John Winston Books

A great and easy to read book with large enough print to be easy on the eyes. One does not need to be a historian to enjoy this book.

I found this book 20 years ago in the Kemmerer, Wyoming Public Library. I loved it. It's about a movie stuntman, written through the voice of his son. What a great character! This book led me to read many of Nichols' books. Highly recommended as a quick, fun read.

This is a GREAT book! John Loya not only shares all of his experiances with the reader of his journey in Ecquador but he makes you feel like you know the people he's met! EVERYONE should have a copy of this book!! Very inspirational!

The signs and symbols of western civilization (Europe) have associated blackness and darkness primarily as negative symbols (black male, black sheep of the family etc..) This negative reference to blackness and those things that are dark have caused many dark skinned people to develop inferiority complexes because of this societies negative perception of blackness and positive perception of whiteness or light.

In reality both light (white) and (black) dark have been used positively and negatively in scripture. For instance, Dr. Johnson does a masterful job in distinguishing between natural darkness, satanic darkness, and Holy darkness just as there is natural light, Holy light and satanic light (lucifer the light bearer).

Dr. Johnson shows via scripture that when the God of creation presented Himself to the world He often times appeared in thick darkness or blackness such as in the beginning of creation, on Mt. Sanai and in Solomon's Temple. Furthermore darkness was present during the birth and crucifixion of Jesus. It appears according to scripture that God had a special relationship with dark colors; hence the title of the book.

Blackness was seen by the ancients as a symbol of omnipotence and holiness. Dr. Johnson also shows that many of the names such as negro, sambo, niger, jemimah and other names have their origin in ancient Egypt & Ethiopia and meant God, King, Supreme, and peace not the derogatory meaning of today. The meaning of the names were changed by European scholars to justify racism and white supremacy once they found out the true meaning of the names.

This is by far one of the most important books written by Dr. Johnson for those who seek to liberate themselves from the bonds of theological racism and those who seek to see the creator in their own image and likeness.

Some quotations from Adam Starchild's wonderful afterword to this book are appropriate:

"Children today are starved for the image of real heroes. Celebrities are not the same thing as heroes. Heroes existed way before celebrities ever did, even though celebrities now outshine heroes in children's consciousness." "Worshiping celebrities leaves children with a distinctly empty feeling -- it doesn't teach that they'll have to make sacrifices if they want to achieve anything worthwhile. No- talents become celebrities all the time. The result is that people don't seem to care about achievement or talent -- fame is the only objective."

"... Despite immense differences in cultures, heroes around the world generally share a number of traits that instruct and inspire people. A hero does something worth talking about, but a hero goes beyond mere fame or celebrity. The hero lives a life worthy of imitation. If they serve only their own fame, they may be celebrities but not heroes. Heroes are catalysts for change. They create new possibilities. They have a vision, and the skill and charm to implement their vision."

"Heroes may also be fictional. Children may identify with a character because of the values projected. People tend to grow to be like the people that they admire, but if a child never has any heroes what images will he copy? Adults need heroes too, but the need is even more urgent for children because they don't know how to think abstractly. But they can imagine what their hero would do in the circumstances, and it gives them a useful reference point to build abstract thinking skills."

I received the book in a timely fashion and it was in great shape. I will go to this site again next year.

I got this book in a timely fashion and the book was in great shape. I will go to this site next year.

I was told that this book would be new and it was new. Not a spot on it. I have a son with a learning disability and I like to have him text books at home so that I can get ahead of his teachers. I am so happy to be able to do this and not pay full price for these very expensive books. I love that this product was exactly like it was described 'NEW'.

I used this book in my undergraduate years frequently. It's basic structure focuses on the instruction and practice of expressive, imaginative, and expository writing. It does an excellent job of covering the different modes of organization: narration, description, process, classification, cause & effect, etc. The only possible drawback is its publication date:1984. However, a good book is timeless, and much like White's "Elements of Style," this book is still as useful and informative as the day it was published.

This is a great Bible story book for those seriously interested in getting the whole story of the Bible--without a lot of watering down--but still interesting to read.