4 comments about Running through My Mind: Confessions of an Every Day Runner.

1. I was recommended this book and I thought, "Great, ANOTHER running book. I hate books about running. They're all the same. Run more, eat better, try this, try that."
   But I was about to drive down to Disney for a marathon, and thought at the very least I could flip through it in the car, and maybe get a couple one liners of inspiration.
   Boy was I wrong.
   I read the first half on the way down, and the second half on the way back.
   If you can appreciate dry humor and benevolent sarcasm then this book is a real treat.
   Scott Ludwig is that guy in line behind you at the supermarket, who strikes up a conversation, and just talks to you. He doesn't brag, he doesn't preach, he doesn't coach, he doesn't teach. He just talks. In this case he was talking to me.
   Everything everyone has said is true. Take it to heart. This man is an incredible runner, a humorous writer, and an interesting story teller.
   Treat yourself, and let him talk to you.



2. Many years ago, Scott set three distinct running goals for himself: run 100 marathons; run 1000 races; and run 100,000 miles. As of the fall of 2007, Scott had completed 136 marathons, 686 races, and 110,000+ miles. "Two outta three ain't bad." Especially considering it's only a matter of time until he completes 1000 races.
   
   But there's more to it than just the statistics above. Scott has also completed the Western States 100 Miler (after two attempts), and even more impressive, he completed the granddaddy ultramarathon of them all, the 135 mile Badwater Ultramarathon from Death Valley to Mount Whitney (held annually in July, no less!). He has extended his running streak to over 29 years running consecutively every day for over 10,000 days. In 2001 he founded the Darkside Running Club dedicated to ultramarathon runners and began publishing their newsletter, "Tales from the Darkside," the following year. In 2002 the club hosted its first annual Peachtree City 50K, an ongoing certified ultramarathon.
   
   Oh, yeah, in between all that running, he also found time to write and publish a book. All this and much, much more is covered in his tome entitled, Running Through My Mind: Confessions of an Every Day Runner. From the mundane to the outrageous, Scott covers in detail how he got started in running after some false starts at other sports through his current status as one of the best known ultramarathoners in the U.S. Injected with a lethal dose of humor owing to his wry outlook on life, Scott does his literary hero and role model, Lewis Grizzard, proud. Scott includes his whole family in on the act so to speak, including his dog Magic, as each one gets to comment on the influence Scott's running has had on their lives and vice versa.
   
   Fellow runners, Darkside club members, other ultramarathoners, and many others all contribute to make Scott's book a truly diverse journey through the trials and tribulations, achievements and disappointments, and flat out hilarious events encountered during his 30 year running career. So what does Scott have in mind for the next 30 years of running?? You'll just have to buy the book to find out.



3. I have read a hundred-and-umpty-ump-point-two books about Running, and this is THE BEST! It is Inspirational, Entertaining, Informative, Inspirational, (had I said that yet!?), Humorous, Fascinating, and Inspirational! I would recommend it to anyone who runs, or is thinking about starting running, or can spell the word "RUN"!



4. April 17th, 1978 was a very special day for me. I still remember it as though it were yesterday. My heart was bursting with pride as I crossed the finish line of my first Boston Marathon! I was on top of the world!
   
   Little did I know that, on that day, there was a guy living in Gainesville, Florida with a 38" waist and weighing 194lbs who would eventually become one of my best friends and would finish ahead of me in every one of the 100 plus races that we have run together over the years! That person, of course, is Scott Ludwig. The unbelievable story of his 30 year running life is the subject of this book.
   
   Scott has two gifts. One is a perseverance that has enabled him to run every single day for almost 30 years, and the other is an amazing talent for writing. His "Lewis Grizzard" style makes for a wonderful read that is hard to put down. Some of his stories will bring tears to your eyes and some will make you fall out of your chair with laughter. And the scary thing is- they're all true!
   
   -Al Barker

5 comments about Me May Mary.

1. Mary's journey is truly extraordinary! I couldn't put the book down. She is an amazing human being to have overcome such adversity! Great read!



2. My career was as the Director of a rape treatment center and child protection team. Having read Mary's book, I assure you that it is a compelling read, hauntingly told without hysteria or histrionics. In an almost eerily pragmatic tone, Mary tells her story of a seriously deprived childhood in which she quickly adapted and accepted the status quo. It is a story with which many of us can identify because of the slow, insidious, and steady impact of growing up in families that not only cannot provide the basic necessities of life such as food and shelter, but do not provide safety, security, or emotional and psychological support. As children we are great at taking responsibility for the family. Mary's story is a plain truth story of survival and determination. I was quite moved and I've heard it all.



3. Could not put the book down. What a quality written autobiography that reads more like a fiction. Entertaining, motivational and educational. No "poor me" in this one - just the facts told in a straightforward manner. As a professional who has worked in the field of Behavioral and Mental Health, I can highly recommend this book to adults AND teens. After reading what Mary experienced as a child and what she overcame to become an educated, successful and caring adult you too will understand that it IS possible!



