5 comments about How Do We Know When It's God?: A Spiritual Memoir.

1. Dan Wakefield is all over the map in "How Do We Know When It's God?" an engaging but meandering memoir. I bought it because the title reminded me of Harold Kushner's writings, and I think the title is deliberately chosen to evoke him, but it is much more of a conventional memoir than a meditation on theological ethics. Wakefield does return several times to the theological concept of discernment, but the bulk of the text is about Wakefield's life -- relationships, his career, even addiction and weight loss issues. The style was compelling enough to keep me reading until the end, but I didn't come away with a really clear understanding of what Wakefield's philosophy is. Maybe this will appeal to fans of his other works, but as an introduction to the life and times of Dan Wakefield, I was left without a great desire to investigate further.



2. If you are a fan of Indiana-bred novelist and spiritual writer Dan Wakefield, then make sure that you don't pass up this book! Although the title does not acknowledge any "Part 2", this book is actully a follow up to Wakefield's earlier spiritual autobiography "Returning". But whereas "Returning" dealt with the story of Wakefield's coming to faith in God after years as an atheist, this book deals with the up ever-winding Christian journey that Wakefield has lived since then. If you are fan of Wakefield's novels, then this book will give you some real insights as to what he was thinking and living when he wrote "Selling Out" and "Under The Apple Tree" in particular. This book also tells the story of how Wakefield's first novel, "Going All the Way", was made into a movie, with much involvement and enthusiasm from Wakefield himself. The book is quite episodic in its narative, and each chapter seems to move from one crisis and/or triumph to another. My favorite chapter deals with the time that Wakefield attended a supposedly Jung-ian "Post Christian" retreat, which in fact turned out to be nothing short of an anti-Christian brainwashing camp! The way in which Wakefield wisely deals with the pushy "Post Christian" group leaders, and verbally defends his faith in Christ along the way (under the worst of adversity and peer-pressure!), makes for some real page-turning moments! Some traditional Christian readers may be put off by Wakefield's almost brutal honesty in places. He admits to alcohol and drug abuse (although he has since gotten sober). He recounts several unhealthy sexual releationships, with a variety of diverse and willing women, and he is not above using occassional profanity. But if these things do not scare you away, then "How Do We Know When It's God" is well worth your time and money!



3. As always, Dan Wakefield offers us an interesting, engaging, honest portrayal of his spiritual hunger--a craving that both leads him to places of darkness as well as hope. Without self-pity, Wakefield offers his mistakes and shortcomings as part of the pilgrimage of growth. This book, like his others, are candid and refreshing--the perfect read for imperfect pilgrims searching for an authentic voice in the world of spirituality.



4. Wakefield described this book as "how not to do it", an extremely accurate description. In addition to being very informative, it is an extremely enjoyable read. He leads the reader through all of his victories AND his (many) mistakes and defeats. Although this book doesn't contain all "the answers", I felt so much better just knowing that the spiritual wilderness I am currently traversing has been survived by someone who lived to write about it! Thanks Dan!



5. Dan Wakefield is that rare writer who calls himself to reckon for his acts and thoughts and by his courageous example calls the reader to ask the hard questions of himself. Written with humor and humility, How Do We Know When It's God is a light in the darkness.

No comments about Stories Of Survival: Mountaineering & Exploration.

5 comments about East to the Dawn : The Life of Amelia Earhart.

1. I agree with the author who wrote the review, "Excellent descriptions of her flights; short on criticism." As an aviator and a student of history I was excited to find a book purported to have done such research on the subject. I was disappointed in the balance and lack of critical analysis. I was very disappointed in the writing skills of the author. There are numerous grammatical errors that are anathema to a writer who has honed her skills. These errors should not have escaped freshman composition courses. In addition there are a plethora of misplaced modifiers. I have had to reread many sentences to determine about whom the author is discussing.
   
   One review mentioned factual errors. Those errors lead one to question the accuracy or the rest of the research. Another reviewer questioned the balance of analysis and balance of the work. I have to agree with that reviewer.
   
