I Books

This book has helped me to express creativity I haven't felt since I was a kid. My friends and I --I am 42 and they are about the same are using the book as therapy.We are meeting 1 time every two weeks and doing the heart & hands projects. It is fun and inspiring. I plan to use the book with my nieces this summer when they visit. It is beautiful and life-changing even for big kids too!!

I am a school teacher and counselor. I have read just about everything out there-- looking for solutions for my students. This is the first book that combines truly inspired writing; a simple action process; and the amazing proof of photography worthy of awards. Just looking at the photos motivated me--seeing what was possible. Then, I began to read what it all meant. How the heart issues of the kids became tangible through the creative heart and hand projects. On any basis this is an inspiring book--I even found my own creative desires reemerge. However, the real value is in bringing an action process to the intentions that we all have. Intentions for character, growth, esteem, confidence, and learning.
This is a spiritual process for anyone: combining the best ideas regardless of religous tradition or culture. Kelee Katillac redefines "sacred" as a personal term that can only be stated by ones own creativity and self-styled beliefs. This book gives teachers, parents, and kids a process for making one's own sense of self. And that is what is sacred about the rooms they have created.

Kids' Sacred Places motivated me as a mother to help find ways to encourage my children to bring out their own creativity. I believe as Kelee does that being creative helps improve a child's self-esteem. This book has great ideas in helping make that special place in your childrens' home personal for them. My husband who is a teacher and coach, is very excited to use some of these "heart and hand" projects in his classroom and also with our two sons.

Beyond the amazing rooms beautifully illustrated in Kids' Sacred Places,is the importance of parents doing something with their children. This book shows us how parents can lead their children through simple creative steps, using children's own individual ideas. This process builds confidence. Once children develop their confidence... anything is possible! Kelee's work is proof that these creative actions will help children face their fears, insecurities and peer pressure.

Since my divorce, I don't have much time with my four boys. It is especially hard to talk with them when I have a week between visits. A friend's wife recommended this book. At first, I thought creativity and decorating wasn't for guys. Then, I started reading the inspiring stories of other families with heartache and issues like mine. They used creativity to communicate and get through it. The dads were involved with the heart and hands projects--that are like active therapy. I am not so good at talking but doing creative stuff helps us to break through the silence.

This has helped us a lot. Thank-you.

I've read dozens of WWII books and this is one of the best! There is nothing quite like reading about Great Americans' experiences in their own words. They answered the call, did their duty and risked their lives every day to protect their Country and our way of life. Now everyone can find out what it was like in graphic detail. This is the first book written by Brooks Mitchell that I have read and I look forward to reading his other works.

My father was the pilot in this book and he passed away prior to it's being published. I can only read a few pages at a time as the emotion of the events wells up very quickly. It is a wonderful look into one airplane crew from different individual perspectives as they faced each mission not knowing what they were to encounter. My father would be proud!! They were good Americans applies to the ones who gave their lives and the ones who made it to tell their stories. God Bless You

My Dad is 79. He was in the Army Air Corp and Air Force from 1944 to 1949. He now spends much of his day reading and, on occasion, still enjoys assemblng a WWII model airplane. He does not have the same eye for detail and the dexterity he once had, but the pleasure of his hobby remains. I gave my Dad Kipling's Error III as a gift. His emotional response and heartfelt appreciation was my gift. He enjoyed the sensitive writing style and personal diaries with a tear in his eye and a flood of memories. We are deeply grateful to Dr. Brooks Mitchell and Capt. Lloyd Mitchell for kindly and respectfully honoring and remembering our veterans. Thank you.

Reviewed by Paige Lovitt for Reader Views (3/06)

Brooks Mitchell, PhD, wrote this biography about his father, a B-17 navigator of Kipling's Error III, and his crew's 25 combat missions that took place over Europe during World War II. Mitchell gathered his information from diaries written by his father and four of his crewmen. He also used a taped interview with his father that his daughter created while she was doing a high school paper. There are also vintage photographs that bring the stories more vividly alive.

Through this story, Brooks achieves his goal of preserving the experiences of these crewmen during the time of war. The reader learns about the difficult times that these men experienced while they were stationed in Snetterton-Heath England. "Kipling's Error III" provides excellent insights into what these brave men had to sacrifice during their time of serving our country. Because the information was taken from some of the crewmen's personal diaries, the reader gets to see life as it really was during this time. Every aspect of the men's lives is covered.

