I Books

I order two books (I Dream a World) and received only one book I am still waiting for the second book to arrive. I have sent several emails to find out where the book is and I have not gotten anywhere. Will you please send me my book.

I am willing to sign for the book when it arrive. If I don't receive my book I will not feel safe odering from you anymore. If don't receive my book in the next to weeks I will be pursuing a refund.

The first book was a christmas gift for my niece and the second one was for me. I like the book that why I place a second order.

I was blessed to recieve this book in 1990 as a gift from a dear friend. Throughout the years this book has been a form of encouragement in my daily life through various things. Once my daughter turned ten we sat down together and read through I DREAM A WORLD, She was captivated. I have now passed this book on to my daughter and she proudly displays it in her room with trophies, clay art, pictures, and souviners.

This is such a beautiful, respectable book! The portraits & stories of AA are profound & present fantastic role models for today's young AA girls. A hearty "thank you" to those responsible for compiling & publishing this book!

I was given this book when I was a freshman in architecture college. When I saw Ms Sklarek, I immediately wrote the publisher and got her addres and wrote her a letter. To my surprise she wrote back to me and her later inspired me to continue studying architecture. Now...17 years and three degrees later I came across her name again during a conversation and I decided to contact her again and again, she sent me her business card. Since our architectural firm has a committee that procures speakers, I plan to invite her to my firm to give a presentation on Women in Architecture. So, I said all that to say...not only should we find our mentors, but we should also communicate with them whenever we can.

I Dream a World is inspiring in its beautiful photography and the brief stories it shares about the women in the pictures. While it touches on their life stories, this book shares these women's thoughts. That is what draws me closer to this book each time I open it. The women inside, and the book itself, will make you think about your dreams and encourage you to work towards them.

No matter what your race or gender, give this book to anyone who needs encouragement. I especially enjoy recommending this book to young women who can learn a lot from the women within its pages.

I read this book and I was amazingly surprised at the personal depth of the author about her husband's death while at the same time providing outstanding information about a little known disease that I hadn't heard of--primary amyloidosis. She tell her story strikingly well. It's a very easy read and I definitely would recommend it to anyone. Thanks October

Deborah, takes you into Clyde's world as he dealt with his sickness. She is very poignant in her description and it is a must read for everyone going through struggles of life. Terry

This is a very touching and inspiring book written with courage and
passion. I hope that many people will read it to learn more about this unknown disease. It's a heart felt story that encourages us to keep the faith and endure always.

I FEEL OKAY by Deborah Slappey Pitts is the true story of the journey Deborah and her husband Clyde took while battling a rare disease. Clyde had various symptoms for a number of years and the doctors could never find anything wrong with him. He knew deep down in his heart that something was seriously wrong but could never get any answers. Finally, he started having blackouts, which happened any and everywhere. The doctors could not find the cause of the blackouts. After enduring tests on top of tests Clyde was diagnosed with Amyloidosis, a disease that at the time they didn't have much information on. It is a rare disease that attacks the immune system and affects eight out of a million people annually. It also doesn't discriminate as it affects people of all colors, creeds and origins.

With almost no information about the disease, the doctors pretty much gave up hope. Deborah was determined to help her husband by any means necessary. She researched, made calls and tried various methods to find a cure. She needed and wanted her husband, they had been married a long time and had two sons that still needed raising. The disease took its toll on Clyde and he became weaker and weaker. Their search ended up at the Mayo Clinic where Clyde was to get a heart transplant; he waited for 57 days. The wait was too much on Clyde as he blacked out for the final time on April 12, 1995, five months after his diagnosis.

I FEEL OKAY is a story of love, faith and determination. It's a touching story that truly shows the meaning of for better or worse, and sickness and in health, that is stated in the marriage vows. It shows a woman of strength, courage and faith who wanted to do all she could to find answers for her husband during his time of suffering. Deborah wanted to tell her story with the hopes that it could help someone else. It took her nine years after the death of her husband to tell the story. After reading this story, I felt a connection to the Slappey family. My heart went out to them and I felt as though I was there on the journey with them. This book was meant to inspire those to educate themselves about the disease and to never give up. I believe the goal of the book was achieved.

