Will Smith Books

I love the Work and the Glory series, but this volume wasn't one of it's best. The plot of Volume Three moves a little too slowly for my taste. And the author has a tendency to repeat certain parts of the plot over and over again, which can be especially annoying for those of us who have read the first two volumes. But if you plan on reading the rest of the series, it's not going to make a whole lot of sense to you unless you get through this book. The characters of Benjamin and Joshua undergo several drastic changes during this chapter of the saga. And, I must admit, for all of the plot's plodding, this volume had a very satisfying ending. It's an interesting enough story; it just has less action than most of the other books in the series.

I really enjoyed Truth Will Prevail, third volume in the Work and the Glory series. It not only provides historical information about the of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. It gives an inside look at the struggles and difficulties of the church in a fun and interesting way. Lund, describes the character's joys and sorrows in a way that you feel that they're your own joys and sorrows too. It would also give a someone not a member more information about the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints that is often misunderstand. They may also find answers to their questions, if they have any.

In volume three, Truth Will Prevail, it contiues the story of a fictional family. A family who is acquainted with Joseph Smith the leader of the church and the restoration of the gospel. This refers to the establishment of the church. It gives detail on the events that occurred in the world in this period of time, that affected the Church. In this volume, most of the characters are confronted with new struggles and joys that will leave you wanting to read more.

I think that it's a great book for all ages.

The author does a good job of engaging the reader in a story that is interesting atleast superficially. Taking the LDS Church's official version of it's history and putting characters into the mix, this book will be widely read by the faithful. However anyone who has done even a modicum of reading on Mormon religious history will recognize the flaws in this faith-promoting story. There are serious scholarly works on Mormon history such as "Mormon Hierarchy Extenstions of Power", "Mormon Hierarchy Origins of Power", "An Insider's View of Mormon Origins", and "Early Mormonism and the Magic World View" that deal with the early history of the church in an honest and fortright manner that is not "anti-Mormon". After reading these and other books, "The Work and the Glory" series will be seen as institutionalized sugar-coating of history and little more. These books are for little lambs who are content to be spoonfed the "milk" of the gospel who have no desire to really look into the "meat" of the religion.

While I am a younger member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, or "Mormons" as we are better known I have a strong belief in the church and though my family was not always with the church to hear of the struggles that the early members went through to bring us the church we have today makes me so grateful to them, and builds my faith all the more. This is a book for people of all ages wether it's a bedtime story for kids or an interesting look at their history for adults or teens like me. This is also a great book for non-members, because there are so many misconceptions about the church ,and this books shows the trials and the truths of the begining of the church. I would like to thank Brother Lund for making such a moving and interesting book, by taking the reader into a fictional family, namely, the Steeds to experience true church historical events alongside them. Thank you.

These books were amazing! It's as if the author almost convinces you that you were there. I'm a little picky when it comes to books, but I can definately tell you that this is one that I feel in love with. There were nights when I'd stay up until 4 in the morning reading-- and that's as a teenager in high school! I completely recommend everyone to read this, for it's hard to find books that are written better.

This review is mostly intended to address a common, and I think fair, criticism of The Will to Believe, that being his tendency to make it easy to allow people to believe, in areas of religious metaphysics (and this is an important line to draw), whatever they want. My take is based on a couple of readings of both The Will to Believe, and James' Essays in Radical Empiricism, and is therefore not laborious or scholarly. It is simply my impression as a reader.

The first part of this impression is that James was simply not addressing the right audience for the above criticism to hold much weight. He was lecturing to the philosophy club at a university well known for its theology program; or he was lecturing to the Young Men's Christian Association; or he was speaking to a number of Unitarian ministers. In most cases, his lectures were aimed at those who either already believed in God, or who might want to believe in God if he hasn't been killed by Reason. James repeatedly admits that most of his arguments are negative--that is, they don't provide evidence *for* God (or religion in general), they're meant simply to show that such belief is not necessarily negated philosophically, that there's *room* for religious belief.

Also, in order to understand James' approach, one has to remember that he was a psychologist ("Father of American psychology", in fact) and keep in mind his radical empiricist philosophy and its most obvious consequent, pragmatism. To James, there could be no absolute standard for "proving" or "refuting" such metaphysical ideas as religion is based around. Truth, according to the theory of pragmatism, is defined in terms of the idea's consequences, how well employing an idea fulfills what we want to get out of it (to simplify quite a lot). James certainly didn't think all beliefs were created equal; the proposition "boiling an egg makes cats rain from the sky" is verifiably false by any empirical standards, especially pragmatic ones. It's just that religious consequences are either currently or permanently not subject to any form of empirical testing. Those familiar with Alfred Korzybski's work should know what I mean very well.

