N Books

Honestly one of the most inspiring books I have ever read. I minister to the homeless and everytime I re-read what I have high-lighted, I want to run off & serve God even more. I highly recommend this book. But if you share books with others, buy 2 copies b/c you will want to re-read yours often. She is such an amzing woman. I felt like this book was a personal letter to me. It took away some of the fear I harbored in the work I do. Praise God!

The book that I received was in excellent condition and was received in a timely manor!!

The devotion of Mother Teresa should be an inspiration to us all (whether you are Catholic, Eastern Orthodox or Protestant; Christian or non-Christian). I'm a Methodist and I see in Mother Teresa a true imitation of Christ. She reminds us of God's love and how God uses us to minister to one another.

While I was growing up, people would call Mother Teresa a "living saint" (I grew up and still live in a heavily in a Catholic neighborhood). Recent evidence reveals that she sometimes wrestled with doubts and frustrations. This has actually enhanced my appreciation for her, in that I see Mother Teresa now as more a human being, who struggled along like the rest of us, and could relate with our faults and trials better than someone of superhuman constitution.

Her feeling for the poor; that is the economically, as well as, spiritually poor, gives us all a lot to think about. Whatever religion you are, I am sure you can find comfort in Mother Teresa's gentle spirit:

"I deal with thousands of Christians and non-Christians, and in each you can see such conscience at work in their lives, drawing them to God...If everyone were capable of discovering the image of God in their neighbors, do you think we would still need tanks and generals?"

Mother Teresa speaks in her own words on subjects such as Prayer, Love, Giving, Poverty and Suffering. Her teachings are presented without adornment, in simple English. This remarkable lady believed in serving God by serving others--the poorest of the poor. She founded a worldwide order of sisters who live in poverty among the poor they serve, and who treat the poor with the respect and dignity that they sorely need. She did not believe in "evangelizing," except by service and example. As a result her missionaries have been accepted and treated with great respect in remarkably diverse places throughout the world.

In this slender volume Mother Teresa's thoughts are presented without commentary, footnotes or sources. Just her words, stunning in their simplicity. Stunning too in her literal application of Jesus' own teaching--to give everything to the poor--everything--and follow him.There is a brief interview with Mother Teresa and the briefest possible autobiographical sketch. I wish there had been more.

This beautiful little book made a profound impression on me and made me want to read more. I recommend it highly to you as well. Reviewed by Louis N. Gruber.

This book is pure inspiration. You realize how selfish the world is after reading this humble book. Mother Teresa is often in my thoughts now. And for that reason, this book is priceless.

Poortvliet provides an unexpected delight in his telling of the Noah's Ark story through the prism of his youth and memories. The drawings are remarkable in their humanity. He has created a book that is a must have for adults, particularly animal lovers, and children to share.

One of the most beautifully illustrated books ever. The artwork is superb and the narrative sublime by someone who appreciates the design in nature. I cant imagine anyone not really treasuring this book, for young and old alike.

The illustrations in this volume are amazing. I love the format. It's much like a personal journal with sketches to enhance the artist's viewpoint. I will definately consider purchasing everything that is available by this author after seeing this beloved work of art.

I have had the larger, original version of this book for thirty years or so, and I wanted to get it for my grandson's fifth birthday. Unfortunately, the larger version was no longer available, but this one filled the bill nicely. It is a perfect size, and it has perfect content for bedtime stories. Plus, none of the excellent pages was left out. Rien Poortvliet is a magnificent artist, and a thoughtful one, at that.

AWESTRUCK is the only word to describe my reaction to this magnificently beautiful book! It is a huge collection of Poortvliet's master quality artwork in a stunning coffee table book. The thoughtfully executed art gives evidence of the artist's heart toward the subject matter. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!

This is a must read for anyone who uses a computer for their work. The book suggests the reader skip to the summary in the back and save even more time by not reading the book - great idea. Since what Bill Jensen has to say can be said in so few words because he know what he wants to say, how he feels about it and what he wants the read to do.
Read it or at least the summary; then just hand it to a co-worked, family member or anyone you just want to help out.
I have deleted more e-mails without opening them then ever in my life. Since I read this book it has handed back hours a day to me that I was wasting on work and e-mails.

I think this book is the best book ever written for dealing with the business world today. I feel like it was written for me. I wish I had access to this book 5 years ago, I could have used it.

