B Books

Rich's life was like my life, and finding someone who was like me, a ragamuffin, was an indescribable comfort on a lonely path from helpless addiction to freedom. Note: I am still on that path today. One day I will be able to thank Rich in person for what a gift his life was to so many of us. This book is a testament to that life. It is a treasure.

Being a long time Rich Mullins fan, I wanted anything and everything Rich Mullins I could get my hands on. This book, "An Arrow", by James Bryan Smith, gave me a whole side of Rich Mullins I never knew. But even more importantly than the man himself, this book points to a deeper walk with Jesus, and the struggles involved in obtaining that walk. This book is so inspirational. I've read it twice, and am now reading it a third time. I bought an extra copy to give away.

I was not able to put down the book until I finished it.

The reading I'd done on Rich Mullins previously taught me that he was an incredible person, but the book confirmed his devotion to Jesus Christ as well as his struggles to live faithfully. I was encouraged, amused, saddened, yet most of all inspired to keep contending for the faith.

The author's friendship with Rich Mullins came through - I only wish that it went into more detail and told me more.

I loaned the book to a friend, also a fan of Rich Mullins, and she said that it encouraged her greatly.

i highly recommend it to anyone whether your a fan of rich mullins music or just a christian who longs to have a deeper walk with God. Great book, inspiring, not shallow, deep, thought provoking, convicting. trust me if you ever buy a book buy this one. . you wont regret it.

The Book Arrow Pointing to Heaven is the most inspiring book I have ever read. I could not help but write "Amen," "Praise the Lord," "I need to read this again" or some other comment in the margins as I read the book. Having known Rich Mullins briefly early in his musical career, I knew he was someone different, someone closer to God than I could imagine, yet I had no idea just how close to the Awesome God he really was. This book, so well written by Smith, is a must for anyone that believes in God. It will take you to really knowing God in much the same way as Rich Mullins knew HIM - intimately. Perfect gift for graduation presents. I have given several with notes made in the margins of the gift books. Thank you for having such an all-inspiring-book! It is a MUST for persons seeking a better relationship with God.

I can't believe I missed out on this one as a child... but it's just as good coming to it as an adult. The perfect lazy Sunday afternoon book to read. Adults can also escape to the wilds of Lake Windemere (Lake District), to sail up the Amazon, do battle with pirates and search for buried treasure on Cormorant Island.

The year is 1929 and story is about four children - John, Susan, Titty and Roger (in age order) - who are holidaying on the shores of Lake Windemere with their mum and baby sister, Vicky. The children are an adventurous lot and love sailing in their boat, the Swallow. Towards the end of their holiday they persuade their mum to allow them on an adventure for a week. They're allowed to sail across to the island not far away and make camp there by themselves.

This is a great adventure for these intrepid explorers. They discover a retired pirate, camp, bathe in the lake, fish and cook for themselves, and are threatened by a rival group of bandits, the Amazons (otherwise known as Nancy and Peggy). All in all a great week of fun and adventure is had by all - brilliant to read about, although there are very few children who'd be allowed to do this now! Inspired by the author's own childhood holidays at the south end of Coniston in the Lake District.

This wonderful book was written about 75 years ago, but is still extremely popular today. It is ageless. I first read it as a nine or ten year old and have read it several times since then. The last time I read it I was in my late 50s or early 60s. Every young person should enjoy it immensely as a fictional story. But there are many moral and ethical issues that are slyly inserted into this novel. The biography of the author and how he came to write this book, which was the first in a series of 9 or 10 novels, is a fascinating story in itself.

The Swallows and Amazons series was one of my favorites when I was a child. The story, set in the Lake District of England where Wordsworth and other great poets grew up, is a gentle adventure tale about children camping out on an island and rigging a little sailboat. It is slower paced than children are used to today. But I think a sensitive boy or girl would find it reassuring that the children solve their own problems of navigation etc.

While it didn't bother me as a child that the language was distinctly British, as I'd been prepared by the Winnie the Pooh stories, and Wind in the Willows, I would recommend Swallows and Amazons as a bedtime story to be read aloud by an adult reader. The reader could then explain the language. A map of the UK would help too, as the story is set in the Lake District.