James' arguments following this point are made as a genuine psychologist, focusing not on telling us what we should or shouldn't be believing and what grounds we should make them on (note the "shoulds"). His focus is on how people *will* actually make these kinds of decisions, what the actual conditions of people's belief are. As someone studying social and cognitive psychology right now, I can say that James' work is still relevant and insightful in this area. His conclusions were that most people are going to believe what meets their goals, and that this largely consists of feeling comfortable--for some, even the use of rigorous logic has no other purpose.

But it is also true that James never went as far as he could with his reasoning. He was content to help Christians stay Christian, and focus on using his ridiculously keen mind to make room for religion.

There is, however, a converse side to this that few people notice. He allows people to stay comfortable with their beliefs, but this should also point out that *those* wackos over there are believing their religion on exactly the same foundation as you. He allows you to believe whatever you want, but he also allows you to believe whatever you *don't* want. His philosophy taken to extremes could even undermine the view that any belief is entirely rational. If James had gone farther than his own comfort zone with his philosophy, he could have been a Zen master or a Dionysian figure to rival Nietzsche.

I suggest that questions of which beliefs are "True", and whether you should change yours or not, should be categorically divorced from the scope of this book. My impression is that James was not trying to answer these questions, and that a criticism based on his failure to do so doesn't make sense. This work is epistemological method, not metaphysical conclusion.

My point is ultimately that there's more in James' work than what he himself does with it. His essay on Hegel's philosophy shows an understanding of what Gregory Bateson would call "logical levels" several decades after James' death. His approach to philosophy, ethics, and religion was one of personal responsibility and a purposeful orientation. He's not going to tell you what to believe or what not to believe, except perhaps that you may as well pick whichever beliefs you get the most out of (note that this attitude does not exclude, or even discourage, rational, reasoned decision making). For this, my respect for James increases, as he understood that on a certain epistemological basis, there is no grounds for mandating "Truths" that can never have any solid empirical basis--the world has had enough people doing that, and we don't really need more.

I can't help but think that the two reviewers from Los Angeles have got it wrong. Their claim seems to be that James allows us to believe whatever we desire despite evidence to the contrary. This couldn't be more wrong. One of James' central ideas is that the rational elements of man can only take him so far, that they can't answer all of life's questions, but this is not to say that we ought to do away with rationality. James argues that we have the "right" to make certain decisions (ones that are not answerable by reason alone) on passional grounds (given certain criteria that he goes into in more detail than I can here). In other words, we're using reason as an important guide before taking a non-rational or passional leap. It is important to understand that this is not restricted to matters of religion and in this regard a bit of an example might be helpful: Is it appropriate to wait for incontrovertible proof that someone loves you before you act to extend yourself and love them in return? Of course not, and I think this is the type of thing James is getting at. So, to conclude, I think this is a truly inspiring read and that James would be as critical of adopting beliefs that have little or no rational basis as our previously mentioned reviewers. But hey, maybe I'm wrong too.

Throughout his writings as a psycholgist and philosopher, William James was preoccupied with questions of religion. Put simply, James wrestled with questions about whether Darwin's theory of evolution and mechanistic, physiologically -based psychology (which he himself had done much to develop in his "Principles of Psychology) were inconsistent with a spiritual view of life. These questions came to the fore for James in the mid-1890s. In 1896, James wrote to a friend: "I am more interested in religion than in anything else, but with a strange shyness of closing my hand on any definite symbols that might be too restrictive. So, I cannot call myself a Christian, and indeed go with my father in not being able to tolerate the notion of a selective personal relation between God's creatures and God himself as something ultimate." (Quoted in Robert Richardson's "William James in the Maelstrom of American Modernism" at 364-365)

The book under review is a reasonably-priced edition of two works that James edited or wrote contemporaneously with the letter quoted above. In these works, James delved into religious questions and considered the consistency of a spiritual approach to life with a scientific outlook. The first "The Will to Believe and other Essays in Popular Philosophy" is a collection of nine essays written over a course of seventeen years -- from 1879 -- 1896 together with a Preface. The last of the essays is the controversial essay for which the collection is named, "The Will to Believe" which, James admitted, might better have been called "The Right to Believe." The second book, "Human Immortality: Two Supposed Objections to the Doctrine" consists of the text James delivered as the Ingersoll Lecture on Human Immortality at Harvard in 1897. James subsequently published this lecture as a short book in 1898. Both "The Will to Believe" and "Human Immortality" predate James's masterpiece in the study of religion, "The Varieties of Religious Experience" (1902).