Thank you for your contributions for helping to make a healthier more informed work environment and employee for those who take a long time to get there.

Bill Jensen's ideas and tactics have crystallized my ability to be effective. I read "The Simplicity Survival Handbook" before reading Jensen's original "Simplicity", and for me, "Simplicity" is superior because (1) it explains the rationale behind Jensen's ideas and (2) offers invaluable guidance on effective presentations. "The Simplicity Survival Handbook" 's examples were not as helpful to me as the initial wisdom and suggestions in "Simplicity". Read them both!

What I like about this biz book:

1) Its fun and challenging "If your boss doesn't get it, and has a high likelihood of never getting it... time to say "goodbye". Pretty simple right?

2) Attitude of "You don't have to be a victim of corporate crap"... reminds me of a refrain I have heard from my husband when he talks about his day job "They can't even run their own life, I will be damned it they run mine"

3) Respect yourself more. Your time is valuable. Push back.

4) The complexity starts from within. From within my own company, within myself.

The How To Section(s)
Email
Scan incoming subject and author, if not relevant hit "delete"
Scan email for 1) action to take 2) deadline date.

In sending messages use the 3"x5" space constaint.

If it is simplier it is more likely to be done. Make it easy.

Remember the key: what do you want them to know, feel and do!

Presentations:
Turn the one point you want people to know into a question. Provoke conversations. Give everyone handouts. Use of Stories is a good thing.
1 hour presentation = 20 slides MAX!

Meetings Big Idea!! When you agree to chair a meeting approachit as if you have just been handed a portion of someones life. Because you have. Run a meeting like one that you wish you had been invited for.

Helpful hints 1) get only the important people 2) get the right people 3) define what success looks like 4) Mentally see the successful meeting 5) Put the objective of the meeting up front
6) Be passionate about the people and reason of the meeting.

With a title like this, Jensen's book should be flying off the shelf. I know it caught my eye when I first saw it. We all want to "do" less and "accomplish" more and there are some excellent ideas in this book to help you do just that.

Nothing in this book is easy, though. Someone as inclined to follow the rules like myself will find it difficult, if not impossible, to implement the more demanding recommendations. This is a shame, as these people are those who would probably benefit the most.

Even if you don't think of yourself as a rabble-rouser, you should still read this book and take heart that there are some possible methods of extracting yourself from business situations that leave you feeling busy, but not very productive. There are ways of escaping the bureaucracy and yet keep your job.

The cutest, yet still effective, idea in the book is the "Less-O-Meter" associated with each chapter. These graphical gauges give you an "at a glance" reading on how much Courage you will need to put this tip in place, how difficult it can be and the possible yield to your productivity and happiness.

You may be ready to take on your whole company and engage in full-scale "pushback", but implementing even one idea from this book could do a world of good for you, your job and your career, while helping your company, as well.

When I decided to buy this book I wasn't sure about it's content Now I do recomend it to one intends to study theology or use it as a catechesis meterial. It contents is well done e very usefull.

As others have clarified, this review is for the English-only version of Aland's synopsis. I just went through this book for a seminary class on the Gospels, and it is truly an amazing resource.

Aland aligns the four gospels in parallel with each other, so that every time the reader encounters a particular story from one Gospel account, the analogous portion of the same story from any of the other Gospels appears alongside it in another column. And if a story is unique to one Gospel, then the other three columns are blank.

My study of this book has shed amazing light on the life of Jesus, as I have previously only read about Him from one Gospel or another. But reading these stories in parallel with each other provides a fullness to our understanding that is simply impossible when read in isolation.

My only critique is that some of the formatting seemed unnecessarily cumbersome. The footnotes are so prominent as to be almost overwhelming, and some of the spacing was strangely irregular.

Of course, when used for its presumed purpose as a reference book, those logistical issues become less problematic. Ultimately, this is not written to provide devotional readings, and I would not recommend anyone to simply sit down and plow through this entire book. However, for anyone with the task of preaching and teaching from the Gospels or for anyone who simply wants to understand the life of Jesus more fully, I cannot imagine a book that would provide a better way to compare the four Gospels than this.

This book was recommended by someone who already completed their theology studies. They indicated that this is the best synopsis available, and I'd have to agree. While it may not have the original Greek text, the price is right, and it's a great resource to have for study.

If you're in need to see how ALL of the Gospels tie together, this is a MUST. GREAT for Study Groups!!!

