2 comments about Designing Your Dream Husband.

1. I am a single woman and reading this book was so inspiring to me!! This is a "how to do" way of preparing yourself for marriage God's way. I believe that if you take everything to heart that Amie has shared in this book, you will be able to prepare yourself to be the Godly wife God intends for you to be, to the husband God has waiting for you.



2. I love this book! The information is straight forward and practical - just what I needed to rejuvenate my relationship with my husband. The book changed me, and that's what made the difference in my marriage. My husband was, and is - grateful. Thank you, Amie Dockery!!

2 comments about Kitchen Table Entrepreneurs: How Eleven Women Escaped Poverty And Became Their Own Bosses.

1. So whaddya know, turns out I'm a sucker for inspirational literature after all. This book was sent to me by a friend who's been following my dreams of starting my own business, and I have to say it was extremely encouraging - both the act of his sending it to me and the stories contained herein. Even if you're not coming from a place of poverty or disenfranchisement, each one of these stories has a good nugget of truth in it: the obvious value of hard work and believing in oneself, but also seeing what people go through in the process of applying for a loan with tenuous collateral, or looking to expand an existing business, or taking a second job to secure health coverage. There's something good in each of these stories, and - yep - they're heartwarming. It's a nice collection.



2. This book really brings to life the struggles that women entrepreneurs face as they try to turn an idea for a business into a profitable reality. The real-life women whom the authors profile are truly memorable, from Roselyn Spotted Eagle, the Sioux beadworker and quilter who has had an unimaginably hard life, yet doesn't complain, to Yasmina Cadiz, the stylish, edgy creative type in Chicago who you just know will end up being famous some day. The book reads like a novel, even though it contains lots of useful advice about how to get a small business off the ground. I recommend it highly to any woman who dreams of being her own boss one day.

5 comments about 28 Years Between Kisses: The Love Letters That Reclaimed a Lost Romance.

1. This was so bad that I did not finish it. While this could have been a great short story, it is evident that the authors were unable to condense their thoughts. I lost interest so often that i found myself skipping paragraphs (there are pages and pages about something that could easily have been trimmed down to one paragraph.)
   
   
   Skip it.



2. I just received this book and find myself waking early in the morning to start reading. This book is like a warm chocolate chip cookie fresh from the oven with a fresh glass of milk. The author presents word-pictures of scenes and events by giving specific details that appeal to all five senses.
   
   The excitement and anticipation I feel with each letter must pale in comparison to Linda and Tom waiting for the next email or letter from each other.
   
   This book restores my belief in true love and companionship. I feel a new excitement for life and for my own relationship, as well as a sense of gratitude for finding my husband and experiencing a love like Tom and Linda share.



3. Riveting and Courageous
   
   I received this book as a gift, and had no idea what power lay in its pages. One evening I picked it up and started reading. It was after two when I finally headed to bed, still reading. I made it to the foyer where I stood for the next hour, feet freezing from the cold floor, until I finished it. The book is riveting. The caliber of writing is extraordinary, and the authors' range of intellect is amazing.
   
   The authors reunite and lay bare their souls without being self-conscious. The concept of wishing to undo the personal mistakes of the past is timeless, but so few ever risk the status quo to pursue an old and uncertain memory that has perhaps been twisted by time. Tom summons uncommon courage and risks his self-worth and sanity by laying out his feelings for Linda to reject. But she doesn't reject them. She too risks her settled, routine life for a relationship with a potentially possessed man. They find and share a love that I've searched for, as well as other middle-aged friends.
   
   Enjoy it. The characters will remain with you for a long time.



4. This book is just awful. Why anyone would want to read these folks' letters I can't imagine. Yes, it's a very romantic notion that they have found each other after so many years. But hearing the details of their lives is just plain boring. Yuck. So disappointed!



5. Simply put, I loved this story. I found my eyes welling up with tears many times... tears of joy, tears of sorrow, and sometimes even tears of laughter! I saw myself especially in Linda so many times. I think that's the best part of the book: how easy it is to relate to the very real and raw emotions that stem from this incredible, almost ethereal reunion.
   
   There are many twists and turns to this story, which just proved to me that, yet again, truth is stranger (and more wonderful!) than fiction. I'm grateful to your brave hearts for sharing your beautiful story with the world. Yours is certainly one not to lock away.