The essays in "The Will to Believe" originated as lectures which James delivered to philosophical or theological clubs at various universities. The book is dedicated to James's friend, the philosopher Charles Peirce, to whom James says he owes "more incitement and help than I can express or repay." I was struck by how many of James's lasting themes had been developed in this relatively early book -- including his pluralism and what he calls in the Preface to the book his radical empiricism. The book illustrates James's efforts to weave together insights from psychology, philosophy, and religion without great regard for narrow lines of professional specialization.

The book tries to make a place for and show the importance to life of a belief in transcendent reality. James is far from endorsing any specific creed. In the Preface, James points out that his lectures had been addressed to sophisticated college audiences whose members would be troubled by the possibility of religious faith in an age of science and skepticism. James pointed out that if he had been addressing a different kind of audience -- his example is adherents of the Salvation Army -- the focus of his remarks would have been different, as James would have felt himself required to critique a too easy and too full belief as opposed to a skepticism about the possiblity of any belief. The thrust of the essays is thus to defend a right to believe, and it is important to remember that James is directing his remarks to the perceived needs of his hearers.

In making his argument, James discusses the nature and limitations of rationality and of what many people today term scientism -- the belief that only the physical sciences allow us to know what is true. The essays rely on James's psychology in showing the selective character of human awareness and perception. We see and focus upon reality in accordance with the questions we bring to it. James objects to the "monistic" view of reality which sees everything as part of a single interconnected fact or "block". He argues for pluralism and for attention to specific facts and detailed. Reality is not, for James, either an absolute block or a mere sand-heap of unconnected particulars. Rather, it exhibits loose interconnections and a spirit of, in words he would use again in his final essay of 1916, "ever not quite". Arguing against a mechanically deterministic universe, James argues for the possibility of chance using specific and homely examples. It is possible, James argues, that I could walk home down one street rather than another. It is possible, he claims, that a man who had brutally murdered his wife might have done something else, and that some other result would have been morally better than the killing. In understanding reality, James argues, we need to look forward rather than back, and use the energy and activity that may make our lives purposeful. If a person is caught on a cliff and needs to jump to safety, he will be more likely to do so if he believes he is able to do so. If he approaches the moment with trepidation, doubt and fear, fail he will. Thus, based upon a variety of considerations, James argues in these essays that it is rational for to adopt a believing attitude towards a transcendent source in reality and to take the ethical and metaphysical risks attendant upon such a belief. James does not always help himself in his choice of language, and his teaching has been subject to misunderstanding and ridicule. It is a difficult, challenging teaching which takes time to unpack and consider.

As its title suggests, the lecture on "Human Immortality" is more narrowly focused than "The Will to Believe", but its approach is much the same. James does not try to prove the existence or define the nature of an afterlife. He claims instead that his goal is simply to remove to alleged obstacles to a belief in immortality.

The larger part of the essay is devoted to the first obstacle which is based upon physiology and the functional nature of the mind. If the mind is simply a function of electrical-chemical reactions in the "gray matter" of the brain, what reason is there, James asks, for thinking that the mind survives the body. James's answer is based in part upon his reading of the German scientist and philosopher Gustav Fechner, whose work would also play an important role in James's later book, "A Pluralistic Universe." James distinguishes considering mind as a productive function of the brain from considering mind as a transmissive function. In both cases, thoughts in our everyday world are dependent upon neurology. But in the latter case, the universe may be viewed as itself spiritual in character, and that this character of the universe is transmitted through the brain to the individual person during life, and the character of the individual returns as part of this spirit upon death. I found this position intruiging because it seems to me to show that James' thought was greatly influenced by the pantheism or absolute idealism that he generally criticized severely in his writing. James is aware of this objection and tries to distinguish his thought from pantheism or idealism. I am not sure how well he succeeds. "Human Immortality" is a provocative essay, and it shows to me the seams of James' thinking between his commitment to pluralism and science on the one hand and spirituality on the other hand.