4. This insightful and touching memoir - Catcher in the Rye meets Horatio Alger - makes you wonder how a young woman exposed to such a difficult and deprived childhood can graduate from high school, not to mention earning a PhD from Harvard and becoming a leader in her profession. Even with elaborate support systems in place, most of us accomplish much less. Mary Kilgour's story is just an incredible eye-opener, told with such self-deprecating humor and honesty that you'll find yourself laughing and crying - and happy to learn that Ms Kilgour is now working to help children who are growing up facing some of the same issues she did!



5. I loved this book. Like most of the books I love, it offers a glimpse into a reality so different from my own. BTW, I can't stand depressing books...although Mary had a tough childhood, her book never left me feeling depressed.
   
   I let a woman at my work read it after me and she loved it too!

5 comments about Traveling Light: Chasing an Illuminated Life.

1. "God is in the details..." If anyone lives the truth of this well known statement, it is Deborah DeWit Marchant, the author of Traveling Light. Ms. DeWit Marchant's fascination with light and how it effects whatever it falls upon heightens her awareness of her surroundings. She sees a transcendental beauty in every detail of ordinary life and is able to convey this special beauty--its mystery and elusiveness--in her paintings and in her photography. And if such a talent were not enough, she is also a brilliant writer who shares with us the journey of her life, her personal world and her feelings in an exceptionally insightful way.
   
   The way in which light affects an object is not something many people particularly notice. But for Ms. DeWit Marchant, the existence of light is an essential value in her life. Whatever she looks at, be it inside or outside, is affected by the way light does or does not illuminate it. Not the typical coffee-table book, Traveling Light is a small book with relatively small images on one side of a page and her mesmerizing, descriptive passages on the other. Her photography has given me a new awareness of light. Because it is so subtle, I sometimes cannot actually see the light imbued in her images; yet I can feel its presence.
   
   The author's life has been deeply enriched by the aliveness of her five senses. This is best conveyed by her following descriptive passage:
   
   "On a winter morning I arrived at work early, before anyone else. Our first snow had fallen in the night. The air was damp and soft. Everything had been swept clean by the light dusting. The white, muffled silence was nearly complete. Only the scrape of wooden flats against asphalt echoed across the lot as I heaved boxes of plants up from their protection beneath the tables.
   
   I paused, panting. Clouds of breath lingered long and cottony around me. My heat-throbbing cheeks welcomed the slap of frozen air. I stood still and gazed about me: the wet blacktop was blue and pink with the reflected morning sky; the droopy, stalwart pansies had been wilted by the sudden shock of frost; and the sawdust pile, snow-capped like a mountain, was forested with bare, pruned roses waiting for me to bury their shivering dormant roots in pots of warm black soil."
   
   Marchant masterfully captures light falling on a flower, a chair, a meadow, a door, a piece of wood, etc. Her subjects are beautiful and limitless. She writes that she was raised on a farm and loved it--the sound and sturdiness of the tractor, the light and mustard yellows of the wheat fields, the rich brown of the earth, the glistening pond, the brilliance or haziness of the sky. Early on, she was drawn to the presence of light in its limitless hues and shadings; its illumination of the essence of things; its effect on the mood of a scene. Taking nothing for granted, she marvels at the world in all its subtle nuances and transformations with an eye for mystery, a sensitivity to sensation, and a need to capture those sensations on film, understand them and share them with others.
   
   Her photographic journey began when she was fifteen with her father's 35mm camera. Today, she brings a special uniqueness to every photograph, capturing the ethereal quality of ever-changing light. Cows grazing in a field are not just cows grazing in a field. Marchant observes, "...the steam that rose from their hot wet skins, like mist on the surface of a warm river after a shower of green-grey rain," and she insists on capturing that sensory image.
   
   Her writing so beautifully complements her photographic images, making this book is unlike any photography book I have seen. The tiniest detail has a seemingly invisible quality that she is determined to capture.
   
   Marchant's willingness to discuss her own internal changes and new experiences with such candor added to my pleasure in reading this book. For me, the wonder of her talent in Traveling Light is twofold. First, I now see the mystery of light as never before. Secondly, as the author reveals her inner changes, she assists me in preparing for my own changes. What a unique and extraordinary gift this talented artist has given me...a gift that enriches me daily.
   
   by Duffie Bart
   for Story Circle Book Reviews
   reviewing books by, for, and about women



2. This book is just beautiful. As a matter of fact taking pictures is write with ligth. And those memories and images help us to do the same, call back what we had lived.



3. Every once in a while, a small gem of a book appears on the landscape; that is at once both humble and profound. Deborah Dewit Marchant's Traveling Light: Chasing an Illuminated Life is just such a gem.
   
   A small book - but only physically - it contains some of the most beautifully tranquil, ethereal imagery I have seen in a long while; only to be enhanced by a generous sampling of poetic musings on the artist's life of yearning and searching for sources of illumination, from both outward sources and those inwardly directed.
   