This book provides so much more rich detail, than a traditional history book. When Captain Lloyd Mitchell wrote in his diary, "They were good Americans," he was referring to friends of his who were killed during a raid into the Third Reich. He had to help clean up their remains. By learning about the war from the experiences of these men, the reader is able to see the full range of emotions that they had to deal with while they were at war and then the personal issues they faced being so far away from their family and friends.

I highly recommend this book to World War II fans. Reading through the diary entries and seeing the photographs will really make you feel like you are present. Passing on this story also an important way to preserve this historical experience of American men who were truly, "good Americans."

Drawing from flight crew diaries and enhanced with vintage photographs, Kipling's Error III: They Were Good Americans is the story of the men who flew a B-17 Flying Fortress on twenty-five successful raids over enemy occupied Europe. Striking out from their base in Snetterton-heath, England, these were men who were put through every possible human emotion in a bloody and savage aerial war that included bravery, terror, duty, patriotism, love and hate. The author, Brooks Mitchell , is the eldest of three sons of Captain Lloyd Mitchell who served as the navigator of Kipling's Error II and has provided an invaluable contribution to the growing library of World War II aviation combat histories. Kipling's Error III is impressively informative, exceptionally well edited and written, very highly recommended reading for military buffs, and a core addition to academic and community library World War II Military Studies reference collections.

Bruce Milne's book is a welcomed book on doctrine in a time when doctrinal material is sorely lacking. It is well organized and easy to read. It can serve as an excellent reference book. It also serves well one who simply wishes to think about God and his nature using the Scripture in a way it was intended to be use.

Many books of theology are hard to read, and often do not entertain the possibility that anyone else's point of view could be correct.

I like Bruce Milne's book, because he writes in language that I can understand, and in discussing opposing points of view, while clearly expressing an evangelical interpretation of scripture, he allows for varying viewpoints within that compass. He even points out deficiencies in his own preferred view!

Milne's book fills a great need, because many people will not read the larger, more arcane works. [Including me!]

We used this book with a correspondence course in theology, in which I shared leadership, ad it was accessible for those who had thought through the issues before, and for those who never had.

Highly recommended

Milne has produced a fine introduction to Christian truth (i.e. theology) and I found this book very useful. I think Milne was wise to begin with, "The final authority in matters of faith," namely the Bible. Milne says that there are two sources of special revelation: The Incarnate Word (i.e. Jesus Christ Himself) and the Word (which is the Bible). Milne then examines what Jesus said about the Bible, what the Apostles said about it, inspiration, and the ideas of infallible vs. inerrant and so on.

I particularly liked his section on ecclesiology (the doctrine of the Church); it is a field that I have not studied much and it was good to get a biblical introduction to it. The section on the Person and Work of Jesus Christ was very good as well; Milne affirms the orthodox position that Christ is 100% man and 100% God. Milne also examines many of the historical heresies that were advanced against this (e.g. the Doetic heresy; that Jesus was God and merely appeared to be human or the Ebionite heresy; that Jesus was just a human being and was not God) and how they fail to agree with the Bible. Milne addresses the most sensationalized of doctrines "the last things," (i.e. eschatology; especially in the Book of Revelation); he outlines what we know for certain from the Bible and what is less clear. He also examines different perspectives on the Millennium.

To comment on the approach the Milne uses throughout the book, I would have to say that he is very balanced and sober. Often, he will briefly look at a few views on an issue and consider the biblical texts cited in support. Milne is also cautious; he is not dogmatic on issues where the Bible is not dogmatic. Also, throughout the book, there are end of section review questions (if you wanted to lead an intensive series of Bible studies, these questions could be used), all the various Scriptures cited (and arranged by topic e.g. Atonement in the Old Testament, Christ the prophet, Christ the priest and justification) are helpful as well. Milne also has mini-Bibliographies at the end of every section. My only possible criticism is that many of the works he cites in his Bibliography are old, likely out of print books (i.e. from 1960's or 1970's). There is also an Index at the end of the book, which gives the book a ready-reference function. However, I am reading the 1982 edition of the book (ISBN 0-87784-392-9), so that "problem" might have been addressed in this new 1999 edition.

I would very much recommend this book to all new Christians to get a firm footing in Christian doctrine. The book could also be described as the Bible doctrinally arranged; Want to know who God is? Want to know the nature of humanity? Want to know what the Church is supposed to be?

In our pragmatic, outcomes oriented age, the church has begun to lose its way. "Theology" and "Doctrine" are considered too theoretical and impractical for the needs of today.

