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The Night Before Christmas/The Story of Christmas for Children/Additional Stories: Collection with Cassette(s) (Little Christmas Classics)
Published in Hardcover by Ideals Publishing Company (1995-09)
Author: Ideals Publications Inc
List price: $7.95
Used price: $9.32

Average review score:

Jan Brett Night Before Christmas
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-04-06
I LOVE Jan Brett's books! I buy them anytime I see them whether on sale, old ones on Amazon as remainders, or new.. They make great gifts. I have a backup of many to give to children, particularly my granddaughters. The illustrations in this one are so beautiful it is really a keepsake to save as well as enjoy. Give it as a gift and you will make some child very happy and a parent happy,too.

Beautiful, large book
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-03-29
Beautiful illustrations reprinted from over 40 sources. All illustrations are credited on last page. Book measures 9"X11.5" Only down side was that the price changes by the day. One day it's almost $11 another it's $8.97. But that's just the way Amazon works; something to be aware of. (It's worked in my favor often while shopping at midnight--price suddenly went down!)

Classic
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-01-13
it's a classic, so of course you can't go wrong, but as far as the best one being out there... well, I'm sure there are much better illustrated ones out there than this one

It's Become a Tradition
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-12-29
I bought this for my grandchildren last Christmas. The wording is traditional, and the illustrations are wonderful! This has become a part of the Christmas Eve tradition at my daughter's house.

This Book is Beautiful...!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-12-11
These illustrations are the best ever for The Night Before Christmas...Stunning even! A worthy heirloom Christmas Book. The illustrations cover both sides of the page for a large panoramic view seldom seen in other books...

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Walking with the Wind: A Memoir of the Movement
Published in Hardcover by Simon & Schuster (1998-06-01)
Authors: John Lewis and Michael D'orso
List price: $26.00
New price: $34.62
Used price: $1.65
Collectible price: $26.00

Average review score:

A Walk with the Wind not a Work of Art
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-08-02
The junior standard-bearer for civil rights during the era of segregation recounts his rise through those times toward his own national recognition. It's an intimate and introspective offering. It's a unique perspective.
After his Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee, crashes, he self-imposes exile as an "invisible man" in New York working as a grant officer for a private charity:
(p398) "New York was just too big for me. I didn't feel as if I could get my hands around it. In the South, communities seemed comprehensible, manageable, workable. You could see where things started and ended. You could get a grasp of the place and the people, as well as their problems. And you could respond to those problems with solutions that might work...."
He always has the South on his mind where there remains "a spirit instilled by the civil rights movement that is still felt and remembered today, a spirit that was not and is not felt in the same way in the North. That, I believe, is the huge difference between the legacy of the civil rights movement in the North and the South. All the great battlegrounds of the civil rights movement were in the South. That fact is cherished and remembered by the people there." (p 208).
There is confusion in "Feel Angry with Me". The chapter describes the fall of Schwerner, Goodman, and Chaney. Their violent deaths in defense of the U.S. Constitution and the rule of law during Freedom Summer (1964) fixed the nation's eyes on racist brutality in Mississippi. The confusion is in character casting and mixing the ridiculous partying with his friend, actress, Shirley MacLaine and his virginity in the same chapter with the sublime. Here, especially, the book sacrifices continuity to rigid chronology.
In and out of church - and on both sides of the pulpit - his cast of characters is most colorful, including a prominent one (not MacLaine) today facing bizarre criminal charges. So many stories within the author's story could make for a better book than a strict chronology.
The author alludes to his motivation to influence the masses, (p 400) "I felt the spirit, the hand of the Lord, the power of the Bible -- all of those things -- but only when they flowed through the church and out into the streets. As long as God and His teachings were kept inside the wall of a sanctuary, as they were when I was young, the church meant next to nothing to me." Like a good, "whooping" preacher, he is, at times, poetic. It's some of his best stuff.
Congressman Lewis is no great hero, though he has a measure of both -- greatness of association to the movement he led until the times turned violent -- and heroism for holding to his sometimes politically incorrect beliefs, though not sufficiently incorrect for this reviewer. And his book is not great literature. It is his gift to us with an interest in non-violent social change.

Pesonal journey in Civil Rights Era
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-07-12
John Lewis's powerful and moving retelling of his journey through the
Civil Rights years, much of it in leadership positions, is a walk through
important American history. His clarity of purpose, values, honed by the
beatings and jailings of those years shine through it all. This personal
insight into events we read about in history makes it real, and makes us
admire the courage and persistence of people like John Lewis. In our present
times of struggle over issues of war, environment and economic fairness,
we need both a reminder of this historical struggle and a next generation
to press us to make changes, to make a difference. A must read for anyone
concerned about our present times.

