1 comments about Christian Values and Virtues.

1. In Pope Paul VI: Christian Values and Virtues, Pope Paul VI's affinity for peace, hope, humility, faith, suffering, love, and joy is portrayed through his talks with public audiences and his writings. The reader is challenged in regard to the application of these virtues in their own lives. Karl Schultz discusses little known facts about Pope Paul VI, including his interest in dialogue rather than taking a stance of authority, his dislike of crowds, and his immense propensity for compassion and forgiveness. This book is a must read for those interested in understanding the impact of Pope Paul VI's papacy on the modern Catholic Church.

1 comments about Lights of Madness: In Search of Joan of Arc.

1. Joan of Arc has been a hero of mine for more than fifty years. Over those years I have read every book on her I could find. Many of these carry with them, naturally enough, the point of view of the author(s). Joan is one of those very rare personalities in history who seem to arrive out of thin air and turn the times on their head. Her short life is one of the most documented of her age, yet for many she remains an enigma. If one accepts the Roman Catholic view, there is a faith-based explanation. Other approaches to come to grips with this all too human teenage woman may reflect a gamut of ideas that cover the entire human experience, from romance to science.
   
   Doctor Russell's thoroughness in exploring the various possibilites take on an intriguing trek. He first recounts Joan's life as it is documented, without dwelling on any certain aspect, such as military. His purpose seems to be "let's agree on what is undisputed" as we begin to search for any non faith-based explanation as to how a previously unknown teenage woman, who had no education, could motivate first a knight, then a baron, then the French prince and most remarkedly, his dismal army and it's commanders. I believe it is a fair statement that without Joan, France as we know it today, would not exist.
   
   Modern researchers have a new arena to debate Joan's behavior, that of medical science. This is where Dr. Russell's work has it's greatest strength. He probes all of the modern theories that medical science has provided yet makes it understanble to the non-medical mind (like mine). I found the book a real page-turner, as if I was on a road to uncover a mystery, which I was. It has opened up some new possibilites I had not really considered. What better success can an author seek other than he made his readers think?
   
   Joan is still a hero of mine. Dr. Russell has not tarnished her memory, but revived it in a modern light. Make sure your personal library contains Dr. Russell's book. Mine does.

2 comments about Delusion: Growing Up in an Amish Jewish Cult (Growing Up in An Amish-Jewish Cult) (Growing Up in An Amish-Jewish Cult).

1. Delusion Growing Up in an Amish Jewish Cult
   Patricia Hochstetler
   Baker Trittin Press
   P.O. Box 277
   Winona Lake, Indiana 46590
   [...]
   ISBN: 0-9787316-5-4
   [...]
   
   An Absolute Must Read
   5 stars
   
   As an avid reader I have read most of Ms Hochstetler's books, but this book really made me look at what we will endure to find faith.
   
   Patricia Hochstetler's parents were very faithful Amish people who one day were captured in body, mind and spirit by a man only known as the Elder. His ability to cite the Bible word for word led them from a sunny world to one of deception, total abandonment of family, friends and happy lifestyle. How could one not get medical care for a child who needed it? Or be told what to wear and how to act.
   
   The underlying process is that of a cult. A place where one gives up all identity to follow a religious leader. Ms Hochstetler takes us through her early years trying to be faithful and follow the golden rule, however, the more she attempts to be good the more is taken away from her. This is the story of her years between ages four and six- she questions if God really would make her family suffer or excommunicate her mother because of false charges by the Elder.
   
   Delusion is a book you can't put down. As a college professor I have studied cults for 5 years and I am still amazed at what individuals are willing to sacrifice to live the good life.



2. No one plans to join a cult, reminds Author Patricia Hochstetler, who tells us her story in "Growing Up in an Amish-Jewish Cult: Book One: Delusion". People seek to be closer to God, and to bring their family with them as to protect them from damnation. And all too often, power hungry manipulators take advantage of this - and that is how cults are formed. Told from a child's perspective, the story of "Growing Up in an Amish-Jewish Cult: Book One: Delusion" is especially heart-wrenching as the simplest questions with the simplest answers such as "Why Can't I play with a doll?" goes unanswered. "Growing Up in an Amish-Jewish Cult: Book One: Delusion" is highly recommended to any who want to learn about the phenomenon of cults and for autobiographical community library collections everywhere.