An adult storyteller might be interested in a biography of the series author, Arthur Ransome, who led an adventurous life - including work in the Soviet Union and marriage to a Russian woman.

Enchanting
It's hard to explain what makes this book so charming: The writing, the way the children and their relationships with each other are shown so clearly and believably, the very real adventures they have, the sense of place....but listing those traits doesn't do the book justice. It's also really funny in places! Ransome creates a world that is clearer and lighter and more enchanting than the one most of us live in -- but he's also written a realistic book. The Lake District DOES look the way he describes it, and there could be children like the Swallows and their friends the Amazon pirates.

The books are for all ages, and I think they are also inspiring and a good influence! They make me want to have adventures -- and they encourage parents by example to let their children have them. The parents in the books are responsible, teach their children well -- and allow them to adventure on their own. They can do that because they've taught the children to have good judgment and be responsible.

Arthur Ransome's own favorite in the series was WINTER HOLIDAY, which I also loved. Once the original characters leave the series, it loses its interest (for me, anyway) -- children who enjoyed the first books will also probably like Blow Out the Moon by Libby Koponen and all the E.Nesbit books.

About 60 years ago I read as many books from this series that I could find in my local public library. I had passed through a phase of devouring the Dr. Doolittle fantasy series (so damaged by the motion pictures using that title - how could they cast tall lanky Rex Harrison in the role of a short cuddly grandfather-like figure?) Another series in which, as an American boy fascinated by warplanes during the Worl War II era - I went on to become an aerospace engineer - I was enthralled, was "A Yank in the RAF", which I don't think would translate to the 21st Century very well. But the series that made the most impact on me was Ransome's Swallow family. As with Hugh Lofting's Doolittle, the author's drawings enhanced the books.

I have not visited there yet but I plan on touring Britain's Lake District (I don't think I was cognizant of where the tales took place, except I knew the children were British. They liked to drink ginger beer; in the US we had a ginger ale drink, but not ginger beer and I was curious to have some.) I have long wanted to live somewhere that would allow me to experience the thrill of mastering the small sailing boats of the story. The closest I came was living near the Pacific in California and near the Potomac River. But the boats in those regions were larger and not terribly accessible. I did go sailing with friends and tried to sail on my own in a marina with a rented boat (a too narrow and crowded venue for a novice just learning to tack and unfamiliar with how to dump wind from the sail when being carried in the wrong direction.) I have gotten to taste ginger beer. I have also used the children's means of including coded messages in their letters in the form of dancing stick figures around the page's margin (the secret was to ignore other parts of the figures and concentrate on the positions of the arms, which were standard semaphore code.) I introduced the code to one of my daughters when we were in the "Indian Princesses" organization. (Is the name and programs of that organization offensive to American Indians? I'm sure its founders weren't sensitive to the fact that American Indians still existed.)

I will introduce this series to my precocius 6 year old grand daughter when I think she is ready.

I first had this book read to me when I was in the first grade, now I am 25 and still remember the book! Recently I bought it to give to a friend as a baby gift. I read it again and loved it all over again. Its so creative I love it and would recommend it to everyone! Great for a gift for your own children or others.

I teach preschool and used this book as an introduction for our post office theme. The reading level is a bit high for my age group, but they really enjoy seeing the different types of mail that pull out of the "envelopes" in the book. Very interactive and fun to read.

I bought this for my daughter and later I bought it for friends' children. I'll probably search for it for my grandchildren too. You can probably guess that I like it! Buying for kids is such fun because you get the wow factor, and then you get to see whether they really take to it by reading/playing with it. Kids don't fib about this stuff, do they! I can report 100% success. The enthusiam they have for all the hidden messages, cards, games is so sweet. This truly is a gift that grows and grows on them. See also the Christmas Postman - 5 Stars!

Note - if you have to get a used one, verify all the bits are included. The book wouldn't work without those.