Walking With The People
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-06-13
Ever since I came to the U.S. I learned about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his philosophy of non-violence, I always wanted to learn more about the civil rights movement because of the way African American citizens overcame their obstacles in a non-violent way.


Walking with the wind is a memoir of the author John Lewis, the book begins at his home town where he was raised and learned the meaning of discrimination at an early age. The book describes his whole life how he was discriminated and how became involved with the movement, and how he later on became chair man of the SNCC.
The book also has a part where it only describes the life of John Lewis after the movement, what he does and what happens to all of his close friends, this is at the end of the book, but also talks about how he tries to become something important in U.S. politics.


My favorite part of the whole book is when John Lewis is watching the presidential elections of 1976, when he sees that Jimmy Carter was elected he begins to cry because like he says, he finally sees the hands that picked cotton, picking a president, he cries because he sees that all his hard work pays off, by the government counting the black vote.


The knowledge that John Lewis wants to pass down to readers is the struggle of all African American people to gain freedom and rights, he wants the new generation of people of color to know how much the old generation had to go through to gain all the freedom kids posses these days.


This book is boring, there is almost no action, it is mostly talking about politics, so do not read this book if you are not hooked by memoirs. It takes time to get into the good stuff, like for example, there are parts where the author describes the way police responded in a violent way to a non-violent protest, there are many occasions like this through out the whole book.

First-hand account of the student civil rights movement
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-06-04
I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in learning more about the Civil Rights Movement. Lewis' broad range of experiences gives the reader a glimpse into nearly every facet of the 1960's part of the movement. However, it is also useful for the specific study of the Nashville student movement and the study of SNCC (Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee).

Invaluable Primer on Civil Rights and Nonviolence
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-01-06
John Lewis' memoir tells of his pivotal role in the civil rights movement as , literally, its most prominent "fall guy." John Lewis was physically at the forefront of the major civil rights events-getting beaten, arrested, and ultimately, prevailing in the struggle to desegregate the south. He was one of the original Freedom Riders as well as the first person across the Pettis Bridge in Selma. He explains all of his actions and ethics through a mirror of highly disciplined non-violence that leaves the reader in awe of his amazing achievements. In sum, this book is a "must-read" for anyone interested in the civil rights movement.

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Weight Loss Surgery For Dummies
Published in Paperback by For Dummies (2005-05-27)
Authors: Marina S. Kurian, Barbara Thompson, and Brian K. Davidson
List price: $21.99
New price: $11.89
Used price: $10.95

Average review score:

Weight Loss Surgery for Dummies
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-07-04
Wow - this was one of the most comprehensive books I've found. Excellent resource that I still use often.

A must read for those considering WLS
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-07-02
WLS is a big decision and you can't possibly get all the answers from your surgeon's office. There is just too much to know. Weight Loss Surgery for Dummies provided information on almost every topic pertaining to WLS. I felt as though my decision was ultimately a very informed decision. The testimonials from post-op patients were inspiring.

A must-read if you're considering Weight Loss Surgery
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-06-25
This is a well-researched, quick and easy-to-read primer on weight loss surgery. It outlines the pros and cons of the various types of surgery, offers help in selecting a surgeon, tells you what to expect at each stage of your recovery, and even has some post-op recipes. There are sections on the emotional as well as physical changes you'll experience and suggests ways of handling non-supportive as well as supportive friends, relatives, and co-workers.

I only wish I had read this prior to my consultation with my surgeon. I would have had a lot more and different questions to ask him. If you are even just thinking about WLS, you should read this book.

VERY HELPFUL!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-05-14
This book was amazingly helpful for information regarding weight loss surgery. It was practically my bible all the way through the surgery and right after. I listened to everything it had to say, plus my dietian, and i immediatly got apporived and moved right into surgery. A good buy if your serious about weight loss surgery.

WLS for DUMMIES True Reveiw
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-05-12
This book has been most helpful and informative since I decided to pursue weight loss surgery. It is very easy to understand and gives you keys for the different componets so that you know what you are reading information, statistics, tips, ect. This book contains charts of information and helps to interpret many issue that need to be understood prior to WLS. I will continue to keep this book at hand to reveiw many times over the course of my journey having WLS.

