5 comments about Birds, Beasts, and Relatives.

1. Gerald Durrell has written quite a few books, including 3 about his life as a young boy on the Greek Island of Corfu. This is the middle book of the trilogy and is not as funny as the other two (My Family and Other Animals and In the Garden of the Gods). He relates various stories about his childhood which involved ranging far and wide on the island observing and collecting various animals, birds and insects. The stories are pleasant and interesting, just not laugh out loud funny like his other books. I did enjoy it.
   
   I wouldn't recommend for middle school because one story contains pretty graphic detail of a peasant woman giving birth.



2. As always, Gerard Durrell's works make me want to hop on a flight to Greece right now. His imagery of the lush flora and fauna there make it seem irresistible to anyone, especially small boys. Though it was an enjoyable read, it seemed a bit too similar to My Family and Other Animals, as though this sequel was everything he had forgotten to put into the first one, which is exactly what the author states in the introduction. This book seemed to focus a bit more on the animals, less on the comical family, and though sea life is fascination, crustaceans do get a bit old. This book is very relaxing to read, and almost makes you feel like you are a little boy again. Slow paced and funny, this enjoyable book put Corfu at the top of my list of places to go.



3. I have been a huge fan of Gerald Durrell's books since childhood, especially the ones that his family features in, predominantly. This is the follow up to My Family and Other Animals and it is just as much fun!
   Highly recommended.



4. This is another wonderful books of Gerald Durrell's memories of his time on the island of Corfu prior to the Second World War. He takes us back to another time and place before the world changed for good.
   
   Each chapter is a separate story and rememberence of those days when as a young man he marvels at not only the natural world around him, but also the various people he encounters and learns to appreciate. It is easy to get lost in one of these stories and feel like you are there with him on a hot summer day with his faithful dogs tagging along beside him.
   
   I recommend this book to anyone who not only loves nature, but also can appreciate a time gone by when people were different and even strangers were looked as guests. This book is one that I intend to read again and again in the coming years and will appreciate the stories just much each time as the first time.



5. The books arrived in perfect condition and in very good time. I am completely satisfied.

5 comments about Inside the Helmet: Hard Knocks, Pulling Together, and Triumph as a Sunday Afternoon Warrior.

1. Wow this guy was an all pro for the SuperBowl champ Giants for years.Great story if you're a New York Giants fan.Love football.?? Love New York, you'll love this book.



2. This book took several weeks to arrive. I wasn't able to locate the book in area book stores, which was why I chose to order it through amazon. By the time the book arrived I had found it at all the area book stores and could have saved money on shipping. Very disappointing.



3. I really enjoyed this book. Strahan was very honest throughout the whole book as he told about what life is like as a professional football player. Some parts were stunning while other parts were hilarious. If you're a football fan, especially a fan of Michael Strahan, you will enjoy this book.



4. Reasonably well done with not much actual content! Some enlightening viewpoints for a casual observer, but not much "meat" for a real hard-core football fan.



5. This book is for those football fans, especially Giants fans, that want to read what a star football player thinks and what he goes through. It's not a book that you should expect to break any new ground in inside sports writing (like Jim Bouton's Ball Four), or have tremendous insights that knock you off the couch. It shouldn't be. I wanted to read this book because I wanted to know what goes through a football player's mind. All we see and read about in sports is through the eyes of the media. Even if the thoughts Strahan talks about are obvious or sometimes embellished, its nice to know that that is what Strahan really thinks and goes through. I like how each chapter clearly discusses an aspect of his football life, ... like all the things they worry about, all the boring things they go through, all the short and long term health effects, the lack of privacy, the lack of independence, the rookie life, the emotional ups and downs of wins and losses. It was also interesting to read about his thoughs on other players and the player relationships. Not every chapter is great, but I think it's to show that football life is not so glamorous. The chapter on what players go through with the football playbook might be boring, but it's precisely the point.
   
   What I took from this book was that I would never want to be a football player. To go through everything he goes through for the money, the three hours on Sunday and the chance for a ring? No thanks. As I am reading this book while the Giants are losing to Dallas, I can't help but think that Strahan knows he is on the doorsteps of retirement, with mixed feelings.
   
   Read the book for what it's for, a fun read about life in football from a football player's mind. If you go in like that, you'll enjoy the book!
   
   (Background: I'm a huge Giants fan, a Strahan fan, and I usually don't read sports books. But after reading this book, I will definitely be reading more sports books)

5 comments about Spiritwalker: Messages from the Future.