Reviewed by Eraina B. Tinnin
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

Reviewed by William Phenn for Reader Views (1/06)

Deborah Slappey Pitts is a woman of great courage and determination. This lady struggled through a medical system full of practitioners because no one would admit to being an expert on the human body, especially not the medical doctors. This is Deborah's story, a story of anguish, heartache and uncertainty while trying to maintain a household, be a mother to two growing boys, work full time and still manage to keep her sanity. This woman's struggle in life was to find out what was wrong with her husband, that all of medical science could not figure out. You will see (when reading "I Feel Okay") that Ms. Pitts is a very strong, God fearing woman - a woman of action and determination that will not be defeated.

"I Feel Okay" is a heart retching saga of the Slappey family in crisis. It's a story about an illness that struck this woman's husband down in the prime of his life. He contracted a disease, primary amyloidosis, caused by the abnormal accumulation of protein molecules in body tissues that affects eight people out of a million. Pitts's compelling volume tells of their fight to seek answers from so many doctors and hospitals. One after another, trying different cures for what they perceived to be the problem, cures that did not work. With every attempt at a cure, hopes were dashed even further down to the pit of despair.

"I feel Okay" is more than a story about a man with a disease. It is a story of life and faith, and how the Slappey family kept the faith against insurmountable odds. It is a story of how strong they were in the face of adversity, yet able to keep a positive mental attitude. "I Feel Okay" has my highest A+ rating, the book is a, "must read," in my opinion. It is well written, an exciting read and above all, a lesson in life.

A city kid from Chicago finally gets to see the rest of the country and the experience is like throwing a lighted match into a barrell of gunpowder. See our great country and it's many interesting people from a different perspective. Blunt, funny and extremely creative, it is a book you will remember.

This is a funny and hilarious story with great characters, a funny story and a subtle iconoclastic bent that skewers and asks questions as it follows our heros. This book is a grand yarn and is hard to put down. It would make a great cult film but don't wait for the film to come out-read it now.

It takes a bold reader to tackle this story, but it's so worth it. Dennis Domrzalski made me laugh out loud with this amazing tale of two men who launch themselves on an aventure-seeking trip from Chicago. The tone is set with the decision to head out on motorcycles in the dead of winter. These men are BOLD---their goal of saving the wicked from the pious is a challenge of the highest order.
But this is not just a very funny book--yes, I would agree wholeheartedly that if you liked Raising Arizona this book is for you--but it is larded with many deadly truths. And our protagonists repeatedly savage the corrupted bureacrats, judges, cops and other authority figures with razor-sharp dialogue.
And only someone who once lived in Chicago could come up with a bus driver who refuses to pick up passengers because, among other reasons, it slows him down and he can't keep his schedule.
This book should be on tape--but only if the author is the reader. Then, it would be 10 times as good.

This unlikely story is the tale of two Chicagoans, Dave and Dennis (the storyteller) who take a motorcycle trip around the country...in the winter. They're alternatively bullies, imposters, philosophers, tourists, Robin Hood, and observers of the passing scene. While some of the stories are feasible, others tax the reader's believability index. Some of the anecdotes challenge the imagination, causing the reader to suspect that some-if not all-of this book was created as a non-fiction work.

Fiction or non-fiction, you'll read something that seems like a running commentary of conversations of a couple of college students high on something. You'll keep turning pages, wondering. The author shares some morals, some personal positions, and some enjoyable cynicism that makes this an unusual book.

The table of contents lists 43 chapters including a listing of topics covered in the chapters. The chapters themselves have no subheads, just straight text broken up by occasional caricature-like illustrations. From a production perspective, the book lacks some design elements usually seen in professionally done books, but it's simple and basic.

You'll shake your head, nod your head, and scratch your head. If this be reality, than what is fantasy? And if this be fantasy, where is the reality of life? Oh, the title? Comes from a poem written by Dave, in the latter part of the book.

It's this simple; if you enjoy laughing out loud, or as we geeks e-speak "ROTFLOL", then READ THIS BOOK. Be careful, though, if mocking sleezy politicians, bashing pompous publishers or worst of all -- honest, uncensored information -- bothers you. You might get a rash, or Anthrax or god forbid... your feet might start stinking. Read it, laugh and realize, sometimes we need to take a fresh look at things to SEE what's really important and worthwhile. enjoy!