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With Fire and Sword
Published in Paperback by Collier Books (1993-09)
Author: Henryk Sienkiewicz
List price: $20.00
Used price: $37.94

Average review score:

Poland once ruled from Berlin to Moscow! Intrigued
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2006-01-21
The great Polish/Lithuanian empire ruled all of central europe at one point - from Berlin to Moscow. I'm betting most of you weren't even aware of that. I wasn't either until I started reading more of european history. In developing a friendship with some people of Polish descent they recommended this author and his nobel prize winning novels to me. I was daunted by its length and by the date of when it was originally written. However, I started reading and have been hooked on these books ever since. I have come to believe that Mr. Sienkiewicz is the father of the modern novel. This is not a stilted 18th century read!
It gives you history (from a polish perspective) with fictionalized characters and a compelling story behind the backdrop of the calamitous decline of a once proud and powerful empire. The characters are heroic, tragic, conflicted and wonderful to follow. You will love this book and the several sequels in this decades spanning story.
One doesn't win a Nobel prize in literature if they can't write and Mr. Sieniewicz earned his.

Outstanding literature
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2005-05-28
I have read "With Fire and Sword," "The Deluge," and "Pan Michael" ("Colonel Wolodyjowski") and I recommend all of them highly. The characters are memorable and well-developed, the heroes are likeable, and even the villains are understandable as people with very human motivations.

Restored Classic
Helpful Votes: 13 out of 15 total.
Review Date: 2005-05-23
Ask around a bit and you'll find no shortage of folks, men in particular, who became readers via their encounters in youth with class adventure tales: The Three Musketeers, The Count of Monte Cristo, Ivanhoe, the Lord of the Rings, etc. ask again and you'll find almost no one whose heard of half the Nobel Laureates in Literature, fewer who've read them, and none enjoyed many of them. All the more remarkable then that one of the great adventure authors of all time actually won a Nobel and somewhat tragic that so few have read him in recent decades. But Henryk Sienkiewicz has made something of a comeback and it could not be more welcome.

Sienkiewicz is the great author of Poland--indeed, to some extent his works are said to have created and helped to maintain the strong Polish identity that prevailed through the troubled 20th Century. When his books were first published -- mostly late in the 19th Century -- the English translations were done by Teddy Roosevelt's friend Jeremiah Curtin and, whether they were adequate for their time, they are are terribly dated now and have served to put off potential readers. Add in the fact that neither the Nazis nor the Communists had much interest in fostering Polish patriotism and you've the recipe for lost classics. But then, fittingly as the Iron Curtain was crumbling, Hippocrene Books commissioned a new translation of his greatest works, The Trilogy and Quo Vadis?, by the highly-regarded Polish novelist W. S. Kuniczak, and these eminently readable versions won Sienkiewicz a modern audience. New translations of other works followed, then a terrific film version of In Desert and Wilderness, and a massive Polish television adaptation of the Trilogy. Suddenly we've a surfeit of riches and some catching up to do.

If you're just starting out it might be wise to begin with Quo Vadis?, a stand alone tale of Christians in Rome that really deserves a fresh film treatment. But it's well worth your time to dive into the Trilogy, the first volume of which is the magnificent With Fire and Sword. Set in 1647, amidst a Cossack uprising against the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, it tells the story of a young Polish patriot and hero, Yan Skshetuski, and his love for the beautiful Helen, who is also coveted the brutal Bohun, who fights with the rebels. Pan Yan's twin tales give us epic history and grand romance, while his compatriots offer comic relief. There's his wily servant, Zjendjan, whose semi-faithful service somehow keeps lining his own pocket. There's the mopey giant Pan Longinus, who has sworn a vow of chastity until he lives up to the example of his forebears and takes off the heads of three enemy soldiers with one swing of his massive battle sword. There's Pan Michal Wolodyjowski, whose bravery and feistiness belie his diminutive stature. And, best of all, there's the Falstaffian Pan Zagloba, who makes up in drinking capacity, gluttony, and biting wit what he lacks in zeal for battle, as he keeps his one good eye peeled for threats to his corpulent frame.

It'll take you a hundred to a hundred and fifty pages to orient yourself and get used to the odd names and nicknames, but the subsequent thousand pages go by far too fast. It's one of those stories you don't ever want to end.

A great book, but the translation could be better
Helpful Votes: 18 out of 20 total.
Review Date: 2003-12-22
I've read Kuniczak's translation of the Trilogy and greatly enjoyed it. It was my introduction to Seinkiewicz. However, while reading it, it seemed somehow incoherent, like something was missing. It also seemed impossible that the companions of Zagloba would be so credulous of his boasting.