1. This is such an amazing book! I was luck enough to be living in Hawaii while reading it (much of it takes place there). This is really engaging and inspiring to wonder whether it really happened (supposedly it did!).



2. I am skeptical (and for good reason), whenever I see books about Indigenous Life ways, written by white people.
   As such, I have overlooked this book for many years, when at the library or bookstore, and looking for books about the ways of the Ancestors, and Indigenous Wisdom.
   However, after happening across Mr. Wesselman's video interview on the Conscious Media Network website, [...], I was convinced enough to read this book for myself.
   I found him (in the interview) to be genuine enough, and I was also intrigued when he mentioned the story of how a very well known Hawaiian Spiritual Elder & Kahuna, Hale Makua, came to one of his lectures, and said that he (Makua) had spoken with the Ancestors about Hank Wessleman and his book, and that THEY (The Ancestors) said that everything in this book is true, and gave THEIR blessing to Mr. Wessleman and the writing he is doing, and to continue the work.
   If not for hearing this, I would not have believed this story either, for who can prove or disprove this very subjective experience that Dr. Wessleman has had?
   Also, in regard to one other reviewers objections: Hank mentions himself that he was translating this direct experience into his own words, and way of speaking (the syntax and word choices etc.) are all his, but that the essence of what was said, was all theirs.
   
   In regards to the buildings and ruins: The oceans rised, perhps 300 feet, so wouldnt most coastal cities be submerged, and then what was left above water rusted away after 5,000 years?
   
   Even if its all a novel, the message of our civilizations imminent and RAPID decline, is no joke, and it would be good for people to take head of this, and focus on what matters:
   On learning how to live as a natural human being, without need of "the system", and also to heal ourselves, and our families, and communities.
   
   Thats what really matters, not all this media hype about the latest brittney spears gossip, etc.
   Here's some related food for thought from a Hopi Elder that was given to the world several years back, which is even MORE pertinent today than it was in the 90's:
   
   "You have been telling the people that this is the Eleventh Hour, now you must go back and tell the people that this is the Hour. And there are things to be considered . . .
   
   Where are you living?
   What are you doing?
   What are your relationships?
   Are you in right relation?
   Where is your water?
   Know your garden.
   It is time to speak your Truth.
   Create your community.
   Be good to each other.
   And do not look outside yourself for the leader."
   
   Then he clasped his hands together, smiled, and said, "This could be a good time!"
   
   "There is a river flowing now very fast. It is so great and swift that there are those who will be afraid. They will try to hold on to the shore. They will feel they are being torn apart, and will suffer greatly.
   
   "Know the river has its destination. The elders say we must let go of the shore, push off into the middle of the river, keep our eyes open, and our heads above water. And I say, see who is in there with you and celebrate. At this time in history, we are to take nothing personally, Least of all ourselves. For the moment that we do, our spiritual growth and journey comes to a halt.
   
   "The time for the lone wolf is over. Gather yourselves! Banish the word struggle from you attitude and your vocabulary. All that we do now must be done in a sacred manner and in celebration.
   
   "We are the ones we've been waiting for."
   
   -- attributed to an unnamed Hopi elder
   
   Hopi Nation
   
   Oraibi, Arizona



3. I don't believe the author is telling a true story. It sounds like he's intelligent enough and did some decent research before trying to publish this to a naive audience. Even as a fictional account, this book falls flat for me. The writing is tedious at times and repetitive.
   
   There are things that don't add up. For example, it's 5000 years into the future, and there are accounts of Iesu (Jesus) and Kotama (Gautama Buddha) still being recounted by 7 foot tall, burnt sienna skinned, blue eyed Hawaiians who live on the Western Coast of the United States. Only, it's no longer the United States, and modern civilization has all but disappeared, or at where he's located. And the Hawaiians don't seem to remember anyone other than 'the navigator Cook'. He uses italicized words like 'enjins' and 'siti' to describe engines and cities. I think he's pulling the reader's leg and trying to infuse a certain je ne sais quoi by using seemingly foreign words in italics.
   
   He also loves the manipulative, suggestive open-ended question formula to evade rational explanation but nevertheless leave the reader assuming a conclusion that is never proved (e.g., Could it be that I had passed some test during that first altered-state experience back in Berkeley and was now granted access?) Could you ask more leading questions that beg the answer without later answering them in any meaningful way...?
   
   Finally, he likes to stress his scientific, intellectual, rational, disbelieving nature and training. He doth protest too much.