   Overall the work is a bit disappointing.



2. I can't believe the author spent 10 years researching this book. I've found two errors in the first chapter. Pottawatomie Creek (pg 12) is not west of Atchison, Ks. It's approximately two hours to the south. Kansas State University (pg 23) is in Manhattan, Ks. It does not have a law school. The law school is located at the University of Kansas in Lawrence. These facts could be easily verified in a short amount of time.



3. I appreciate the author's honoring Amelia Earhart, someone I, along with millions of people, admire and hold in high esteem. Regardless, I believe it is a biographer's purpose to present as accurate a presentation of someone as the evidence on record provides. The lack thereof of a few important points and this author's omitting relevant facts, that Amelia was NOT considered, among the top women pilots of her day, to be the best woman pilot by any means and most importantly, that Amelia and her celebrity rose specifically due to her business partner and publicity agent George Palmer Putnam. Putnam had been looking for a talented female pilot to ride the Friendship flight that initially made Amelia famous. From thereon, it was publicity stunts arranged by Putnam and his huge publicity machine that enabled Amelia to take off in more than her plane. It was also the onset of the new film industry that enabled Amelia to get so much worldwide attention, through news reels on the earliest movie screens, all arranged by Putnam.
   
   Whatever Amelia's lacking of extensive training as a pilot (as noted by interviews of the top female pilot who knew Amelia) had also been overshadowed by her other talents and tireless contributions in other areas. It was Amelia's drive, talent, skills and her decision to continue with Putnam as her publicity agent, who she eventually married, that made her the best known woman pilot, not her being the best female pilot in the world as this biographer states in clear error.
   
   More seriously, this author fails to comprehend the severity or examine the final flight and how disaster could have been averted, in claiming in the forward that Amelia was a woman of great judgement. Here, I disagree since it is obvious to anyone that the FIRST attempt at a round-the-world flight that ended in a crash, should have been an indicator more flight training was needed to continue, rather than just repairs to the plane. The author fails to address how unnecessary it was for Amelia to surrender her life to being a legend in her last fatal flight, when she began cutting corners in preparation, all due to pressure from her husband George Palmer Putnam.
   
   I do understand the author's wanting to honor the memory of Amelia, to recover from what was a form of failure of the way her final flight ended, I just don't feel the certain omissions of relevant facts is the nature of what a biography should do. Nor do I appreciate this biographer's attempt to disspell any links with Amelia possibly being a feminist lesbian ahead of her time, such as stated in the forward in which the author strongly disputes Amelia rejecting men. Two men were in fact, pressuring Amelia on a continual basis to overcome her natural tendency to reject them as life long partners in marriage. This biographer, wanting to disspell any rumors of the possibility of Amelia being a feminist lesbian, remains in denial of these facts of continual rejection of men, and of their pressuring Amelia up to her final fateful flight.



4. East to the Dawn is very well-researched, going to many primary sources for information, but not very well-written. There are many cases in which I was aggravated by Butler's choice of words or annoying editorializing.

   However, any book about Amelia Earhart which features so many of her own words cannot possibly fail. Her letters, remarks, interviews burst out of the text full of personality, wit, and intelligence. It is no less than shocking how completely contemporary seems, and how inspiring she could be. We can only hope that in the future there are other perfect marriages of a remarkable person and remarkable circumstance, for Amelia Earhart and the early days of aviation were made for each other. Though somewhat clumsily, this book gets this across and for that it is very much worth reading.




5. This was a very interesting and informative book.
   I feel like it really let me know Amelia.
   Only thing I did not like about it was that the begining was
   a little slow. A little too much time spent on her ancestors.

5 comments about Hidden Treasures: Searching for Masterpieces of American Furniture.

1. This is an excellent book, well-written and very entertaining as well as informative. The Keno brothers, Leslie and Leigh, are passionate enthusiasts for American antique furniture and their overall approach in this book is lively and down-to-earth. It is easy to see why the Kenos are such highly respected figures in the antiques world. Highly recommended also for it's crisp photos.