I went and found a copy of the 1890 translation of the Trilogy by Jeremiah Curtin. What a difference! Though the language is somewhat archaic, the story flows so much better and the character of Zagloba is much more believeable. There is more context to his antics, and his companions are presented as far more skeptical of his boasting, making the story much more realistic.

Kuniczak seems to have omitted and simplified much that appears in the Curtin translation, to the detriment of the story. Many believe the Kuniczak version is superior, and maybe it is more accessible, but I recommend you find the old editon in the basement of the local library and read it first.

Beautiful Novel
Helpful Votes: 4 out of 7 total.
Review Date: 2003-11-19
This was one of the most sweeping epics I've ever read. It's over 1,000 pages, but it takes little effort to finish the book. I found myself white knuckled and breathless through many of the battle scenes. This was truly a good read for both men and women.

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One Nation Under God: The History of Prayer in America
Published in Hardcover by Doubleday (2005-11-01)
Author: James P. Moore Jr.
List price: $29.95
New price: $8.94
Used price: $1.62
Collectible price: $50.00

Average review score:

American History and the foundation of prayer
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-12-22
Friends in the Swiss government gave me this important review of American history and the foundational role that prayer has played in shaping and forming us as a people as well as the government of the United States of America.

James P. Moore Jr. has done an incredible job of writing this book and compiling resources from thousands of different sources on the history of prayer in America. Before writing this book, Mr. Moore looked for equivalent writings and the role and significance of prayer on American history and he could find none. So after seven years of writing this manuscript, he unearthed "a marvelous, hidden treasure chest." I agree and I would highly recommend this book as a treasured resource that I will continue to refer to in the coming years.

Mr. Moore puts prayer right at the center as he looks at history, faith, politics, literature, arts, entertainment, culture, music, sports, etc. in America. He says in his prologue on page xi, "Quite frankly, the story of American prayer is so powerful that it does not need to rely on anything but historic fact and reasonable interpretation. "

He recounts 16 periods of time in American history, primary themes and events during those times and within each, the key importance of prayer. He says it best himself in his introduction on page xxiii, " If American history can be likened to a great musical composition, prayer must be seen as an integral and powerful theme throughout the piece. At times it is softer; louder at others. It has its own rhythm, it own pulse. It is always there, fundamentally contributing to whatever melody may be playing." As Mr. Moore recounts in his introduction, G.K Chesterton's words on the vibrant spirituality and prayer life of the country, he wrote, " America is a nation with the soul of a church."

He meanders from before the early inhabitants up through the second term of George W. Bush. If you want to learn more about the past, present and the potential future of America, this book on the life of prayer is a good starting point.

Lovely Book, But...
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-10-07
Lovely book, but is the author quite certain of the attribution of the prayer poem that appears on page 312 of the book to one found in the pocket of a dead U.S. soldier in North Africa during WWII? This is actually an English translation of a rather famous Russian poem found in the pocket of a dead Russian infantryman during the Great Patriotic War (as WWII is known in Russia). The original Russian uses very powerful lyrical language that is lost in the English translation, where, for example, for purposes of achieving rhyme a colloquialism such as "calling a spade a spade" is used. Furthermore, one line in the poem is a dead giveaway that it is not American in origin. I doubt very much that an average young man in pre-WWII America had been told that God did not exist or that he had not been exposed in some way to the prayer culture that abounded in America at that time. The Communist Soviet Union, on the other hand, pursued one of the most aggressive religious persecusions known to man in the 1930s at the time when this young soldier author was growing up in an atheistic state. The reason for the poem's power lies in the fact that after years and years of indoctrination and lack of belief, the beauty of the night sky was enough for one individual to realize and recognize the connection with God he had been missing all his life. Framed in this light, the prayer poem achieves extraordinary pogniancy.

A Rare Flowering
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2006-08-15
I must have been living in a cave all this time. I just stumbled upon this book and found it to be absolutely incredible. I then came to the website to see what others had to say and loved to read how much this single volume has maent to so many. Count me as one of them.



I found the author's writing style to be very inviting. I felt as though he were talking just to me rather than to some big general audience in some impersonal way. The material in this book is stunning. I loved the vignettes that were interspersed with the prayer life of America since the earliest times. Honestly, this book is just stunning.