5 comments about The Nicholas Effect: A Boy's Gift the World.

1. I would like to start by saying Snoogy Cat, you do not know what you are talking about. Reg Green is a man who dedicates his life to getting out the message of organ donation. He uses the media attention to spread the word of donating life. Almost weekly he goes to meetings and conferences (at his own expense) to try and convince people to do their part to save lives. This story is one of compassion, love, and breaking barriers. Reg Green is witty and intelligent, and does his job in convincing me to do whatever I need to do for this cause.



2. There is a verse in the bible which reads "Do not be overcome by evil but overcome evil by doing good." Reg and Maggie Green have embraced this creed wholeheartedly. When their beautiful son was senselessly murdered in late 1994, instead of sinking into the depths of grief, they proved how well he had taught them about the power of love during his brief time on earth by using his example to save millions of lives around the world. If such a tragic thing were to happen to me, I hope that my actions would be identical to theirs. I thank Reg and Maggie for sharing little Nicholas with the world and I am sure he would be very proud of them (as we all are). Through their unselfish and life affirming actions, they have proven yet again that the power of good will never be overcome by the power of evil.



3. As a liver transplant recepient almost four years ago, I had heard of the Nicholas effect. Shortly before reading this book, I discovered through a letter from my donor family that my donor had been inspired to sign his donor card based on Nicholas Green. This book is a stunning and true story of a boy's life, a family's grief and the heroic decision to make a difference to many others whom they did not know. Nicholas Green is still making a difference today becuase his story continues to ripple outward as when a pebble is dropped into a pond. I URGE you to read this book for yourself and prepared to be touched.



4. I think everyone remembers hearing about little Nicholas, only seven
   years old, killed by highway robbers in Italy. His family donated his
   organs and started a rash of others doing to in Europe and throughout
   the world. This is his story as told by his father. The wonderful
   effect of that act made me want to give the book a better review. The
   father's attitude made me want to give it a worse one, so it's right
   in the middle. Maybe I would feel differently had I not read this
   book directly following John Walsh's book. Walsh seemed like an
   ordinary man doing his best to cope with extraordinary circumstances.
   Green seems like a man who's enjoying all of the attention. His
   writing style isn't great either. He flitters around topics in a
   disjointed manner and goes about his mind's own ethical ramblings far
   to often.



5. Gist: An extraordinary boy meets an extraordinary fate, producing extraordinary effects: After Nicholas, a young traveller to Italy, is killed, his parents' gesture of donating his organs ignites the gratitude of the world. Hammock-time: Requires no more than a long week-end to absorb via your hammock or beach chair. The book is fast-paced and relatively slim compared to the encyclopaedic nature of some non-fiction works. Substance: When the tragedy happened, I wept. When I saw the film starring Jamie Lee Curtis, I wept. And I wept again when I read this book. I thought at first it was because I'm Italian-American, but so many non-Italians around the world have been touched by the Greens' story. I had begun to lose faith in this world, especially dismayed by the New Thought/New Age field, with their greedy, plagiarizing (long dead philosophers are robbed boldly) authors, some truly inane ones sanctioned by Oprah, with their ineffectual techniques -- unproductive affirmations, visualizations, rigidity of mind that everything must have a reason, etc. etc. Yet the Greens, even though the father, Reg Green, is most likely an agnostic, restore my faith, refresh my soul. Something beautiful upholds this world, deeper than the surface chaos and craziness, and superficial philosophies that seek to explain life. A subtle chiascuro effect underlines this book: of deep dark pain playing against light-filled love. Reg Green's sense of humor creates a delightful poignancy. I sense many readers like myself will re-read the book. It's difficult to analyze, but I left sensing stronger than ever that an afterlife truly does exist. My heart goes out to the Greens, and to my fellow spiritual seekers who need a book like this to understand and experience the concepts of love, attunement -- concepts freed from the manipulative twists by a good ole guru network of popular authors who claim to know such truths. Complementary book: Can You Drink The Cup? by the late Fr. Henri Nouwen, is Christian-oriented, but it so lyrically and sensitively explores the universal experiences of love and grief, I enjoyed reading it, as what I'd term a sort of Seekers' Survival Guide, concurrently with the Green book.

