5 comments about At the Entrance to the Garden of Eden: A Jew's Search for Hope with Christians and Muslims in the Holy Land.

1. I just love this guy. Starting with a simple urge to connect with his neighbors, Yossi Halevi embarks on an awkward, fascinating, dangerous journey through Israel, the West Bank and Gaza. He discovers a series of surprising characters who dream, not just of peace between Jews, Muslims and Christians, but of spiritual friendship. And the story of these fragile, budding friendships becomes an adventure of almost overwhelming power.
   
   I want to quote from one episode, where Halevi and a madcap Jew called Eliyahu Charanamrit McLean attend a mosque in Karawa village on the West Bank:
   
   "This mosque was a family project: Everyone here belonged to the Abu-Laben clan. They were working class people; the shaykh himself was a car mechanic.
   
   "What do the other Muslims think of you?" Eliyahu asked.
   
   "That we're crazy," replied Saud's father. "They think we chant the name of 'Abdallah' instead of 'Allah"". Laughter.
   
   I asked Saud what he experienced during the zakir [or dance of remembering God]. "That our hearts kept getting closer and closer to God," he said, with the Sufi vagueness I'd so often encountered from Ibrahim. ...
   
   Ibrahim, not to be poetically outdone, added "Our souls went up to heaven like clouds".
   
   "When you pray together," said the shaykh's father, "you form one heart".
   
   I felt sad for this forlorn Sufi Shteibl. Here was an Islam with which we could make peace, yet it was almost absurdly perepheral. Still, maybe the fact that a handful of Muslims and Jews had danced together was enough for God to work with; perhaps He would magnify our prayers, widen the circle of ecstasy." (p. 104-105)
   
   Halevi is realist enough to claim no easy victories. As the level of sectarian violence rises again, his network of friends retains little but hope and prayer. It's a marvelous book.
   
   --author of "Different Visions of Love"



2. One problem with writing intelligent books on religion is that religion demands the author experience it. Halevi takes this difficult challenge and seeks common ground with Christians and Muslims. To find this common ground he is willing to push his boundaries, go beyond his fears to find a common ground.
   
   In his efforts he encounters a Catholic order of religious that seeks to return to the Jewish roots of Jesus as a common ground for Jewish-Christian relations; a Catholic monk of the Melkite rite (Jerusalem rite) seeing Arab-Jewish understanding through the Arab Christian; a common ground of genocide with Armenian Christians; a common ground of love with Sufi sheiks ...
   
   Throughout his search runs a thread of the common monotheistic underpinnings of the three major religions of Israel. A second thread is a more universal acceptance that includes the great Eastern traditions - Buddhism and Hinduism. The third thread is the history of the Jewish people and the reality of strife in Israel. Through these threads, Halevi challenges the reader to confront his or her prejudices in the political and religious arenas.
   
   The net result is not a great book, but one I highly recommend because of the issues raised and the author's personal willingness to share his experience in addressing the issues.



3. This is a must for all ethnic groups to read.



4. The title is exact. Halevi is an extraordinary person: a mystic deeply rooted in his Jewish faith but who can share a common search for peace and religious experience with Christians, the historic persecutors of Jews, and with Muslims, who have now become the "enemy." I know three of the communities of Christians he shared with and the descriptions are accurate so I can assume the Muslim sections are just as fair. Anyone searching for religious and mystic truth that is non-violent but serious about faith and God will love this book.



5. Yossi Halevy thinks he is only writing about interfaith connections in the holy land, but in fact the most inspiring aspect of the book is the delicate portrait of his own faith in God, where this deep faith takes him, and the grace of goodwill and wisdom that it creates inside his soul.

5 comments about Code Name God: The Spiritual Odyssey of a Man of Science.

1. It was a gift to read of Mani Bhaumik's life and history, and I found the first third of the book completely fascinating. When the scientist mind came in and we were offered a look at the world through a very wide spread net of intelligent perception, my reading slowed down, but my fascination lit up.
   This book successfully attempts to weave personal narrative, life passion, spirituality and deep science into a one-size-fits-all-wear-it-anywhere-package. The amount of personal research Dr Bhaumik has done is evident in each page, yet he has brought it into an engaging form: science filled with metaphor and anecdote that keep the reader curious and involved. I can imagine any age level from middle school on up benefitting from this work. There is a genuine desire to share insight; so the book is devoid of the pomposity of rhetoric so often obscuring most scientific treatises.
   I had a hard time letting the book go, so i spread it over time. This isn't a light ramble though it reads like one; it is a dissertation on the nature of the universe. I so appreciate the way he includes the reader into the active process of understanding. The final revelation would seem to be that by meditating, (which in itself adds a huge gift to the entire system), one will automatically develop a profound awareness of the answers they seek on the nature of existence.
   Rarely has such a vastly over arching viewpoint been so distilled; we go from an understanding of the cosmological history of all, and offer a way to balance the perceptions so that they are no longer elusive abstract phenomena, but are included in our life path.
   Thank you for the great ride, highly recommended.