Milne reminds us that at the source of all practice is belief. He also reminds us that any movement away from basic Christian belief is to court disaster. Those who deride theology need to re-examine their hearts and submit to God's view of the world, rather than our own.

This book is fairly simple in its layout, and is valuable as a reference book for basic Christian beliefs - you can easily turn to one section and consult it without having to have read the rest of the book. It does not go into unnecessary detail, and reflects a conservative, evangelical and reformed position.

Part one examines authority - how do we know what is true and how can know what God is saying to us? Part two looks at God - his characteristics and his works. Part three examines humankind - what our nature is and how sin has affected us. Part four examines Jesus - who he was and why he came to die on the cross. Part Five looks at the Holy Spirit - who he is and what his role is in the Christian life. Part Six examines the Church - its identity, function and life. Finally, part Seven looks at the future - the return of Jesus and eternal life.

If you are a serious Christian who loves the Lord with head and heart, this book is invaluable.

What a valuable service this little book provides! Milne has the rare ability to present complex ideas in concise yet fully accurate ways. There is no polemic for any position other than that which is unabashedly orthodox - and yet he covers some hotly contested ground (see the table of contents) with refreshing honesty.

This book is very heavily footnoted with scripture within each section of text, and each chapter is followed by references to least a dozen works by scholars who have more thoroughly expounded the varying viewpoints. I found myself reading with my Bible open in order to verify Milne's exposition and I never found a single instance of scripture twisting.

Milne has opinions, but these are never shoved down the reader's throat, nor presented in such a way as to belittle other views within orthodox faith. Rather, Milne gives the scriptural support for each position AND also the scripture and interpretation which might mitigate against that position - even his own. Should the reader desire more information, the scripture in each section and the reference works at the end of the chapters provide a very good start.

Each chapter is also followed by discussion questions enabling the book to be used easily in a class discussion.

Milne also handles the cult and unorthodox position very well. He does not ridicule, but condemns frankly from scripture.

When I decided to read Les Misérables I was pursuing two objectives: to read a classic novel and to practice and improve my knowledge of the French language. Knowing how long the novel was, both goals seemed difficult to attain. I am happy to say that I was able to accomplish both.
Les Misérables is a fascinating novel in which the author denounces the French society of the 19th century. It tells the story of Jean Valjean, who after 19 years in prison is released only to realize that there is no place in society for a man like him. Reading the story, your learn about the marginal life ex prisoners have to live in a society that forces them to carry a document (a yellow passport) that they have to show all the time in order to function in society; the horrible situation unmarried women are placed in when society punishes them for having children out of wedlock; the situation of the the elderly; and also of abandoned children ...
Hugo also intercalates the main story with long passages of reflections about different subjects such as the history of the "argot", Waterloo, a description of the underground sewer system in Paris, that although they can be challenging for the reader because of their length, they enrich and complete the story.
Les Misérables is not an easy book to read. In order to fully comprehend this story, it is necessary to have some knowledge of the historic events that took place during those years.
The third volume of the Pocket Classiques edition has a listing, in the back of the book, under Les Clés De L'Oeuvre, of the historic events that happened in France since 1723 until 1852, that are paralleled to the events of the story. This feature and a Larousse Encyclopedic Dictionary were very useful to me to identify the events as well as the historic characters that are named in the book.
Even though the vocabulary is not easy, with the aid of a dictionary, I was able to comprehend and enjoy the totality of the text. Due to Hugo's style, long paragraphs in which sentences are connected to each other to no end, to reflect the flow of the writer's thoughts, and the difficulty of the vocabulary, I would not recommend this reading to a French beginner or even an intermediate level.
I laughed, I cried , I worried about the characters ... I spent hours reading the story without being able to put the book down. After finishing, Jean Valjean, Cossette, Fantine, Marius, Gavroche, Javert were in my mind and in my heart for a long time. I feel that Les Misérable enriched my life.

Les Miserables is such a classic that one has the impression of already having read it, or seen it in one's mind, perhaps with Michel Bouquet in the role of Javert, or Gerard Depardieu. To read Les Miserables, published by Victor Hugo in 1862, offers the pleasure of recognition and a fresh beginning. Always one is carried away by the tension of this book, its unforgettable characters, is use of language--let us not forget that Hugo was the first to introduce slang and popular language into written French--its story and its time. The unhappy tale of Jean Valjean, from its progressive redemption, disastrous childhood of Cosette to the idylle with Marius, from the sacrificial figure of Fantine to the sinister characters of Thénardier and Javert, the novel is a beautiful lesson of humanity. "I come to destroy human fate," wrote Hugo, "I condemn slavery, I drive out misery, I inform ignorance, I treat the disease, I light the night, I hate hatred. This is what I am and for this reason I wrote Les Miserables."

