power of love, the book is humorous and touching at the same time.

5 comments about How to Be Alone: Essays.

1. This is a collection of essays Franzen has had published over the years. After I searched online for the original of more than a few of these essays to forward to a friend, I decided I might as well go ahead and just purchase this book. Jonathan Franzen ... you are my writing hero.



2. Franzen's collection of essays is about a variety of different topics, but it is ultimately about the isolation and alienation a person can feel in today's modern world.
   
   Each of the essays is well crafted and thoughtful. Topics as divergent as a father's death, fame, and the postal service come up here. But, at the core, Franzen explores how we grow apart as more things are created to bring us together.
   
   The most poignant essay is the one about the deterioration of Franzen's dad. It gives a son's account of what it feels like to slowly lose a parent. The reader can feel the slow dread and sorrow that the failing of a once mighty human being can bring. Another interesting essay concerns Franzen's thoughts about the Oprah controversy.
   
   If you want to know more about the American psyche, read this.



3. First off I'll say that I love Franzen's writing style and his dry sense of humor. The problem I had with this book is that because most of the essays were written in the mid to late 90s and all were written before 9/11, much of his observations have been rendered, in my opinion, obsolete. The world became a different place after 9/11 and the start of the war, etc. - and his observations on the zeitgeist, obviously, don't reflect that change.



4. "How To Be Alone" by Jonathan Franzen is the most remarkable collection of essays I've read so far. Perhaps there's a better one, perhaps there are other authors whose mastery of language is sufficient enough to awaken my curiosity about the power of words over feelings. Perhaps, but I'm simply not aware of any other (hint! Help me find them). And in all honesty, I'm not sorry. Because once I've read Franzen, I've discovered the reasons behind my personal amazement of what language is. It is the realization that words carry feelings. Well, not quite. Words possess meaning and their poetic use delivers perception (yes that sounds better). Think about it. 7 million years of humanoid evolution and while the body slowly adapted its physiology to the demands of the environment, our brains played sluggish catch-up. And now, here we are, utilizing a language created only about 100,000 ago with a mind that is still learning how to cope with the billions of thoughts and physiological responses to everything imaginable, and at the same time being bombarded with words, most of which have already lost their sparkle even before the second cup of coffee is finished, and suddenly we discover Franzen's essay - the one beacon in the darkness of the mundane ocean of the familiar, the cliché - and it's shining like a sun, pointing to the only source of emotions and meaning, reminding us of why we think, why we feel, why we live. Like a skillful organ player, Mr. Franzen manipulates the keys and pedals of words to create in me a frame of mind, feelings and dreams. And that's what I call art.
   
   I recommend this book to everyone who has ever wondered what it means to be a skillful writer. Even if you don't agree with what Mr. Franzen stands for, you are obligated (by the power of the written word) to take some time and read one of his essays (my recommendation is the 'Harper' essay. You won't be disappointed).
   
   
   - by Simon Cleveland



5. A good dream interpreter will offer multiple possibilities from which you might pick. One will make sense to you and surpass "reasonable" or "plausible" to attain "feeling right." In a similar sense, I enjoy Franzen's essays most when they elicit instant affirmation. At those moments, you can nod, say he's hit upon something, notice what nifty way he's found to express what you should have known before. Surprisingly, he seldom achieves that exalted state when he's speaking personally, for himself. He seems more effective when he triangulates his own views with contributions from other smart people. Reading this collection of essays, you occasionally detect the prickliness that makes him--rightly or wrongly--a literary bad boy. His indignation can veer into stridency. However, you also see a sort of warmth that, for me, The Corrections sometimes lacked. As Franzen suggests in his essay "Why Bother?," I read for confirmation that life is complicated. At its best, How to Be Alone does so in a way that suggests not just solidarity with Franzen--and with those he quotes--but with what Franzen observes.

5 comments about The Royals.

1. It's a good read, but it's obvious that Ms. Kelley has bought into the woe-is-me victimization ploy used by the former Princess of Wales that nearly brought down the British monarchy. Being an American, I admit to a certain curiosity and wonder when thinking of the Royals. I was almost seventeen when the former Princess of Wales was killed in Paris and while I was sad for the humanitarian and mother who had been in over her head with the royal establishment, I boasted no particular affinity for a woman whose face had saturated every tabloid paper for nearly a decade before that.
   