I don't usually read short stories and picked this on accident but it was such a pleasent surprise! The characters are really intersting and you could really relate to them. When I read the stories, I felt like I was in their lives as opposed to just viewing them from the outside. He gives you just enough information so you can turn it in to what you want it to be. He just tells the stories without judgement. It was just a good book. You can take it at face value or really think about the stories and get your mind around the symbolism. The only thing I didn't like was that the author did not use quotation marks but other than that it was excellent.

I doubt anyone will read this review, since I noticed the last written reviews of this book were submitted several years ago -- a testament to how little this beautiful collection of short stories has been read. That is truly unfortunate, since these stories are each painfully beautiful. The Tennessee counstyside is William Gay's locale of choice and in each story it plays a role, its woods always present, mysterious, sometimes frightening. Gay sets the scene to match the tone of each tale, and it is usually grim at best. However, the stories and their characters have a rough-edged beauty all their own. Ironic and often sublimely tragic, these stories bare the dark underside of human nature. The title story, "I Hate to See the Evening Sun Go Down," has darkly comic elements and is the only story that made me laugh, even while its protagonist stubbornly continues to fight in the face of inevitable defeat. In other stories, like "A Death in the Woods" and "The Paperhanger," life deals tragic blows to the characters who manage to survive in ways that are not always admirable, but survive they do, nonetheless. And often, as with the protagonist in "The Man Who Knew Dylan," they simply drive away, often leaving behind, with their problems, their responsibilities as well -- responsibilities often for heinous acts. Gay's language is clean and crisp, befitting the starkness of the themes of the stories. A lovely collection, even if it is tough to take, at times.

I purchased this book based largely on the strength of the reviews below. If anything, they understate the the quality of the writing and stories contained in the book. I found stories to be compelling and the writing superb. If you enjoy truly great writing and short stories you will not want to pass this book up. I am amazed that this collection has not recieved more attention or acclaim. (By the way, I agree with Francis' observation in her review that the "expert" reviewer who opined that Gay's characters are undeveloped obviously didn't actually read the book).

I found this author by chance and haven't looked back since. His writing brings you inside of the words, characters and the settings. I especially like the "southern flavor" that flows from his pen and highly recommend his books to all readers of southern culture.

William Gay has staked out the Tennessee/Alabama border country and made it his own playground. The stories are compelling and have a depth that is unusual in short fiction. I put Gay right up there with Raymond Carver and John Cheever as a champion of the American short story. Gay's greatest strength is his ability to use dialogue to move the story forward. There is nothing artificial or stilted about any of the words used by the characters in Gay's stories. The usual southern melancholy and pathos is present in each story--we are dealing with broken hearts, eny, greed, dementia in old folks, quick and lethal brutality. It's all there. But done in such a free and easy manner that you almost forget about the terrible events unfolding before your eyes and get lost in the lovely use of language. And one crucial point, the stories have a conclusion. Too often I find that modern fiction has no beginning, no middle and no end. Gay starts his stories and ends his stories--he first and foremost is a tremendously gifted storyteller, of that there is no question.

I came across a brief introduction to Shanti Devi in "The Idiots Guide to Hinduism". The story fascinated me and given I was eager to learn more about her past and present lives, I bought the book and couldn't wait to read it! Reincarnation is a concept which have been exposed to me but I've never come across a story as legit and real as Shanti Devi's experience! The facts gathered are amazing! One needs no scientific evidence to accept the fact that this case is legit, genuine... real! The author did a terrific job composing details, outlining details from her present life and past memories, as well as delving into other religions such as Christianity and explaining more about it, such as how it reincarnation was once accepted. This is a must read book for any individual interested in reading an initial true story about reincarnation and learning a little more about Hinduisim in comparison with other religions!

This is an excellent book. The details of Shanti Devi's life are told quite convincingly. The last part of the book could have actually have been left out as far as I was concerned, because it was just the author's opinions. The factual accounts of Shati Devi's life would have been enough. Her story is remarkable, and is probably still the best documentation about the validity of the concept of reincarnation.

Since friends know I'm interested in yoga and meditation, they often ask if I believe in reincarnation. I advise them to read I Have Lived Before by award winning Swedish journalist Sture Lonnerstrand, and make up their own minds.
If you only read one book on reincarnation, this should be the one. Shanti Devi's story is the most thoroughly researched case of reincarnation in modern India. The details of this account will make you rethink everything you thought you knew about the nature of the soul.
Don't miss this book; it's a mind blower.