I had this book when I was a little girl and Ive been searching for it for 17 years. Its amazing drawings and creativity in the letters, opens up a little girls imagination so big!!! I absolutely love the story and all the characters. Its a MUST BUY!

The anniversary book is significantly larger than the original and so loses some of the charm. However this shallow dip in nursery fairy tales is fun for both the listener and reader. New shrink wrapped books include stationary and 'postage' to encourage the young to build a habit of writing and mailing notes. The story is from a UK perspective and follows a postman who delivers the mail in a community of fairy tale characters. Some of the humor is dated (good for grandparents). Children will enjoy having the book read to them and opening the many envelopes to extract their contents. This book was a favorite of my children back in the late 1980's.

I'm not a gourmet cook, but simply love to cook, especially barbeque. This book has amazing, easy to follow recipies which beg to be tried on every week. great cooking advice, easy read, and I have become a great barbequer. If you can read, you can follow these recipies, and have outstanding results.

I bought this book because a food blogger mentioned it in a post and boy am I glad I did. Every recipe sounds incredible and has given me ideas to keep cooking for months. Meatloaf, chicken, fish, beef - and then the side dishes -- and desserts! It is really an all around great cookbook. I can't wait to start making the recipes.

I grew up in central NY state and went to college at Syracuse University in the '90s, when Dinosaur BBQ was already a hugely popular restaurant. I still like to go there every time I'm in town. I bought this book recently and cooked an all-Dino 4th of July feast that was delicious. I cooked the Asparagus, Red pepper & Potato salad, bbq chicken (I used skinless, boneless breasts) and their most DELICIOUS bbq baked beans. The beans were a lot of work but completely worth it! (I found the Zatarain's mustard in Gelson's & used their brand of italian turkey sausage to cut the fat). I must admit I used the pre-made Dino sauces that you can purchase in the stores back in NYS, and I don't plan on every making my own sauces from scratch, but I think it's great they provide the full recipes! I did prepare my own spice rubs, though, and it was simple (though I found the red rub for the chicken a bit too salty). There are still plenty of recipes I plan on trying, and many look extremely simple, though the smoked meats look like a lot of work. I doubt I'll attempt my own pulled pork, for instance, which is my FAVORITE item at the restaurant. Visiting Dinosaur in person is definitely a must for any fans out there, since their meats are slow-cooked and the best ever, but in lieu of that, this book is pretty good!

One of the best cookbooks I've ever used. All the recipies are from their restaurant and the food tastes amazing. If you want to make restaurant style barbeque this is the book for you.Dinosaur Bar-B-Que: An American Roadhouse

Great Place to eat. The book is great. Very well written.
Eat there alot. Great atmosphere. The BEST BBQ . Great family place.

If your a Java 2 developer then you need this on your bookshelf. It contains an enormous amount of useful information, examples, etc. for all the classes in java.applet, java.awt, and java.beans. You gotta have it!

The 1.st sentence of the preface says: "This book is intended as a reference rather than a tutorial". Well for an experienced Java programmer this is certainly true, but for a novice who has just grasped the fundamentals of the language and starts to write down his first lines of code this book is an excellent tutorial. Every class has a description and practically every method of every class has its example code where nearly every line is documented, with links to related methods. Looking into these examples one can quickly learn tips and tricks smoothing the learning curve a lot. The Chan's book is miles ahead, in my opinion, the unuseful example codes one can freely download from the Sun's internet pages, full of magic words comining from blue skyes not documented at all, where one has to figure out what any of them is useful for and where you are on your own. One more time: what I say is true for a novice; the senior Java programmer may feel at his ease with the API's documentation of the Sun's JDK.
My last warning: since in Java things change often this kind of books goes into obsolescence quicky. For instance: my copy is the 5th edition (October 2001) and it lacks completely the new Collections class framework.

This book really helps with a huge amount of information and examples for all of the classes in java.io, java.lang, java.math, java.text, and java.util. Wonderful reference book!

This is required on every Java developers bookshelf. It is a wonderful reference.