Excellent book for anyone who wishes to study the bible and get a better understanding

I've had this book for a while now. It is absolutely wonderful! After you read it and stop at the points that it says to stop and read certain books of the New Testament, you will have a radically changed view of the NT and the early church. This book is a must have addition for anyone currently interested in organic church life. I've bought two copies of it: one for me and one for my step-mom.

Viola's epic volume "The Untold Story of the New Testament Church" is absolutely the best little guide to understanding the order of events in the life of the first-century ekklesia!

Viola relies on the scholarship of F.F. Bruce, Donald Guthrie, and A.T. Robinson for the dating of the books. He wonderfully weaves together the book of Acts with the Epistles to create one amazing story. Viola follows the story of the church according to Acts and successfully places the epistles in their historical-cultural context. Enabling the reader to better apply the Scriptures to their life.

The New Testament comes alive in movie form as Viola uses some of the best N.T. scholarship to reassemble the entire story of the church as it happened in the beginning! I found that this book was able to give me deep insight into the lives and the circumstances behind the writings of the letters of the Apostles.

Viola helps the reader along with his use of maps and background information on people and places. His book is easy to read. You follow his graphic retelling of Acts and stop to read an epistle at every point in time the book was believed to have been written. His book is fluid and he makes little to no assumptions about the chronology of the events.
(I strongly recommend you read a contemporary translation like the NLT or the Message when following along in the N.T. in order that you might receive a fresh glimspse into the motivation and passion behind the letters. We tend to only see what we've always seen when we read from the same translation.)

I connected with Paul's trials and tribulations in ways I never had before. Many times I had to stop reading just to reflect on the sufferings of Paul and ask myself if I could have endured what he endured.
From the conflict and turmoil of the immature and immoral at Corinth... to the Judaizers and "super apostles" who opposed Paul at every turn... you will not want to stop reading until the story is complete.

However, as Viola points out, the story is not complete. The Bride of Christ is still in a battle bewteen good and evil. The story of the early church is a reminder of the trials that are inevitable for the Christian. Yet... the Bride will endure and will persevere unto the end. This is not a fairy tale or an ancient bedtime story for the religious. It is the ongoing story of the New Testament church. It is our story!

I also want to recommend:

Going to the Root: Nine Proposals for Radical Church Renewal
The Centrality of Jesus Christ (Works of T. Austin-Sparks)
Rethinking The Wineskin: The Practice of the New Testament Church
Pagan Christianity: Exploring the Roots of Our Church Practices
Paul's Idea of Community: The Early House Churches in Their Cultural Setting, Revised Edition


NOTE: Viola includes Paul's brief trip to Spain. There is little evidence for this and it is certainly a debatable claim among scholars. Some scholars believe that Paul was never released from Rome for a fourth apostolic journey and the letters to Timothy and Titus were written during his initial house arrest in Rome before his death under the reign of Nero.

This book is great, he explains the story of the New Testament in order. Some of it is made up from "Mirror Reading" and extra Biblical history, so don't expect absolute truth. But it will open your eyes to some interesting things that were hidden for you all along.

Frank Viola has, for a long time, studied the modern church. He has written a number of books on church renewal and reform. He is passionate about returning to the methods of the early church and its effectiveness. In The Untold Story of the New Testament Church, Viola has "straightened out" the New Testament, by placing the NT books in chronological order following the events of the book of Acts.

This is a fantastic book. If you really want to understand the New Testament, you can glean bits of information from a sermon here, a convention there, or get it all mixed up by watching a movie (normally not concerned with accuracy as much as drama). But you can save yourself time and frustration by reading this well-written, engaging, and often fascinating book.

This last year I have been exploring the Hebrew roots of Christianity, reading somewhere between 75 - 100 books. (Such books as Our Father Abraham: Jewish Roots of the Christian Faith, New Light on the Difficult Words of Jesus: Insights from His Jewish Context and Yeshua: A Guide to the Real Jesus and the Original Church, excel, filled thoroughly with information on their specific topics.) But even after so much reading, I've highlighted nearly every page of this book! The interplay with society and history, and the original meaning and progression of the New Testament letters is thought-provoking and motivating.

This book's clear, enlightening manner will answer questions you've had since becoming born-again (for me that's 29 years). More importantly, it will help correct thinking you were sure you were right about.