Having grown up in Delhi, we had heard of the unbelievable story of Shanti Devi Mathur from my father and other relatives who grew up at that time in the same neighborhood in old Delhi.

There has never been any doubt about the absolutely truth of the story in minds of anyone growing up in old Delhi at that time. The facts in the book are completely in line with what I have always heard from family. These facts may be hard to accept for many, but do yourself a favor and read the book.....it's 100% true!

According to many investigators Near-Death Experiences suggest at least the probability of life after death. In this respect, they are connected to other experiences that do so, such as memories of a previous life.
One of the most famous early cases in this field concerns the Indian girl Shanti Devi. In the 1930s she spontaneously claimed to have been Lugdi Devi, the wife of Kedar Nath Chaubey from Mathura. This woman had died while giving birth at the young age of 23.
The numerous details that Shanti mentioned about her previous incarnation were verified as meticulously as possible by Indian researchers. Many of them concluded that the statements and behaviours shown by Shanti Devi could not be explained by mainstream scientific theories.
One of the first westerners that thoroughly investigated the case was the Swedish author Sture Lönnerstrand. He travelled to India as a skeptic and became convinced by the facts he discovered there. His book Shanti Devi, en berättelse om reinkarnation is a moving, easily accessible biography, illustrated with photographs of Shanti and other persons involved. It is very positive that this English translation was finally issued in 1998.
At a later age, Shanti Devi told Lönnerstrand what she could recall of her death as Lugdi. She still remembered that she consciously observed how a physician, a nurse, her husband and her mother had jointly decided that her body should be immediately transferred to Mathura to be burnt there. Ultimately she entered a spiritual world of Light and from there she finally returned to earth.
This book by Sture Lönnerstrand fulfills the important function of spreading reliable information about a typical, classic case of memories of a past incarnation. Scholarly reincarnation research is not an artifical 'invention' of Ian Stevenson, but it studies a natural phenomenon of all ages and regions.

Many parents confuse happiness with short-term pleasure. Instead of allowing their kids to work through unhappy times, they feel it's necessary to make sure kids never experience disappointment, sadness, and other unpleasant emotions. What parents don't realize is that those feelings help kids grow up to be emotionally mature adults.

Just because your kids appear to be happy doesn't mean they really are. Kids try to please their parents, and you might be surprised to find they're wearing a smile because you've told them you just want them to be happy.

If you're truly concerned about your child's long-term happiness, I'd encourage you to pick up a copy of this book. Both you and your kids will benefit from these suggestions.

Reviewed by: Alice Berger
Bergers Book Reviews

If you have teens, babies or anything in between, I Just Want My Kids To Be Happy! is absolutely for you. We all want our children to be happy, but at what expense? Cooper and Keitel look at what we want for our children versus what they need, in very realistic terms.

I loved the fact that this book got me asking over and over, "Are the authors trying to show me, parents, us adults how to live right, morally and happily, and merely offering up under the guise of how we can help our children?", because so many of the pages can be helpful for adults as well.

As a parent, how can you not heed the words of this book for yourself and for your offspring? For once we start to follow the lead, our children will be right there behind us.

The Mom's Choice Awards® honors excellence in family-friendly media, products and services. An esteemed panel of judges includes education, media and other experts as well as parents, children, librarians, performing artists, producers, medical and business professionals, authors, scientists and others. A sampling of the panel members includes: Dr. Twila C. Liggett, Ten-time Emmy-winner, professor and founder of Reading Rainbow; Julie Aigner-Clark, Creator of Baby Einstein and The Safe Side Project; Jodee Blanco, New York Times Best-Selling Author; LeAnn Thieman, Motivational speaker and coauthor of seven Chicken Soup For The Soul books; Tara Paterson, Certified Parent Coach, and founder of The Just For Mom Foundation(tm) and the Mom's Choice Awards®. Parents and educators look for the Mom's Choice Awards® seal in selecting quality materials and products for children and families. This book has been honored by this distinguished award.