2. I had purchased the book after reading a few reviews which were very positive. If you want to know more about the person, Mani Bhaumick, this book is a good one. If the topic of Quantum Physics and its journey towards explaning the universal truth in the same manner as old religions interests you, this book offers a good start. Unfortunately, I got bored reading the past of the author (which is no doubt interesting but why spend money to know this!!!). Further,the portions relating to developments of Physics went over my head - I guess this may be because I am a normal Accounting person or I am not be very intelligent. And then, there are photographs of the author with various celebreties (why was this necessary?). And I felt the end of the book was also very abrupt. The book could have been more simple and focused on the subject. I guess persons of normal intellect may avoid this book. It will be useful if someone can recommend books that are more simple (with illustrations, where possible) and where the focus of the book is purely Quantum Physics rather than spice this up with avoidable diversions.



3. Dr. Bhaumik nails this most difficult task of wedding his personal story as a beautiful metaphor, to the greatest story ever told - the unfurling of our universe. He pursues the question that his father refused to answer and aren't we lucky for it. His formidable intellect and acquired rags-to-riches wealth gives way to a humility and innocent passion that can only reflect what he is and always will be: pure unadulterated spirit. I flat out love the way he presents meditation as the sacred portal of entry to our birthing ground, the unified field. The description of our holograhic universe by using the analogy of the human genome replicating whole humans brought tears to my eyes. The implication that we ARE the united field brings me to my knees because it resonates with every fiber of my being. By celebrating the similarities rather than the differences, Dr. Bhaumik honors what we all know at some level: What we're looking for is looking for us. His is an invitation to step up to and behold an idea of God that we can all live and die with. What a wonderful additional gift for more of us to get and live the Big Idea. Thank you Dr. Bhaumik for your remarkable contributions to our little parenthesis in eternity. - Dr. Herby Bell



4. We live today in a world so divided by disparate religious ideas that there is a very real possibility that we as humans won't survive these differences.
   
   The spectrum of this divde is great and varied. Extreme Christian fundamentalists longing for a biblical Armageddon promote political choices that could bring on an ultimate nuclear holocaust. More moderate Christians eschew science in favor of a literal reading of the Bible and turn a blind eye to scientific "theories" as varied as global warming, the evolution of our species or the age of the universe.
   
   Extreme Islamic fundamentalists scoff at earthly political goals altogether and wish only to live in a world governed entirely by the Koran. Unfortunately, like the Judeo/Christian Bible, interpretation of these sacred scriptures is subject to whoever perceives that he/she has been selected by his or her god to do so. This has resulted, in many instances, in the wide-scale destruction of people by those convinced by these chosen spokesmen that they will achieve heavenly rewards by their own and their victims' deaths.
   
   Obviously, examples like these can be found everywhere in the world and in many other religions as well.
   
   In a fervent desire to get beyond religious misconceptions of basic spiritual concepts, many thoughtful people have followed one of two divergent philosophical paths of inquiry concerning the universe and our place in it.
   
   Science and spirituality (as opposed to religion) both seek the answers to this most fundamental question. While never quite at physical odds with each other, proponents look askance at each other for the others' naive understandings of reality. Yet a few individuals in both camps have been able to take a "quantum leap" of understanding and realize that science and spirituality should not just "agree to disagree".
   
   For some scientists, David Bohm, Rupert Sheldrake, Karl Pribram and others, the deeper science goes towards discovering the most fundamental nature of Matter and Energy, the more the paths of science and spirituality merge into one.
   
   On the spiritual side, a person such as the Dalai Lama honors the discoveries being made by science; to the extent that he says that if science proves a concept that is counter to his own Buddhist tradition, then the Buddhist idea must succumb to science! Truly a remarkable statement in view of most religious orthodoxies.
   
   Mani Bhaumik is one of these "leapers", whose early life happened to be suffused in mystical Hindu traditions. Yet, the talents for science and mathematics he displayed at a young age allowed him to escape the poverty and ignorance epidemic in his community.
   
   Finding his way to the West and his subsequent invention of the Exemer Laser (known commercially as Lasek) culminated in his enjoying a fabled lifestyle of the rich and famous; coincidentally the name of a popular television show of the day in which he displayed his wealth. His Hollywood star-studded life of parties and luxury in Beverly Hills is the stuff of dreams.
   