For your personal study and understanding, I recommend this book right up there with getting a Concordance!

Pastors, Bible Study leaders, Youth group leaders - prevent misunderstandings of the New Testament from taking root early, or help your students uproot wrong ideas. Though this is not a text book (and the writing is fluid and accomodating) it could easily be used as one. Get this book. See for yourself that it is a crucial addition to your ministry material.

A great book with many lighthearted, thought provoking stories. It gives real life situations in which everyone can relate. It is definately a book that you would read on more than one occassion. I have recommended it to all of my friends....

This is a great book to read together with a non-Christian. No matter the religious beliefs of your friend, he or she will find Babb's writing witty and entertaining. But the nuggets of Christian truth are written in a non-threatening way that can foster conversation on to something deeper.

This book can simultaneously tickle your funny bone and bring a tear to your eye! The author has laced this book with precious memories and experiences of his own that are relative to mine, and he does it with great perception and wisdom in the "lessons." Both humor and insight--there's not a better combination!

What an uplifting and inspirational book! Martin Babb has a way of making real life situations down right hysterical. Babb has an amazing ability to make you smile and laugh all while learning a valuable lesson. This is a book that I could read over and over!

This book was not only funny and entertaining, but each story had a thought provoking message that hit home. Babb took everyday situations that we all encounter and made us realize how they fit into our life as Christians. This is a book you can read over and over again.

I was in for a surprise when I was a little bit into the book and realized this was another take on Beauty and the Beast. Slow, I know. But realizing this did not deter my opinion of and interest in the book. The characters were believable and even the rotten main character was lovable. Whether or not you like the tale of Beauty and the Beast, you'll enjoy this story!

There are several excellent retellings of the classic story of Beauty and the Beast but this is the only one with a modern aproach that gives it a entertaining twist

I love the story of Beauty and the Beast in all its forms, but this has to be my favorite. Alex Flinn has put the Beast in high school, made him a snotty prom king and cursed him by the hand of a goth-girl witch. And once the enchantment begins, this book moves from the realm of retelling into something truly powerful, fresh and new. The love story is real and believable and Flinn's considerable descriptive powers put movie scenes in your head you'll want to replay over and over. This one is bound to become a classic.

Kyle Kingsbury is rich, good-looking, has a celebrity father, and is elected the prince of popularity at school. Influenced by his neglecting father, who teaches him that the only person who will ever love him is himself, he lives his life in an arrogant, cruel manner, getting thrills out of hurting others. When he deceives a girl at school with the sole purpose of humiliating her, and the girl (who happens to be a witch) retaliates, he finds himself under a beastly curse until he can learn to love and is loved in return.

The most interesting part of the story is the great transformation of Kyle. In the beginning he is truly selfish and vile and undergoes a substantial physical change which leads to a deeper, inward change that is believable. Lindy is not as compelling a character as I would have enjoyed. She needs more wit or cleverness to make her truly something unique. He seems to fall in lust with her more than love (thinking of running his hands over her thin dress, etc).

Warning for YA readers: There are references to sex with girlfriend at the beginning of book, alcohol use, mildly offensive language, and general sensuality.

This was a very modern retelling of Beauty and the Beast. At first, I was having a hard time figuring that out, but as the book went on the similarities became more apparent.

In the beginning, Kyle is a typical stuck-up high school jock, except multiplied by a million. His attitude was so bad, I finally realized why some people can't stand to read a book because of the main character. Kyle was beyond rude; he made me thankful that my high school isn't filled with kids like him. Believe me, he was bad.

After he does something truly horrible to some "loser" at school, the "loser" turns out to be a witch, who turns him into a beast. But he gives him a chance to fix it. If Kyle could find a girl to love, who could love him, and have her kiss him as a beast, then he would be back to how he was. But, if that didn't happen after two years, then he would stay like that forever.

The story is very fast-paced, and filled with likeable characters who help Kyle on his journey to becoming better. This was a true fairy tale, in that it has a happy ending, but the book was done pretty well to keep the reader interested. I'll admit, it was a tad predictable, but not so bad that it took away from the quality of the book. Overall, I'd say Alex Flinn did a great job with making this retelling modern and fun.

I was given this book as a gift. Boy was I lucky. While being interested in Japan, and a "war buff", this book just shook me. The detail that is gone into is just amazing. The author really did his homework when he researched this book. The depth of detail, and thread of every idea is fulfilled. Besides the incredible rich detail, the writing is just so good. If you enjoy beautiful creative writing, this book is great, just for that.