4. Spiritwalker is the first book of a trilogy. The next two books are "Medicinmaker," then "Visionseeker."
   
   In Spiritwalker, Hank Wesselman beautifully illustrates his initial, extraordinary visionary experiences with using a writing style which is easy to follow and often peppered with humor. The concepts presented in the book -- such as out-of-body consciousness and shamanism's healing methods, etc. -- are thoroughly investigated and explained to the best of the author's ability, with the Western, scientifically-oriented perspective in mind. Hank's "inner scientist," stemming from his previous education in the Anthropological field, compels him to come up with rational and logical reasons as to how and why these extraordinary experiences are taking place. Using scientific reasoning and traditional Hawai'ian beliefs, he is able to explain (was able to explain to me, at least) what would normally be unexplainable.
   
   The content of the entire trilogy generally includes: 1) his first encounters and reactions to his initial out-of-the-ordinary experiences, 2) his understanding and explanation of these experiences through a scientific and traditional Hawai'ian Kahuna's perspective, 3) an extraordinary account of his repeated "journeys" to a possible future Earth, seeing it through another man's eyes, and 4) several undeniably relevant and important proposals which connect his experiences to our present time and global situation.
   
   I appreciated Hank's openmindedness and sincerity when he approached his difficult-to-explain/understand experiences. Both his experiences and perspective inspired me to look at my life and future in a new way. The Spiritwalker trilogy has made a significant difference in my life. I highly recommend all three books.



5. Given that the original hardcover came out in the early 90s, it's amazing how prophetic this book has become. I noticed today a science article on MSNBC about the Greenland ice cap. It may completely melt in 200-300 years and raise the world's ocean levels by at least 23 feet! That doesn't even take into account melting of Antarctic ice. Is this book a true story? I don't know. I do know that the future 5000 years from now may very well be as described in Spiritwalker.

5 comments about War of the Bloods in My Veins: A Street Soldier's March Toward Redemption.

1. "War of the Bloods in My Veins" chronicles the life of DaShaun Morris. His story starts with him being 9 years old and having to move to Phoenix and live with his aunt to going to school and feeling as if he has no choice but to join a gang because of the war between the gangs on the streets. It explains how he is initiated into a gang, the feeling the gang represents to him, the feeling of belonging and family, how he gets caught up in gang activities from gunning down anyone in affiliation with a rival gang, and the friends he loses. This is the story of one man's pain and personal hell.
   
   This was a difficult story for me to read, considering that this is a true story. It is so sad to see or hear of a child involved in so much violence and self destruction. In some ways I felt bad for young DaShaun, but then I began to get angry because of all the lives that were taken and it seems as if legally and on the streets he has gotten away with it. This is a bold book to have written considering he is writing about accounts of his life that are illegal and the murders he has committed. It's nice to know that he has changed his life, but what about the ones that were killed in cold blood because they wore the wrong color? They will never have the chance to change their lives. I guess the lesson to be learned in reading this book is for young kids to avoid getting involved in a gang.
   
   Reviewed by: LeonaR



2. His mother's absence made him utterly miserable. The age of nine can be a critical one for a young boy. It's make or break time and for Dashuan, who already felt like no one could or would ever love him, it was break time. Dashuan, later dubbed "Jiwe," was ready to join the real world, the world of the violent, the world of the Bloods . . . a world that would fully embrace him as a brother. It was love at first sight and for many young men like Jiwe, it was until death do us part . . . literally
   
   The chrome Saturday night special with black electrical tape around the handle felt smooth in his ten-year-old hand, yet if he could harness his fear with a bit of electrical tape Jiwe might have gone for it. Soul and Q-Tip urged him on as he emptied the gun. Bodies of the Crips began to litter the ground. Later that night, as Dashuan "Jiwe" Morris related in his stunning memoir, WAR OF THE BLOODS IN MY VEINS: A Street Soldier's March Toward Redemption, something snapped in him. "The confusion of regret and acceptance gives me a throbbing headache. In time, I realize this night marks my first recorded separation from self." Jiwe was growing up, growing up hard. By the end of the fourth grade his best friend, eleven-year-old Tray, was killed in a drive-by shooting. Blood is thicker than water and Jiwe would go on to avenge this death and any other slight a thousand times over. It was war.
   
   Jiwe was a full-fledged Blood gangbanger. Nobody could call him a pussy or even dare to, but the lifestyle took its toll. Lives were torn apart by his fists, his gun and his anger and he knew it. His chances of getting a college education and a chance a berth in the NFL became nil once that gun and anger reared its ugly head on campus. Bloods weren't welcome in Delaware or much of anywhere else for that matter. "There are the moments when I am reminded that I'm trapped in a living nightmare." It was one he might never escape from and he knew that too.
   