I am an Asian-American, born and raised in Japan. I came to the United States originally to study and now am a successful businesswoman who finds herself shuttling between both countries. I found in this book the chance to understand Americans in a more intimate way. Thank you to Mr. Moore, the author, for this incredible gift to me and to so many others.


I just wish that my parents, who speak no English, could read this book. Through it they would learn why I have come to have an affection for the American people - a very different impression than the one in the world media these days.

Comfort in Time of War
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2006-07-26
I have been beside myself over the way our government has been behaving in the Middle East. Over dinner last night my friends echoed the same concerns and misgivings.


It was then that I told them about One Nation Under God. This is a book that I finished a few weeks ago and loved from the very start. It gave me a perspective that I really did not have about the incredible spirituality of our country since before its inception. It is masterfully written.

Coincidentally I picked up the July issue of St. Anthony's Messenger and found the same opinion, which I have attached. Thank you to James Moore for this extraordinary contribution to our country for years to come.




IF ASKED to describe the United States, would the first adjective to jump into your head be "prayerful"? After perusal of James P. Moore, Jr.'s book, it would seem that no other description is as accurate.

From the Native American inhabitants to the modern era of immigrants practicing myriad religions, we Americans have been a praying people. Moore is neither a historian nor a clergyman but a professor at the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University. He has produced an impressive study of the effects of prayer on virtually all facets of American life.

In 16 chapters, Moore thoroughly documents his text with excerpts from the writings of the individuals chronicled or those of firsthand witnesses, which necessitates 34 pages of Notes and a 15-page Index. Readers will find no legends here.

Early explorers were deeply religious and mandated how their crews would pray daily. Christopher Columbus was a member of the Secular Franciscan Order, as were his sponsors, King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. In Jamestown, Virginia, in 1610 a law was passed that all residents should attend morning and evening prayer services, enumerating the punishments to be leveled for absence.

The Founding Fathers, Moore writes, used prayer as "a coalescing tool to bring together widely disparate colonies, communities, and churches." At the First Continental Convention, after the report of a British incursion in Boston, the delegates prayed "for America, for Congress, for the Province of Massachusetts Bay, and especially for the town of Boston." John Adams wrote in his diary that the prayer and emotions expressed were "as permanent, as affectionate, as sublime, as devout, as I have ever heard offered up to Heaven."

Every president has acknowledged the existence of a higher power in his inaugural address; admittedly with varying degrees of belief and, possibly, for ulterior motives. But all presidents, sooner or later, would call upon and acknowledge this power to aid in carrying the heavy burden of office.

John Carroll, the first Roman Catholic bishop in the United States, inaugurated prayers for the country's leaders to be recited after Mass on Sundays to allay suspicions that Catholics were loyal only to the pope. Carroll composed a special prayer on the occasion of President Washington's birthday in 1794. Carroll was foresighted enough to request permission of the Holy See to use English for all Mass prayers to help integrate Catholic immigrants.

Publishing in the United States began with The Bay Psalm Book; a hymnal was the first songbook. These overtly religious writings were followed by uniquely American poetry, prose, drama, art, dance and architecture executed by talented people using their expertise to praise the Almighty.

The Jazz Singer, the story of a Jewish cantor, was the first talking movie. The first American opera to be written and staged was George Gershwin's Porgy and Bess, which has songs like "Oh Doctor Jesus" and "Oh Lawd, I'm on My Way."

The chapter entitled "The Dreamers: The Legacy of Slavery" alone is worth the price of the book. Dealing largely with Frederick Douglass, a slave who was able to buy his freedom and work for the release of other slaves, the narrative is spellbinding in detailing the role that prayer played individually and communally in the life of a slave.

Many unique spirituals were introduced to the country and the world in 1871 by the touring Jubilee Singers of Fisk University, and the response was overwhelming. Andrew Ward, music biographer, has said the spirituals "not only declared faith but carried news, raised protests, expressed grief, asked questions, made jokes, lubricated a slave's never-ending toil."

Many industrialists felt called upon to aid the religious cause: Andrew Carnegie purchasing 7,000 organs for churches and schools, the J.C. Penney Foundation providing funds for care of retired ministers and Church workers. Military leaders encouraged prayer and often led by personal example.

Most of us will have lived through the events recounted in the last five chapters, culminating in the second inauguration of George W. Bush, but there are still personal and often touching new insights here into the personalities behind the media reports. Yes, Moore exhibits some political favoritism, but seven years of research utilizing and reproducing primary resources on prayer from virtually every religious sect is a blockbuster publishing event. This historical compilation is as readable and accessible as a novel.