What? We shouldn't want our kids to be happy? Not really, say Aaron Cooper, Ph.D. & Eric Keitel, M.Ed. Instead of focusing on their being happy all the time (causing them to pretend to be happy when they really aren't), we should teach them to accept the full range of feelings so they can handle disappointment, fear, anger, etc.

The authors say that this "...want them to be happy" mantra makes us captive to our kids' moods, feel guilt when they aren't happy, and prevents their learning to cope with adversity.

As co-author of THE COMPLETE SINGLE FATHER, I've heard how single dads who often have their kids part time, every other weekend, or just on holidays, feel they need to make their kids happy to "prove" that they're still a good parent. No doubt single moms feel similarly.

Rather than focusing on our kids being happy, we need to let them know that it's important to be healthy, caring, find meaning in their lives, have fine character, practice acts of loving kindness, and be spiritual.

I JUST WANT MY KIDS TO BE HAPPY is a most unusual and thought provoking book. Whether you're a parent, grandparent, teacher, spiritual advisor, etc., this is a special book to open your mind to what really matters in your life and your children's lives and to prepare them for whatever life brings.

I highly recommend this book.

Elaine Fantle Shimberg
ElainesBooks.com
TheCompleteSingleFather.com

As a former teacher with a degree in Early Childhood Education and Human Development, I found this to be a refreshingly thoughtful book. Well-researched, yet easy to read, "I Just Want My Kids To Be Happy..." is filled with insightful, practical suggestions for anyone interested in the well-being of children and the quality of life we share with them.

The sign of a truly good children's book: fabulous illustrations, fun and interesting to read, parent-friendly, time-less. Every time I pull out this book, my 14-month gathers up all her stuffed cat toys and we read it together. There are lots of opportunities in the book to use different voices to bring the cats to life. This is one of our favorite books and will have a special place on our bookshelf for years to come. I think even dog people would like this book.

Great book for any cat lover

author of "Hobo Finds A Home"

My daughter checked this book out at school.
She loved it so much, and hated to return it to the library, so I ordered it for her for Christmas.
What a great story about liking cats with awesome illustrations to go with it.
I highly recommend it for anyone, cat lovers or not!

I concur with the consensus on here. Like the other Kimberly, I checked this book out for my 2 year old daughter at our local library. After 4 renewals from the library, I had to get this one.

The artwork is fabulous and the rhyming text is easy for a young one to memorize. Our daughter now "reads" the book to us reciting "Sing a little ditty, cats!" A must for cat lovers as it shows how much personality cats truly have.

We also love the opening page which has a list of colorful characters such as Lord Buttons, Pickles Jones, and Nacho Grande. We have to pick out which cartoon kitties look like our two real ones.

Loads of fun for your little one! Highly recommend!

The author and artist of this work must indeed like cats as there are hundreds(?) of drawings of these fury little creatures in this work. This is certainly a book that I would add to my young child's library as the pictures are endless, and surprisingly all different. The colors are great and the artist, Pamela Paparone, has done a wonderful job with her subject. You can read this book with your child over and over again, and each time, both you, and your child, will see something new with each reading. The text goes well with the art. The colors are quite eye catching as the entire layout of the book. Recommend this one quite highly.

I am a therapist and I use this book for clients both young and old. It is such a precious book with a wonderful message. If you are a parent especially of a little girl get this book for your child. Then get a pig of some kind as a reminder to like themselves no matter what.

My mother bought a copy of this title for me to give to her future grandchild. I was so inspired by it, that I want to give it to all of my friends now. This book has delightful drawings and a wonderful message. This book is fun to read as an adult and a child. It is so important that children and adults are surrounded by positive messages like the one this book has to offer. I recommend it for everyone!

A great way for preschoolers to repair their fragile sense of self and self-respect. Any child should be able to absorb these positive message to repeat to themselves when they feel down.

The positive messages of this book are complemented by the terrific illustrations. A very simple yet important text as it teaches little ones to like themselves. The main character is one very upbeat pig. My son enjoys and laughs at the illustrations. The text provides fodder for conversation. Not too heavy in a figurative or literal way, this book is small enough to warrant a place on every small child's bookshelf. You may also want to check out Ms. Carlson's other books as they are all terrific. Highly recommended!