   Perhaps there was redemption for Jiwe somewhere. "What are you doing? You hurting her?," he anxiously questioned the doctor. A little baby girl was entering the world and no one would ever, ever hurt her. It was baby Da-Shana, Dashuan "Jiwe" Morris now had a chance with the birth of his own child. It was his time to redeem himself. Could he, can he?
   
   I was heavily drawn into this book emotionally, empathetic for Jiwe's life circumstances and also for the people who were impacted by his lifestyle. Although unspoken, I feel that by writing this book Jiwe was trying to make amends with the world, while continuing to embrace his peers. Gangbanging is a lifestyle that is chosen for many simply by fate. Few would choose to live in fear every day of their young life, nor embrace the accompanying depression and suicidal ideation that often comes with it. I loved the feel of the book, the writing and its message. Kudos to Jiwe who poured his heart out to tell us his story . . . let's hope he makes an impact. Peace.
   
   Deb Fowler (Roundtable Reviews)



3. All in all the book was very well written and keept the reader
   interested-
   I have a better understanding of the war between the Gangs-
   Urban Warfare between brothers is CRAZY!!



4. well i will tell you this from an ex-blood gangbanger's point of view ... and yes" for the record im a female because this gang also have females doing things you couldnt imagine... you have no idea what its like to be us , so for those whose judging him i feel very offended , first of all he's taking a risk everyday from rival gangbanger's,the fed's possibly, and also some bloods who feel that he's telling way too much information , and i take my hat off to him because in my book i couldnt even reveal my true identity because of the fear of feds, rivals, and quiet as kept my own supposedly homies. so for him to tell all , even if he knew it was risky ??? that was enough for me to believe that he was born to do this !!! ... anyone willing to make a sacrifice such as he did needs an standing ovation! to the critics we need you so much you'll make the book more popular... {" hi haters"} jiwe i love you keep doing what your doing... this gang world will take over the urban communities if more soldiers like you dont stand up and make a change god bless you, keep spreading the word. and dont lose focus! ... and besides this book is only for those who can recognize there is a problem, and by any means necessary we have to fix it! for as much is forgiven, the more is required !!! so thats why god didnt lock you in a cell and throw away the key , like some of the critics feel he should have done but , he released you to work for him! continue to keep the passion you have to save others, and god will continue to open doors no man can shut! and close doors in faces to the haters that no man can open. ya sis for life. love you...



5. I couldn't put this book down, it took two days to read,only because i had to be torn away from it to go to work. The first chapter was a little confusing but once you realize its a dream, the rest of the book is an easy read. It was eyeopening and inspirational. It gives hope that you can make a way out for yourself. That your past doesnt have to be your future. I will defintley pass this book along. AGAIN A MUST READ!

No comments about Philadelphia Freedom: Memoir of a Civil Rights Lawyer.

5 comments about Instant Replay: The Green Bay Diary of Jerry Kramer.

1. Not only does this book serve as a great piece of NFL and Packers lore, but it's a timeless testament to the dedication of the American football player. Things have no doubt changed a lot since 1967, but "heart" is a constant. The chronological approach to this piece helps relate Jerry Kramer's valuable insights and leaves the reader with a better understanding of the football experience, at all levels.



2. Born and raised in Fort Worth, I have been a Dallas Cowboys fan for decades. I was 13 years old and watched every minute of the "Ice Bowl", and still feel a twinge of regret over Bart Starr's quarterback sneak (helped by the blocking of Jerry Kramer) that won the game for Green Bay.
   
   I bought Instant Replay the year it came out, and I read it every two or three years, to get me geared up for the football season. My first edition copy is well worn and beloved.
   
   Indeed, reading the other reviews, I am struck by how many people also admit to re-reading this book. And no wonder. Mr. Kramer simply wrote a beautiful love-story about football. You get the feel of the locker room, of the players preparing for each game, and of the game itself. Names from the past float by, such as Alex Karras and Bob Lilly. Vince Lombardi is huge, of course, and the stories about him are simply fun to read (interestingly, Vince would not allow any photographs of him in Jerry's book, since Vince planned on writing his own book). As others have noted, the Packers were an aging team, and Jerry writes vividly at one point about how, as he gazed around the locker room, he saw players getting shots, getting taped up, etc., all evidence of their aging, breaking bodies.
   