Masterful History
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2006-06-15
I just want to put my two cents in and let readers know what a joy this book was for me to read. Honestly, it is one of a handful of the best histories of America I have read, and I have read hundreds over my lifetime. The author interweaves spirituality and history in a very straightforward way. While endearing, it never becomes sappy or over the top in any way. I intend to see that firends and fmaily get copies as gifts. It's that good and relevant for a wide swath of people. Congratulations to the author and publisher.

S
Say a Prayer For Me: One Woman's Life of Faith and Triumph
Published in Paperback by Walk Worthy Press (2003-10)
Authors: Stanice Anderson and Shanice Anderson
List price: $13.95
New price: $3.36
Used price: $3.35

Average review score:

What a Testimony, Stanice!!!!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2006-11-03
I Say a Prayer for Me was an excellent book. I had actually purchased it locally about 2 years ago and had not gotten around to reading it until we were deciding which book to read next in by Sisterhood Ministries group. I suggested this book, and everyone including myself, could not believe what a great book it was. To read about Stanice's life and her struggles with what God would have her to do, was true testimony of how Faith can turn your life around. After we finished the book, I ordered additional copies from Amazon and gave them to my sisters as gifts, and they also raved about how good this book was and have since purchased additional copies and given them to their friends. Great work, Stanice!!!!

I Say A Prayer for Me: ONe Woman's Life of Faith And Triumph
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2005-09-15
The writer gives the impression that you can overcome herion addiction just by praying and becoming a member of the 700 club.

Just AWESOME!
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2005-10-11
Whew, what can one say after reading this book!?! To read this woman's stories of what she experienced and to see her now; only God can create such a transformation in one's life. I laughed and I cried as I read through the chapters. Some reminded me of my own experiences. This is a MUST read! If you are in need of any type of healing, it will definitely take place in the pages of this book.

This book was an inspiration
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2004-06-17
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Her life is an inspiration. She taught me to consider God in all things no matter how small I may think it is. Her story of her California trip was great and really taught me to witness to anyone and everyone. This was my selection for my bookclub and I was the toast of the day. We all enjoyed this one.

This book is for everyone!!!
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2004-06-07
Not only was this book written as a testimony to show how GOD navigates our lives to help us know that we are loved it also shows that with faith all things are possible. This book is not only for those with drug or alcohol addictions but it is for those of us who suffer addictions of all kinds, it is for those of us who don't believe in ourselves, for those who have experienced hurt and also dished hurt out towards others. The lord spoke to me personally thru his vessel Stanice. Thank you for allowing your loving and gentle kindness to flow from this wonderful women who has allowed you to use her. I am and will always be in loving awe of your unconditional love.

S
Rivethead: Tales from the Assembly Line
Published in Hardcover by Little, Brown & Company (1991-08)
Author: Ben Hamper
List price: $19.95
New price: $5.00
Used price: $0.01
Collectible price: $19.95

Average review score:

A good-natured blue collar Hunter Thompson
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-01-30
Right from the gitgo Ben Hamper's Rivethead grabs you with gritty gusto of passages such as the above; Hamper is an extraordinary writer about life for the ordinary guy... at least the ordinary guy who winds up as an automotive assembly-line worker for General Motors in Flint, Michigan--once considered the Automobile Capital of the World. The author is a natural shop rat, growing up in Flint, with an alcoholic mostly absentee father and a long-suffering, working-three-jobs mother trying to raise the family as practicing Catholics.

...

For my complete review of this book and for other book and movie
reviews, please visit my site [...]

Brian Wright
Copyright 2008

If you ever wondered why factory workers drink, read this....
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-09-02
The endless monotony and idiot bosses drive anybody with an IQ above their shoe size to do something to kill the thought that, if they're lucky, they only have 30 more years of mind numbing drudgery to go before they can retire. I'm not saying alcohol abuse is the proper outlet, but it does seem to be the most common and most convenient. Good book, excellent portrayal of what exactly "blue collar America" does for a living.

riveting tale from the assembly line..
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-07-06
Ben Hamper shares his life as a worker on the GM assembly line in Flint, MI. Bold, frank, honest and often hilarious. This book was recommended to me years ago and for some reason I never read it until now. Hamper chronicles a part of American history (manufacturing jobs) that seem to be going stateside or as Ross Perot once described in a quip about NAFTA, what's that whoosing noise? manufacturing jobs headed to Mexico. This is prose for the ages. Loved the book.