   One of the purest forms of "fine-art" photography - with an emphasis very much on art - is when "mere images" are used by the artist to convey both personal realities and universal truths. This can only happen when the artist has so mastered the symbolic language of his/her own creation, that the distinction between inner and outer either blurs, or disappears altogether. Images become both figure and ground, are both context for deeper meaning and meaning giving rise to deeper contexts, and simultaneously represent objective "reality" and the most mysterious, deeply subjective, inner experiences. The highest form of "fine-art photography not only pleases us aesthetically (and, maybe, intellectually), but also teaches us something timeless about ourselves. It is a mystery how an image captured by one person can teach some other person something about him/her self; but when it happens it is often magical, and points to hidden realms of shared experiences and realities.
   
   By this measure of "fine-art" photography, at least, Marchant's art, as witnessed by the work appearing in her beautiful first book, is masterful indeed! I suspect that many will want to keep this volume by their bedside, if only to be gently reminded at the end of a stressful day that there is great joy and grace in the world, and that more of us would be able to see it, if only we could train our eyes, our hearts and souls to recognize it. Marchant has gone out and captured it for us, and I, for one, wish to thank her for sharing her experience.
   
   Anyone who is not spiritually moved by this stunning book of "illuminated poetry" cannot possibly be alive. If Alfred Steiglitz were alive today, I am sure he'd proclaim, "Yes, yes, THIS is why photography is art!"



4. Deborah DeWit Marchant holds a lantern of light beckoning her readers to follow a path toward a oneness with nature. Her first book, 'Traveling Light: Chasing an Illuminated Life', will most assuredly not be her last: those who are fortunate to engage this artist/poet will demand more.
   
   There are three books contained within the cover of one. This is a portfolio of some of the most atmospheric, luminous photographs of nature all be herself, images bathed in light from the sun, from the reflected whispers of fog and dew, from the incomplete sanctity of windows or doors that to others may ominously speak of privacy but to Marchant speak of invitation.
   
   Then there are the liquid words of sharing discovery, the nascent eyes of the child seeing through the portal of the lens of a camera the first time and using that key to follow beauty around the globe devotedly - an autobiography of sorts if labels need be placed - the journey of the growth of a fine artist.
   
   Then there is a line of poetry that celebrates retinal curiosity with the magic of light, settling in on word paintings of horizons and vistas, things old and forgotten, and things alive and growing and weaving into the cycle of life. Marchant sees them all, stills them for that moment with the shutter of her camera, and then ruminates.
   
   One longs for a large format of the breathtaking images Marchant captures. Though this book is beautifully designed by Phil Kovacevich it is small in format and for this reader the size of the book pleads for expansion. But this is her first book. Her art is widely shared in the Pacific Northwest: it needs to be drawn into the galleries and museums and homes that finger away from her Oregon home.
   
   Few books will affect the reader and the viewer with the simple quiet power as TRAVELING LIGHT. Lest anyone wonder, light here refers to illumination source, but the title could also describe the journey of an artist who spent years of her creative life traveling alone, light, and at the consideration of encountered friends - and nature's respite. We will hear and see more from Deborah DeWit Marchant. This is a book of love. It deserves sharing. Grady Harp, November 06



5. "One day I wandered to the beach at the end of a chilly, wet winter's afternoon. I stood alone, on a shimmering expanse of low-tide sand. In a spitting, twirling wind I watched the sea and sky shift in harmony from grey to silver to blue to cream to yellow to bronze to pink to mauve to orange and then join together and plunge into darkness." ~ Deborah DeWit Marchant
   
   Traveling Light will inspire you to write more imaginatively, take pictures with an added sense of introspection and live life with heightened awareness. Very few books have the ability to capture the heart almost instantly and yet in Traveling Light you know you will love this book from the moment you read the first page.
   
   Lush poetic prose illuminates the pages and introduces us to the thoughts filtering through a photographer's mind while we observe the moments captured and lovingly collected in this captivating book.
   
   The photographs include moments in time from Scotland, France, England and Western Australia. Stunning images from Oregon, Indiana, Washington, South Carolina, North Carolina and Missouri explore her travel experiences closer to home.
   
   Forty-seven gifts of light grace the pages in this poetic work revealing the inner life of the artist and the external observations inspiring the artistic life. Each image seems to reveal a purity within the complexity of scenes ranging from soft pastel blue ocean waves to mysterious winding staircases and light filtering through arched doorways tempting you to run outside into the warmth.
   
   Deborah De Wit Marchant's writing style can leave even the most astute reader a little breathless. Her creative flow rocks with the rhythms of an eloquent unveiling of the soul as she pounces on the perfect description page after page. Even in novels I have never seen such beauty in the portrayal of landscapes, moments and images only a language artist could reveal.
   
   ~The Rebecca Review

5 comments about Banker to the Poor: Micro-Lending and the Battle against World Poverty.

1. A well written book about how Yunus successfully lent money to impoverished people in Bangladesh and, in so doing, empowered them to create better lives for themselves. The pages echo Yunus's faith in the human spirit, his dedication to eradicating poverty, and his tenacity to succeed in the face of naysayers cries. He talks about the origins of the banks name, The Grameen Bank and notes that Grameen derives from the word gram, or village.
   