   But somewhere along the way, the dream ended. Like many others throughout history, he finally had to ask himself, is this all there is?
   
   Even while climbing the ladder of success, however, he never forgot the ground below from where he began. His political and spiritual grounding as an acquaintance of the "living saint" Mahatma Ghandi (in the political struggle for independence by the Indians against Great Britain) demonstrated to him how true spirituality can be manifested in the everyday world.
   
   Throughout his early life in America he used his practice of Hindu meditation as primarily a method of remaining calm and centered in the high-flying academic and business worlds he was increasingly a part of.
   
   But when he began to ask whether "this is all there is", he wanted to explore the deeper realms of reality found through mediation; those spoken of in the Gitas, the sacred writings of his religious tradition.
   
   As a man with one foot in Western science and one foot in mystical Hinduism, he came to realize that it was perhaps his dharma to create a bridge between the two.
   
   The result is the narrative of a wonderful, poetic journey through his own life before he begins the even more fantastic journey into the realms of quantum theory and sublime mystical states.
   
   In the process, he does a truly amazing thing. He makes the underlying scientific field of all physical reality--which is, in fact, non-reality--move so closely towards the highest mystical states that it makes the a non-belief in "god" the most non-rational and least plausible conclusion one could make for a human being.
   
   As a formerly agnostic seeker of knowledge, I've spent the past few years, trying to reconcile the remarkable scientific discoveries of DNA, quantum theory and consciousness with the fantastic realms of mind explored and written about by mystics, shamans, artists, users of entheogenic plants and others throughout the ages.
   
   Mani Bhaumik's journey is a wonderful stepping stone on our own journey through a life that offers so many unanswerable questions. I've found that the most wonderful thing about our journey is that once a stepping stone is reached, another one appears almost magically.
   
   And it's only one step away.



5. I think this book is wonderful approach to the science of God's existence. If you've ever seen the "Elegant Universe" (I think it is called) on PBS where they delve into String Theory and explain quantum physics to the layman, this book is a perfect follow-up. I think that because I had seen this show, I absorbed much of the physics he presented very quickly. I remember stopping at one point and thinking, "this is some scientific stuff."
   
   Even if you've never heard of String Theory or Quantum Mechanics, it is worth reading this book. Dr. Bhaumik's book presents complicated physics theories in simple terms, and then ties those principles into his statement that everything from human consciousness, to the farthest stars, to the smallest particles are all interrelated and have a single name: God.
   
   When I got to certain points in the book, I could hear my brain frying ;-) These were some increbile points he was making and I was blown away.
   
   The only reason I gave it four stars is because he spends a little too much time in my opinion on his upbringing in India. Yes, it helps set the stage for the life eventually goes onto, and underscores several of his ideas, but it should have been cut shorter.

2 comments about Bernadette Speaks: A Life of St. Bernadette Soubirous in Her Own Words.

1. As a biography, this is quite nice -- very detailed, highly readable, lots of photos. A good account of the life of St. Bernadette. From that standpoint I can certainly recommend it. But from the title and the description, I expected it to be comprised entirely of verbatim excerpts from the writings of, and interviews with, St. Bernadette herself, strung together to create a flowing narrative. I was looking for the most complete volume of the visionary's own description of the Lourdes apparitions, and of her subsequent life, in her OWN WORDS. This is anything but that. So apply caution when choosing this book.



2. This is book is written in the format of a novel, but with Bernadette's actual words. This was a very satisfying hagiography, because it gave, I feel, a realistic portrait of Bernadette. Often, saints' biographies tend to make the saint out as more angelic than human.The author, for the most part, avoids this annoying habit.There are also many interesting photos, which add to the feeling of the "authenitic" Bernadette.
   In sum, I would definitely reccommend this book for anyone truly interested in the life, words, and spirit of the peasant girl from Lourdes who was graced with the presence of the "the Immaculate Conception".

1 comments about Autobiography of an Aspiring Saint (The Other Voice in Early Modern Europe).

1. Cecilia Ferrazzi (1609-1684) was without doubt a woman who did not fall into the obscure vaults of history. Her story is found like so many belonging to 17th century Italy, etched in the soil of the land with all of its superstition, religious devotion, and mania of the era. At first glance her vitae would sound familiar to students of the cases of other Medieval and Renaissance holy women, such as Margery Kempe "the Madwoman of God" and the Venetian Inquisition. It was spoken of in her own time that she was blessed with the stigmata and visions of the Holy Mother, and was asked by many for her prayers on behalf of their souls; that she was considered on the path of righteousness (for a woman of that time) who, refusing to marry, dedicated herself solely to God and His path for her.
   