2. The Keno brothers are classic examples of what can happen when someone starts on something young and sticks with it through their entire life.
   We all saw Tiger Woods out-putt Johnny Carson when he was 3 years old... Warren Buffett had read every book on finance the Omaha Public Library had available by the time he was 11. The Kenos follow a similar path, only instead of golf or investing, they chose Antiquities.
   
   The one thing that rings very clear is that knowledge, much like interest, compounds at an impressive rate. How early you start your journey can very well determine how far you eventually go with it. The reader can easily imagine the two determined twins in their early teen years, scouting out flea markets for stoneware or "the good stuff".
   
   In reading this book, it provides the reader with a profound insight into who these guys are- how they can know SO much about this stuff and why they've both gone so far in this field.
   
   All in all, a solid four out of five stars. An easy, very interesting read that sheds light into a very exclusive world that was conquered by a couple of twins with endless enthusiasm and a desire to learn.



3. Honestly these two guys make my skin crawl, but they really know their furniture, they are like encyclopedias of knowledge, not quite the great Albert Sack, but getting there. This is a very interesting book on some amazing furniture, and the stories are amazing. These guys really have an eye for a treasure I must admit, but i cant help shaking the image of them on their show, they are just really odd, like some old money WASP, from Newport or Long Island, I have a feeling in thirty years they will have their own Grey Garden.



4. I looked forward to this book but found it sorely lacking.
   
   My biggest gripe is that the brothers jump in a few pages from their modest upbringing to b ig shot dealers wheeling and dealing million(s) dollars items, There is no discussion of how this jump was made, or how they could manage to finance the huge purchase prices they describe. Further the books deals in antiques that only the top .00001 percent of the population could actually buy. Nor is there anything about the business end of things, like how one becomes a top line dealer.
   
   Instead of focusing on real tips and experiences acquiring items that a serious (middle class) collector could hope to acquire, they focus on items that most millionaires would find expensive.
   
   Don't expect this book to have any relevancy to you.



5. I bought a cassette tape of Hidden treasures from Amazon.com for $17.95.
   
   Leslie and Leigh Keno take turns reading their chapters that they wrote for their book themselves. They do a great job and I greatly enjoyed hearing their story told in their own voices. I found them deeply engaging and I loved hearing their story of roaming the rural hills near their home in Mohawk NY, as they rode tautem on a small motor bike looking for long lost treaures near their home; in the form of old barn hinges, or digging through garbage dumps that were over a hundred years old. And their mom who'd see them leave and say, "their go the twins go, off in their own little world." And they do seem to go off in their own world a lot of the time.
   
   Leslie Keno went to an interview at the Mather House admissions building that he was applying to the University there, and ended up crawling around on the floor examining the undersides and legs of furnature. A little later he got a tap on the shoulder as it was time for the interview, and he remembered the concerned looks of parents as he walked by. He didn't say it, but I wondered if he was embarrassed?
   
   Later on in another chapter describing a highly stylized pier table complete with womanly head and upper torso figures that supported the top of the table--I think it was Leslie that time too--Even though he and his brother made a real effort to carefully pronouce each word and keep the pacing even; Leslie almost but not quite stumbled over the word bosom. Yes Leslie, it is a bosom and some call them breasts too. But I thought it was sweet that he almost flubbed. Leigh on the other hand had no trouble telling about an almost sensual moment he had as he was running his hands over a seat cushion(yes, I said a seat cushion), then turned it over to check the underside for the age of the piece.
   
   If you think that this book is a primer for how to be a antique dealer you would be mistaken, and you'd also be mistaken if you thought this would be a dry uninteresting book. Instead what we have here is a very honest look at how two young men grew-up in a very loving, and supporting family. And how their interest in antiques was nutured. It really is interesting seeing how these two brothers evolved into the top notch antique dealers, and appraisers that they are today.
   
   The only thing that disapointed me was; I would have liked to have heard more about their youth.
   