(...)

Les Misérables en français est un très excellent livre. Le texte est vraiment mieux que les traductions en anglais, tous ceux qui ne montrent pas la vrai beauté et grace de la prose d'auteur. L'histoire est d'un homme qui est presque detruit par son systeme de justice, d'un homme bon qui doit colleter avec son gouvernement parce qu'il croit dans le mieux-être de toute la humanité, même s'il doit donner sa vie.

D'ensemble, ce livre est un oeuvre de génie, et oui, peut-être les anglophones devraient le lire en anglais avant qu'ils commencent à le lire en français. Mais, de vraiment comprendre l'esprit d'un cerveau, on doit lire Les Misérables dans la langue d'origine. Je jure qu'on ne sera pas déçu avec le livre original. Il en vaut la peine de lire ce livre en français, mme si seulement d'enrichir la vie et l'esprit. Achetez ce livre et soyez content que vous avez gagné un vrai chef-d'oeuvre pour lire et chérir pour toute la vie.

I am providing a feedback on other reviews of this title, not a review of my own. Unfortunately, I can't find another way to send feedback to the reviewers.

I've found it so very odd that all the reviewers of a French text have written their reviews in English. None addresses the advantages of the original text over a translation. So my question is: have any of you read the French version or are you reviewing the English text?

I am not trying to question your proficiency in French, but I suspect the Amazon system may be lumping all reviews together without regard for the particular version or edition reviewed.

This novel is one of the all-time classics in literature. It is a compelling story of a simple working man, Jean Valjean, caught up in the French "justice" system of the 19th century. His crime was petty. He broke into a bakery to get bread for starving family members (in the modern United States, he might have received probation). Because the baker's family lived in the building, he was charged with breaking into an occupied dwelling and sent to prison. In France, you were required to have a passport to travel within the country. Released from prison, he is given the infamous "yellow passport" issued to people with criminal records. An act of heroism allows him to obtain work without showing his passport, but his past catches up with him and he is sent to a prison galley for life for a second petty crime in his past as a "repeat offender."

He escapes and recovers a cache of gold that he had buried, then rescues the orphan daughter of a woman he had known, but is pursued by the relentless policeman Javert, a man who has no compassion and enforces the law to the letter.

Jean Valjean is a simple man and, basicly, is trying to help other people. The system does its best to grind him down. It is notable that the story ends when people are taking to the streets and building barricades in a fight against the very system that led to his troubles.

Lessons I learned in the light, great book, as good as lessons I learned in the dark, Jennifer uses words to paint pictures you can only see with your heart.

This book is truly a blessed gift. One to keep forever and reread over and over again for inspiration and comfort. As Jennifer Rothschild tendering shares her life we learn the truth about our own. Though everyday experiences we begin to clearly see the purpose of life here and look forward to the the life everafter. This book radiates HOPE and the knowledge that we are secure in God's GRACE! A beautiful gift and a special keepsake.

This book really spoke to me each day when I would read a chapter as part of my quiet time. I passed the book to my co-author, Kim Webb, and she adored the book as well! I highly recommend to all and I just ordered her newest book.

Jennifer has done it again.
Lessons I Learned in the Dark was such an inspiration to me that I couldn't imagine being more blessed by Lessons I Learned in the Light but I was.
GOD is using this wonderful woman to give hope and inspiration to so many.

Lessons I Learned in the Light
By Jennifer Rothschild
Publisher: Multnomah
601 N Larch St
Sisters, OR 97759
[...]

Jennifer Rothschild is such an inspiration to many people, and I am one of those people. She is an author, musician, and in full time ministry. In this book she shares lessons that she learned, that we can also learn and benefit from. The amazing thing about the title is that she is blind, so the only light that she sees is God's light.

In starting out she uses God's word to show that he truly is the light. 1John 1:5 says that "God is Light" and Psalms 119:105 "lamp unto my feet, and a light to my path". God truly is light and she shows this in the twelve chapters of her book.

We need to cling to God's word, for it is our Sword of Honor. Scripture tells the story of Eleazar, and how he clung to his sword in the battle, and when it was over he could not let it go (2 Samuel 23:9-10). The Bible is something that we can hold on to today and use it in our battle field. To do this we need to spend time every day in it. When we don't it is an issue of pride. It is like we are telling God that we don't need him. We all have many excuses, but none of them are good enough. We are to cling to the word and use it and to do that we must know it; and to know it we must be read it and study it everyday.