I strongly recommend this book to all Java users of all levels because no other book describes all classes of java.lang, java.io, java.net, java.util, java.text and java.math packages better. Every class, every method and every exception is explained by very understandable language with good and useful examples. There is no Java language problem you cannot solve with this book.

I just finished reading this book and it is one of the best novels I have every read. Timmothy McCann out does himself with this one. His writing is so pure and alive. He makes you feel the characters pain and joys. The people he writes about are so ral and it is amazing how he can write from a male point of view as well as a female point of view and be so accurate with it. I would strongly recommend this book to everyone. You will just fall in love wiht Henry and Cheryl and Leslie. The pain and the love they share and lose will have you on edge and you will not want to stop until the end and they you will just simply say "Always"

I found Timmothy McCann's book entitled, "Always" to be a literary celebration. Following Henry Louis Davis, the second bid to become the first African-American president was like being in the studios of CBS or ABC on election night, Exciting! I highly recommend this book and dedicate it to the dreamer in all of us.

this is the story of Henry, who's about to become the first black president. Cheryl was Henry's first love but things didn't quite work out for them, they still have a love of love for one another though, then there is Leslie, Henry's wife who feel she is second after his career. The story gives you a look at their life when they were young, and older.

This was a great book. I grabbed it because the title sounded like a good one, I knew it would have to be some sort of sentimental story, with a name like 'Always'. So I started to read it and found the each lifestory SO real, it was like the Author had lived each life. The four main characters tell their life story, and the important dates in their life, and the reader feels like they were there with the characters as they grew up and suffered heart ache, and stress as their dreams were broken and achieved. It ended to soon, but I thought the ending was the best part. You wouldn't be disaopinted.

I liked the broad time span that the author covered in this book, and I believe that he covered it well. I enjoyed the book. The television show 24 on the Fox Network has a very similar story line to me.

This book is inspirational, informative, historical, compelling, and instills pride in our military. My husband is reading it now, and can't stop talking about how moving it is. I recommend it to anyone interested in hearing stories that won't be covered in the main-stream media. These are the types of stories we may have heard about during WWII, when America believed that pride in itself and its ideals -- the ideals for which we were fighting -- was merited. But you'll have to read this book to hear about these heroes today. The alphabet networks won't tell you, and the big newspapers won't tell you, because it is no longer politically correct to feel good about our country or the people who defend it.

Great book. What a real and descent way to tell the public the truth. No lies, no political punches, no smearing, no agenda except to speak the truth. Telling it like it is. Giving these brave men and women fair and honest coverage that earns them more respect than anyone on earth. Revealing the hard life of our soldiers out there making it each day without air conditioning, full course meals, and luxuries we take for granted. But they don't complain, they just do their job and much more. On top of that, the stories and pictures reveal relationships made with the Iraqi people and the progress made, tells such a different story than you will find on most news networks. And these are real and CURRENT pictures. Unlike the ones being shown over and over again from a few years ago and longer on the news. Mr. North and Mr. Holton, you can tell they are true patriots, kind, honest and care very much about the troops. They give them a chance to be heard. They bring your eyes there for just a little while. The troops don't have many ways to do that without certain party members screaming "political influence" which they frown on in the military. I say, tell it like it is! Also I like the way they educate you, explaining some of the history of Iraq and the Muslim people and what's happened over the years. Very informative and heartfelt. Makes you want to just go up to any soldier you see and give 'em a hug. Read the book! Nina Starrin

I have read a lot of military books before, but this one is by far the best one I have ever read. Although I have been out of the Marine Corps for a number of years I felt as though I was right there living it with the best of the best. A very powerful book, not recommended for faint of heart individuals. It is about time an actual first hand account be put out for the people to read, and get the truth about what has been happening over in country.

American Heroes: In the Fight Against Radical Islam (War Stories)Great care in presenting the real case of what is going on and how our troops react to the challenge...GREAT BOOK--

Thank God for good men like Oliver North. I wish we could have more men in power with his faith and his understanding of our military's capabilities and purpose. I am also very thankful for the work being done in Iraq and Afganistan. It is not a finished work nor a perfect work, but it is certainly not a flawed effort as our news outlets lead us to believe.