2 comments about The Story Of Love: The Lighthouse In My Life.

1. Mrs. Juanita Coy's book has been a great blessing to me in the midst of going through so much physically! I was given her book by my cousin as a gift to encourage me and so it did..Everyday I read it and felt as if I had made a friend from afar and was deeply encouraged! It's a simple message, her story, and only a portion of it. Check it out, if you have MS there's some good info to help, but if not still check it out and be encouraged in her testimony!! Ms. Julie C. Koskey



2. I really enjoyed this book. It's a story of love and of an unending faith that made me think deeply about my own faith. Juanita's life certainly changed when she was diagnosed with MS and she writes about this very well and as I too have MS I could relate to a lot of what she wrote.
   Above all this is a story of Love and Inspiration and it left me feeling a lot stronger person for having read this book.

No comments about Generation Trex: Mythoughts.

1 comments about Jesus the Authorized Biography: The Eyewitness Accounts by Those Who Personally Knew Him.

1. Compiled with explanatory text by a graduate from the Moody Bible Institute with scholarship in pastoral studies, Jesus: The Authorized Biography turns directly to the gospels to portray the life, words, teachings, experiences, and death of Jesus Christ. Sections offer simplification, clarification, and context for the Biblical text in contemporary language, but Jesus: The Authorized Biography earns its seemingly audacious subtitle by faithfully reproducing the New Testament texts (in English translation, of course - different translations of the Bible have been fused together to create a smoother holistic narrative) that speak directly of Jesus' life. The words of Jesus and God in particular are emphasized in bold print. A highly readable narrative, as accessible to lay readers as to Christians and theologians, that gives readers of all faiths a better understanding of who Jesus was and what he strived for.

5 comments about Ambivalent Zen : One Man's Adventures on the Dharma Path.

1. Hmmm...I'm trying to keep an open mind on this one.
   
   First, I've maintained a strong interest in Buddhism for my entire adult life, and am keen to hear or read others' impressions.
   
   Second, I've never gotten involved in any formal practice for several reasons, which can all be boiled down to my own personal hang-ups, impressions and stereotypes (which - in the absence of active practice - won't be confirmed or refuted by facts or experience): that Western Zen is often too insular, class-bound, and very much adapted to an upscale and rather fashionable POV that has as much to do with the fantasies (or the ego) of the 'seeker' as it does with any truth that might be ascertained from a disciplined study of the philosophies in question.
   
   Exoticism and navel-gazing do rankle; my own perspective is working-class, non-academic, non-affluent, and non-white, and I kept finding myself getting extremely annoyed with Shainberg's self-absorption. It's my own perspective and POV - such esoteric narcissism strikes me as a luxury many of us cannot afford; the discipline and toughness of Zen is attractive to many of us who are engaged with the world (and not seeking some ethereal retreat from it), and occasionally frustrated by the varied injustices and difficulties that we personally encounter on a day-to-day basis, so to me the luxury of literary dilletancy and self-reflective ponderings is very nearly insulting. It does strike me as a real affront to anyone who makes a serious effort to practice, and to learn the history and teaching that informs that practice.
   
   I will allow that Shainberg does display the occasional humorous flash of insight, and he does offer some extremely revealing glimpses into certain famous characters, though this is too often adrift in a sea of leaden prose.
   
   I wouldn't deny Shainberg's discomort at times, but would only insist that his discomfort doesn't make him any more special or interesting than anyone else.
   
   -David Alston



2. I've read lots and lots of memoirs by Westerners on their experiences with Buddhism, but for me none are as well written and wisely perceptive as this. Shainberg has an unusual ability to report honestly and vividly on both his inner life and the behavior of his teacher. He doesn't try to be profound nor funny nor eloquent, but his account ends up having all these qualities.



3. A long painful read by a self-obsessed masochist. The best part about it is the inside dope on many of the patriachs of American Zen. The worst is listening to this narcissist rail against himself for being too egoistic and selfish. If only he had a sense of irony, it might redeem this book. If you want a book that will helpful in your zen practice, try Glimpses of Nothingness by Jan Willem Van Der Wetering or My Master's Robe by Thich Nhat Hahn.