   I highly recommend the book on cassette or in book form. Right now I'm wondering what I missed not having the actual book? Probably a whole lot more pictures. Okay! I'm ordering the book right now!

No comments about London - The Biography (London a Biography).

1 comments about Clash of the Titans: How the Unbridled Ambition of Ted Turner and Rupert Murdoch Has Created Global Empires That Control What We Read and Watch Each Day.

1. Rupert vs. Ted! Ted vs. Rupert! Great, easy to read narrative of the most modern media battle. If you want to know about the ideology and shenanigans behind Mr. Fair & BalancedTM, this is the book.

5 comments about Listening for the Crack of Dawn (American Storytelling).

1. I first started this book when my mom read it to me when I was very young.
   Now it is one of my favorites. It is hillarious, exiting, and touching all at the same time. If you want a book to read to your kids this is it!



2. My son recommended this to me, when I had complained that I wanted a book that was cheerful. The first chapter was definitely the best of all, and it is what kept me reading through the rest of the book, which was also good.



3. I've read this book at least two dozen times. I read it once for myself, and each year I read it to my new batch of 7th graders. Everyone loves it. (There are a few parts I don't read to my students.) Every time I pick it up, I fall in love with the characters and am so glad to be part of their lives again! It's funny and sad and is so amazingly real. One year my students wrote Mr. Davis, and he replied. Mr. Davis and I corresponded back and forth for a few letters, and he was seemed like a great guy.



4. These stories get played on every long car ride our family makes, and all of us (from the first grader on up) are rapt. Davis uses his gentle voice and sly humor to paint unforgettable portraits of beloved relatives, local eccentrics, and lost friends. The stories are fresh and moving each time we hear them; in fact, the repeated listenings increase our appreciation for the mastery of Davis' telling.
   
   This is family entertainment of the highest order.



5. I don't think anyone can listen to Donald Davis tell his Different Drummer story and not be touched by it. Just it alone is worth the price of the set of cassettes. You also get to hear LSMFT (yes, that's the title of the story), which has a nearly perfect ending. Each is a story so good that you wish you could forget it, so that you'd have the pleasure of listening to it again for the first time.

1 comments about Adventures of Big Foot Wallace.

1. Big-Foot Wallace is a true Texas icon. He was on the famous Miers Expedition which explored West Texas. He also served as one of the original Texas Rangers. The reader does't know if what he reads in the story actually happend. Much of if did, but Duval added some stories to make it a better yarn. The humor is dry and understated fitting with typical West Texas sensiblity.

1 comments about Mao's Last Dancer: Library Edition.

1. I loved the book (on tape) MAO'S LAST DANCER. It was very interesting. One feels a warmth and empathy toward the author and a new appreciation for what the human body can do when the owner is determined and steadfast.
   Cunxin's account is warm and very worthwhile. To me, it encourages and inspires the listener in many ways. Very, very worthwhile listening!!!

5 comments about Forgiving the Dead Man Walking: Only One Woman Can Tell the Entire Story.

1. Having struggled with the issue of forgiveness in my own life, I truly related to what was conveyed in this book. I commend Debbie on her courage in sharing her story, and God's work in her life.



2. Along with this, Michael Varnado's "Victims of Dead Man Walking" gives excellent insight into the true story of the murders/rapists and their victims. Those crimes did not just affect the ones directly involved, but the entire community.



3. This was written by, or on behalf of, Debbie Morris, one of the victims of Robert Willie, a death row inmate supported by Sister Helen Prejean, as recounted in her book Dead Man Walking: An Eyewitness Account Of The Death Penalty In The United States. As such, I think anyone interested in Prejean's work will want to read it, and I recommend reading Michael Varnado's Victims of Dead Man Walking (also issued as Losing Faith) and Dead Family Walking: The Bourque Family Story of Dead Man Walking by D.D. Devinci for other points of view.
   
   I read this book when it first came out, and I have pondered it for all the years since. As an account of enduring and surviving a grotesque crime, this is a very moving account. As a comment about dealing with such issues, I found it unsatisfying.
   