The other supposed objection to immortality that James considers is likewise based upon science. James argues that evolution has shown that human beings have developed from earlier forms of life, including earlier forms of humans. He also points to an expanded knowledge of the variety of human life and culture that, he claims, was unknown in biblical or medieval times. According to James, some critics might object to the teaching of human immortality because it would necessarily apply to too large a group. James replies to this alleged objection: "God, we can then say, has so inexhaustible a capacity for love that his call and need is for a literally endless accumulation of created lives. he can never faint or grow weary, as we should, under the increasing supply. His scale is infinite in all things. His sympathy can never know satiety or glut." James thus democraticizes and individualizes the possiblity of heaven. His approach here is similar to the approach he takes in his famous essay "On a Certain Blindness in Human Beings".

The two works in this book tie together James's work in psychology with his ongoing interests in religion and philosophy. The beauty of James's prose should not blind the reader to the complexity of James's thought. These works require careful reading. This is an excellent work with which to begin a reading of William James.

Robin Friedman

Then look no further, you have found what you want (with a few trivial restrictions). James doesn't think you need to bother with things like evidence; as long as it is a "genuine option that cannot by its nature be decided on intellectual grounds", believe what you want!

What does it take to be a genuine option? Not much; James defines an hypothesis as "anything that may be proposed to our belief; and just as the electricians speak of live and dead wires, let us speak of any hypothesis as either live or dead. A live hypothesis is one which appeals as a real possibility to him to whom it is proposed."

He continues: "Next, let us call the decision between two hypotheses an option. Options may be of several kinds. They may be-1, living or dead; 2, forced or avoidable; 3, momentous or trivial; and for our purposes we may call an option a genuine option when it is of the forced, living, and momentous kind."

His thesis in his words:

"The thesis I defend is, briefly stated, this: Our passional nature not only lawfully may, but must, decide an option between propositions, whenever it is a genuine option that cannot by its nature be decided on intellectual grounds; for to say, under such circumstances, "Do not decide, but leave the question open," is itself a passional decision,-just like deciding yes or no,-and is attended with the same risk of losing the truth."

To be "living", all it takes is for you to be willing to think it possible, which will apply to just about anything you want to believe. To be "forced", just oppose it to rejecting what you want to believe (because you are "forced" to either believe what you want or you will not believe it; there is no other alternative). To be "momentous", it has to be important to you, which will apply to everything that really matters to you that you want to believe. Now, all you have to do is pick something for which you can have no evidence, and then you can believe it, according to James. So he is telling you, practically, believe whatever you want to believe, as long as it is beyond the reach of any evidence.

It should be no surprise that many people would welcome such garbage, since James appears to justify believing what you want. The trouble is, people believing what they want and ignoring evidence and reason has led to crusades, witch burning, the Inquisition, etc. (After all, what test can you have to determine whether or not God wants you to expel the 'infidels' from the 'holy land', or whether someone is a 'witch' or not, or whether someone is a 'heretic'? You'll never believe any such stuff if you base all of your beliefs upon evidence, and consequently you will not be as much of a danger to society.) Of course, James wrote after many of those activities, so we cannot blame him for what others did before he wrote his essay. However, following his advice, one could do all of the above. We can blame him for that.

James is very good at making people feel comfortable with their current prejudices, and for that, many praise him.

A rather basic demonstration of one of the problems of following James comes up as soon as one asks which set of beliefs one wants to believe. Should you be a Christian, a Jew, a Hindu, a Buddhist, a Moslem, an agnostic, an atheist, or something else? Well, James is absolutely no help in finding out which of these might be true; he basically tells you to believe whichever one you want. Such advice is useless for discovering the truth about such important matters; he is telling everyone to just go along with whatever prejudices they prefer. And if your preferred prejudice leads to the torture and killing of 'infidels', well, James has nothing to say about that. He tells you to believe at your own risk what you will, but ignores the rather obvious risks to others. It is difficult to imagine a worse essay than "The Will to Believe".

If someone tries to defend James by claiming that you need to understand James' "pragmatism" to understand "The Will to Believe", you should realize that pragmatism is not mentioned in this essay, which was first given as a lecture, and is the first essay in the book THE WILL TO BELIEVE AND OTHER ESSAYS IN POPULAR PHILOSOPHY. James developed those ideas later (PRAGMATISM came out many years later). Furthermore, James mentions in "What Pragmatism Means" (in PRAGMATISM) that no one knew what pragmatism was at the time when "The Will to Believe" came out (he does not mention the essay by name; you have to compare the dates he mentions with the date of this essay). So James did not require an understanding of pragmatism to understand this essay.