   Yunus denounces typical methods of poverty reduction, such as those that tie funds to skills training. And he acknowledges that he has critics in this regard. He writes, "I firmly believe that all human beings have an innate skill. I call it the survival skill. The fact that the poor are alive is clear proof of their ability. They do not need us to teach them how to survive; they already know how to do this. So rather than waste our time teaching them new skills, we try to make maximum use of their existing skills. Giving the poor access to credit allows them to immediate put into practice the skills they already know - to weave, husk rice patty, raise cows, peddle a rickshaw." (p. 140).



2. Banker To The Poor: Micro-Lending and the Battle Against World Poverty
   This is a life changing book! This book will change the way that you think about poverty and how to end it. In this book, Professor Yunus tells of his own journey in first recognising that the University in which he lectured in Economics, needed to impact his local community, and secondly, doing something about it. The book has all of the elements of a good novel, humour, romance, and drama, but it is so much more. Buy this book, read this book, and then join Kiva.org to make a difference.



3. This audio book was absolutely wonderful. I found it really inspiring and engaging. I was really surprised by how interesting it was, I was afraid it would be a little dry but that wasn't true at all. I enjoyed every chapter. This book really did make me want to change my life, it gave me a lot to think about that I'm still working with. In fact I hope I never stop thinking about it and the issues it opened up.
   
   The reader was very good, he had enough inflection in his voice to keep it interesting, but did not over play the words. It was the sort of narration that provided a similar feeling to reading myself, where I could put my own emphasis and voice to the words and not be distracted by the an overly dramatic narrator.



4. Banker to the Poor is a really clear way of explaining what microfinance is as well as showing the drastic difference that $40 can make in people's lives. Shows the humanitarianism of microlending, why it's better than just giving people money, and how it can be a useful tool to help many people. I really recommend this book for anyone, and especially so for anyone interested in helping others or setting up programs to help others (my church is using microlending now).



5. Muhammad Yunus constructed a system in Bangladesh to help the poorest of the poor get loans for tiny amounts of money. Since its inception 1980, variations on this system have spread all over the world with great success.
   
   Yunus starts with the premise that credit should be a right, not a privilege, and the people who need credit the most are the ones locked out of the standard credit system. He recounts a story of a woman who makes bamboo stools. She borrows money to buy the raw materials from a middleman, and as repayment for that loan, she is forced to give the finished stool back to him. He then pays her 2 cents for her work. The raw materials cost only 22 cents, and if she just had that capital herself, she could buy her own bamboo and reap all of the profits from the final sale of the stool. But she doesn't have 22 cents and therefore is effectively a debt slave.
   
   Most people who hear about the concept of microfinance for the poor immediately ask, "Why do poor people pay the loans back?" The answer provided in "Banker to the Poor" is multi-faceted and not wholly satisfying, but it is clear that the system does work. Repayment rates are generally higher than loans given to the so-called credit worthy in standard loan arrangements. A rate of over 98% has been achieved.
   
   Repayment is encouraged by a combination of (1) a high level of interaction between bank workers and the borrower's communities, (2) fair and respectful treatment by the bank, (3) the formation local peer groups to encourage repayment, (4) short loan terms with weekly payments, (5) loans primarily to women, and (6) the fact that the borrowers know this is their one shot -- if they shirk repayment, they are screwed. Their *lives* are their collateral.
   
   The book is an easy, entertaining read, and the enthusiasm of the author for the topic is clear. His stories of individuals who have risen out of poverty through micro-loans is stirring, but toward the end of the book, he talks about poverty in a more philosophical way, and one can't help criticizing his idealism. He proposes a version of socially-conscious capitalism that he claims could help eradicate poverty from the entire world. Under his proposed system, corporations would be motivated by the sum of social utility and profit, not just profit alone. It's a nice thought, but it seems a little naive. But perhaps it takes such unbridled idealism to truly make an important difference in the world, as it seems Yunus has done.

2 comments about On Hashish.

1. Benjamin aptly describes the bipolar nature of his own intoxicated illumination when he writes that, in "the imagination put in thrall to thinking during hashish intoxication," there are two "different sorts of powers: a genius of melancholy gravity, another of Ariel-like spirituality." Here, first, is an illustration of Benjamin's genius for melancholic heaviness: "In the end, things are merely mannequins, and even the great moments of world history are only costumes beneath which they exchange glaces of complicity with nothingness, with the petty and the banal. Such nihilism is the innermost core of bourgeois coziness -- a mood that in hashish intoxication concentrates to satanic contentment, satanic knowing, satanic calm..." Here, next, an example of his more uplifting, "Ariel-like spirituality": "Versailles, for one who has taken hashish, is not too large, nor eternity too long. Against the background of these immense dimensions of inner experience, of absolute duration and immeasurable space, a wonderful, beatific humor dwells all the more fondly on the contingencies of the world of space and time." In the end, sadly, the darkness seems to have won out over the light in Bejamin's own life, but one wonders whether that fate would have been averted had he not lived through such dark days? Still, Benjamin believed in the revolutionary potential of the experiences he describes in this book to lighten the times, and he came to advocate a "profane illumination" that would be capable of recapturing the transformative insights hashish (and also opium and mescaline) afforded without continually requiring the drugs themselves. Such ideas seem to me to be well worth pondering.
   