5 comments about Uncommon Heart.

1. I have recently read the book, "Uncommon Heart," by Anne Audain and John L. Parker. This is the story of Anne Audain, growing up as an adopted child with physical disabilities which restricted her until the age of 13 when surgery was performed, correcting the problem. Through her teenage years she became a national distance running star in her native New Zealand, later one of the top women distance runners in the world. This is an inspiring story of a courageous woman who faced callenges and adversity in many areas of her life, a must read for anyone with a passion or interest in the sport of running.



2. Even if I were not a runner, there is a lot to take away from this book. This is one of the most inspiring stories of my generation. A tale of courage, love, and beating the odds. Annie's heart is uncommon alright -- both biologically and emotionally. You can't help but be moved to "just do it!"



3. As a runner myself I was looking for those "pearls of wisdom" on what makes one succeed. Well, I found it in this book...desire! I walked away from this book learning that success comes from a strong desire and from patience.
   I think that anyone looking for an insight into the world of track and field will find this book very enjoyable. Unfortunately, in our country running is often equated to a four letter word and it is not looked at as a sport. Well, Anne shows us that of all sports running is challenging, exciting and very rewarding.
   Congratulations Anne on such a moving story.



4. Annie is a true inspiration to all who have met her, either in person or through this book. She blossomed from a little slip of a girl with a deformed foot into a four time Olympiad and World Record holder. Was it the love of her adopted family, good luck or sheer force of will? John Parker knows how to capture the heart and soul of a runner. I couldn't put it down!



5. I lived through a lot of Anne's experiences and was there to see many of her victories and the struggle it took to achieve her many successes. The book is true to the real experience and portrays not only Anne's history but the history of road racing and its great expansion in the 70's and 80's. It was the "Golden Age" of the sport and Anne and her cowriter, John Parker, do an excellent job of capturing that era. I've read a lot of sport biographies and this is one of the best I've come across. Well written and an interesting story, John and Anne have captured the essence of the time in a great biography.

4 comments about Patently Female.

1. I read this wonderful book quite some time ago and was so moved by all the info that i wrote an article on forgotten women of history for a community magazine (with examples from ancient Egypt, India and China. Wish growing up I knew all the great discoveries and inventions women did and are doing even today and not getting the recognition they deserve. [...]
   I encourage every middle and high school teacher (and mother) to teach all student about women's contribution in all areas of knowledge and human endeavors. The entire society suffers when women's contribution are not even discussed to this day in schools.



2. Many inventions and achievements attributed to men actually were first made by a woman! Some of the inventions and achievements profiled in this book I was aware of, but many were surprises. Men and women both would benefit from reading this book: Women-to see what women have achieved and as models for what is possible and men- for a wake-up as to the achievements and capabilities of women. Fortunately women are more likely to be recognized now for their achievements, but we still have a long way to go. When I authored a book on small businesses, I encountered many instances where women did not receive credit for their contributions which were often greater than the men in their business. This book is educational and inspirational. Give this book to a woman you want to inspire!



3. The book can be read as an entity or read randomly as time allows because each inventor has a brief self-contained section in the larger chapters. The book is well-written and it is not an academic punishment to read. There is enough detail to set the reader into further research but it is light enough to provide information in an enjoyable way. The inventors often have insightful quotes. It should be required reading in schools to encourage more participation in science, math, computers and intellectual curiosity in general.

   Not just about science, the book also mentions patenting the brassiere, computer technologies and some weird ideas (skeletons shocking criminals into confessions, anyone?). A nice mix of fun and facts.




4. This book gives you a fascinating look at the contributions that female inventors have presented to the world, from diapers to medical treatments to cutting edge technology. Too often these female inventors are overlooked or don't get rightful credit for their awe-inspiring accomplishments. This book brings alive the ingenuity and resourcefulness of female inventors, who should not be forgotten.

4 comments about A Visit With the Tomboy Bride: Harriet Backus & Her Friends.

1. While this book was in no way as interesting as Tomboy Bride, it still brought further revelations about Harriet's interactions with the other mining families in their tiny community. It is a good, but not great, backward glance.