There have been several books that have exposed James, but they have generally been expensive academic books that go out of print in no time at all, after practically no one has read them. James is around because he is easy to read, in an inexpensive edition, and tells people what they want to hear.

If you want to think, and if you really want to find out the truth about things rather than engage in wishful thinking, James gives extremely poor advice. The three-part essay "The Ethics of Belief" by William Kingdon Clifford is far better (it is often reprinted in philosophy anthologies in a severely edited form). But since Clifford advises people to think rather than simply believe what they want to believe, he is far less popular. I believe it was Bertrand Russell who said: "Many people would sooner die than think. In fact they do." Unfortunately, Russell was right about this. The popularity of James and the relative obscurity of Clifford is a rather telling proof of this.

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Edited to add (July 14, 2008):

A more modern example of problems with James' position is the attack on the World Trade Center in New York on September 11, 2001. The belief that God is against the U.S. and that the attack was therefore right and proper is something that may not be a "live" hypothesis to most people reading this, but it is a "live" hypothesis to some other people in the world (including, obviously, the people who did it). This religious belief about God's will has the same "disconnect" with evidence as any other typical religious belief. One either believes that it was right and in accordance with God's will or one does not. It is fairly obviously momentous. If one agrees with James, then if one is consistent, one must believe that those people were right to have such beliefs. Certainly, according to James' position, they were fully justified in believing what they did. And obviously, once one has the belief that it is the right thing to do, doing it is a rather natural and obvious result. And therein lies the problem with James. The religious zealot terrorists perfectly followed James' advice. Encouraging people to do as James suggests is encouraging more actions like this.

Most people who read James with approval like how they are told that they are right to keep their own religious prejudices without bothering with evidence or being reasonable, but they forget that other people keeping their religious prejudices can be problematic.

__________________________


People occasionally say that one must sometimes act before one gets enough evidence to know the truth about something. However, just because one may need to take quick action, that does not mean that one must first believe that one is right. For example, if you are crossing the street, and you see a car speeding toward you, you may not know which way is best to run. But you need to act, as staying in the path of the car is not a good idea. So you choose. However, this does not require that you believe that you are making the right choice before you act; this simply requires you to make a choice about what to do. You may choose right or wrong, but believing that you are right isn't going to keep the car from running you down if you made the wrong choice of which way to run. So you don't need any belief ahead of the evidence in such a case, you simply need to get out of the way of the car. And for that, one has ample evidence.

In other cases, there will be times when one cannot know something. For example, is there life in the solar system of the star that is the closest to us (after the sun)? You cannot know this now, but it is stupid and dishonest to simply have "faith" that there is or that there isn't life there; the intelligent and honest thing to say is that one does not know. If, however, the matter is important to you, then, according to James, one should believe whatever one wants about whether there is life there or not. Basically, James' position supports being stupid and dishonest. It really is hard to imagine a more pernicious essay than James' "The Will to Believe".

What I am writing here relates only to ' The Will- to - Believe'. I will say however that I believe all of James worth reading and considering , whether one agrees with him or not.
And this when I believe I am not alone in saying his greatest work is ' The Varieties of Religious Experience' and if I were to choose one James' work it would be that one.
I only want to make one point about ' the Will to Believe'. And that is I believe that James very rational approach to religious belief, his recommendation that we make a choice, his conception that the ' will' is at the heart of it misses most religious experience as I know it. My own sense that is that it is out of deep need, and often an inner compulsion that pewople choose the religious option. It is not a matter of ' will' at all. And the recommendation to make the ' will ' primary will only appeal to a small minority. So I think that his whole approach is somehow mistaken. Religious believers do not come into the world generally through will and decision of the kind he recommends.

I purchased this book with the intention of using it as a study guide for SailNY course in Basic Keelboat. The book told me all of the basic information I needed to be ready to intelligently discuss and put into practice basic knowledge about the parts of a boat, the parts of a sail, points of sail, rigging, water safety and rules of the "road."

I recommend this book for any beginning sailor. I was learning on old olympic racing boats with a jib and a mainsail, which were very responsive, so if I could learn what I needed, this book should be appropriate for smaller, slower craft without a doubt.

Geared toward adult new sailors. Not a bad book at all...