   Ms. Kelley has a style of writing that's very easy to get through, but once I got through it (having thoroughly enjoyed the experience as well), I found myself with questions as to sources. Ms. Kelley is obviously no fan of the Royal Family, aside from the afore-mentioned Princess of Wales and though she did occasionally refer to Diana's dark side (her continuing vindictiveness toward her ex-husband, her blatant ploys to turn her sons against their father, insinuating that Prince Charles is not fit to be King, her behavior to anyone who dared to call her out on her attention-whoring ways, her treatment of her stepmother following her father's death), she never once deviated from the erroneous supposition that the Princess of Wales was somehow "driven" to that level of vindictiveness in her private life.
   
   It was a very well-done, very enjoyable piece of historical fiction, emphasis on the fiction.



2. I enjoyed this book very much, I travel a great deal and therefore am very appreciative to good authors and only give five stars to those I believe tell a good story, have a great ending and have me wanting more. I don't always need all the sex or blood and gore, sometimes a romance, a love story or a drama is what I need. I highly recommend this book. And have recommended it to our book club in New York and Aspen,..I also recommend reading....The Boy He Loved - Obsession Into Darkness (Gay Suspense), Reflections In The Looking Glass - A Murder Mystery That Will Surprise you (Gay Murder Mystery), My Gay Socks (Gay Romance)and From Boys to Men (Gay Classic), you may also want to read,The Crane & Pelican (Gay Romance).



3. Kitty Kelly collected anecdotes about the Windsors, drawing on everyone who hated them. I bet she got most of the info from the guys who created the "Spitting Image" series.
   
   Kitty Kelly's books are great if you like cheap gossip at the National Inquirer level, and are a little too smart for the Weakly World News. Read this if you're stuck in an airport during a snowstorm.



4. If you ever wondered about how human the "Monarchy" of the U.K. is, here's a great answer. Imagine letting your close cousins die because of the inconvenience, changing your family name to avoid prejudice, and redefining what "integrity" means with "Because I said so."
   Wow- so good to be a mortal in the world and not a figurehead. Perhaps King William, if U.K. survives, will prove to be enlightened and not end up a social/party figure like so many descendants of the former European Royal Families.



5. This is fun and gossipy. Four stars considering the genre. I wish Kindle handled pictures better. I learned a lot of the German history of the family, which I didn't know. A really good history of British royalty is On Royalty: A Very Polite Inquiry into Some Strangely Related Families.

1 comments about Karl Marx: Das Kapital: From Capitalist Exploitation to Communist Revolution (Great Economic Thinkers Series).

1. Karl Marx was a visionary futurist, and a decent economist. His work can be compared to that of Darwin, but from the limited perspective of human economics. His work was political, and limited by the perspective that his era provided. He was overly certain about many things on scant evidence, but many of his insights were spot on. His popular slogan, "from each...to each" may yet hold sway, as robots replace toil as the measure of human value.
   
   This treatment was professional, un-ethical, heavy handed and rather sad. It was as objective as a toddler explaining why he hit his sister. This was my first book on Marx, and I feel that the writers bias and filtering of ideas was so clumsy, that any knowledge that I gained was nearly coincidental.
   
   Gare Henderson

5 comments about Trying to Get to Heaven Opinions of a Tennessee Talker.

1. I got this because I love Designing Women, but I was disappointed.
   
   This book is poorly written. A lot of the sentences are tortured and long winded, with lots of extra adjectives and adverbs, etc.
   
   The other problem I had is that there was very little about designing women and its making. Major parts are about her childhood, etc. which was of no interest to me. Much of the book are her opinions on things that are of little importance, and her ideas on everything are very old fashioned. My guess is that the only women who will like this book are in the 65 plus range.
   
   The one part of the book I liked was that she copped to having 2 facial cosmetic surgeries to be on Designing Women.
   
   You would do better to just talk to any older woman over 60 and ask what her childhood was like, and save your money on this book.
   
   If you are interested in Designing Women stuff, the Delta Burke book has more info on that.