   Instant Replay transcends team loyalty. Any fan of football will enjoy this book. Buy a good copy and be prepared to read it several times over the years.



3. This is a classic look at one of the greatest football teams of all time, headed by one of the greatest coaches of all time: the incomparable Vince Lombardi.
   
   The book started out with a desire to keep a journal of a year in football from training camp through the end. Serendipitously, this particular year turned out to be the third straight (and unprecented) championship year for the Green Bay Packers -- and featured a spectacular end-of-the-game play by the author.
   
   I wouldn't call myself a rabid football fan (that would be my husband), but this was an excellent book for anyone with a passing interest in football.



4. I read this book twice: once when I was a kid shortly after it was initially released, and again several years ago. It was just as interesting a read the second time as it was the first. I recently bought a copy of this re-released version for a friend. I thumbed through it and noticed some additional photo's have been added since the release of the paperback edition that I own.
   Anyone who has an interest in football will want to read this book, despite the fact that it relates to events that took place 30 years ago. If you're my age, it will bring back memories of the glory days of the Packers (back when a water bucket was a tin pail with a ladle on the sidelines). If you aren't old enough to remember those days, the names in the book will most likely be familiar to you as great characters in football history.



5. I am not a Packers fan, yet I found this book fascinating. Jerry Kramer has opened up the mystique of America's favorite spectator sport to the public in "Instant Replay." And what a cast of characters! So many legendary figures of the game participated in this single season: Vince Lombardi, Bart Starr, and Ray Nitschke, to name a few. After the fabled "ice bowl" league championship game against the Cowboys, the Super Bowl vs the Raiders was almost anticlimactic. Football fans of any age would truly enjoy this personal account of a remarkable team in their most memorable season.

5 comments about Petite Anglaise.

1. This book is really a waste of time. Literary rubber-necking of the most unworthy subject. Ms. Sanderson is narcissistic and puerile. Her needs and fascinations are superficial and self-aggrandizing. How anyone could whine about the perils of trying to conduct a red-hot lovelife and smashing social calendar all the while raising a two-year-old is clearly an immature bore. I feel sorry for the daughter who will inevitably read this tripe and see her mother parading her indiscretions without even a modicum of dignity. Don't bother!!!!!!!!



2. This is a beach or airplane read. The author can be witty and she is at her best when she writes about everyday experiences in Paris, but too often her obsession with self and her tendency to take herself way too seriously get in the way. Sanderson's blog, especially the early entries, offers more of the light and entertaining anecdotal writing she is best at.



3. Even though I've never been to Paris it seems that I was there while reading this book!!!
   The best thing is that it is not fiction and as a new mother myself, it makes you think about the relationships problems and also to be pleased with what you have, as long as it makes you happy!!!!



4. WARNING: SPOILER.
   
   For those of you who have lived abroad, this is a fun read. However, I was not comfortable with the public deception. Even though the character is not married, she and her long term partner had a baby together and her partner deserved more respect, particularly since this is a true story and the character maintains a not-very-private blog. In other words, I appreciate that we can fall out of love with our partners, but I can't imagine her partner appreciated the public display of her complaints about their relationship and about her feelings for another man.
   
   Aside from that, I enjoyed her descriptions of Paris, her love affair with another culture and her honesty regarding being a working mom.



5. I really enjoyed this book and loved that it was the author's true story. By the time I finished I felt that the author and I were friends and looked up her blog to catch up from where the book left off. The premise intrigued me and did not disappoint. Good book!

5 comments about In the Ring: The Trials of a Washington Lawyer.

1. This is an absolutely great book. If you like Washingtion DC political insiders history that is a great read to boot, this book is for you.



2. Bennett reveals himself to be a blow-hard and a bully of the first order. His unreserved defense of a powerful client, the acknowledged sexual predator Bill Clinton, and piling on of scorn for Paula Jones and her evil "right wing" supporters, are not actions that any attorney who truly cares about justice should seek to advertise. Likewise, the Catholic Church no doubt made the mistake of thinking that it was hiring a lawyer to defend it rather than attack it from within. Bennett might have been worthy of some respect had he chosen to shut up and not engage in such blatant self-promotion.



3. This is one of those books I read hating myself every minute for wasting my time. My recurring thought was that Bennett promised everyone who ever did him a favor that they'd be mentioned in his memoir. Bennett never lost a case even when he didn't win, and teaches young lawyers the value of honesty, preparation, early connections with powerful people, and most importantly the value of having big bucks and political clout behind you. Everyone is "wonderful" save those who disagreed with him. There are no insights which cannot be gained through far less narcissistic and biased sources. What the book in lacked substance, it did not compensate in the writing.