Also reall gems of knowledge come about, than just the Kamakize history and people. Like how resentment had built up by many educated Japanese to Western culture. Many had bad experiences when they went overseas to America or Europe. Also many "human" details emerge about Japanese society during the war years. Such detail in the book, brings this out.

The area I find wanting, is how the issue of key Japanese military officials are treated in the book. Many are veterans of obviously brutal tactics they employed in places like China. Maybe some insight on how such bright and strong men, could be so cruel to other human beings. It wonders how they justified this to themselves.

Last, you just earn the respect of the author. M. B. Sheftall did a tremondous amount of work, to write such a wonderfull book. At the bottom of almost every page is small references clariying many issues or giving background. This is not overdone, or lacking. It is just right.

Really an outstanding book from a rather unique point of view. This book would make an excellent addition to a high school reading list - in both the US and in Japan.

There are several things one can gather about Sheftall by reading "Blossoms in the Wind". Foremost is that he can write a good story. In this case, the usual skills must be supplemented by patience and the keen ear of an excellent listener. He is one who can actively elicit long forgotten or painfully repressed memories from the haze of time and the maze of survivor's guilt, crushed expectations of victory, humiliation of defeat, and suspicion of one who is both from the enemy camp, so to speak, and young. It implies Keeganesk respect, genuine and deep, for the profession of arms and the special esteem reserved for those who sacrifice for what they consider a worthy cause. But in the end it requires an ability to write well and this Sheftall can do.

Sheftall has skill in description. An example, minor to the main thesis but which provides setting and tone is his easy use of the vocabulary of architectural historical styles, aesthetics, and ornamental and functional details. Images of the people he writes about are brought to the mind's eye in a few words with perhaps special solicitude on behalf of the female form - the caressing recreation of the semi-salacious angels in "Chinkon no Mitsugi" being a pointed example. His descriptors give character and life to the people and events narrated in the book yet serve also to remind the reader that this text is documentation. He is fastidious about the machines of war, worrying over evolutionary development in aircraft or model changes in watercraft. Yet these delineations do not burden the reader but rather clarify or move the action of the story. These salutes to accuracy are reassuring in an historian and no doubt his recordings and photographs will serve as important primary sources on this topic well into the future.

Like de Tocqueville, whose broader vistas into American culture stemmed from his study of US prisons, Sheftall provides insights behind what is often the inscrutable face of Japanese culture beyond the title's subject. The men and women who live to tell the "kamikaze" tale seem to me a character study of rugged individualism not typically thought of as a Japanese virtue. These survivors, after the war, take risks, establish businesses and in general seem to behave in a manner beyond what might have been indicated by their caste. To the extent that this is true, might the phenomenon be explained as the self-liberation claimed by those who have embraced the inevitability of death only to be given, by grace or chance, an indefinite reprieve? May it represent the need to achieve for those comrades whose crowded hour was their final hour? Perhaps it is a cultural idiosyncrasy credit given to those whose loyalty and commitment to the emperor and collective are proved beyond doubt. Whatever the case, there is a certain irony at work in that the "tokko" program's systematic reduction of individual qualities that could hinder total dedication to the mission would create in the survivors the moral fortitude to find their own way. Contrast them with growing number of "hikikomori", marginalized young men who, like Japan itself often enough, choose voluntary isolation in the confusion of stifling cultural expectations and fear of the new.

Sheftall provides a carefully evolving narrative that sustains a reader's belief in what is nearly unbelievable. His challenge is to explain these young warriors' embrace of death and the lingering reverence for their sacrifice in an age where such fanaticism is mostly associated with terrorism. He does this, sometimes touchingly, sometimes with humor, through incisive observation, careful reconstruction of the mood and perceptions in Japan at the time, and a humane sympathy for the very real people who tell their stories.