Sometimes we are reluctant. The author says "Most of us feel a tinge of reluctance when it comes to change, because it means we must take a risk and release some of our control." What we need to do is release and trust Jesus. "It is no risk to trust the One who is totally trustworthy." Isaiah 26:4. You may not have the confidence to face the change, but God can give us courage. Confidence is a feeling, and courage is an action. There are three gifts of courage: Power, Love, and Self-Discipline.

Walking by faith and not having any baggage is another way that the author teaches you how to live. There are two tools to get rid of sin: The law (Romans 3:20 and 5:13), and Repentance (John 1:9). God gives us his grace so that we can live with him. His grace is offered because he is good. We are also required to be meek, and that means to "...recognize our own personal power and willingly submit to the authority of another." Meekness is one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22).

Next she shows us how the Bible tells us to pray without ceasing, or in her words "pray like crazy". So even if you do not believe that you can pray, pray anyway. Pray like you would like to be able to pray. It doesn't have to be showy or flashy, God knows what you are trying to express and say. "Just do it." (Nike).

God's word is alive and it gives us hope, cling to this hope. One way to do this is don't be self-conscious, be God-conscious. See yourself in the mirror that is God's word. Words of warning though, you maybe the only God that anyone ever sees, so you need to know him so you can reflect him. Beware though of three places that you might get caught up and those are: pride, performance, and problems. Let God shine through you it is about God not you.

Lastly Mrs. Rothschild reminds us that we are to live like aliens here on earth. This is not our home; it is a staging area, preparing us form home. Heaven is our ultimate home and we need to keep our eyes on that.

This book is an enlightening experience. The author has some new ideas on things that I had never thought of, and it was nice to see things from a different point of view. I am going to take what I learned, and apply it to the many other lessons that God is teaching me every day.

This novel is one of the best I have read. Alex Haley and Stevens express a kind of compassion from a grandmother/mother that no one could do better. It's a very emotional book, and touches everyone that has ever experienced a good book. Once you start it, you can't put it down!

This book made you feel apart of it. I loved it! I loved the history, the story, the emotions and how it wove a story of a loving family working their way through life. This is a must read.

Pretend that there is a really good review here. I loved reading this novel. It is one that is vary hard to put down because you can't help wondering what is going to happen next.

At the center of Mama Flora's Family is the indomitable spirit of Mama Flora, the matriarch of an extraordinary family of destitute Tennessee sharecroppers. The characters are so real and believable it made this reader feel that I was right there with them experiencing all their trials and tribulations, as well as the joys. This book is much more than a poignant, hard-to-put-down story of a Mama Flora and her descendants from 1920 to the late 1990s. It, for the most part, effectively weaves into the plot much of what has transpired in American/African-American history during this time period (e.g., life for African-Americans in the South, the rise of the Civil Rights movement, the Black Panthers, the Nation of Islam, the Viet Nam war, political repression under Idi Amin, etc). Mama Flora's Family is a rich, resonant family novel that cuts across the barriers that divide us to touch the hearts of people of all races and backgrounds. I highly recommend this excellent, emotionally-packed posthumous novel written by David Stevens based on Alex Haley's notes and research.

Reading this book is like cozying up with a warm blanket. The authors provide so much detail that you feel like YOUR grandmother is sitting in front of you, recounting the tales. The book spans the decades, from the early 1900s to the late 1970s and throws in a bit of history/current events to place the family's hostory in context. Great book!

Mapper Of Mountains: M.P. Bridgland In The Canadian Rockies 1902-1930 is the true story of dominion land surveyor Morrison Parsons Bridgland, who climbed many of Canada's Rocky Mountains for the first time and perfected photographic techniques to compile a series of mountaintop photographs and create accurate topographical maps. In 1915 he applied his top-rate skills to Jasper Park, creating a legacy of research and exacting quality for future generations to build upon. Mapper Of Mountains is the true testimony of one man's lifetime dedication to, and passion for, precisely recording the lay of high and sometimes deadly peaks. Illustrated with black-and-white maps and photographs throughout, Mapper Of Mountains is as much a tribute to geographic history as it is to Bridgland's acute vision and drive.