Just to add to other great reviewers' points, this book is perfect for conveying joy in life's many possible activities, even when you don't have someone else to share them with. I counsel lots of folks to whom I loan my copy - parents of one child who worry their child will be lonely if an "only", single moms who also welcome reminders that life can be fun even when you aren't in a relationship, and parents-to-be who worry their child will feel badly about differences, for ex. if they're adopted or conceived with the help of a donor [the topic of my book]. This pig bravely goes on learning even when she's embarrassed or makes mistakes - so this is a good book for parents and kids!

I bought this book shortly after it came out and felt an immediate connection to the author. Cindy writes from the heart. She gives a small section of information about what brought her from failed business to failed business (and yes, failed marriage too) to finally realize, by trial and error what she was missing from the formula.

She provides solid overviews of how to plan out the start up of a new business and shares the reasons that many businesses she tried failed and gives suggestions on what to do to avoid buying before thinking things through.

An entire section of her book gives step by step tutorials with many photos that clearly and simply make the production of personalized items like t-shirts, mousepads, puzzles, and all sorts of heat transfer personalized or custom made products. She even had a section on refillling cartridges even though she said it's really tough and didn't really recommend refilling.

I found every thing she wrote to be truthful and apparently from the heart of someone who's been down the road that many of us are now going down.

She stresses planning and asking questions and also gives her email address and invites all who have the book to write her for additional support when there are questions that come up later. I've written with her about what printer models are the ones to buy since they keep changing and she has been very helpful and nice in her emails.

I read what the person said in a review just now about how there was no information that would help them start and run a business. I don't know if that person read the right book or what. I found this book very helpful, motivational, and extremely informative.

If you're looking for a book about how to start a business and run it on a day to day basis with things like accounting or taxes, this isn't it. What this is, is a book that will teach you how to make personalized items and troubleshoot when things go wrong. It has a glossary that gives most of the terminology used with transfers and puts everything in plain, easy to understand English. I've read it several times because it always seems to bring me new information each time.

I recommend this book to anyone who asks me how I got into doing this business.

She is very good about specifics and how to's. The best part is sending the forums address for issues. Wonderful resource in an everchanging market area.

I got this book so I could learn about T-shirt printing and sublimation.

Lots of great info on regular transfer printing on fabric, but not as much info on sublimation as I was hoping for.

A lot of good advice on running a T-shirt business and tips for attracting customers and keeping them by producing a quality product.

Haven't finished yet, but this is an inspiring book with great info.

After years of experimenting for great results I finally figured out most of the things in this book. However, I STILL learned a few tricks from Cindy. If this book had been available I could have saved hundreds of dollars in failed experiments. Well worth the small investment cost for this book for those serious in perusing this craft/art.

my husband and i were instructed to read this book, as were many of our peers, during our engagement (1980!). more than just a moving story, it offers practical issues to think about as you're considering spending your life with someone. it weaves the personal stories of several couples with a series of sermons given by a traveling pastor on the subject of marriage. though until i saw it recently on amazon, it was a little tough to find, we have given it as a gift to several engaged couples. definitely worth it!

The reason why I value this book as a precious treasure is because it holds such truths and such valuable lessons. It gives real answers, even sincere "I don't know"-s, to all questions that young people have.
I have read the book three times, twice when I was single and once as a married woman. It truly is touching and deep. The Lord has spoken through this man, and may he be blessed for making His word audible.
Wheather in a relationship or not, married, single, with a boy/girl-friend, fiance, ... friend, please read this book.

This is an amazing book I recommend anyone from any culture. It's not a book that tells you Dos and Dons, rather a journey of an American pastor who was preaching about marriage, sex, love and God in Africa. I am especially impressed towards the end of the book when the good Christian African man, Maurice, asked weather if he was wrong as a 30 year old virgin to dumb his ex girl-friend because she was not a virgin. Good for Maurice to stand firm before God against temptation. But there are too many Maurice, justifying women who have a different path of life, which might be so wrong, but in needed for forgiveness and acceptance. The books raises a lot of tough and true questions, which sometimes is hard for us to even form. For me, it was tough for me to explain to my boy friend why I think it is problematic for him to not think about marriage, and keep saying that he will seek God first. It's contradictory. Do you not love a child because you want to love God first? Both can come as a practice. Practice how to love God and humble ourselves in marriage. To serve one another, the best way to display our love for God.