   The first problem is the ambiguities of the relationship between Morris and Prejean. Let me say that I have considerable admiration for Prejean, certainly more than for most people on her side of the death issue. At least she doesn't dismiss the victims as irrelevant. This story is told as a memoir, so Morris attempts to recount her feelings at the time, which are not necessarily how she feels looking backward. Before she met Prejean, Morris tells us that she was extremely critical of her for accepting without question what Robert Willie told her. Her anger was quite justified. It wouldn't have been difficult for Prejean to find other accounts. But now that Morris and Prejean are such great friends, does this criticism still stand? Further, it becomes clear that Prejean has no qualms about lying through her teeth to further her claims. She said in her interviews prior to Willie's execution that he was remorseful, a changed man. Willie contradicted her in his own interviews. She admits to Morris that Willie wasn't, and probably wasn't capable of being remorseful. Neither she nor Morris seem to have dealt with this untruthfulness.
   
   I am bewildered by Morris' remarks about forgiveness. Many people who write on the issue of forgiveness have the odd idea that if one hasn't forgiven someone, one thinks of them obsessively, eaten up with anger. I had a friend who was murdered; I certainly haven't forgiven the murderer. He received a sentence that satisfies my sense of justice and I have almost forgotten him. I often think lovingly of my friend, but the only time that I think of him is when someone brings up this forgiveness issue. One of the proponents of forgiveness insisted that I must have forgiven him in some sense, but I insisted that I am the arbiter of my own feelings - he is not forgiven one whit. Forgiveness can be just as active and require as much energy as anger.
   
   I'm glad that Morris has learned to cope with what happened to her, but I don't understand it as forgiveness. If she had forgiven him before the trial, would she have refused to testify? If it doesn't affect the course of the law, then what does it mean? Salvation is between the individual soul and God, so that is no explanation either. These are familiar platitudes, which people throw out so unthinkingly, confident that they are self evident, that when they are challenged to explain, they often cannot.
   
   Personally, I recommend Forgiving and Not Forgiving:: Why Sometimes It's Better Not to Forgive by Jeanne Safer as a nuanced look at anger and forgiveness.



4. It's hard to find enough words of praise for this book. Two vicious killers escape from jail and chance on a 16-year-old Christian girl talking with her boyfriend in his car in a small town in Louisiana. The escaped prisoners abduct them at gunpoint and head for Florida. They shoot the boyfriend on the way and leave him for dead on a fire ants' nest. They keep the girl with them, and rape her whenever they feel like it. She finds out they raped and killed at least one other young woman before her.
   
   Debbie Morris survived this terrible ordeal and her testimony put the abductors back in jail. Later she found that a nun had befriended the main killer, Robert Willie, and he was now becoming something of a celebrity, even while headed for the electric chair.
   
   It would have been easy to produce a book that was full of bitterness at the legal system, at the world, and at God. But this book doesn't do that. It is gripping yet sensitive, informative yet reserved, and as forgiving as it is powerful. What I like most about it is that the writers (professional writer Gregg Lewis put it together for Debbie Morris) know exactly when to give details and when to restrain them. For example, many writers would play up the rapes for their sensationalism, but in this book Debbie Morris says "he raped me" and leaves it at that.
   
   This is factual writing at its best. I found it hard to put the book down. And it moved me more than books usually do. I cannot find a thing wrong with it to give it less than a five-star rating.



5. I remember this crime all too well. My cousin (Mark) was Debbie's boyfriend. I was only 9 at the time, but I remember the frantic phone call from my aunt and my dad joining other members of our family as they drove through town looking for Debbie and Mark. I will never forget overhearing the details of the wake of horror that Robert Willie left behind.
   
   Debbie's book is full of courage, honor, and forgiveness. If should be in every victim assistance program and every victim of crime should read it. If you've read Dead Man Walking, you owe it to yourself to read this as well as Mike Varnado's book (he was the investigator who found Faith Hathaway's body). Helen Prejean cannot tell you about the "real" Robert Willie... only his survivor can.