Mapper Of Mountains: M.P. Bridgland In The Canadian Rockies 1902-1930 is the true story of dominion land surveyor Morrison Parsons Bridgland, who climbed many of Canada's Rocky Mountains for the first time and perfected photographic techniques to compile a series of mountaintop photographs and create accurate topographical maps. In 1915 he applied his top-rate skills to Jasper Park, creating a legacy of research and exacting quality for future generations to build upon. Mapper Of Mountains is the true testimony of one man's lifetime dedication to, and passion for, precisely recording the lay of high and sometimes deadly peaks. Illustrated with black-and-white maps and photographs throughout, Mapper Of Mountains is as much a tribute to geographic history as it is to Bridgland's acute vision and drive.

Mapper Of Mountains: M.P. Bridgland In The Canadian Rockies 1902-1930 is the true story of dominion land surveyor Morrison Parsons Bridgland, who climbed many of Canada's Rocky Mountains for the first time and perfected photographic techniques to compile a series of mountaintop photographs and create accurate topographical maps. In 1915 he applied his top-rate skills to Jasper Park, creating a legacy of research and exacting quality for future generations to build upon. Mapper Of Mountains is the true testimony of one man's lifetime dedication to, and passion for, precisely recording the lay of high and sometimes deadly peaks. Illustrated with black-and-white maps and photographs throughout, Mapper Of Mountains is as much a tribute to geographic history as it is to Bridgland's acute vision and drive.

Mapper Of Mountains: M.P. Bridgland In The Canadian Rockies 1902-1930 is the true story of dominion land surveyor Morrison Parsons Bridgland, who climbed many of Canada's Rocky Mountains for the first time and perfected photographic techniques to compile a series of mountaintop photographs and create accurate topographical maps. In 1915 he applied his top-rate skills to Jasper Park, creating a legacy of research and exacting quality for future generations to build upon. Mapper Of Mountains is the true testimony of one man's lifetime dedication to, and passion for, precisely recording the lay of high and sometimes deadly peaks. Illustrated with black-and-white maps and photographs throughout, Mapper Of Mountains is as much a tribute to geographic history as it is to Bridgland's acute vision and drive.

Mapper Of Mountains: M.P. Bridgland In The Canadian Rockies 1902-1930 is the true story of dominion land surveyor Morrison Parsons Bridgland, who climbed many of Canada's Rocky Mountains for the first time and perfected photographic techniques to compile a series of mountaintop photographs and create accurate topographical maps. In 1915 he applied his top-rate skills to Jasper Park, creating a legacy of research and exacting quality for future generations to build upon. Mapper Of Mountains is the true testimony of one man's lifetime dedication to, and passion for, precisely recording the lay of high and sometimes deadly peaks. Illustrated with black-and-white maps and photographs throughout, Mapper Of Mountains is as much a tribute to geographic history as it is to Bridgland's acute vision and drive.

UN GRAN LIBRO, ESCRITO HACE BASTANTE TIEMPO, MUCHO MEJOR EXPLICADO Q EL :SECRETO" QUIERES CONOCER LA VERDADERA LEY DE LA ATRACCION ? LEE ESTE LIBRO

So much information and so much to learn from such a little book. This book is a guide for living and bettering your life and the world.

Well this book is probably the best book, I have ever read in my life. Because it helped me change the way, I see life and it is very important; what the message in the book, it is also important to practice, the exercises that are in the book. I do not mean "exercise" to go to the gym, but exercises to help you control your mind and body. I love this book it changed my life and I have giving this book as a gift to many of my friends and close family and it has change the way they see life. So read it and try what it says, on the book and you will see!!!

Recientemente compre este libro, y confieso que me dio un poco de miedo cuando estaba en plena desicion de comprarlo, pero, NO ME ARREPIENTO, excelente en todos los sentidos.
Lo he leido aprox. 8 veces.

I recently bought this book, i readed aprox. 8 times, EXCELLENT!

MIAMI FL.

this book helped me a lot with my life and understanding the power of love, you will keep it just close to you to give you guidance and wisdom.

This book was such a fun take on wedding planning.

"The wedding obsessed story of a bride to be who believes that matching napkins colors to bridesmaid dresses will determine her future happiness - hilarious!"

Whether you are planning a wedding or about to attend a wedding, I recommend reading this book. Hana Schank will take you step-by-step through all that one goes through when venturing down this path.

For the bride and groom, Hana's book will help you think through many of the important decisions that one needs to make in wedding planning (location), as well as to help you to decide which trivial details you may choose to avoid without regret (the city of the postage cancellation on the invitations.)

If you will be attending a wedding anytime soon, Hana's book really will help you to appreciate all the excruciating fine-tuned detail that goes into planning a wedding. (Don't complain if there's no cake, there's a dessert bar and there's a reason for that, that's what the bride and groom wanted!)