M. G. Sheftall has produced a very finely balanced account of the Japanese suicide attack programs of World War II. This is a major feat, as the Tokko ('special attack') program is a field so larded with biased and poorly-researched work that a serious historical approach must require doubting or discounting a great deal of what has already been written.
Sheftall has done what any responsible historian should when dealing with such a recent set of events: he went and talked directly to those involved. Unlike accounts of the same events from the Allied side, however, this was something he could only achieve by first learning to speak Japanese, behaving correctly in the presence of very sensitive people and leaving his own agenda at the interview room door. Sheftall happily has a strong grasp of effective techniques for this work, and the result is a very good read presented in a style that mixes skilfully-wrought historical accounts with gentle first-person reportage somewhat reminiscent of Bill Bryson. Sheftall visits and describes the shrines and societies that today perpetuate the bonds forged among the wartime Tokko personnel - both the successful and the survivors - and manages neither to sneer nor fawn; he meets and travels with men who in their youth accepted self-willed extinction in defence of their homeland without once judging them or sensationalising their accounts, and he leaves at least this reader with such a clear picture of the Tokko program as to make one wonder why so much mystery and myth surrounded it for so long.
As Sheftall points out near the end of the book, twentieth-century history is simply not taught in Japanese schools. Japan nowadays is gradually shedding its MacArthurian post-war sackcloth, however, and in view of the actions and pronouncements of its neighbors it is understandably keen to reassert itself in the region before the balance of power tilts too far towards some very unwholesome regimes. A steady supply of dispassionate, balanced accounts of Japan's recent history will help reassure the world that it is not unaware of its dark past, but the shortage of serious native scholarship in such matters still means that these will have to come in large part from foreigners. With this great book, Sheftall steps up to join John Dower, Herbert Bix and the many others who are quietly helping Japan get its historical house in order.

The concept of the Kamikaze warrior has always been looked upon with horror and fascination in the West. In many ways, it seemed to Americans, these "brain-washed" pilots were a natuaral offshoot of Bushido-inspired Banzai Charges and the National Death Cult that gripped Japan more and more as the tide of the war turned against it.
Author Sheftall has done an outstanding job of breaking through these sterotypes to tell the very human side of Japanese suicide corps. Motivated by desperation and love of family and country, driven by subtle coercion, scores of young men swore to give all they were and ever would be for their country, and the ripples from those decisions still affect lives to this day.
This is an outstanding book and a must-read for any serious student of the Second World War.

This book was great!! Very age appropriate. My daughter and I went through it together and it answered a lot of questions for both of us.

This book is an awesome book for explaining the pre-teen things that girls all face, it is faith based and was EXTREMELY helpful for my daughter.

This is a GREAT book! I'd give it 10 stars! It has answered all my questions about becoming a woman. I think it would be good for ages 8-13
Thank you Nancy Rue!

I found this book to be through and down to earth. It's is written very well. This book is the perfect introduction for the pre-teen girl without older sisters or female cousins to be honest with her. This is also good tool to equip parents with answers the pre-teen may have. With all th worldly influences of today, it's great to have a biblical resource.

I bought this book for my daughter who was 10 at the time. I read it first and even censored the chapters I didn't think she was ready for. Eventually, she read the whole thing and it opened up a great dialogue between us and allowed her to ask questions about the confusing things. It was a good way for me to approach a "scary" subject and now we talk openly about everything.

My reason for choosing this book is the biblical basis and the focus on God as the creator. I love that it encourages prayer, journalling and time with God during the roller coaster ride that my daughter is getting ready to start. Great book!!

I could not put it down. I read it in a day. Janaya Black paints an excellent picture through her words. It's a must read!

I could not put the book down. The Breaking Point pulled me in and I could stop reading it until the very end.


Adra Young
Author of: The Everyday Living of Children & Teens Monologues

Marion and Chad Hayes were two of the most adorable child characters I've ever read. The brother and sister were abandoned by their parents, due to a car accident. The story is told by Marion, to a reporter named Vanessa Jackson of the Womens Lib magazine. Marion Washington Hayes had been serving a life sentence at the Wayne county women's correctional facility, when she agreed to share her troubling life story with Ms. Jackson. The emotional story will leave you thinking differently about life in general. A must read.

This book is great for people that like to read a novel that gets to the point without being long and drawn out. I was able to read it in four hours. I would highly recommend this book to all women and expecially teens that are looking for an easy way out of their current bad situation. I would say that Mrs. Black did an excellent job on her first project. There was a level of suspense but also a level of predictability. Keep up the fantastic work and I look forward to your next novel.

Ms. Black, you have penned a phenominal novel. It was hard to believe this was your debut! You were so descriptive that I felt like I knew these characters. You keep up the good work and I hope to meet you in my literary travels. I am the author of two novels and also am from Detroit. Again great job!