This is a compact book with lots of diagrams. Makes for a nice complement to a beginner's keelboat sailing course. More detailed information can be found in the Colgates' "Fast Track to Cruising."

The illustrations in this book really are outstanding; especially compared to the ASA Sailing Fundamentals book. However, the Sailing Fundamentals book is more complete when it comes to regulations and safety. I recommend using both books.

This was a great book to learn from. It made the whole learning to sail process easy.

I, and my classmates, really enjoyed this book. It's a great introduction to the varied areas within the Criminal Justice field. Well written with many interesting sideboxes on different ideas and issues. The accompanying website was also very illuminative :)

This book showed up days before the dates given. That is awesome! Can't wait to use it in class. In fact I'm already reading it.

I just started teaching a new criminal justice survey course where this text is required for the students. After reading it I have to say it is one of the best course-books on the subject that I have read or taught from.

Comprehensive at 750+ pages including many full color plates and an interactive CD-ROM. Topics include everything conventional (civics, criminal law & criminal procedure) as well as many current event criminal justice concepts including law enforcement cultural approaches to alternative religions like Santeria, the arrest of celebrities such as Courtney Love, and even distinguishing placement in the criminal justice hierarchy for "bounty hunters" such as Duane "Dog" Chapman.

I love it! Informative and instructional. Again, one of the best. Five stars.

I used this book last semester! Very good reading. It was easy to read and understand.

Your book was in great conditions, I'll do business with you again.

Wonderful book. Check out his website for his Nehemiah Notes ministry. Lots of good articles on there.

Very logical and straightforward rather than theoretical - a plus for someone in the midst of trying to find guidance for a personal decision.

Using the Bible as his basis, the author tells us that often God guides us incrementally, i.e., that we have "light for our path," but do not necessary see a long way down the road. Similarly he talks about taking opportunities as they present themselves as a form of guidance. If you're in a circumstance, do what is best at that time and place.

He also points out that God may have a person in a place for a while, but things change and there comes a time to move on.

One assurance that is given to people who might fear missing God's direction is that God takes the initiative in guidance. If we're sincere in wanting His will, He will see that His will is done, Smith emphasizes. He tells us the Shepherd illustration in the Bible is reassuring in making this point clear. Not only that, but God's guidance is a gift!

There are some areas in this book where I completely disagree with the author. Overall, however, I found more positive than negative--by far.

I'm trying to apply the principles now. It's nice to have a book that can show the different aspects of "God's will" (including the personal one), yet not discount the mind. It notes that what we often perceive as guidance (e.g., the supernatural, prophecy, fleeces, and inward guidance) are the exceptions and points out why. It focuses on prayer, understanding the Bible, willingness, and thinking carefully. It recognizes however that we consider our desires, abilities, wise counsel, and circumstances. It seems to answer a lot of my questions about guidance as well as my misconceptions. Best of all, he gives you the Biblical texts to read and analyze yourself to see if his arguments hold up, let alone Biblical examples. I know one friend (who found out about the book independent of me) that bought several copies of this book to give as gifts. I may just do the same.

I find "Knowing God's Will" to be an extremely challenging and thought provoking book. Blaine Smith consistently presents a *balanced* and mature approach towards understanding and seeking the Lord's will for our lives. He makes it a point to test his own ideas against what the Bible teaches.

This book will surely challenge you to:-

(1) Discard your misconceptions on how we should go about finding God's will.

(2) Understanding how God reveals His will.

(3) Realize that we, too, need to take responsibility in knowing His will.

Starr Bright. She's a twin. She's a stripper. She's an exotic dancer. She's a grifter. And she is a full blown serial killer in this deep dark novel. Starr Bright a/k/a Sharon is now aging for a future on the jiggle circuit and her exhaustive search for someone who can take care of her leads her to building rage and eventual violence to sooth her feelings of hurt and disappointment she blames on a series of hapless lowlife paramours. Starr begins a journey to take her out of the seedy empty Vegas life to the sanctity of her twin sister Lily and Lily's family in New York while leaving Vegas in the grip of her bloody wake. Lily, the "good" side of Starr's mirror welcomes her sister with open arms but has no idea what Starr has in store for those she believes set her on the road to ruin. Nor does Lily full understand what her own personality could reveal. This book is one of my very favorites, each word has been chosen soley for its effect on the reader and the story ebbs and flows as naturally as the tide. I tore through it the first time. It left such an impression on me I have picked it up a second time, this time to read much more slowly so I can enjoy each detail.