4. First, a little background for this review. I spent 35 years searching for the truth (Who am I? Where did I come from? Is there a God? What are subatomic particles? What could explain the "observer paradoxes" in quantum mechanics? etc.). Zen helped me find everything I was searching for (it required 15 years of attentiveness). Although I ultimately left Zen behind, I am unspeakably grateful for all the help I received from various Zen Masters and other Zen practitioners I met along the way.
   
   I read Shainberg's book when it first came out and then re-read it again this last weekend. I had forgotten how incredibly funny the book is and how honest Shainberg is in reporting his experiences. When I read it the second time, I was struck most strongly by the pernicious power of Shainberg's "monkey mind." It's hard to believe that someone could do as much zen practice as he did without his mind quietening down enough to allow a few major insights. Nevertheless, I take him at his word. It reminds me of one of my friends who told me that after meditating for two years, his internal dialogue had not diminished at all and that he had never had a single moment of mental silence. I guess some people just have bad karma. Either that, or some people just don't want to know the truth badly enough. Personally, I was eaten up by the need to understand. I felt like a rat in a trap, and the idea of dying without ever understanding the universe struck me as absolutely intolerable. I was willing to die to know the truth. Ironically, what I discovered at the end of the trip is that I had never been born! For those who are still trapped by their thinking habits, try to make sense out of that statement.
   
   At any rate, I strongly recommend Ambivalent Zen, either as pure comedy, or as a warning about the kinds of craziness one is likely to encounter on the spiritual path. Fortunately, during his journey Shainberg met at least one authentic Zen Master who was clearly awake, and the Zen Master's conversations with Shainberg throughout the book provide a sharp contrast between an enlightened perspective and one that is still trapped in duality.
   
   For anyone who is serious about waking up, here is the condensed version of how to do it. Stop and be still. Meditate or do whatever you have to do to create some mental silence and space. (everything you are searching for will appear out of silence). Focus your attention upon what you can see, hear, smell, taste, and touch. Trust yourself 100% (you already know what you want to know at a deep level of mind, but that level is far below the intellect--you have to go deeper than usual to get access to it). Simply bear in mind what you want to know until your questioning becomes non-verbal. Don't give up. Keep searching until you find the treasure. Hint: You searcher is not who you think it is!
   
   Other wonderful books on the same subject include, The Power of Now, by Eckhart Tolle, Collision With The Infinite, by Suzanne Segal, and From Onions To Pearls, by Satyam Nadeen. If you can't find help anywhere else, then write to Bob Harwood, The Very Center, 1615 Brown Avenue, Cookeville, TN 38501. Cheers.



5. One of several books about Zen which I read before actually experiencing Zen meditation, this book stands out as one of the best in communicating the stops, starts, mistakes and rewards of a spiritual quest. The author begins as a secular Jew whose father was a spiritual seeker and who constantly exposed the family to new gurus during the mid-20th Century -- often to comical effect. Eventually the author decides to give Zen Buddhism the old college try, and his experiences are funny, insightful as he gives a fair picture of studying with several different teachers. After he develops a friendship with one teacher in Greenwich Vilage, the author relates many conversations in which the Zen master, with humor and equanimity, tries to untangle his student's anxieties and delusions.

   Once I actually began practicing Zen meditation, I felt this book, more than most others, provided a well-balanaced picture of what it's really like to approach and try to practice Zen.

5 comments about Heart of a Victim In Harm’s Way: Surviving Nightmarish Deeds of Darkness as a Spouse Reveals Secret Sins.

1. Heart of a Victim is one of those stories that you start and can't put it down. The author's bravery, bewilderment and utter disbelief of all that she is subjected to comes through with each turn of the page. You root for her, you scream for her to 'get out' and yet, you're pulled into her conflict and understand how she begins to question her own sanity. It is a relief to get to the end and have the resolution, and thank God she had the strength of will to pursue the truth.
   
   As the truth unravels in horrible, disgusting, documented detail in court, you are as relieved as the writer must have been to find that she really did see what she saw, really did hear what she heard, and wasn't the least mentally unbalanced, but that the situation was as bad and even worse than her most feared imaginings.
   
   Guts, honesty and faith in Christ pulls her through three years of unmitigated hell. A must read for anyone that has ever dealt with or may ever have to deal with a deranged, narcissitic personality, male or female.