2. Harriet Backus's 'Tomboy Bride' is a classic - Read it and skip Duane Smith's commentary - repetitous and adds very little worthwhile new inormation.



3. After a Jeep ride that just happened to go through the Tomboy Mine, I read about Mrs. Backus' book on the Ouray, CO website and ordered it here at Amazon.com. Of course, they recommended this book as well so I ordered it at the same time. Boy am I glad I did. I enjoyed Mrs. Backus' book so much and didn't want it to end. It was great to be able to pick up Professor Smith's book and learn even more about her life.
   
   I swore I would never go up that trail from Telluride again. It is much as Mrs. Backus and Professor Smith wrote and showed-- very scary. But now I want to go back to the Tomboy Mine one more time!



4. Wonderfully illustrated with superbly vintage black-and-white photographs, A Visit With The Tomboy Bride: Harriet Backus & Her Friends is an impressive and inherently interesting collection of the correspondence that took place between Harriet Fish Backus (author of the classic book "Tomboy Bride") and Colorado historian Duane A. Smith. Delving into the adventures of Harriet's life, and exploring a unique picture of an era gone by in the rugged San Juan Mountains of Southwestern Colorado, A Visit With The Tomboy Bride is a unique and enthusiastically recommended contribution to Colorado History reading lists and library collections.

5 comments about Tete-a-Tete: Simone de Beauvoir and Jean-Paul Sartre.

1. This well-researched and detailed portrait of a remarkable and unique relationship between two remarkable and unique people is never less than engaging. It is well worth reading for anyone who has even a passing interest in the intellectual climate in France just preceding, during and after WWII, a period that produced an amazing list of artists and philosophers: Merleau-Ponty, Deleuze, Camus, Sartre, Beauvoir, Lanzmann (all of whom figure in this narrative), the nouvelle vague in cinema, and many more. For that matter, it is well worth reading for anyone who is interested in life, and the details of these lives are intrinsically fascinating (which is not always to say admirable). Rowley had an almost unprecedented access to historical materials, and to many of the people involved, and put together a sensitive and coherent picture of Sartre and Beauvoir from roughly the time they met to their deaths. That she is able to paint such an intimate and compassionate portrait that does not shy away from depicting faults and inconsistencies in their lives and thought is a testament to Rowley's skills as a writer and as a historian.
   
   The major weakness of the book is that her talent with philosophy is not equally on display here. In the course of telling her story, Rowley mentions the philosophical works of Sartre and Beauvoir, but says very little to illuminate the connection between their thinking and their lives. Even where she does discuss such connections, the links are fairly superficial. (Or, the connections are of the sort that can be made at the level of pop psychology between an artist and his or her work.) Existentialism comes across in her book in its fairly popular form: that there is no essence of human being and that we define ourselves through our actions. The connection between Sartre's existentialism and phenomenology gets summarized in the claim that Sartre learned from phenomenology that philosophy could be about everyday life. What she doesn't note is that beyond the fact Sartre learned from phenomenology to focus on everyday life, he also engaged in a systematic effort to redescribe life -- to show that our ordinary ways of conceiving everyday life are deeply flawed. Beauvoir's own significant and original philosophical work (apart from "The Second Sex") is hardly discussed -- her "Ethics of Ambiguity," for example, is never even mentioned. What she doesn't note is that Beauvoir had developed a powerful typology of ways in which one might respond to and realize freedom in one's life, in her "Ethics of Ambiguity" -- and it would be interesting to consider where she must have fit on that continuum. Perhaps most egregiously, she fails to emphasize that for both Sartre and Beauvoir, existentialist freedom is not primarily about the rejection of traditional bonds but about the recognition of the ways in which we bind ourselves to others through our projects and commitments -- so that "authenticity" is not just about being oneself but about the discovery that one cannot avoid belonging to others and to deny one's commitments to others is bad faith. If Sartre painted this inevitibility as a kind of hell in "No Exit," Beauvoir especially in the "Ethics of Ambiguity" depicts an acceptance of the ambiguous commitments that emerge from our being with others as the only genuine freedom and the only possible salvation. (In spite of her desire to depict Beauvoir as independent of Sartre, and her emphasis of Sartre's unwavering respect for her as a thinker, Rowley doesn't really give a sense of the independence of Beauvoir as a thinker -- and what comes across for the most part here is the popular but I think misleading picture of Sartre as the philosopher and Beauvoir as the memoirist who occasionally also applied philosophy to subjects like women and aging.) On this reading, then Sartre and Beauvoir come across primarily as writers whose ideas and commitments evolved over time to become more political, who rejected standard morality including and especially the moral prescriptions that reinforce the family, and who shared a unique form of relationship (that involved fidelity to each other in the sense that they would always tell each other the truth, even where they were willing to lie to others with whom they had secondary relationships). One might have wished for a more detailed account of their thinking if only because such an account would help to pose the question how their life must have been conceived by themselves, in accordance with their own thinking. Otherwise, and in spite of the book's other merits as a piece of history and biography that can complement a study of their work (or of the period), the book ends up reading like a soap opera for intellectuals. While I think this point deserves emphasis I don't want to overemphasize this. One of the merits of Rowley's book is that she takes as her model of biography the autobiographical works of Beauvoir -- and to that extent she does employ a similar approach to reflection on their lives that Beauvoir employs in her published works. I just would have liked to see a bit more reflection in the book about the relation between their lives and their more focused philosophical reflections. First and foremost, Sartre and Beavoir are engaged thinkers and a biography that rarely engages with their deepest thinking except at the superficial level of brief summary, seems to me to be lacking. Having said that, I should reiterate that apart from such misgivings I found the book to be very well written and thoroughly enjoyable and could hardly put it down.