   To others though, such as Chiara Bacchis, who denounced her to the Inquisition and brought about the hearings against in her 1664, it seemed the Devil was the only voice in her mind and that she willingly consorted with him as he led her through acts of deprivation. One such instance would be in the suspected poisoning of Ippolita Maffei, a woman who "flattered and petted her so much" that she "began to pray, saying the Rosary of the Most Holy Mother and begged her to free me from this flattery." Ferrazzi experienced a rapture that very night during her prayer, with the Virgin coming to her and promising that this woman would so be removed and within four hours the woman had "miraculously died from a convulsive fever."
   
   With the suspicion of murder upon her, her story has now deviated from the path of our traditional heroine of the holy word, though there were still aspects of her life that would reflect those other more famous kindred women of her time. She ran a home for "girls in danger" those who were in peril by moral deficit or circumstance of becoming prostitutes or falling into disgrace with a man. Chiara Bacchis, the very woman that denounced to the Inquisition, was indeed her rival in such establishment. It would be pure conjecture to say if this accusation from her rival was forged from the mirthful embers of the fires of ambition in women, who had no other resource than that of a good name to make a living from, or indeed if Ferrazzi had poisoned the young and vital woman who had distressed her so as to appeal to the Holy Mother for her aid.
   
   
   The volume is well presented by Anne Jacobson Schutte, a Professor of History at the University of Virginia. She transcribed it from the original Italian that the documents were archived in and in her introduction provided the person unacquainted with Venice of the 17th century a roadmap of cultural understanding for that era.
   
   In the introduction we are given background and relevant facts that are needed to lay the scene of Ferrazzi's life. From the emphasis on the need for chastity in unmarried women to the disdain of the so-called "women of tears" for God, that made their bread and fame in the exploitation of their faith, but the time you reach the testimony and the autobiography you have a clear understanding of the circumstances surrounding the life of the aspiring saint. It is extremely well edited and very accessible to the modern day reader, there is no language stylistic to keep it from being clearly felt and understood. While many editors of Renaissance text seek to `update' the language for the modern reader and thus remove proper forms of speech for the language of the time, Schutte has preserved the words of the accused in good order. The volume separates from the story of Margery Kempe in that Ferrazzi went mad during her time in captivity while being investigated by the Inquisition. She would `bash her head upon the stones of her cell, to the Devil be rid of," believing that if she could kill herself, "then the Devil would no longer be tempted by my purity and free to God I would be left to His service." She experienced the same personal perils of her other women of God in that for her tears and devotion she was mocked publicly by those `in cruel mirth of her faith' and wore the hair shirt and removed her finery to lower herself even further until she would no longer provoke the ire of her fellow citizens.
   
   Where other scholars have drawn analysis of her solely from the stories of the women who were her forbearers and contemporaries in the persecution of the faithful, Ferrazzi had an uncommon sister in devotion of mission, and that was Veronica Franco, the Honest Courtesan of 16th century Venice. The two women shared the same mission in their establishment and operation of houses for "girls in danger" and at the end of their illustrious careers (both that had landed the two of them before the Inquisition on charges of consorting with the devil and to witchcraft) they were two of the few high-profile cases where the women defended themselves before the Holy Inquisition and saved not only their reputations, but their lives.
   
   The text of the volume is solely in Ferrazzi's words as taken by a scribe of the court. Like Franco, she was one of the few women that was called before the Inquisition whose words were preserved through the annals of time and this volume provides a rare account of her alacrity before the holy court and an insight into the martyrdom that she ascribed to herself as a person designated by God to spread the love of His word throughout the world. Whether she was mad or truly touched by the divine is for only time and the unveiling of other hidden truths to tell, but her oratory skills and grace of person were enough to save her from the fires that plagued these times of burning.
   
   An intriguing woman for certain, she was afflicted with visions, and times of blankness that could not be accounted for when she gave testimony. However, for all of the ills (be it fevers, falling, beatings by her confessors, stigmata that made her side bleed, beatings by the devil, malnourishment, and the vomiting of blood) she lived until the age of 75, quite the accomplishment for someone under the stresses she attested to enduring.
   
   To hear the passion in her conviction towards the belief she held in her religion, in redemption, obedience, and punishment for her vices, was impressive and at times, heart wrenching. The book is not to be held against those who will argue its merit from the modern perspective of science and objectivity, it is a testimony to a time and aspect of faith that has in most contexts passed, yet should be remembered and studied for the true history of the growth and growing pains of the Christian faithful. It is a compelling book for advocates of Renaissance history and the internal war of religion that all humans must one day take their side upon. For Cecilia Ferrazzi her journey to God and through her life with Him is more than a book on women's studies and should be considered an important work by all scholars of religious history.

5 comments about David Livingstone: The Truth Behind the Legend.