Personally, what I really liked about the book is that it gives some explanation and history about certain wedding traditions to help you put into perspective those ideas which you may want to preserve and those that you may want to drop. Hana also encourages people to be creative at their wedding, even if they are breaking tradition.

Best of all, Hana describes all of this with her great sense of dry humor as she describes the various characters and situations she is confronted with while dutifully attending to weddingland antics.

Hana is definitely a non-traditionalist. As a reader, I felt sympathetic to Hana while trying to buck convention on various wedding traditions. However, we realize that even the staunchest of people can get caught up in the pressure of the media, and our guests expectations in dictating to us 'how a wedding should be.' Thank you, Hana, for giving me a fresh perspective on weddings. I will never look at them the same way.

Hana Schank lives up to the promise of the subtitle ("How I Survived the Happiest Day of My Life") to her marriage memoir A More Perfect Union with humor, history, and a self-aware look at just how this modern, feminist-minded woman got caught up in everything from flower colors to save the date cards. "In just a few weeks they had become my new vital statistics," Schank writes about the post-engagement facts of her life as strangers swarm her to find out every detail of her nuptials, her "Rosetta stone" of a ring blaring to anyone she meets that she is about to get married.

Using her own foray onto wedding website The Knot's message boards and reading of wedding magazines as background, Schank proceeds to recount the ways the process getting married changed her, and what she learns about the wedding industry along the way. She's telling the story as both an observer and participant, going back and forth with facts she doles out about the corporate and cultural pressure on brides to how these intimately affected her.

Schank talks about the things one isn't usually supposed to mention when it comes to the joy of weddings--namely divorce, baby pressure, the picking and choosing of religious traditions. She acknowledges the clashes she and her husband have over the wedding planning, such as his anger that he's not once asked his opinion about their flower choices.

This is not simply a tirade against the wedding industry, or it would not be such a delight to read. Schank and her fiancé Steven are able to laugh at those around them--and themselves--pretending to shoot at each other with the scanner while adding to their registry, or joking on their way to retrieve her wedding dress:

"I feel like I should be yelling at some imaginary kids back there or something," I said.
Steven turned his head to the back of the van. "Stop hitting your brother!" he yelled.
I laughed. "Who wants to watch the Finding Nemo DVD again?" I asked the backseat.

What becomes crystal clear from page one is how much of their wedding planning is not only inclusive of, but dependent on, their families, from what to wear during the wedding weekend softball game to how Schank's divorced and divisive parents will be able to come together. Reading her final chapter, in which her fiance's brother gets a concussion during the softball game and various mishaps occur, I certainly teared up when Schank's parents join her to walk down the aisle, adding a blissful conclusion to the often-stressful weekend. "And right then I realize that this was the moment I planned the entire wedding for. If weddings are about fantasies, then this was mine: I wanted my family back together again, even if it was for a few fleeting seconds. And right then, as I bask in the warmth of my family, it is all worth it. The months of tears and obsession and ribbon and Martha Stewart. It is all worth it."

These sentences show that while her marriage is, in large part, about, as the rabbi tells Schank, "sovereignty," an us-against-the-world partnership between the bride and groom, in many other ways it is about joining two people, and two (or more) families, about the negotiations and compromises Schank and her relatives and her fiancé and his relatives all have to make to create this "happiest day" of her life.

Her final chapter, a post-script about the reactions to her book from various sides of the wedding world, is the most illuminating. Schank concludes that even so-called "bridezillas" don't think they're any more wedding-obsessed than anyone else, and even though she has herself marveled at why anyone could care so passionately about ribbon, she emerges with a sympathetic attitude toward brides of all stripes. When Schank writes about her feminist critics that, "It makes it easy for people to tell you you're not being the right kind of girl," she could be writing about any number of female realms, from mothering to sex work to bikini waxes to breast implants, in which women's choices are debated and attacked with viciousness. This isn't a how-to book (or a how-not-to book), but I'd imagine that many prospective brides and grooms will enjoy and learn from Schank's story, or at least have someone to commiserate with.

What makes this book special is that it's both a laugh- and cry-out-loud memoir, and an insider's look at the ways wedding hype has descended on Americans, particularly New Yorkers. Schank is smart enough to know when she's being manipulated, but it's her very awareness, sharpened by historical facts long with the very modern reality of one-bride-upsmanship and the quest for perfection in every area, even as she goes through the process of being (sometimes) swept away, that adds depth to A More Perfect Union.