   This is wonderful, nostalgia-inducing, provocative collection of Benjamin's waking dreams and wandering reflections.



2. I bought this book because it came as a bit of a shock to me that the uptight highbrow metaphysician, Walter Benjamin, had experimented with hashish. I knew, as one does, about his suicide by taking a morphine tablet. But I imagined that this was a one time thing, done as a way of escaping Nazi arrest.
   
   Well, what do we get when a rather tedious, uptight German metaphysician smokes some pot? An uptight, convoluted, ponderous description of it. German philosophers tend to write this way you know, as any reader who has had to plough through Kant and Hegel is well aware.
   
   In today's era, when every other suburban housewife smokes a joint from time to time, all these "insights" cited by the editorials seem more than absurd. They rise to the level of high camp. All this convoluted, philosophical introspection to describe the increase in appetite-You know, getting the "munchies"-almost made me titter aloud, as Benjamin does when he ingests the drug, and acts as if this is some profound revelation about the absurdity of existence. I'm sure we all remember those dorm room giggles.
   
   Yes, one can argue that this is a jaded age and that our familiarity with all these effects does not vitiate a profound philosopher's insights. I wouldn't want to argue it though.
   This age is not any more jaded than the one in which Benjamin took his life rather than be captured by the mass murderers unleashed throughout Europe at the time. And his insights are not profound. They're typical of German metaphysical twaddle, and, as such, excruciatingly tedious and boring.
   
   Maybe there is somebody out there who would appreciate this book, some pale admirer of the German metaphysicians who is still rereading Hegel to unlock his insights. They don't exist - that goes for Benjamin as well as Hegel.

5 comments about The Everlasting Stream: A True Story of Rabbits, Guns, Friendship, and Family.

1. The Everlasting Stream, by Walt Harrington, is a hunting book that isn't a book about hunting. I had read a brief review about this book being a good addition to the pro-hunting literature. Well, it was, in a sense. Harrington is a fine writer, and most pro-hunting books tend to focus on the charismatic megafauna like deer and elk. Harrington's focus is on the common and ordinary, the prolific cottontail. No trophy hunting here; this is all about hunting for meat.
   
   What does Harrington say in defense of hunting?
   
   "Animals bleed. Live with it" (p. 146).
   
   "It doesn't matter to a rabbit what kills him - fever, flukes, worms, weather, hawks, or me. The rabbit is dead" (p. 184).
   
   "Killing an animal doesn't deaden the human conscience; it enlivens it" (p. 184).
   
   "Hunting isn't golf or tennis, which demand only technical mastery. Hunting isn't merely an exercise in male bonding, as so many believe. Hunting has moral gravitas" (p. 185).
   
   "It is people who enjoy the fruits of the kill without feeling the ominous responsibility of the killing who are morally delinquent" (p. 186).
   
   "I'm not supposed to hunt without guilt. I'm supposed to hunt despite the guilt" (p. 187).
   
   "Long ago, a woman at my table said to me, 'I can't believe you killed those little bunnies.' I now know what I should have said in response. 'I can't believe you ate those little bunnies without killing one'" (p. 189).
   
   
   Harrington isn't perfect. He confesses a time when "I fire, and the rabbit tumbles, heels over head. When I reach down, the rabbit suddenly kicks his hind legs violently and drubs my hand twice before I can pull away... I use the butt of my gun like a deadfall and club the rabbit's head. After I do, his left eye dangles from its socket. I take out my knife that I will give to Matt at Christmas, slice the eye free, and put the rabbit in my bag" (p. 214).
   
   I certainly hope he removed the shells from his shotgun before using it as a club. And although Harrington did not appear to be apologetic for his act, there is a line between killing an animal and torturing it. It is this line that society scrutinizes. He hints at its existence with his "It doesn't matter to a rabbit what kills him..." comment; however, it does matter to society, and I would say it should matter to the hunter as well.
   
   With this said, this book is much, much more than a book about hunting. Harrington explores issues of manhood (and boyhood), parenting, memories, and livelihoods. He discusses race relations (Harrington's hunting buddies are black while he is white), politics, friends, and folklore. He reflects on his passions, and eventually makes some drastic, life-altering decisions.
   
   All in 217 pages. The subtitle says it all: The Everlasting Stream: A True Story of Rabbits, Guns, Friendship, and Family.
   
   Harrington's father repeatedly said to him, "Everything's beautiful if you look at it right." I'd say this IS the theme of the book.
   
   If you are not a hunter, keep reading through the hunting scenes. Harrington keeps springing new topics and ideas upon the reader.
   
   There is something here for everyone.



2. 
   brand new book for a great price
   
   a most excellent book
   my husband is enjoying



3. Having married an African-American woman, journalist Walt Harrington found himself expected to maintain the family traditions by going rabbit hunting with his father-in-law, and his friends, every Thanksgiving. At first, Walt looked down on these course, back-country men as throwbacks to an earlier, more primitive way of life. With time, though, he came to realize that these men shared a different, stronger bond than he had ever known. Unconsciously, they showed him what being a man could be all about, and he learned many lessons as he (and later him and his son) hunted rabbits in the hills of Kentucky.