1. If you are interested in the trailblazer who paved the path into Africa for Christianity this is the book for you. He single handedly stopped the slave trade in Africa through his complete reliance on God and God alone. Just an awesome person of faith and a true testimony to humanity. He shows you what the human spirit is willing to endure for his love of others and God.



2. I don't want this to sound anti-Christian, because I definitely am not. But the religious message gets in the way of what would otherwise be an interesting story.



3. I guess there are times in biography writing when the sheer magnitude of the subject overshadows the book. However, Rob Mackenzie captures this life with pure genius. As he takes us on the chronological journey of David Livingstone's life, we are deeply saddened by the utter despair of his relentless failings and hopeless circumstances, only to reach to the top and celebrate in the victory of a simple move forward. He truly captures the love and compassion that Dr. Livingstone had for a forgotten people and shames us with the recounting of his unfeigned commitment. The road to Africa's salvation is surely paved with the blood of this man and the content challenges us to dare to take that road after him. When the author describes the final scene--with David Livingstone crumpled over, dying silently while in prayer, I am in tears and like the natives, afraid to consider what to do next. I took this biography personally and I am unworthy to even walk in his shadow, you see, I am a missionary in Zambia. Every success I experience now, was properly paid for and recounted in this book.



4. Reading this book on David Livingstone's life has really impacted my life in an incredible way! I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to be spiritually challenged in getting the gospel of Jesus Christ out into the world. Having been born and brought up in Zimbabwe as the child of missionaries I feel that we owe so much to Mr Livingstone and many others for "sewing the seed"and giving their lives for the gospel in a beautiful but hard land.



5. I went to Cecil Rhodes School and my 'sports house' was Livingstone (this was in London). David Livingstone has always been part of my life, I came to South Africa some years ago. I visited Victoria Falls two year ago while I was there I too saw the same beauty David saw. His Statue overlooks the Falls as if keeping them safe. After reading this book on his life - it had such an impact on me. This man NEVER gave up, he loved the people of Africa and if we could just have a little 'piece' of his humility, we all have hope. Rob Mackenzie showed Livingstone humility all through the book and as I finished the last page. I felt that I had been of a real journey. My life changed because of this - I am 47 years old and I registered for 1st year University in Human Sciences. I even went and bought more copies to give to my friends - it is a humbling experience, it puts everything back into perspective.

2 comments about John Newton: The Angry Sailor (Preteen Biography).

1. I home school my 9 year old son and am always in search of books that will delight and engage him. He enjoys reading, but it is much harder to find a book that will fascinate him than it has been to find books for his older sister. I always pre-read the books I want him to read to check for appropriate content and to make sure the book is not too difficult to read (he is a strong reader, but some terminology in books can make them too frustrating for him). I knew when I began reading this book that any boy would quickly become engrossed and my son proved me right. He couldn't put this book down and he could not stop talking about it. He initally moaned when I gave it to him, but I told him I thought he might really enjoy it. He started reading it and announced "This is a GOOD book!" and then he thanked me for the book when he was finished reading it. I believe he has read it a second time. There are many ethical and moral discussions that can come from this book as well as "life lessons." My son was fascinated that this was a biography because it read much more like an exciting fictional tale. Not only did he enjoy reading the book, my 12 year old daughter and I also throughly enjoyed reading it. The topic matters of slavery, drinking, cursing, disobedience, etc... are handled well and are not too graphic that they are inappropriate for a pre-teen to read and understand. After reading the book it gives much more meaning to the words of Amazing Grace which John Newton wrote after becoming a born again Christian and accepting Christ's redemptive love.



2. This is one terrific book! Kay Strom has packed in so much information and excitement, it's hard to believe it's a book primarily written for kids and teens. She combines dialogue, action, and narrative into a fast-paced story that readers of all ages can enjoy. She also uses comtemporary American English to avoid bogging down in archaic terms and expressions. Now, all I knew of John Newton before reading her book was that he composed "Amazing Grace." I had no idea he'd been a slave ship captain in his early "lost" years, nor that the harshness and deprivation of his early life was crucial to his coming to belief in later life. Reading of the desperate straits he endured, and the miserable deeds he sometimes committed because of them, gives a whole new meaning to the lines from the hymn which go, "Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now am found, was blind, but now I see." This epitomizes the entire story, but an interested reader would still want to glean every detail Ms. Strom has so thrillingly and believably captured in just 125 pages. This is a story the entire family can enjoy.

5 comments about Ocean Star: A Memoir.

1. I could not put this book down. It is a beautiful story about a girl who found strength and determination against the odds.