2. This book has had a lasting influence on me, and I've admired Dixie Carter every since I first read it. She really has a gift for writing with warmth, humor, and a heart full of down-to-earth wisdom. As a woman, her book made me feel "normal" again, and for that I'll always be grateful! Dixie has a knack for writing with vibrance and her stories are so interesting you don't want the book to end. I so hope that she will come out with another book.



3. always on the lookout for "bargain" books in bookstores, i chanced upon dixie's book being closed out. liking her anyway in "designing women", i knew i would enjoy her book, but i was not prepared for my fascination. by the time i was finished reading the book, i felt i knew her--she was someone i could drop in on for coffee. she echoed my own sentiments of missing the people being polite to each other, and of loving discipline seldom taught to children today and more than once made me nostolgic for the rich childhood she had--the things that are possible for children and which every child deserves. she writes the way she speaks which is a joy. the book is never dull and in truth, you do not want it to end. i hope she determines to write another book. i want the first copy.



4. After I started reading this book I could not put it down. Dixie covers almost every subject, from beauty tips to romance. Her Southern charm adds so much to this book. I highly recommend this to everyone.



5. I do not think that Dixie Carter has ever been one of *People* magazine's "Fifty Most Beautiful People in the World", and it is a crying shame. Carter has in spades what gets people on that list: all-encompassing beauty. In *Trying to Get to Heaven* she, in a sense, shares that beauty with us. She tells us about the people who have inspired her, instructs us on behavior(such as yoga and decorating), reveals to us some of her most heartfelt memories, and articulates her beliefs about beauty. Beauty, to her, is the guiding principle by which life is well-lived. By showing us how beautiful her life has been, and by doing it in such a lyrical, richly-detailed, entertaining, and, sometimes, humorous way, she sets an excellent example.

5 comments about No Ordinary Time: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt, The Home Front in World War II.

1. Goodwin tells the inside story of the FDR's White House during World War II. To her credit, Goodwin delivers a solid, scholarly review exploring the personal motivations and complex interaction between Franklyn, Eleanor and their colorful inner circle. Goodwin could have easily cooked this book into a scandal rag. For example, both Franklyn and Eleanor carried on hushed (but by no means secret) love affairs within the White House walls. However, because of Goodwin's reserve, her book should become essential reading if you wish to fully understand FDR's White House. At the book's core is a unique couple who both first rise above their family pedigree and then overcome their personal fears and handicaps to achieve something extraordinary (i.e. the title, "No Ordinary Time"). Eleanor conquers her social shyness to champion the poor, instigating a number of new domestic programs and policies. Franklyn's personal stamina negates his hidden paralysis. His iron will is even more impressive as he defies his own party and strategically delays America's troop deployment into the battlefields of WWII. I recently tried reading (but failed to finish) Gore Vidal's "The Golden Age." It is historical fcition covering the exact same subject matter. Strangely, I found the fictional account to be stiff and the historical account to be heartfelt. Why settle for fiction when the facts are so fascinating?



2. Like all Doris Goodwin's books, this was beautifully written and easy to read.
   I recommend this book on FDR as one of the best.



3. This book was recommended to me. We were traveling to the Hudson River Valley and were going to stop at Hyde Park. Began the book before we reached FDR's house and am still reading it two weeks later. Yes, it's long, but so well written and so full of fascinating information about two exceptional people. Today's politics is disgusting and irreverent and it's helped me to learn that things haven't changed that much since FDR's days. I have come to admire Eleanor greatly through this read and feel I now have a true picture of their relationship and their contributions to history during what was "No Ordinary Time".



4. For those who say a man must be a good father and husband in order to be a good leader, I recommend this book to you. Authored by one of America's most famous female historians, this book follows the lives of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt thru their 2nd, 3rd and 4th terms in the White House. The book looks at their personal and public lives, and how they influenced each other, and the history of the world. Written in chronological order, the book covers war planning, domestic politics, the race issue, labor relations, the public growth of Eleanor Roosevelt, along with the lives of numerous residents and visitors to the White House such as Winston Churchill, the Roosevelt children and friends, and the many attractive women who intrigued FDR, some of whom were possible mistresses. What comes across is their respective abilities with people. There is Franklin's ability to communicate with people in person or en masse, and to steer them towards a common goal, which is the essence of leadership. Then there is Eleanor's ability to empathize with people, to understand their wants and needs and to work to help them. What also comes across is the story of Washington's first true power couple, both of whom are so occupied with longer horizons that neither can make the concessions needed to create a happy family. It is clear that FDR cheated on his wife, with multiple women most likely. And the book suggests that Eleanor in turn cheated on FDR, though of a less sexual nature. This failure in marital relations was passed onto their children. The 4 sons went thru 18 marriages between them, and their one daughter also went thru a divorce. The book clearly illustrates how sacrifices for public service often include a ruined family life. So overall, a very insightful and important book about American history, and how history is made by people making decisions on a daily basis often under less than perfect circumstances.