In this, her seventh psycho-thriller, Rosamond Smith (none other than Joyce Carol Oates) takes us on a cross-country ride within the head of a dangerous woman always on the verge of boiling over with hate and fury. As opposed to her is her twin, a well-to-do suburban housewife whose life seems to be perfect. When both their worlds collide, the violent horror will be inavoidable, changing life for both... forever. A must both for JCO fans and admirers of the New American Gothic.

In her late thirties, Sharon Donnor's career as a Vegas exotic dancer seems to be coming to an end. However, her other life as Starr Bright appears to be rising in proportion. Each night Starr Bright seeks a person who loves and cares for her. Invariably, the lowlifes she chooses fail her, forcing her to kill them. The city panics as she leaves on her victims a satanic star painted in the dead person's blood.

When the heat picks up, Sharon returns to her family home in New York. There her twin sister takes her into the heart of her own family, not knowing what festers underneath the surface of her sister. Starr Bright quickly resurfaces as she begins a campaign of vengeance to destroy those who hurt her over two decades ago.

STARR BRIGHT WILL BE WITH YOU SOON is a well-written thriller that adds nothing new to the long history of good and evil twins. The story line appears eerie and psychologically spooky while the twins are interesting mirror images of one another. However, except for the fact Rosamund Smith turns out to be a pseudonym of Joyce Carol Oates, this book feels like deja vu. This is not necessarily bad, it has just been done before and by the same author.

Harriet Klausner 3/6/99

Starr Bright... is one of Joyce Carol Oates' shorter novels. This prolific writer, who penned this thriller under the name of Rosamund Smith, has once again succeeded in keeping the reader in constant suspense, even though we know who the killer is from page one. It is the killer's fate - as opposed to those of her victims - that we are so anxious to learn about. I recently attended a reading and book signing by JCO which was held at Robert Morris College in Chicago. She also spent considerable time in a question and answer session with RMC honors English students who read two of her novels for their class. She is a very fragile looking individual who intrigues everyone with her command of the story, the characters and the direction each piece of work takes. An extremely prolific writer, she has written poetry, plays and critical articles for numerous publications - in addition to over 60 novels and her work as a professor at Princeton University. She did not elaborate about the pseudonym she has frequently used - only that she wishes she had chosen another name. Because Starr Bright... is a shorter work, one does wonder if she has relegated certain efforts to Rosamund to distance them from Joyce Carol Oates. While I was thoroughly engrossed by Starr Bright - and it does utilize one of JCO's favorite underlying themes of twins - I felt I needed more at the end. We are fairly certain of the killer's fate, but what of her twin sister? The far-reaching effects of the murders to her family and community would, no doubt, be devastating. Perhaps it is fodder for another novel or perhaps tying up loose ends into neat little conclusions is not in the JCO style. Also, Oates does not hold back in the gruesome details of each attack - not necessarily a criticism, just a point of fact. Oates has just completed another novel (she writes constantly) and this one is a 1400 page opus titled Blonde, inspired by the life of Marilyn Monroe. She says she was moved to write it when she saw a photo of the pretty, fresh-looking and former Norma Jean - before the blonde hair, sexy clothing and voluptuous attitude she had perfected toward the camera. Seems like an interesting turn for JCO and her fans.

The book was riveting; I couldn't put it down. I couldn't help wondering, though, how "Starr Bright" never met ONE decent man her whole life? She was with dozens, maybe a hundred men, and never once met a good one?

Thank you for your comment. The book is designed to teach parents who may have lost control of their young children or, more importantly, to reinforce what parents already know but may not practice. It is not an encyclopedia or a treatise. Not everyone has the time or inclination to read some of the larger books that are out there. This one was written to be read and re-read at any point when the parent feels like he or she needs to be propped up. Even parents need reinforcement.

This book, although the values behind the lessons ring loud and clear, didn't particularly teach me anything I didn't already know. The style in which it was written - centered words as if each page was a poem on child rearing, was an interesting choice, but ultimately a waste of space that could have been better used. It is also very religiously biased. I read it in one 30-minute sitting and put it away. I don't think I'll be revisiting it for practical advice, like I do with the Dr. Sears books.

This gem of a book is short, clear, and will give you the motivation and encouragement to be the best parent you can be. Take full advantage of the insight you can gain from this guide. You know you want to have a good, well-behaved daughter. You are the one who is there to teach her. It is your responsibility, and this book will give you what you need to achieve success in parenting her to adulthood.