I have my own tales from an Assembly Line
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2007-03-29
I didn't really like reading this book because I too work in a (once) major three Auto plant. I didn't feel that it properly portrayed some of the workers. It made it sound like all workers are like the author where they just really don't give a damn about anything except having a joking time on the job. It also made the workers sound like they were underachieving, undereducated, bottom of the barrel workers and I didn't care to have that stigma for all of us. I hold two bachelor degrees, like my job and take it serious!

Hilarious story of a dying breed
Helpful Votes: 4 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2007-04-18
I grew up with people like Ben Hamper in a place which was much like Flint. For the first couple years of my adult life, I did the kind of work he did. What he describes is the tail end of a lifestyle; the lifestyle of the shop rat. It's dirty, monotonous and smelly. Many of the people you work with are either below average in intelligence or in sanity. Drugs, booze and having no concept of "forethought" are fundamental parts of the culture. It's nihilism with a rivet gun. If you come from a place like that, chances are, your only way out is via a jail cell or a career in the military. Or, you could win a workmans comp suit. Which is presumably how Ben got out.

I miss rust-belt working class america. It's a hard life, and it doesn't have much in the way of rewards, but the people who make it up are genuine in ways that others are not: they have a lot of heart and spirit. Ben's book brought it all back in a great galloping rush of memories. If you've ever wondered what the factory working classes are, or at least were like (back when we had factories); read the book.

S
The Normal Christian Life
Published in Mass Market Paperback by Tyndale House Publishers (1977-10-21)
Author: Watchman Nee
List price: $5.99
New price: $2.57
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Average review score:

Avoid the May 29, 2008 paper back edition
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-07-02
Avoid the May 29, 2008 Paperback, buy the Mass Market Paperback. A poor edition of a classic book, most of the notes were removed, and some explanations aren't there either, the book has been mutilated.

Now I See
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-06-18
When I was 9 years old I got my first pair of glasses and was amazed by the detail and clarity of my new vision. What was once green blobs atop brown cylinders became gorgeous, complex trees in their full, leafy glory. In a similar way, thanks to Nee, I see the details and wholeness of God's greatest gift to us, His Son.

Watchman Nee makes Paul's Letter to the Romans accessible and applicable. I have been a Christian for many years and participated in many Bible/Christian studies. Nevertheless, I did not grasp the fullness of the Cross. The Normal Christian Life explains in everyday terms the many benefits of Christ's sacrifice for us and how to walk in Him. Please read this book and share it with others. It is a life refiner.

Great gift, great study.
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-05-24
Watchman Nee is one of my favorites. This is for the intermediate Christian. Nee takes us through the book of Romans. Not like every other study that is out there. One needs to read this to advance. Many People don't like Nee but I find him a great teacher for those who are willing to get off of the milk of Christianinty and start cutting their teeth on some meat! Worth the money. Great for an indepth Bible study guide.

life changing
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-06-18
I've never heard anyone teach some of the things in this book but I've seen glimpses of them myself in my own scripture study. This book is simply life-transforming! I'm almost done with my first read thru the book and plan on immediately re-reading it.

The Life IN Christ
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2008-05-20
Here is another classic on how the biblical Christian should live "IN" Christ from a Chinese pastor and missionary who spent many years and died for his faith in prison. One of his most endearing and well-known chapters is on how God's Grace triumphs over Law in Romans 7. The story of the one woman and two husbands is as timeless and insightful as it is biblical. The entire chapter is full of insights into our new position in Christ, and the believer's relationship to the Law.

In the first chapter, The Blood of Christ, Nee starts out with the question, "What is the normal Christian life? He gives us the Apostle Paul's answer in Galatians 2:20, "It is no longer I, but Christ." He summarizes it this way, "I live no longer, but Christ lives His life in me." What follows throughout the rest of the book is a superb biblical study on how the Christian should and can live victoriously In Christ. As a missionary to Africa, I have seen how important it is for converts from a syncretism of animism and Islam to truly realize their new position in Christ. This teaching, empowered by the Holy Spirit, is their only means of throwing off the chains of fear and darkness that have imprisoned them. Yet, this applies to all believers the world over.

From the back cover of my 1977 edition:
"Watchman Nee (1903 - 1972) is remembered for his leadership of an indigenous church movement in China as well as for the books that continue to enrich Christians throughout the world. Beginning in the 1930s, he helped establish local churches in China that were completely independent of foreign missionary organizations and were used to bring many into the kingdom of God. From them came many of the house churches that continued a faithful witness when Western missionaries were forced to leave the country. Arrested in 1952 and found guilty of a large number of false charges, Watchman Nee was imprisoned until his death in 1972."