5. 
   Doris Kearns Goodwin hit it out of the park with this one. (Please excuse the obvious baseball metaphor.) The book is a biographical study of Franklin & Eleanor during the FDR years in the White House. The subject itself has all the potential of being a very factual yet boring Sleeper. However, with the author's skill, it turns out to be a biographical Page-Turner. So often books about the FDR administration tend to be either printed tributes to the Roosevelts OR simply a negative display of the author's political differences with the FDR legacy. The book "No Ordinary Time" shows a more humanistic view of two people that left very large foot prints as they went through life. Coincidently, they happened to be in the center of the world's stage at the time. The reader is left to interpret the consequences of those foot prints.

5 comments about All Over But the Shoutin'.

1. My sister introduced me to Rick Bragg when this book came out and I'm reading it again now because it's the sort of book I'd like to write. I grew up in New England and my parents and grandparents were made of the same stuff Mr. Bragg's family is. Instead of cotton fields my people worked in textile mills. But, they lived the same way; drank hard and died young. I have never come across a writer who is able to express the hardships of poverty and the effect it has on family and relationships as well as Rick Bragg. I've been wanting to write a book for 16 years and picking this book up again might just be the nudge I needed to get going on it. If you haven't read Ava's Man, it's just as heart-wrenching and compelling. I love all of his books.



2. Rick Bragg's story of his life tugged at my heart like nothing else has done in a long, long time. I ached with him over the difficult relationship with his father. I celebrate with him when he was finally able to provide for his mother and have her enjoy the successes he achieved with his writing.
   I appreciate, very much, his ability to follow the lead of instincts toward his goals.
   Rick Bragg exhibits a profound sense of authenticity and integrity in his recollections and in his frequent self-evaluations. He can do no wrong, apparently, if he stays true to himself and pursues his goal of honoring his mother and living up to his responsibilities to the family.
   This is a book I would recommend to everyone who wants to experience life as it really is! Fame and influence and fortune/money mean little if one does not fulfill personal goals.



3. rick bragg is a wonderful writer. I read Ava's Man first and it was one of my top favorites for leisure reading. Very delightful. So, I wanted to read All Over But the Shoutin to get more of his experieces. Some of the memories overlapped, but the book was just as pleasing. These are two books I would recommend to my friends. His view on life is inspiring, his memories of his mother and family are to be cherished.



4. This is by far one of the best books out there. I gave mine to a retired male and he said the same thing. Rick Bragg can write. The story could have unfolded in the midwest and been just as engaging. He writes of his growing up in poverty in Alabama and about his Mother and her family. I spent some time in that very area, having relatives there when I was young. But this book is just a real good read. I have since read his other books. He has not written a bad book yet, I read them straight through.



5. This is the first book of Pulitzer Prize-winning author Rick Bragg's autobiographical trilogy (which includes Ava's Man and The Prince of Frogtown) about his family and growing up in the mill towns of northeast Alabama. Bragg also wrote I Am a Soldier Too: The Jessica Lynch Story, the authorized biography of American POW Jessica Lynch in 2003.
   Each of these books has the ability grab you on the very first page and draw you into his world. His life experiences of having a distant father (as the result of his father's Korean War post-tramatic stress syndrome) is uncannily similar to that of late Atlanta author Lewis Grizzard, whose father (and family) also suffered from PTSD. I am certain this also informed his approach to and understanding of Jessica Lynch.
   Rick Bragg's latest book, The Most They Ever Had, is series of essays about the people of the mill towns. It was published by MacAdam/Cage in October of 2009.