2. L.A. Johnson
   Nebraska USA (11/26/2002) We read about deranged people in the newspapers, or watch such horror stories on TV, but most of us are lucky enough not to live such nightmares first hand. The author of this true story reveals in straightforward, conversational style her front row seat on a man's madness and perversions. Rosy Latur was a lonely widow, unworldly and open hearted. She enjoyed laughing and having fun, loved her family and friends, and did her best to walk a Christian walk. She lived well, in a lovely home, and had enough money set aside to live comfortably. Sympathy for a down and out Konn Rodent soon turned to love, on Rosy's part at least. Konn is aptly named. A more deranged con artist has seldom been described in my recollection. The reader wonders very early on why on God's green earth a woman with as much going for her as Rosy would stay with such a maniac. The answer she provides is simple. Rosy loved him with all her heart, and was totally devoted to the man. As her nightmare life unfolds, and her heart and spirit sicken, the reader hopes for a happy ending to her story. Alas, that doesn't happen. Konn drains her dry of everything. Physically, emotionally, spiritually and financially, Konn leaves her in his wake like a wild tornado run amuck. He strips her pride, her hope, and leaves her nothing. The only thing that means anything to Konn is pornography and self-indulgent sexual fantasies. As his horrid world reveals itself, Rosy is at first in denial, and then shock. The husband who has no romantic interest in her lavishes himself on prostitutes and strippers. Untold thousands of dollars are spent on his perversions, while Rosy stands by hopeless to prevent it. Heart of a Victim in Harm's Way is a daunting first hand account of how pornography can kill the addict's personality and spirit. It's a sad story, made even sadder because Konn Rodent doesn't have to pay the piper in the end. Rosy pays, as do the friends and family who love her, but Konn goes on his merry way to brutalize and ruin other unsuspecting women. Personally, I don't know where Ms. Latur found the courage to survive and tell her story. I wish she would have included pictures of Konn Rodent in her book. Or maybe even posted him on the front cover for all the world to see, along with a sign saying "WARNING! If you see this man, beware.".



3. deb
   SOUTH DAKOTA (4/10/2003) THIS WAS AND EXCELLENT BOOK, I READ IT TWICE IN THREE DAYS. I WAS RIVERTED BY THE STORY.I THINK ALL WOMEN SHOULD READ THIS BOOK,YOU WILL LEARN A HUGE LESSON IN IT. AND IT IS TRUE LOVE IS BLINDING.



4. DEBB
   Illinois (4/10/2003) This is an excellent book.Having dealt with a somewhat, though not quite extreme, situation, it really hits the heart! I know there are thousands of women out there that would understand everything Rosy endured, and thousands more who wish they had the courage to get out too. If they read this book, it might give them the little piece of encouragement they need!



5. DEBB
   Illinois (4/10/2003) This is an excellent book.Having dealt with a somewhat, though not quite extreme, situation, it really hits the heart! I know there are thousands of women out there that would understand everything Rosy endured, and thousands more who wish they had the courage to get out too. If they read this book, it might give them the little piece of encouragement they need!

5 comments about Johann Sebastian Bach: His Life In Pictures And Documents.

1. Always a pleasure to find another biography of my favorite composer. This one is a delight. It is easy to read and has many interesting illustrations. Thank you for recommending it.



2. If you know someone who loves Bach's Music, this is the perfect, impressive yet inexpensive gift. Wonderfully illustrated, this one volume and accompanying CD covers Bach's life, times, contemporaries and music. With many full-color photos as well as smaller black and white illustrations, this "coffee Table" book would ordinarily sell for two or three times the price it is being offered at now. The CD recording is a nice touch for non-musicians that provides a good overview of Bach's music as well as further illustration of the text.



3. In this simply written and beautifully appointed volume Hans Fischer has provided a general overview of the life and times of one of the greatest composers ever to live. This is no substitute for the likes of Christoph Wolff's massive (600 pages) intellectual biography Johann Sebastian Bach: The Learned Musician, but for that very reason it is all the more accessible and enjoyable for the non-specialist. Fischer concentrates on Bach's life and times, and there is little analysis of his music per se. Born in Eisenach, home of the famous Wartburg Castle where Luther translated the Bible into German while imprisoned, Bach (1685-1750), was the youngest son of a family of eight children (four of whom survived). By age 10 both his mother and father died within a year, so the orphan Bach was raised by his brother. In his own two marriages he fathered 17 children.
   