4. This is a fantastic "inside look" of Bob Bennett. He is very detailed in his descriptions of happenings in his life, both as a youngster in Brooklyn, NY and later as a professional in Washington, D. C. My husband and I were glued to the pages, not wanting to put down the book, at least not until we completed the chapter we were reading. In the center of the book are various family photographs, making the text even more enjoyable. It's a great read.



5. A disjointed and uneven presentation of the highlights of the career of a high-profile Washington, D.C. litigator. It is written in the style of that town, with many words devoted (in a modest way, of course) to what a grand job the author did in representing some totally innocent and famous client. Praise is lavished on most public figures, with scores settled on a few notable back hats; here, e.g., Judge Walsh, Senator DeConcini, and NY Times publisher Sulzberger.
   
   Of course a child of the author goes to Sidwell Friends and the manager of The Palm is mentioned. And, growing up in Brooklyn he loved the Dodgers.
   
   Mr. Bennett's advice to young lawyers boils down to be honest and have balance in your lives. Which is good advice, but you probably do not need to buy this book to obtain it.
   
   Mr. Bennett has been a central figure in a number of the most important legal situations of the past few decades. Unfortunately, in this book, he writes in a style that indicates to me that this book was a toss off effort, done while he was still active and distracted in his day job. Rare are the hard, keen and full descriptions of any of the interesting public figures with whom he came into contact. Mr. Bennett, the one-time amateur boxer, pulls his punches.

5 comments about Standing in the Light: My Life as a Pantheist.

1. I loved this book. Like a fresh stream, Ms Russell's words soothed my mind and excited my spirit. This author, like no other, dares to put her sincere exploration of a most difficult subject -religion;spirituality;belief;FAITH - right out in plain sight for us to ponder. She is not telling us what to believe, offers many options in fact, but rather she is asking us to witness her journey, and if our hearts, minds and souls are challenged and touched along the way, well lucky us. "Flow and merge" she writes. I took those words with me on my walk today, and found so much was illuminated for me that I might have missed before. I recommend you read this book, share it with a loved one, a child, a friend, tuck it under your pillow at night. "Everything is interwoven, and the web is holy," Ms Russell quotes Marcus Aurelius. That's a mantra I can live with.



2. I never heard of Pantheism before this book. I don't know much about Quakerism, nor am I a literay scholar. But I do recognize something well-researched and well-written. I savored every page, sometimes re-reading parts to feel the richness of Sharman Russells words. I so appreciate the time she put in to sift through history and give the reader clearly-written excerpts on of past philosophers and their ideas. I especially enjoyed reading about more personal details about Marcus Aurelius's life and his love of family. I had no idea...
   Sharman Russell has an amazing ability to weave the past and present together, like Marcus's web interconnected. This book is rich, deep and delightful. I plan to give copies as gifts this year to family and friends who are "seeking" the light in these dark times. Sharman doesn't gives answers, because she knows there are no answers. Spirituality is not a destination. It is a journey, and she bravely shares hers with us.



3. This is an inspiring and beautifully written account of one woman's spiritual journey. Highly recommended for those who find meaning in Nature and in everyday life. Many of us will discover that we, too, are pantheists.
   
   The author reflects on her life and her search for meaning. She shares with us her love for the land (especially the mountains of New Mexico) and her joy in the complexity of nature. Her personal experiences - which are interesting in themselves - are integrated with an idiosyncratic history of pantheism. She has the clearest summaries I've ever seen of Eastern religions and the works of poets, novelists, and philosophers. (There are detailed end notes for those who want to read the original material that inspired her). She faces unflinchingly the evil that we humans do, and yet sees the humor in both everyday and unusual events. She pulls this all together with a style that is both clear and lyrical. Strongly grounded in history and reality, skeptical and unwilling to settle for easy answers, she still finds her way to hope and joy in life. Well worth reading again and again.