2. This is one of the best books I have ever read. This is inspiring, truly inspiring.



3. Christina DiMari's OCEAN STAR, a memoir of overcoming a dark childhood of violence, abuse and substance addictions to find faith, love and the creative life, offers hope and encouragement to anyone who has faced seemingly insurmountable challenges.
   
   DiMari was raised in an Italian family in California that loosely belonged to the Catholic church, but didn't practice faith at home. "I had always believed in God, but I really didn't understand how believing in him made all that much difference to us while we lived on earth," she writes. "...We simply didn't really know how believing in him could make our life any different in the day-to-day stuff."
   
   Regularly beaten by her mother, who was otherwise mostly absent, DiMari grew up feeling she was her father's favorite. Yet, as the violence between mom and dad escalated, her parents separated and she lost touch with her father. Life at home was unbearable. Over the years, DiMari estimates she ran away more than 100 times.
   
   "Was I fooling myself?" she writes. "Was I really bad and not worth anything? Would it have been better if I'd never been born? Did my life matter to anyone?"
   
   She regularly smoked pot, dabbling in LSD and other drugs, shoplifted clothes, hung out with the hippies in Haight Asbury, and listened to The Grateful Dead. Pods of dolphins appear in various places throughout the memoir, symbolizing DiMari's strong friendships with others and as a symbol of hope. Her friends became her dolphin pod, with a trademark saying, "Life's a trip! Enjoy the ride."
   
   Despite DiMari's poor performance in school, one determined high school counselor helped her get her high school diploma and pointed her toward college. It was there that she grew weary of her choices and began looking for deeper meaning. "I was tired of living my life with no direction or purpose. There had to be more." Through a loving pastor and a fellow student at the college, she decided to make Christ the center of her life.
   
   Changes followed. DiMari found herself drawn to young children in the Philippines and got involved in mission work. Eventually, she met and married Michael, a concert violinist, and had two sons. As her faith grew stronger, however, she realized she had to revisit the dark places in her childhood. She also realized she had to come to grips with her relationship with her father and mother. As DiMari forced herself to explore the past, she uncovered some terrible secrets that shed light on her dysfunctional family.
   
   The starfish on the cover is appropriate; it's a symbol woven throughout, which DiMari uses as an example of how broken things (such as a starfish losing an arm) can heal and become whole. They are saved, she says, when they cling to the "rock." This is not literal nonfiction for sticklers about the genre; rather, it's a creative retelling of one woman's story. Some liberties have been taken, such as using recreated dialogue extensively throughout; these are acknowledged at the beginning of the book.
   
   DiMari crafts a motivational card and gift line, and hosts "Designed to Shine" workshops on the beaches of California where young girls are encouraged to dream big and become the women God designed them to be. "If I have learned anything at all, it's this: The journey is not always easy, but if you are willing to surrender the dreams that you hold in your heart and let God replace them with the dreams he has for you in his...and never, ever, ever give up, your star will eventually SHINE the way it was designed to." This is an inspiring book for older teens and adults who have overcome difficult experiences and are looking for hope.
   
   --- Reviewed by Cindy Crosby. Contact Cindy at phrelanzer@aol.com



4. What an amazing book this is! Christina's story, in and of itself, is truly astounding. But the message is truly powerful! For me, personally, I gained a new sense of having "hopeful expectations from the Lord". It inspired me to remember the power in "asking" Him to "show up" and to provide His wisdom, direction, and literal road signs in life! I have a renewed sense of hope when it comes to praying about things and looking expectantly for His answers.
   
   In addition, Christina does a terrific job of explaining "how" she experienced coming to know Jesus and what it is to have faith in a living God.
   
   I am inspired to pass this book on to several friends who do not know Jesus, yet!
   
   * Read it on a beach for an even greater impact. :)



5. Ocean Star will open the eyes of PARENTS and reemphasize the importance of kind, encouraging, loving words to their children.It will make every CHILD learn that there is a way out, that they don't have to make bad choices to make themselves feel better, and that it is not their fault. It will let every ADULT who has been physicall, mentally, or sexually abused by family members learn how to process that life to be able to move on and realize the undying importance of not repeating past behaviors. It will let every FRIEND realize the importance they have in each others lives. And for those of you who were lucky enough to be born into a family with good, loving parents, you can learn how to be a light to those children who only see the darkness. You will learn how to teach those children how to see the good in themselves, how to teach them it is not their faullt, and how to extend your hand so they have something to hold onto while they ride the storm. You can learn how to be a pearl to someone who needs you.

No comments about St. Ignatius' Own Story.

1 comments about The Essential Sri Anandamayi Ma: Life and Teaching of a 20th Century Indian Saint.