2. This book is a factual chronology of the relationship between Beauvoir and Sartre, particularly as it relates to their extracurricular sexual relations. It is not an in-depth commentary or analysis on how they influenced each other's thinking and writings. I found this aspect of the book disappointing.
   
   Attention should have been paid to how Sartre's way of life runs counter to his existential philosophy- freedom in action is paramount to JPS's existential man and yet he succumbs to addictions to drugs and alcohol in his mid-to-later life. Why does Beauvoir give Sartre her uncritical approval to his meaningless, manipulative and lecherous courtships? And how does such compliance reflect on her nascent feminism?
   
   I expect biographies of two seminal philosophers to raise such questions and provide some level of explication. Despite these reservations, I recommend this book as it is well-researched and well-written.



3. I felt part of that tangled and emotionally complex world that Simone de Beauvoir and Jean-Paul Sarte wove around themselves while reading this book. It balanced the passion of their creativity with the very calculating anti-passion of their emotional lives. Never judging, just describing how one phase played into the next and the work that was born out of all that was inspiring enough. All the people who were caught up or made certain to be caught up in those two lives never really made a difference in the final out come. Their work was all that really mattered.



4. 
   De Beauvoir and Sartre, without any doubt, are among the most talented writers of the twentieth century. I have enjoyed de Beauvoir's novels over the years, even when I could never quite get connected with the turgid texts of Sartre; and Sartre could be a perfect idiot on matters political, while de Beauvoir always retained more than her share of good sense. But no matter. Both of these "intellectuals," as they are called in this book, wrote thoughtful books that deeply affected the thinking of the last century.
   
   Now comes a book that conclusively shows one of this duo to have been, well, a sick character. A technical term might be erotomania, the insatiable drive for sexual gratification. Even when Sartre was close to death, blind, incontinent, suffering from dementia, his friends would provide him with young women that he would then proceed to grope. It was the culmination of a lifetime's obsession.
   
   Hazel Rowley, in this scrupulously documented study, has shown us a deeply flawed human being achieve success, despite these considerable odds, at being outstandingly creative.



5. This book vividly sets genuis in a human perspective. It is a sad story. Genine love requires fidelity and the human heart knows this even if philosophical genius doesn't. Certainly worth reading as an insight for any time. Besides, it provides a magnificent and totally unexpected view of Simone's marvelous behind.

5 comments about Portraits of the Toughest Job in the Army: Voices and Faces of Modern Army Wives.

1. I enjoyed reading this book. As a military spouse I can relate to a lot of the stories.
   
   After reading the reviews, I was under the mistaken belief that this book was mostly photographs, and as an avid photographer I was really looking forward to some stunning images. The book is in fact mostly text, with only a few images. That's OK - the writing is good. I just would have liked more images and for them to be showcased better.
   