4. I highly recommend this book (that fifth star is saved for the next Moby-Dick). It is one of those books I read slowly. Don't let the smooth, plain-faced prose fool you. This book moves in deep water. I would read a few pages, or a few lines, or perhaps only one of Russell's finely crafted sentences then sip my coffee and contemplate my own world.
   The book braids an often riveting history of pantheism with memoir and nature writing. Though the latter was enjoyable, I was most intrigued by the stories of history's pantheists and author's own intimate struggle with her spiritual place in this world.
   The title might suggest a little fluff. The reality is quite the opposite. Russell is a scholar. A few moments with your nose in the bibliography offers a window into the extent of her journey. And just as the historical facts are well rooted in hard research, Russell's own personal journey rings with authenticity.
   The highest praise I can give this book is that unlike many of its ilk, it offers no easy answers (if any answers at all) to our human struggle. It instead illuminates the landscape, offers the wisdom of one life's journey, and leaves us to face the day as we have faced all our others--though perhaps heartened, and with a more informed respect for the slants of light moving us all forward.



5. In our collective imagination, life-changing revelations are supposed to occur on mountaintops or in deserts or in similarly dramatic landscapes. Not so for Sharman Apt Russell. For her, the front porch will do just fine.
   
   It was while sitting on her front porch steps in Silver City, New Mexico, she writes in Standing in the Light, that she finally realized what that word--Light--meant. She sets the scene:
   
   In front of me on my porch step was a strip of grass, a sidewalk, a strip of asphalt, more sidewalk, a stone wall, pine trees and, higher above, electrical wires. Cars drove by. A raven gurgled. White clouds floated in the blue sky.
   
   No all-consuming fire. No pillar of cloud. No voice from heaven. Just ordinary life. And then, she continues:
   
   I had my epiphany: "The Light is all this," I said to myself. The Light was the steps, the street, the raven, the sky. The Light was everything, the universe conceived-of-as-a-whole, mysterious and material and right here.
   
   For readers familiar with mystics of any tradition, what Russell is describing is a "unitive experience," a transient certainty that one is part of a great whole. Occurring "out of time and space," the experience nevertheless conveys a sense of holy presence, a sacredness of place right here, right now. But that is only part of the paradox. Life-changing as it is, this mystical awareness is also ineffable; try as she might, the writer can find no words to describe it. And yet, she continues to try.
   
   Part memoir, part spiritual autobiography, part history of philosophy, Standing in the Light might be more aptly subtitled My Life as a Seeker Who Wonders How Pantheism Developed and How It Fits into the Quaker Faith. Given the book's structure--its weaving together of personal narrative and history, both local and global--it's sometimes hard to see exactly where Russell is going. But after following her for a while, the reader doesn't care about that anymore. Like Russell, he or she learns to wait in silence for the Light. As the Quakers say in such times of uncertainty, "Way will open."
   
   What is most surprising--and interesting--about this extraordinary book is its focus on Quakerism. Granted, Russell explains the connection in her Introduction, writing,
   
   Quakerism is central to my experience, and I am grateful to belong to a Quaker Meeting that allows for pantheism as one of its beliefs. My title, Standing in the Light, comes from the Quaker phrase "to stand in the Light," a concept with many meanings, encompassing political beliefs as well as spiritual. In my case, it is very much related to the bright New Mexican sky.
   
   That said, her explanation is very easy to miss.
   
   Readers familiar with Russell's earlier work, particularly Songs of the Fluteplayer: Seasons of Life In The Southwest, will know that she and her husband moved to rural New Mexico in the early 1980s, building a homestead outside of Silver City. Writing, teaching, and raising two children filled many of those first years, but Russell found time to begin her on-again, off-again relationship with the local Quaker Meeting. After 15 years, she and her family also tried city living for a while, ultimately realizing that she belonged in the country. It was as if a voice in her head was telling h er, "This is who you are. This is what you need. Pay attention." She did. With both kids in college, she and husband Peter Russell now live in the country again, very near the Gila River.
   
   In Standing in the Light, Sharman Apt Russell is very clearly trying to sort things out. Living closer to nature, she says that she is ready to "go deeper" now. This time--referring to her move back to the country as a kind of second chance--she promises to pay closer attention and to "take along some friends," books she's allowed to gather dust for far too long. She writes,
   
   I will take along my science, my neglected pantheism, my neglected Quakerism. If I know anything, I know that I do not want to live in a universe devoid of community, mystery, and awe. I do not want to be alone in my brain, my timid and lazy personality, unconnected to the rest of the world. I cast my lot with Spinoza, Thoreau, and Einstein. I want to live every minute in a holy universe, so pleased and grateful to be part of this existence.
   