1. The love and dedication of this book on one of the greatest saints to walk on this earth and not widely known here in the west will be finally rectified in this outstanding book of sacred words and journeys, through out India.MA never connected to any specific religion or Guru.This book answers mans great longing to understand Spiritual Quest through her words and guidance in an uncomplicated way.Mas photos reveal her light as one of the greatest saints still to be discovered by all religions and seekers.This is an exceptional book that will change peoples lives no matter your belief, 5 stars to this great star.

5 comments about Dancing in the Water of Life (Merton, Thomas//Journal of Thomas Merton).

1. This book illustrates vividly the calms and the storms of living out a life of commitment.There is enough content in the book to effectively encourage the persevering christian who seeks to deepen his or her relationship with Jesus Christ.Notations on the daily life in the monastary,and the relationship Merton had with his fellow monks and superiors,serves to illuminate the fact that here we have no "plaster saint", but man in all his frailty! Merton calls us,through this book,to live out our indiviuality with respect to the tradition from which we come. There is suberb referencing to all literature mentioned throughout the text,and the introduction summarises well the events in Merton's life to which these journals belong.If you are a Christian ,then this book will surely give you the thirst to deepen your relationship with Jesus,through prayer.



2. Thomas Merton has become, since his absurd death,many thingsto many people. Only with Pope John Paul II, in my estimation, has such a varried and vocal sparring been going on for legacies and interpertations{I actually do not know who will have the more influential leagcy. My guess is merton.}In this, the 5th volume of these magnificent diaries, Merton has begun the transition to hermit,such as it was.Much of the published writings from this period have the smooth polish of an editors hand. Not so with these entries. Merton still writes,to borrow a phrase from Ross Mcdonald, like a slumming angel,and his nuggets of insight into his own foibles, that of his brethren{his abbot, of course, comes off no better here than the previois volumes}comes through almost painfully at times.. His reading list is so varied and prodigiois, that coupled with his correspondence, I cannot fathom how he found time to write,never mind pray,and meditate . Herein I think is the true genius,a word that has become so commonplace that it has lost its power.Mertons powers of concentration must have been extraordinary,his ability to focus on the thing at hand, without losing interest in momentary gifts{the fire-light reflecting through a glass jar of honey, the sound of deer scurrying about in new fallen snow.]The Thomas Merton I encountered here is an adult,believer,long discarding the triumphialism of the newly converted,grwing more at peace. Of course, we know how this part of the journey ends,so reading this again with that in mind makes it all the more pointed,and still retaining its power. HAving read all 7 volumes, I look foward to re-reading them for I believe them to be that good, and certainly worth the time, effort and cost.



3. This fifth volume of Merton's Journals hits a home run, an analogy Thomas Merton would probably relish. I've read volumes 1 through 5, and here Merton hits his stride. The diarist in Merton contributes nearly everything within his vast sight and makes it important and touching. The lengthier review on this page covers the base ground admirably. One of the really interesting aspects of these journals is the inadvertently given bibliography of Merton's own reading material, everything from Elias Canetti to Barth to D. T. Suzuki! These volumes give us a whole and uncompromising look at Merton's innermost sensibilities, apparent in his formal oeuvre, but turned over and examined like a winter leaf in these journals. I think the various editors of these volumes, a different editor for each, deserve high praise for the consistency of tone in their editing, one volume to the next; a job done wisely and well. It is as well a tribute to the consistency of Merton's path over the years. He was a true monk, an authentic thinker in the best tradition, and a heck of a writer. When Thomas Merton writes, he never loses that clear-sky-with-stars timbre of voice, spending his real humility like gold, and awakening all the sleeping people. The more I read these journals the more I miss him. Noble and unforgettable.



4. This, the fifth of Thomas Merton's complete journals, covers Merton's move to becoming a full-time hermit, the fulfilment of a deep desire for solitude that had haunted Merton from his earliest days at Gethsemani. It begins in August 1963 when Merton was living as a part-time solitary and traces the gradual expansion of the amount of time he was allowed to spend at the hermitage until he was allowed to take up full-time residence there in August 1965. This volume concludes at the end of 1965 allowing us to see Merton's reflections on his first few months as a hermit.

   Some parts of this journal will already be familiar to readers as it contains journal entries that were prepared for publication by Merton in the journal A Vow of Conversation, as well as his account of his visit to meet the Zen scholar Suzuki and an early version of Day of a Stranger. Having said that, over half of the material in this journal is previously unpublished and even those parts previously published can read quite differently in their unedited form. Vow leaves the reader with the impression that Merton had effortlessly made the transition to life as a full-time hermit whereas, in Dancing, this transition appears far from easy and a visit from his former novice Ernesto Cardenal brings to the surface the instability Merton experienced with the move.