   I rate this 4 stars due to the quality of the printer. The binding is good, and I like the hardback format, however the pages are cheap paper (common with self published books unfortunately). The paper stock didn't do the photographs any justice at all. They weren't able to hold any detail and looked a bit "blah". Not the authors fault, just cheap printing.
   
   Overall, a good book. Worth the read if you are a military wife, or want to understand more about our world.



2. Excellent book. I could totally relate to the stories published. It was great to read about others going through the same problems or situations as I and not feel alone like I am the only one experiencing that. Great ideas to implement into my own life. Looking forward to reading more by the author. Easy reading.



3. I read this book in 3 days, thats how good it was. The homecoming part was very emotional for me since I lived it and will live it again.



4. I just finished reading "Portraits" and loved every page! Each story moved me to tears with the overwhelming emotions these amazing women deal with on a daily basis, year after year. It is an intimate look at the real people inside of the world's greatest military - a must-read for all Americans, civilians and military alike!



5. I have only read Part 1, but am moved beyond belief, by the words and God-given strength these wives have and the love for their husbands they share. I believe all wives should read this book, no matter what occupation their husband is in. These women share lessons of loving their husbands that the whole world can hear.

3 comments about 100 Christian Women Who Changed the 20th Century.

1. Helen Kooiman Hosier gave me the beautiful gift of enabling me to get to know and understand the hearts and genius of 100 Christian heroines
   
   Every person on the planet over 12 would benefit from reading this book. Imagine learning the stories of women whose names you have heard, but don't know where they came from, how they got to make a difference in our world, and why they made the choices they made.
   
   I was amazed at the deep faith of women heroines I never knew were Christians.
   
   Here is one example of a name that I have heard all my life: Florence Nightengale. One patient in a hospital said this of Florence Nightengale's impact on him as she made her nightly rounds with her lamp to light her way: "What a comfort it was to see her pass even. She would speak to one, and nod and smile to as many more; but she could not do it all, you know. We lay there by hundreds; but, we could kiss her shadow as it fell and lay our heads on the pillow again content."



2. This collection of brief biographies of 100 women from different walks of life, living in different places, periods and cultures, who each served God in her own unique way is incredibly inspiring and motivational. My 8 year old daughter, who insisted that I read parts of this book to her, actually said this was a "cool" book. My only disappointment is that Oprah Winfrey, who is one of the most high profile God loving women in recent times, was not included.



3. One of the few books that I read that gave me an incredible feeling at the end. You know, when you finish the book, close it, and sit still for about 30 minutes in a world of wonder. I never knew that women invented so many important tools that play a major role in our lives. I especially enjoyed reading about Mother Teresa whom I came to know as a totally incredible person. Her good deeds, kindness, and wisdom are great examples to follow and live by. Thank-you Helen Kooiman Hosier for a wonderful and inspirational book. My only regret was that I bought this book at a nearby bookstore and paid almost twice as much as I would have compared to Amazon.com.

1 comments about Women Scientists in America: Struggles and Strategies to 1940.

1. Margaret Rossiter's work clearly outlines the rise in 19th century America of the notion that girls and women ought to be educated, and deftly constructs a gripping read about how this relatively new notion translated itself into women finally attaining access to higher education. She goes in-depth in examining each successive generation, from the 1840s onwards, in showing how, once one generation of women attained a certain level of education in the sciences, they sought to give the same and more opportunities to the next set of young women. Rossiter also clearly delineates part of what is probably at the origin of women's pay imbalance today: once so many women attained higher degrees, there was nowhere else for them to go, including the women's colleges where jobs were scarce. They therefore accepted much lower-paying jobs as "scientists' assistants" in the astronomy, botany, or other laboratory simply to utilize the knowledge they had gained. Rossiter's work gives insights into the hard-won educational rights we now take for granted, but illuminates some situations that have persisted into the present day. My only criticism of the work is that she mentions so many names of women becoming scientists, particularly in the 1880s and 1890s, that it became a bit confusing to keep them all straight. While she has charts showing how many women were attaining degrees at various women's, and finally coed, institutions, it would have been helpful to have a "genealogy" of all of these scientists. All in all one of the most interesting books I have read in months.