   This book came as quite a surprise to me. I tripped across it by accident, and am quite glad that I did. It's written in a stream-of-consciousness style, which allows the author to skip forward and backward through time, showing his development throughout. Indeed, if you are interested in men's books (such as those by Robert Bly), then I highly recommend that you get this one. It is a fascinating look at life and being a man.




4. A thoughtful, beautifully written, almost poetic meditation on hunting, tradition, friendship, nature and human nature. It is ostensibly about rabbit hunting, but that is not where this book's meaning lies nor where the heart of its story is. Its story and meaning lie with the people, and Harrington writes in a voice so personal that you feel you know him and his family and friends. This is not a book for the PETA crowd, or for those who call rabbits "bunnies." If you've ever hunted, or if you understand the true nature of Nature, you'll enjoy The Everlasting Stream. (Note: This review has been written by a woman who, although she does not hunt, has shot the occasional rabbit when its depredations in her garden have become intolerable and the Hav-a-Hart trap proved ineffectual.)



5. "The Everlasting Stream" is a tale about male relationships, about self discovery and about hunting that does justice to all three subjects. While many books use one story as a vessel to carry another, this develops all three stories simultaneously and completely.

   Author Walt Harrington portrays himself as a snobby Washington Post reporter who finds himself tramping around Kentucky fields, shooting rabbits with his father-in-law's hunting buddies to prove he is not above them.

   Through the Thanksgiving hunts, Harrington comes to respect the men. He comes to understand himself and to wonder how he so misplaced himself. He grows up with his son and reconsiders his relationship with his late father. Through it all, he thinks deeply about the experience of hunting, turning inside out his initial revulsion to it. In the end, the hunts lead him to make a profound change in his life.

   Harrington finds answers, real-life answers, and not the clear-cut, no-regrets answers of cardboard stories.

   As Harrington re-evaluates his life, male friendships and hunting, you will, too. It's a journey worth taking, and Harrington is an engaging guide.

5 comments about Becoming a Doctor: A Journey of Initiation in Medical School.

1. This book is not east to read and Konner make it worse but stuffing it with his psychiatric diagnosis.
   However: if you are a physician you would relive a lot of the nostalgia through this book. He also does portray what goes on the surgical floor and medical floors. Surgical residents are a conceited lot and they eventually learn their lessons in the real world. I was surprised that he was so miserable on the medicine floors so early on, that usually takes a few weeks. and that makes me wonedr if he is one of the 'touchy feely ' doctors who's medical knowledge is 'on the ventilator' but make for it by holding everyone's hand through 'the harrowing times'.
   suffice to say, people in the medical field may like it, I'm not so sure with the laymen.



2. This was an interesting book and I feel that I learned a number of things about medical school education. However, I must agree with the other reviewers that Mr. Konner is a bit of a narcissist and a little too pessimistic. If you can ignore his self-aggrandizing tone and slight pessimism, this can be a fairly interesting and informative read. As far as the literature on medical education, I can't say this book really stands out. I recommend reading "Intern Blues" first.



3. Konner's "Becoming A Doctor" chronicles the experiences, perceptions, & problems he had as a third-year medical student. Konner repeatedly remarks that he was much older than most of his peers as well as many of the residents, but what he doesn't explicitly articulate is his different perspective on patient care and, well, his compassion. He seems more idealistic than most of the other characters in his narrative -- I suspect this may be a consequence of his age & life experiences. Nevertheless, I enjoyed and appreciated the experiences he shared, especially since they are told from the perspective of a man in a different phase of life. There are several books that chronicle life as a medical student --- this is just one --- and this book ought to be regarded as one that deserves a peek for what it is: medical school as experienced from a well-educated man on the verge of middle-age.



4. Although I did enjoy portions of this book, I was also particularly annoyed at his constant misogynistic tone -- women, be they patients or fellow physicians -- are often first described physically, with particular note paid to their attractiveness. It seems that Konner clearly believes he is superior to many of his co-workers, as he repeatedly interrupts the medical narrative to mention his status in the anthropological field. This isn't a terrible book, but it certainly isn't a book I'd recommend to very many people.



5. As someone who's had 2 serious operations in just 6 months, I am now obsessed with all things medical/surgical. I did like this book for its "behind the scenes" look at what a doctor's training is like. However, if I had never had an operation at a great hospital with a great surgeon, with great results, I'd be afraid to go to the hospital, the way some of Konner's peers are described. Obviously, it takes all kinds, but I agree with the reviewers who felt that the more negative personalities received emphasis. But hey, we all have bills to pay, so who am I to argue?
   
   While many people criticized Konner for being arrogant and pompous, I was very surprised that no one noticed something that, to me, was disturbingly obvious; and that was his salacious descriptions of VERY young women. There is a passage in the Pediatrics chapter, I believe, where he describes, with great zeal, how attractive he found a 15 year old girl. You can almost hear him drooling as you read it. There is another spot in the book where he talks about listening to a teenage girl's chest with a stethoscope, and while he does say he feels awkward, you can't also help but sense he was diggin' it. Hope the old boy was able to wipe down the keyboard when he was done writing.
   