Brining our troops home before they feel they are finished is not "supporting our troups." We need to let the military decide when it is time to come home and stop letting our brilliant politcians and reporters use their deployment as a political leveraging issue.

I really enjoyed this book and it truly displays the unique mindset and committment that our service men and women possses. If we could have an entire nation of men and women like the ones that fill our armed forces, we could achieve so much more.

I have to admit I was fascinated by this book soon after I picked it up. Everyone knows Marvin Gaye's often hypersexed music, but it's intriguing to hear the story behind all of that music. His internal struggles and unstable life are chronicled in surprising detail.

A serious downfall of many music biographies is their inability to adequately tie the events of the subject's life with the music being made at the time. This book does not fall into that trap, maybe because Gaye's music was such a personal endeavor, or maybe because the author was a friend of the artist.

This friendship between author and subject is the one problem I had with the book. Many times, Ritz fawns over the genius of Marvin Gaye, at times sounding as if God himself could not achieve such wonderful artistry. Don't get me wrong, Gaye was a uniquely talented, one-of-a-kind musician. It's just a little much at times. Nonetheless, Ritz does not shy away from the many negative influences in Gaye's life, and tells a story of the man that is both inspiring and tragic.

I would consider this book one of the finer examples of musician biographies. Ritz's closeness to Marvin Gaye allows him to tell first-source accounts of a troubled person, and concedes that at times Marvin was a man that even he could not figure out.

I'm like a lot of people in the world, I think when it comes to Soul Music although there are many great and talented artist Mr. Gaye was the creme de la creme. His music seemed cosmic and he sung with such conviction and passion it makes you wonder where did he have to go mentally and spiritually to summon those type of vocal performances. Well "Divided Soul" reveals those places of pain and torment in Mr. Gayes life that artistically helped him convey some of the most brilliant music ever recorded but sadly contributed to his tragic death. "Divided Soul" was written Passionately but honestly by David Ritz who I can easily tell was a huge Marvin admirer. That aspect really makes the book compelling, because you always get the sense that David is truley trying to reveal and understand what made Marvin one of the most intriguing artist of our time.

Remembering the day when I brought the news of Marvin Gaye's tragic death to my mother, I watched the tears after she uttered the words "You just couldn't shake your demons, baby." The next day, she went out and purchased all of his albums.

Marvin was heaven and hell simultaneously, and David Ritz's candid account of this totrtured genius was tragic and beautiful all at once. With an insight like the gifted singer himself, he dissects each creation as if he were in the recording studio for every take. Flying high in those triumphant skies, I never wanted Marvin to leave his musical sanctuary. That he lived a life of continuous self-destruction brought tears to my eyes, and had me wondering how the leeches disguised as smiling faces that sold him toot could live with themselves. They were contributing conspirators to a tragic story. Like Caesar, he was surrounded with enemies.

But the pain he felt produced greatness in the recording studio, didn't it? The "What's Going On" CD is a Musical Sermon On The Mount, and the Let's Get It On and I Want You follow-ups are sexual masterpieces. After reading the biography. I now know why.

This is a must read for those who appreciate this talented yet troubled composer, yet serves as a cautionary tale to all who God had blessed with gifts.

William Fredrick Cooper
ESSENCE BESTSELLING AUTHOR of THERE'S ALWAYS A REASON

Divided Soul was a very fascinating book, though at times the author was editorializing a little much. I enjoyed the read.

It is obvious that Marvin was highly emotionally disturbed, yet gifted. I find myself disliking his weak willed mama as much as his vicious, lazy and disturbed father. Yeah, yeah I know making disparaging comments about somebody's mama is a no Mrs. Gaye is just as responsible for Marvin's death as the father. She did not protect her child. She allowed a nothing of a strange man to live off her and physically and mentally torture her child. A parent's job is to protect their child from those within the house and outside.

Must all extremely talented people be nut cases?! I can imagine being famous can cause some to go crazy to some degree. But what happens to a person who comes into the business already emotionally fragile.