In the book, another character, Fatma, a beautiful young women, just like the Samaritan woman who met Jesus on the way to the well written in the New Testament. She and her 6 ex bf/husband, and still living with another man, non of them is her husband. This beautiful woman could not see a way out, do not find a place in God even though she was searching. This story of Fatma is also true to many women who became a Christian later in her life or was lost on the way as a Christian. How women like that may think the best way out is to commit suicide, because her body and soul are wounded, so wounded and dirty, that, abandoning it is the only way out. This is the best book so far I have read about sex, forgiveness, marriage, love and God. It's not a self help book, but I would recommend to anyone in any age.

The only book on marriage I have read that I thought worth keeping and periodically re-reading.

It is told as a (true) story of a marriage counseling couple helping people with marriage or marriage-like problems - a man looking for a woman to marry, an unmarried woman feeling trapped in a relationship, a pastor's wife feeling neglected because her husband puts church members' needs ahead of his family's needs.

This is the only book I have read about marriage that considers single people not merely as "not-yet-married" but as complete people in their own right. Singleness, then, is as wholesome a choice as marriage. Marriage, then, is the uniting of two already complete people, who together create something new - regardless of whether or not children result.

His explanation of how the Bible's statement that two people leave their parents, cleave to each other, and become one flesh is a picture of Jesus's relationship to each of us, is awesome, and goes way beyond anything I have heard preached elsewhere on marriage as an image of God.

I had to read "I Married You" for a seminary Premarital/Marital counseling course, and I found it to be quite fascinating. I was particularly intrigued by the setting - an unnamed country in Africa. That set it apart from most marriage books right from the start, since along with the usual relational insights, "I Married You" acted as a window into another culture's relationships with God and each other. Of course there were differences, such as the intriguing way the African church service was conducted compared to a typical white American one. However, the universal relational issues Trobisch portrays really enabled me to identify with persons I am united with by faith, if not by race or culture.

Regardless of where in the world one calls "home", Trobisch makes a solid case for the sanctity and strength of marriage as an institution. The book's theme is based on the classic Biblical marriage passage Genesis 2:24, boiled down to "leave, cleave, and become one flesh." Leaving occurs when the man and woman enter into a legal relationship and create a family unit that is independent from their parents. Then, they cleave together as one in an exclusive relationship, and finally become one flesh in body, soul, and spirit, sharing everything. It is this foundation that forms marriage as God intended it. Trobisch goes on to Biblically debunk the idea that the marriage union is meant to subvert women and empower men to dominate them. He also shows how pitfalls like premarital sex can damage the marriage relationship before it even begins. Helpfully, he makes his points by using intuitively recognizable allegories and illustrations that, while very relevant to African culture, are easily understood by the average Westerner. For example, a marriage philosophy that denigrates women and children is referred to as the "garden" concept (very agricultural in nature), while the ideal union is symbolized by the image of a three-legged stool (a visual aid suggested to Trobisch by an elderly African woman in order to liven up his plainer "triangle" illustration). As for the day-to-day aspects of marriage, Trobisch suggests ways that a couple can discover more about themselves and their relationship. An example is the "quarrel" test, where the spouses honestly question whether or not they can really forgive each other and resolve conflict. Unstable marriage relationships are discussed as well, such as the "empty" marriage, characterized by lack of love and an increase in alienation.

The book's main strength lies with Trobisch's skill in identifying the above principles within the context of real-life relationships, including his own marriage. "I Married You" is not just another dry, sugarcoated "how-to" marriage manual. Instead, we can identify with everyone Trobisch encounters, from the somewhat immature single man in his 30s with an idealized portrait of a wife that no real woman could match, to Trobisch's own long-suffering wife Ingrid. Indeed, one of the most affecting parts of the book is seeing Trobisch absolutely blow it with her, right after multiple days of teaching and counseling others concerning the ideals listed above! It is this kind of transparent honesty that really set "I Married You" above other books in the genre. My only gripe would be the inadequate treatment Trobisch gives to the single life as a valid alternative to marriage. However, such a rabbit trail would have veered too far from the book's central theme, so he can be forgiven for that small transgression. Overall, I can enthusiastically recommend this book as required reading for anyone interested in this topic, particularly engaged couples.