S
The Relaxation and Stress Reduction Workbook
Published in Paperback by New Harbinger Publications,U.S. (1991-01)
Authors: Martha Davis and Matthew McKay
List price: $12.95
New price: $1.99
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Average review score:

Jess
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-05-18
This book has the basic techniques on reducing stress, anxiety, fears, OCD to some extent, negative thinking, among other stress inducers. There is also a chapter on assertiveness training. The instructions are easy to follow. A really great book.

Complete, easy to follow guides for reducing stress
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-03-10
This book is wonderful for teaching people how to relax and cope with stress. It has practical exercises for learning the different techniques.
Workbook covers such topics as: body awareness, breathing, progressive relaxation, meditation, visualization, autogenics, self-hypnosis, refuting irrational ideas, thought stopping, worry control, goal and time
managment, assertiveness training, job stress management, nutrition, exercise and how to stay on track with a stress management program. I've had therapists tell me they use this book all the time in their practice. I'm currently using it as a guide for people in my Wellness Recovery Program. The exercises are easy to teach and practical to use.

Excellent Workbook
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-02-26
Well written. A great how-to for beginners. Finally a self-help book that tells the reader "how" to do something rather than a diatribe of how wonderful the author is and why the information is important. Workbook is easy to follow. I'm very happy with it.

Fabulous
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-01-22
This book is a wonderful resource for any clinician. No matter the reason a patient is coming in for therapy, I eventually use this book with him/her. The book is worth it for the breathing chapter alone. I really like the layout of the book. You can read the book straight through or just go to the chapter that is of importance for your patient (time management, etc.).

Helpful for simple stress.
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 6 total.
Review Date: 2008-02-25
I didn't read this book myself, but purchased it for a friend who, due to a chronic medical condition caused solely by stress, needs to change not only his lifestyle but his thought process and self identity. He tells me this book opened his eyes to how stressful his life truly is, and found many of the suggestions and techniques helpful in the beginning process of identifying stressful behavior, and taking the first baby steps in changing that behavior. For him, however, the major changes may have to come through therapy, but for those for whom a relatively simple lifestyle change will bring improvement, this book appears to be the ticket.

S
Big Pumpkin
Published in Hardcover by Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing (1992-08-31)
Author: Erica Silverman
List price: $16.99
New price: $6.80
Used price: $0.86
Collectible price: $39.00

Average review score:

Best with the tape
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-06-13
Scholastic put out a tape many years ago with this book being read to music. It is the most fabulous addition to this book. I've seen 3-5 year olds with special needs who won't sit for anything, perk up and take interest when this book is read along with the tape. Unfortunately you can't really find it anymore. If you do come across it, GET IT!

best halloween story
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-11-24
This is my very favorite story to read at Halloween. I read this story to my preschool class every year. The children love the pictures and the repetition. After a few pages they will begin to recite the verse "Drat" along with the characters. I ordered several copies so I could put it in the listening center. I also have the cassette tape to play along with the story.

A MUST HAVE in any preschool library
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-11-18
This book is one of my favorite of all time! It takes Halloween characters and makes them fun. The story is all about working together toward a common goal-making pumpkin pie. This story can be acted out with preschool students. It also has an audiotape that you can't miss with! Even my students with short attention spans pay attention and participate with this one. When we are done reading it for the week, we make pumpkin pie. A great ending to a fun week!

good preschool book
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-11-17
This is a great book for kids 3-5 my kids loved it thought the pictures were wonderful and a good non-scary alternative for halloween stories.

The Best Halloween book for preschoolers out there!
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2008-03-25
Big Pumpkin is so Big in our house, it's read all the time...Oh and our son loves it too!

Once my son (4 years old) discovered and fell in love with Big Pumpkin it didn't matter if it was Halloween or not. The story is nothing short of hilarious, the illustrations could not be better suited and truly compliment this book where so many others fall short. My husband and I get such a kick out of reading this book as well, we practically know it by heart and have been known to recite it in jest around the house. One of my favorite things about this book is that it introduces the so-called "scary" characters of Halloween, the Ghost, the Vampire, the Mummy, the Bat, and the Witch in the most loveable manner with such simple and innocent humor that it completely removes any possible thought of "scary" for our little ones. Big Pumpkin can make you befriend a Witch, want to help out a Vampire, and just love your "Mummy"! Don't wait until Halloween, buy it now, it's too cute to pass up.


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