I agree with some, I feel that he was tired of the struggle of living and he purposely provoked his father, knowing that death would ensue. This could have been avoided if his mama had kicked that lazy fool out of the house when he was a very young child. She was the was supporting the family. He was a leech, a parasite. So I feel that she too was emotionally disturbed to some degree.

Marvin's trauma followed him to the grave yard.

Good read.

A great history of american popular music and a portrait of a man whose life
is hard to understand, but this book manages to drive you through a difficult and fascinating journey.

As an American living in Europe I was thrilled to stumble upon this Irving-esque piece of quirky Americana--a young Hispanic female drummer living in a multi-ethnic household in a swanky and W.A.S.P.-infested neighborhood in the suburbs of Pittsburgh.

Robin Meloy Goldsby Piano Girl: A Memoir has a genuine talent for fresh characterizations that run against stereotype and bubble over with surprises. As I began reading, Jane Bowman and her curious family drew me into their world of music, and I wondered where they might be headed as they learned to accept the death of Jane's beloved mother. In spite of the misty sadness hovering in the Bowman household, there's an undercurrent of off-beat humor and optimism that accompanies the themes of music, loss, and recovery. Jane's story takes many unexpected twists and turns, and I often found myself laughing and crying in the course of one chapter. Rhythm is a big, beautiful, and bold book, and Goldsby's prose sings.

As an American living in Europe I was thrilled to stumble upon this Irving-esque piece of quirky Americana--a young Hispanic female drummer living in a multi-ethnic household in a swanky and W.A.S.P.-infested neighborhood in the suburbs of Pittsburgh.

Robin Meloy Goldsby Piano Girl: A Memoir has a genuine talent for fresh characterizations that run against stereotype and bubble over with surprises. As I began reading, Jane Bowman and her curious family drew me into their world of music, and I wondered where they might be headed as they learned to accept the death of Jane's beloved mother. In spite of the misty sadness hovering in the Bowman household, there's an undercurrent of off-beat humor and optimism that accompanies the themes of music, loss, and recovery. Jane's story takes many unexpected twists and turns, and I often found myself laughing and crying in the course of one chapter. Rhythm is a big, beautiful, and bold book, and Goldsby's prose sings.

I greatly enjoyed Robin Meloy Goldsby's memoir, "Piano Girl," the highly entertaining story of her life and career as a hotel lobby pianist. So when I learned that she had recently published a second book, this one a novel, I knew I would want to read it.

"Rhythm" is the story of a 15 year old girl, Jane, whose mother, a well known musician, dies in a tragic fire while performing. Jane is also a talented percussionist, and the theme of the novel is the redeeming power of music to nurture and heal. The book follows Jane from the age of 15 through adulthood, telling the story of her emerging career as a musician. I particularly enjoyed the parts of the book that dealt with life as a struggling band member on the road.

Without spoiling too much of the plot, as noted above, the major theme of the book is how music can help people through personal tragedy. I particularly liked this one passage: "Music is an art that cannot be mastered...a means without an end, and a complicated yet kind process that helps us cope with the simplicity and cruelty of life."

It is obvious that only a musician could have written this novel, as Goldsby clearly *gets* music and the hold it can have on your heart. Some of the most shimmering prose in the novel occurs, in fact, during the parts where she is describing Jane getting caught up listening to or playing with other musicians, e.g., in talking about another drummer, Jane says that his playing "is more than monster technique: it's emotion, it's spirituality, it's love. It has nothing to do with the head and everything to do with the heart, and maybe even the lower intestinal track. It's gut music, played by a gut player. In a way, it's magic."

I also really liked the fact that the protagonist of the novel is a strong woman. The character of Jane is in many respects a wonderful role model: she strives for excellence, doesn't give up, and manages to succeed in a male-dominated field (female drummers are few and far between), despite considerable discrimination. One of the funniest scenes in the book was when Jane stood up against a manager of an all-female band who tried to get them all to wear matching strapless puffy pink dresses, which aren't exactly conducive to drumming.