   Fischer insists that to understand Bach you must move beyond mere technical or intellectual analysis and grasp the centrality of Bach's deeply held (Lutheran) Christian faith. His organizing theme is that, in Bach's own words, the composer's lifelong goal was a "regulated sacred music to God's honor." His life was centered around the daily prayers, life, and worship of the local church. Indeed, writes Fischer, Bach "completely subordinated himself to the liturgy." At the top of many of his compositions Bach wrote the letters "JJ" (Jesu juva, Jesus help), and at the end, of course, the three letters "SDG" (Soli Deo Gloria, for the glory of God alone).
   
   The subtitle of this book is important. Perhaps a full third of the book includes gorgeous plates of autographed manuscripts, engravings of churches and towns, period portraits of people close to Bach, along with important primary documents. For example, it is common knowledge that Bach came from a long line of family musicians; Fischer includes the entire Origin of the Musical Bach Family in which Bach documented what he knew about his 53 ancestors back to the sixteenth century and Vitus Bach, a baker in Hungary. Or again, it is fun to read the city council of Leipzig's Contract of Employment as the Cantor of St. Thomas's (where Bach spent 27 years). Among the 14 enumerated points: "That I will make music in the two major city churches as well as I can" (#2), and, "That I will not leave town without the Mayor's permission" (#13). For about $1300 you might purchase Hänssler Classic's 172 CDs of the Edition Bachakademie (the complete works of Bach). Or buy this book and enjoy the delightful CD that comes with it, A Musical Journey Through the Life of Johann Sebastian Bach, which includes 17 extracts from the Hänssler edition.



4. H. C. Fischer has given in his book a helpful, informative and well reseached view of the man J. S. Bach whose music we hear yet in this time and enjoy no less than when he wrote.



5. It really is impossible to capture the glory that is the music of J.S. Bach in the printed page, but this book comes very close. Coupled with a CD of music samples taken from the Edition Bachakademie (a 172-CD set that is the only complete recording of the music of J.S. Bach), this book is a wonderful introduction and survey of the Bach's life and music.
   
   The CD itself is a wonderful collection of seventeen pieces, ranging from just a little over a minute to nearly ten minutes, excerpts or complete renderings of Bach compositions. These include a generous sampling of organ pieces such as the Toccata and Fugue in D-Minor, harpsichord pieces including The Art of the Fugue, and pieces for other instruments and combinations. Included also are portions of the Brandenberg Concertos, the St. Matthew Passion and the Mass in B-Minor, arguably his best piece (and argued by some as the best music ever written).
   
   Bach's work was primarily liturgical and religious in nature. At the conclusion of a great many of his manuscripts, he inscribed the letters SDG, which stand for Soli Deo Gloria, for God's glory alone. Bach was employed as a church organist in Germany, having come from a distinguished musical family (in fact, figuring out which Bach is which can sometimes be a struggle even for scholars). Living a few generational after the Reformation, Bach brought the fullness of the theological impulses together with the richness of the Baroque tradition of music, then in full flower, together in a magnificent form.
   
   This book gives insight into the spiritual and historical forces that helped shape Bach and his music. It has a lavish presentation style, with full-colour portraits of people and places of significance in generous number throughout the text. There are photographs of some of the great organs of the time, too. It is a uniquely fortunate work of fate that J.S. Bach's career should coincide with that of the Silbermann family's ascendancy in organ building, for they reached heights in craftsmanship rarely reached even today.
   
   Bach was a man of strong passions - such is obvious from his music, but also is demonstrated in various aspects of his life apart from music. He was more than once called before church councils to answer for his behaviour, and was involved in physical brawls that required police and court interventions. Bach was very opinionated, to the point of exasperation of those around him, but often got his way.
   
   This book introduces in a very inviting manner. Author Hans Conrad Fischer writes in a lively, interesting fashion for beginners and experienced music fans alike. This book makes a wonderful introduction to Bach, a good refresher for Bach, and is especially good for exploring the historical and spiritual contexts that surround Bach's music.