   It is an ambitious undertaking, but Russell's transparency and sheer desire to live with integrity and joy leave the reader feeling satisfied at the end. Russell answers none of her own questions, though she does finally make a firm commitment to her local Meeting. By the end of the book, she also seems content to treat this quest of hers as a continual process. Out in the Gila watershed, she writes,
   
   I walk my sabbatical place. I let go of some of the busy-ness and rejoice in the Creation's goodness. Flow and merge. I can wear a Quaker hat, a scientist's lab coat, a Taoist pin with a funny saying, and the running shoes of a pantheist. This is the new syncretism, which is also the old syncretism. Revelation is ongoing, and our understanding of the spirit, the atman, the Middle Way, and the Tao is not yet over.
   
   Russell's practice, "standing in the Light," will go on.
   
   by Susan Hanson
   for Story Circle Book Reviews
   reviewing books by, for, and about women

5 comments about Hons and Rebels (New York Review Books Classics).

1. Hons and Rebels, a memoir of the life of the "commie" Mitford sister, Jessica, details the authors life from her childhood in rural England up until the time she lived in Miami in the 1940s. The Mitford clan of six sisters (Nancy wrote The Pursuit of Love and Love in a Cold Climate) and one brother was an unusual one, prone to playing tricks upon one another and outsiders. Jessica grew up to embrace the ideals of the communist party, while her sister Unity became a Fascist, hobnobbing with Hitler. Jessica then ran away with and married her cousin Edwin Romilly, later moving to the United States.
   
   It's a brilliant memoir, poignant and funny at the same time. Although Jessica's not always the most sympathetic character, she's always witty, touching her story every now and then with a hint of irony. Jessica describes everything in painstaking detail, from the Cotswold countryside to certain conversations she had with various people. The memoir is evocative of the time period in which Jessica lived in.



2. "I'm normal, my wife is normal, but my daughters are each more foolish than the other. What do you say about my daughters? Isn't it very sad?" Mary S Lovell has taken David Mitford's complaint to heart. She has a lot to say about his daughters. But after decades (it seems) of books on those mad, bad and sometimes dangerous-to-know girls, do we want to hear it?
   
   The six Mitford girls pursued lives which are footnotes to 20th-century history: Nancy, the socialist aristocrat, gentle satirist of the society she yet delighted in; Unity, conceived in the Ontario town of Swastika, destined to become Hitler's pet; Diana, whose marriage to Oswald Mosley set her at the fringes of acceptability; Decca, who ended up as a fiery Communist émigré in California; Pam, the country girl who married a scientist and lived quietly in Gloucestershire; and Debo, who declared her intention, and carried out the act, of marrying a duke.
   
   By drawing on new sources, Lovell presents a fresh version of the Mitford story. She fleshes out "Muv" and Farve" - the fictional Uncle Matthew and Aunt Sadie of Nancy's novels - and adds to our understanding of their progeny. David Mitford, "the most handsome man of his generation" according to James Lees-Milne, is as eccentric as his fictional portrait in The Pursuit of Love. He did regard almost all his daughters' suitors as "sewers"; but the word was Tamil, "soor", meaning pig. His wife, Sydney, achieves a Daily Sketch headline, "Peeress Saves Ha'pence", for her economies over home laundry (she used paper napkins).



3. I absolutely loved this book. I had just finished reading the very long and very good "The Sisters" http://www.amazon.com/Sisters-Saga-Mitford-Family/dp/0393324141 about the Mitfords, and wanted more when I was finished. Jessica ("Decca") was the most fascinating of all -- the one who ran away to Spain and America and became widely known for her politics and her book, "The American Way of Death." (and an Oakland resident, like myself, which is always intriguing!)
   
   "Hons and Rebels" is charming, witty, and in its pages is not only an interesting glimpse of life in upper class England between the wars, but a love story as well, as she retells the story the story of her romance with her first husband, Esmond.
   
   I never heard Mitford speak, but her voice comes through strongly in this book -- witty, determined, able to laugh at herself and family, but serious about her politics and trying to get by as a young idealistic couple in America. (And I imagine a very posh British accent...) What I also liked was how she treated the relationship with her closest sister, Unity, who, as a Nazi sympathizer, was the polar political opposite of Decca. What a family.
   
   Highly, highly recommended.



4. I was looking for a Jessica Mitford autobiography and discovered "Hons & Rebels". The original title of this (1960) book is Daughters & Rebels". Is anything other than the title revised/updated? I'm such a fan of Mitford, I'd rather read her memoirs than Mary S. Lovell's "The Sisters: The Saga of the Mitford Family", which is supposedly more detailed.



5. A view into the always fascinating Mitford family written by family member, and best-selling author, Jessica Mitford.
   The personal observations about the totally diverse life choices made made by the sisters boggles the mind and confounds the senses.