Indeed, I think this would be an excellent novel for girls in their late teens and early adulthood to read. (There's some sex scenes and a fair number of F-words sprinkled about, and some disturbingly bad things happen to characters we care about a lot, so I'll hold off giving it to my 12 year old for a while) But the main moral of the novel--that it is better to dig deep down into one's inner resources to get by in the world, rather than sit around waiting to be rescued by a handsome guy, and music is one road you can take to accomplish that--is one I want my daughter to hear.

Not everyone who writes nonfiction can make the transition to writing a novel. "Rhythm" succeeds in that respect, and its success in making it to the semi-finals of the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Awards was well-deserved. So if you're looking for an enjoyable novel that captures well a passion for music and playing music, add "Rhythm" to your list.

Goldsby has an uncanny ability to put her reader right into the story and into the heart and mind of her main character, Jane Bowman. Jane thinks, "if there is a sound more hollow than the thump of a broken heart, I don't know what it is." It is this kind of writing that puts you right there with Jane as she embarks on a journey of healing and self-discovery that is at once heart-breaking and triumphant. Goldsby is also the author of Piano Girl (see product link)---an exceptional memoir. I look forward to more books by this author! Piano Girl: A Memoir Songs from the Castle Twilight Somewhere In Time

Full disclosure - I worked for Backbeat Books when they published Robin Meloy Goldsby's wonderful memoir, Piano Girl, and am fortunate to have read Rhythm in its entirety. Re-reading this excerpt just now put me right back into Jane Bowman's world, where her seemingly perfect life is marred by a tragedy perhaps too great to bear. Rhythm is the pulse behind the prose, and the affirming yet mysterious life-force that brings people together when it seems they need each other most. I rooted for Jane the entire way, inspired by her resiliance, warmed by her friendships, distressed when her obstacles felt too real, and richly rewarded for persevering with her through it all. Drum roll please....this one's a winner. Brava!

This is a very nice book, thanks to J.Carroll. I liked it too much and I ill refer it to my friends and professors..
I learned more about Mr.Gulen.

This book provides a wide angle for the problems of today and offers solution methods for those. Once again we understand how much we need the dialogue today more than ever, and how Mr. Gulen achieves to maintain the bridge between the East and West.

I have read almost all of his books. What amazes me is how come that many so-called 'educated men' here(who obviously purchase books from Amazon at least)can rank him along with Sartre or Kant or whatsoever...Gulen is not a philosopher nor academician. Well, yes, I accept that one does not have to have an academic degree or offical recognition to be a great writer or thinker but Gulen has no original thoughts that can be considered as philosophy. Since When dogmatic sayings and pre and unconditionally accepted metaphysical beliefs have become called philosophy? I already hear you saying 'But he is trying to establish a dialogue...!' Well, all this kind of religous leaders cut up the world and put people into so many reliongs and sects, create the worlds of 'THE OTHERS ' 'THE ONES NOT LIKE US' and after that they play the peace-makers, dialogue starters.

Again, I am not against what he writes or says but against to present Gulen and his books as work of philosophy. We all know that is not true.
One reviewer said that most people reviewing his books here are his followers which is absolutely correct and that also alone proves Gulen is not a philosopher but a leader of a sect.

As a computer guy, I should confess that I do not read a lot, unfortunately.
However, Writer Carroll's writing style has helped me a lot read this book. In order to understand the meaning of the phrase "dialogue among civilizations", we need to understand if human value, moral dignity, freedom, human ideal, education, and responsibility mean similar importance and have similar definitions for different civilizations and for the thinkers who influence formation of those civilizations. Thank you Jill Carrol for putting all these themes and references together in one book and comparing them in an organized and simple way for people, like me, who do not read 14 books in one month but barely read one book .

It is good to know Islam has scholars like Fethullah Gulen. This study is unique in the sense that Jill Carrol compares him with thinkers that have completely different backgrounds. She shows that they have important common points and using these common points a dialogue can be built enriching love and tolerance. I enjoyed a lot reading the book.