I know how hard it is to raise a child. So many times I would get frustrated knowing that my daughter was misbehaving but not knowing how to correct that behavior without making the situation worse. Ann Smith's book offers practical, daily wisdom for raising a daughter to be a respectful and respected adult. I recommend it to all new parents--it is a Godsend!

I bought he book to display in the kitchen of my ranch style guest house, but found that there were many recipes that my family would enjoy.The Stewed Fruit with Sugar Dumplings are delicious , The All Day Red Beans are good as well, I will be trying the Green Chili Grits next, along with the buttermilk pound cake. These recipes are ones that you would really use, and the book is so cute for display.

I can just hear the theme music from "Bonanza" as I leaf through the recipes in these books. Hard-working cowpokes will adore these authentic recipes from the American West.

How to Win a Cowboy's Heart is beautifully illustrated with black-and-white drawings from Western kitchens. Images of cowboy boots, horses, and rib-eye steaks decorate the recipes. This book, written for "Calicos" includes a handy Shopping Guide, and is organized by time of day. The chapters include: Good Morning Dear: Starting Off Right, Hungry By Noon: Western Dinner and Lunchtime Treats, Evening Shadows: Quiet Suppers at Home, and Red Letter Days: Memories to Share.

The recipe for Scalloped Potatoes on page 91 is remarkably similar to my own recipe. Who knew this New England baker was really a cowboy cook? The recipe includes a list of ingredients and step-by-step instructions on how to prepare the recipe. At the bottom of the page, there is a variation which suggests adding cheese to the recipe. The recipe is illustrated with a Pelham bit for a horses' bridle. Opposite the recipe is an article on how to impress the in-laws!

The recipes are varied and surprising. From Green Chili Grits to Hay and Straw to Ham Steaks and Red-Eye Gravy, you are sure to find an adventure for your taste buds in this entertaining book. The nutritional information was wisely left out of this book, with the liberal use of butter, cream, and red meats, check your cholesterol at the door!

Charmingly written and delightfully illustrated cookbook. Not exactly fat-free, but delicious! The content from a cowboy-romantic point of view makes this a fresh addition to any cook's library and a bunkhouse must!

I read the first 96 pages in 4 days as I was trying to find something that would help me discern the meaning and purpose of a dream I had. I didn't want to be deaf to God's promptings because I want to do His will and I needed some answers. I prayed, meditated, thought, studied the word, consulted trusted believers, asked for prayer, and tried to listen for God to tell me what to do. This book supported these methods of trying to discern God's will, but more than that, it pointed out that discernment takes time. I felt 80% sure that I was interpreting the dream correctly and proceeded accordingly. This book also emphasized that discernment is hampered in times of spiritual desolation. Good point. It seems obvious when your brain and heart are not clouded, but I'm glad I read it first, so I'll know that in advance. I wish I had read the rest of the book before making my decision, because a really great section entitled 'Blocks to Discernment', really helped me. I still learned something valuable from the dream and the book. One thing that blew me away was what the author said about prayer and fasting. The purpose of fasting with prayer is not to prove to God that you are more serious in your commitment; the purpose of fasting with prayer is to focus on what God is trying to tell you ! WOW ! I hope to find this book on sale and buy it for as many friends as I can ! It's not like we get to ask questions during sermons at church you know !

Smith is thorough and gives a very balanced view of discerning God's will. I highly recommend this book. It was timely for me.

I found this, as well as another book by the author, Courage and Calling, practical and insightful help in discerning some heavy choices in my life over the last two years. Particularly helpful was the "Clearness Committee" concept. My husband and I recently implemented this, and received some (hard) but excellent input from discerning friends. A great book on a most critical issue--learning to discern God's best for your life.

He's great he's music is clean and the movies are very clean and he is the best that I know.

Looking at other actor's he is the best do you think so? I do.
In movies he is very funny in the movies some times. The movies that he dose is good. when is act's he is the best that I know.

He play's great part's in moive don't you think?

i don't think i am in the right place but. i am looking for a doll of will smith and i know they have them before. please help me out thank you

p.s or wild wild west and men in black etc. i did not wont to rate your books because i don't really read.

This book is pretty good reading for someone interested in Will Smith's journey through life. It covers Will's life in West Philly to his rise in Hollywood. Very funny, and enjoyable!