   Dancing in the Waters of Life begins with a masterful introduction by Robert Daggy which highlights the central movements in this volume - Merton's move to the hermitage, his movement into his middle years with increasing health difficulties, and his continuing efforts to work out the paradoxes in his life. At times in this journal we see Merton at his most free and yet, almost in the next sentence he can be highly introspective and obsessed with certain aspects of his life. This tension runs throughout this volume and, as Daggy points out, accounts "for the highs and lows, the joy and the despair, the enthusiasm and the carping." (xii-xiii.) Merton's own sense of this continuing movement in his life, of the dance, comes over clearly in a passage he wrote in January 1964: "The need for constant self-revision, growth, leaving behind, renunciation of yesterday, yet in continuity with all yesterdays...my ideas are always changing, always moving around one center, always seeing the center from somewhere else. I will always be accused of inconsistencies - and will no longer be there to hear the accusation." (67.)

   Dancing allows us the most direct contact with Merton of any of the journals yet published. The difficulties of this period which Merton writes about, the tensions, his continuing ill health and his coming to terms with middle age and the absurd world of the sixties can make this volume sound like the ravings of a man obsessed with himself. Yet there is a fine balance here between the madman and the prophet, as was frequently the case with the prophets of the Hebrew Scriptures. When one considers Merton's other writings of this time - Emblems of a Season of Fury, Seeds of Destruction, The Way of Chuang Tzu, Gandhi on Non-Violence, along with such classics essays as "Rain and the Rhinoceros," and his "Message to Poets" - it is the stature of the prophet which becomes evident and this journal gives us an intimate insight into the dynamics of the prophet.

   In this journal we can see the sources to which Merton was turning for his own spiritual and intellectual nourishment. Of particular interest to Merton in this period are Rilke, Barth, Bultmann, and Sartre. The Church Fathers, scripture and the religious writings of other traditions are all evident along with a growing awareness of his natural surroundings, brought about partly through a growing closeness to nature and its rhythms in his life at the hermitage: "Came up to the hermitage at 4 a.m. The moon poured down silence over the woods, and the frosty grass sparkled faintly. More than two hours of prayer in firelight...Sweet pungent smell of hickory smoke, and silence, silence." (93.)

   Although not as intensely involved in the peace movement as he was earlier in the sixties Merton's awareness of the issues confronting it is clearly still evident as is his grasp of a wide range of national and international issues - race relations and civil rights, the space race, American politics, Viet Nam and the effects of the Vatican Council.

   In all the journals of Thomas Merton references can be found to the various anniversaries that were important to him. In this journal the dominant such date is his fiftieth birthday. Throughout this journal Merton makes references to a variety of health problems and his fiftieth birthday provides the occasion for an extended reflection on his life connecting his present self with various moments in his life from Oakham, through Cambridge and Columbia to Gethsemani concluding "Why go on? Deo gratias for all of them." (199.) As he approaches middle age Merton is more able to see the unity of his life and discovers, in the midst of his vulnerability, a new sense of happiness which he had not experienced previously writing "Lay in bed realizing that what I was, was happy. Said the strange word `happiness' and realized that it was there...And I was that." (177.)

   This is a journal full of movement, from Merton's daily journeys between the hermitage and the monastery, through his frequent visits to Louisville, to his first ever return visit to New York since entering Gethsamani. There is also the movement of his restless spirit, of his continuing debates with the abbot, the church and the wider society. The rhythm of this movement gives it at times the feeling of a dance, one in which Merton dances very lightly, touching on spiritual masters down through the ages and calling his reader to undertake the same dance in their own life and to join in the general dance of creation.




5. The journals of Thomas Merton give us a unique insight into the day-to-day life of a truly extraordinary person and they demonstrate how Merton progressed in his own thinking and spirituality. This volume is particularly insightful because it covers the time during which Merton's hermitage experience became a reality. The daily entries detail the construction of the little concrete building on the hill overlooking the Abbey of Gethsemani first as a conference center where Merton would meet with various visitors, including members of other religious denominations, then as a place where he was allowed to go occasionally for his own spiritual privacy, next as a spot where he could live as a semi-hermit who would spend a day-and-night or two away from the abbey, and finally as Merton's permanent home when he became a full-time hermit. This journal reveals Merton as less frustrated than he appears in the previous volume, in part it must be presumed because Dom James, his ! abbot, seems to have become more sensitive to his desire for greater solitude. It is during this period that Merton reaches his 50th birthday and he writes on several occasions of impending death, almost as though he were anticipating that he would live only a few more years. Reading the daily life of Thomas Merton in his own words, in entries that he did not necessarily intend for viewing by others, provides the very best portrait of this truly complex, this inspired and inspiring man who was and would continue to be the greatest spiritual voice of the 20th century.