   There were some informative things in this book, but I'm glad I had a positive surgical experience BEFORE I read this book. I am a much bigger fan of "Complications" by Atul Gawande.

5 comments about Pomegranate Roads: A Soviet Botanist's Exile from Eden.

1. Wow. This book makes me long for my grad school days. What an inspired story of scientific pursuit, history, evolution, ethnobotany, and the love of pomegranates. I love this book so much I want to eat it. This is a must read. He includes detailed descriptions of plant guilds that would grow well in dry places and some information that could lead readers to find sources of pomegranate germplasm. I love how he weaves his story together. The botanical terminology makes my heart flutter! I want to visit the places he's been. Reading this book right now is especially poignant as many place names he uses have been on the news as sites of bombing and military action. I wish it were not so and this book gives me greater depth of appreciation for the history, ecology, and beauty of these areas.



2. I was expecting just information about pomegranates. Boy did I have pleasant surprise. Pomegranate Roads not only gets the the 'ole taste buds salivating, but it also provides amazing insight into a man with a great passion for his work. Equally impressive is the historical perspective of the fall of the USSR and what it did to this small part of biological diversity as well as the cultural impacts. An excellent memoir unto itself.



3. If you are curious about pomegranates, this is the book for you! Even if you do not eat them or grow them, this is a wonderful story about human passion.



4. I purchased this book primarily to learn about pomegranates as I am in the process of planting a small orchard of pomegranates. I found it to be a wonderful history lesson and an adventure. I am planting several of Dr. Levin's cultivars and have a great appreciation for all of the work he carried out for some 40 years, often at great risk of life. I often felt I was on these adventures and now wonder if I could ever participate in some exploratory treks. It's painful to read how the research stations have been bulldozed and wish more of the 1,117 cultivars could be rescued. It was hard to put this book down and I now have a much greater appreciation for being able to grow some of Dr. Levin's cultivars. I only hope I can do them justice!



5. Some chapters of this book make you feel like you've just watched an Indiana Jones movie, while other chapters would make a great NOVA science episode. On his scientific treasure hunt for exotic pomegranates, Dr.Gregory Levin has--unassumingly-- run into vipers dancing on their tails, and seen cave paintings of kangaroos on the border of Iran and Turkmenistan! Levin knows which godesses were idolized in pomegranates and what the penalty was for felling a pomegranate tree in ancient Egypt. Yet the tone of this adventure is deeply thoughtful. In 1941 when young Levin and his parents were digging trenches around Leningrad in preparation for the seige, Levin watched a drift of butterflies land on a nearby tree. "Their life cycle was ending," Levin says,"and they had all landed on the tree to die. The tree was their cemetary." Here's an author who sees reflections of the human condition in Nature all around us. And like a good hiking companion he doesn't keep pointing things out, but leaves you alone to take it all in for yourself.
   
   Ari Siletz, author of "The Mullah With No Legs and Other Stories."

4 comments about Confessions of a Mormon Boy: Behind the Scenes of the off-Broadway Hit.

1. Steven Fales was born into a typical mormon family in Utah, but realized at a young age that he is gay. The Mormon church (the Church of Jesus Christ of Later Day Saints) teaches that homosexuality is a disease, and Fales at first bought into that nonsense without question. He tried the Church's "reorientation" therapies, got married at a young age and quickly fathered two children.
   
   Of course, everyone suffered as a result. The marriage ended in divorce, and Fales was excommunicated. Fales' life went into a tailspin, but he managed to pull himself out and come to grips with the circumstances of his life. That's the story in a nutshell, a rather remarkable one at that.
   
   Fales' one-man play tells his life story (so far, he is still a relatively young man)in an honest and direct manner. He does not "trash" the Mormon Church. Quite to the contrary, he goes out of his way to mention the good qualities of the Mormon culture -- hard work, charity, treating others well (as far as their religion will allow).
   
   This book consists mostly of the script of the play. While the script is, of course, written for a performance, it is quite readable as a book. It is also quite short.
   
   If you do not know much about the Mormons, Confessions will give you a small and incomplete introduction. Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith provides another very worthwhile but equally incomplete look at Mormons, focusing on some the nuttiest of the lot. For a far more complete look at the Church of Later Day Saints, read Mormon America: The Power and the Promise.



2. While it is not the right, or authority of any one member of the LDS church to judge another human being all Latter Day Saints accept the responsibility of upholding the commandments and doctrine of God.
   As a member of the church I have never met anyone that condemns another person because they are Gay. And any situation that involves someone being excommunicated is treated with great care nor is that person looked down on by others.
   
   Gays have been persecuted and abused for their life style and treated as something less than human. It's tragic and it's wrong. I'm happy to see changes for the better being made. Yet while gays are finding progress being made; some great, some small; there is still areas which are not subject to public popularity, or anything else and one of them is the commandments and doctrine of God. It's common to see people, organizations, and institutions bend under pressure if their views or policies become unpopular. God does not change His laws because something is unpopular. It is up to us to accept His laws and live by them.
   