Hanna Schank's story of "How I Survived the Happiest Day of My Life" is essential reading for any bride, groom, family member, wedding party member, newlywed, wedding guest, literature fan, or memoir fan. I read this book just a year after planning my own wedding, I had repeated moments of identification with Schank's experience. I would have loved to have been given this book as a bride-to-be.

Schank was a highly successful 30-year-old New York woman when she got engaged. She experienced a year of the tug of Bridezilla-ness despite her best efforts to keep her wedding plans in check. The became obsessed with her wedding colors despite her original plans to allow everyone to dress as they wished. She initially spurned registries and then became irritated with people who didn't believe in them. After laughing at the notion of Save the Date cards, Schank painstakingly hand-tied bows on hundreds of them, and was then crushed when they didn't garner effuse praise from the recipients. At some point, Schank succumbed to the belief in "My Day" and flew off the handle at vendors who refused alter their standard packages to meet her unique needs.

In addition to her first-hand bride experience, Schank possesses research skills and an MFA in non-fiction writing, so she is supremely qualified to reflect on her experience with the modern bridal industry. She muses about the invention of the registry, about the social networking of wedding site The Knot, about the "once in a lifetime" mantra of the wedding industrial machine (spend the money, this is once in a lifetime), and about traditional Victorian etiquette versus the realities of modern life.

Grammy serves as the perfect foil to all of Schank's wedding planning. Over the telephone, Schank has to repeatedly explain to her aged grandmother the wedding plans, the reasons behind traditions, and what she needs from her relatives. Schank's witty prose ties the story together well. One of my favorite passages is about the trickle of wedding gifts that start arriving after the invitations are mailed: "Other people called our parents and informed them that they didn't see anything on the registry they liked, and therefore wanted to know what else we might want. This was particularly confusing because the whole point of having a registry in the first place was so that people won't have to call you up and ask you what you want. In theory, everything you want is on the registry. And really, who cared if the gift-giver didn't like anything on the registry? It wasn't going to them ... People want to sent you something that they see as representative of their personality, even if their personality representation isn't necessarily something you want hanging around your house. You therefore must live with a butt-ugly set of ceramic dessert plates or a set of Judaic art depicting a Jewish bridge and groom in renaissance costume, as opposed to the really nice set of crystal highball glasses you spent several weeks hunting for."

The combination of personal experience, terrific research and historical perspective, and witty naration makes this memoir a surefire winner.

This all happened in a town. The problem was that this guy named Davy was addicted to alcohol. He started to hang around with other people that also drink. That only made it worse. Davy would have fantasies about a girl name Linda. Those people who he hangs around, Linda hang around with them too. One day he went to a place, the cops showed up, his friends started to ask if he was still a virgin and responded to that and he said, "yes." So his friends take him to Maxis house to do it. But he doesn't remember what had happened. Pretty soon they start dating. Davy had fell in love and so did Maxi. One day she told Davy that they should stop drinking, he agreed. They started to go to alcoholics anonymous. Both of them went, but at first they had problems, but as time passed Maxi didn't had any problem but Davy did. When they were one month with out drinking then they had dinner and went to the beach. That's when Maxi drowns and at the end Davy realizes he needs help, so he gets it.

I read this book for my 10th grade IGL Class!! I though it was a good book I know some people that were just like Davy and Maxi! In the beging of the book Davy has no friends and he starts haning out with the popular kids. Davy really like this hanging out with the popular ones because Linda this girl he really like was one of them!! All they did was sit around and drink all the time Davy started hanging out with Maxi one of the popular kids and they did stuff toghther and got drunk all the time!! They finally decided that they had a alcohol problem so they went to a counselor to get help. At the end of the book they are both clean!! That is my review and when you read this book I hope you take it serously and not be stupid and become one your self.

This is a chilling story, especially if you're an alcoholic! You want to hear a story that's not just a number on a page (statistic), then read this. You'll see how low you can get if you're not there already!

This book is awesome. it is deffenitly the best book i have ever read. i would probably read it again if i liked books but it seems that i hate them. i like the story of how davy gets drunk and gets horizontal with maxi. he finally starts to make friends but that all ends when maxi gets naked and drunk. She goes swimming and dies. he was sad. Davy went on a drinking bingeand wound up in the gutter.

This was a very good and scary book. It shows the truth of what happens to an alcoholic when they don't get help. When I first took this book off the shelf of the public library here, I was a bit skeptical of it because of the title. But since I've read it, it is one of my favorite books in the world!!