   I can't understand, but only imagine, a small part of the pain and suffering a person must feel to be excommunicated. It's human nature to be angry at anything or anyone who is associated with the church because of that.
   On the other hand it is unfair of one reviewer to say, "... his church that was quick to rid itself of a human life." That judgment of the church is not only cruel but short sighted. The LDS church does not throw away human lives nor are they "bigoted". As you speak or write those words you hang those labels around the necks of more than 12 million Mormons and everyone that hears or sees your words will think of them when someone says they're Mormon. If you are gay and have been struggling against the rumors, lies, and stereotypes spread by others, you can easily comprehend how damaging a few disparaging words can be. Yet, you use the same practice on us that you have been fighting against. So, along with the litany of other misconceptions Latter Day Saints must deal with you now add "bigot" and antipathy to it.
   
   I can not speak with the understanding or knowledge of what it's like to live in this world as a gay person. Yet I do posses the understanding and knowledge that someone who is gay is a living, breathing person; a human being and just as everyone on the face of this earth they earn respect and courtesy on the merits of their individual actions. All human beings are Gods children and His laws and commandments are the same for every one of us. It is the responsibilty of each individual to either ignore or abide by them.



3. Fales, Steven, "Confessions of a Mormon Boy". Alyson, 2006
   
   Painful and Important
   
   Amos Lassen and Literary Pride
   
   I must admit that I know very little about the Church of the Latter Day saints and the Mormon religion. What I do know has been gleaned from movies like "Latter Days" and drama like "Angels in America" so when I received this book from Alyson Books, I opened it with the hope of learning something and learn I did. "Confessions of A Mormon Boy" is a true look at the way Mormons treat gays, especially their own. Based upon Steven Fales' one man show, it gives insight of what gay Mormons experience and the intolerance they are dealt.
   This book gives you a chance to experience what Fales fell as he fell from grace, experienced excommunication from his church and succumbed to a life of drugs and random sex. He created quite a to-do with his one show when he debuted it in Salt Lake City, the headquarter city of the church that had excommunicated him only a year previously because he is gay. In the show he nonjudgementally he told of events that led up to his censure and eviction form the church. He tells of leaving his wife and two childe and tried to become an actor in New York but instead became a male escort in order to make ends meet. He began to take drugs to ward ff the depression he felt from the road that his life has taken.
   As years passed the show gradually changed with them and in "Confessions of a Mormon Boy" we have two scripts-the Utah version, the more Mormon oriented and the newer one that he is currently performing off-Broadway. We also get photographs and a copy of the excommunication from his church as well as Fales' personal observations on how the play his helped him heal.
   Fales shows us the inaccuracies in the film "Latter Days" and surprisingly, even though his church would not accept him, he found friendship and empathy among some of its members and, in fact, some of the leaders of the church backed his play finically He gives hope to other gay Mormons by including resources they can use to deal with their homosexuality.
   This is an extremely personal book and Fales s critical of himself and his religion I found this book to be both easy and hard to read. It is easy because it is short and entertaining and when I sat down to read it I did not stop until I was finished. It is hard because there is a lot of pain in this book
   As Fales relates his fall from grace, my heart went out to both him and the Church of Latter Day Saints. I felt his pain and I identified with it. I did not feel anything but remorse for his church that was quick to rid itself of a human life. I do not know if I can call this book an enjoyable read but I can certainly say it is an important and educating read. The transformation of Fales from a husband and father to a drug using prostitute ht really hard and I wonder why there is no compromise. However with the Mormons we are not allowed to argue doctrine. It is hard to believe that we are discounted so easily.



4. Steven Fales created quite a stir with his one-man stage show, "Confessions of a Mormon Boy", which debuted originally in Salt Lake City, not far from the headquarters of the LDS Church, which had excommunicated him just over a year earlier for his homosexuality. In a refreshingly nonjudgemental way, his show relates episodes in his life that led up to that day, which also resulted in leaving his wife and two children behind, as well as his subsequent life as a wannabe actor in New York City, who resorted to becoming a popular male escort to survive financially and drugs to deaden his depression over the direction his life had taken.
   
   The stage show has evolved over the years, and this book includes the "script" for the most current, off-Broadway version, as well as the original (more Mormon-oriented) version he performed in Utah. There are also photos, copies of the communication from the LDS church that excommunicated him, and various personal observations on how doing "Mormon Boy" has been therapeutic for him.
   
   Prior to reading this, my sole impression of how the LDS church dealt with gays was based on having seen the film "Latter Days", which the author here is quick to point out was not accurate. While the Mormon church is still bigoted against homosexuals, the author still found empathy and support among its members and some of its leaders, who were also among the financial backers for his show. He also mentions Affirmation, the support group for gay Mormons, and other similar groups are listed in a directory in the book.
   
   An interesting, witty and heartfelt look at a world few of us know, from a talented writer who benefited the most from this work.

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