J Books

As I read this book I kept coming back to one of my favorite phrases "brutal honesty." Dr Fleming doesnt let us off the hook as we face our inability to make real changes in our lives but he takes the next step and helps us look at what we need to do to really make change.

Candid and convincing, this book will challenge many of your assumptions but the rest is up to you. You can keep believing in the half-truths that have gotten you nowhere or you can tap into a new truth. "Your" truth and use it to make the changes that will make you a better person and give you a better life.

Give it a shot.

For those of you who haven't read this book, I strongly suggest you ad it to your reading list! As a practitioner in the addictions and psychology field, Dr. Fleming offers up a unique way of examing and explaining life.
The book is a page-turner and a wonderful breath of fresh air! Dr. Fleming's matter-of-fact humor is delightful and keeps you interested. If you are a practitioner, social worker or in business, I think this is a required reference book for every shelf!

Dr Kevin Fleming declares what most people avoid. To find meaning in Life we must ask ourselves strong, clear genuine questions and more importantly accept the answers.
He points to easy solutions offered in psychology, business and religion that do not take us closer to truth. Importantly he reminds us that just to accept the status quo usually does not lead us to a more creative or fulfilling way to resolve life's challenges.
He calls us to become 'real' about the life we live and share with others.
This book provokes deeper thinking bout areas in life we so often do not take full responsibility for.

The Half Truth High was not only inspirational for me but life changing. It showed me how to live life without avoiding life. Stop picking and choosing so as to avoid pain. Live through the "tough stuff" and become a better person, one able to achieve so much more! There is so much more to life than just our "comfort zones" and Dr. Fleming delves into that beyond, giving substance to what is achievable if you work for it.
I am no longer comfortable with what is. Half Truths shows you there is so much more to life if you just question? So much more happiness and inner peace as well as the successes that can result from having those. The transformations I have seen in myself and those I have shared the book with are huge and the spiritual and mental highs I have achieved are phenomenal. Dr. Fleming has truly nailed this one!!! Great work. Any person wanting and searching for more in life as well as business will appreciate this fine work.

The whole truth about "The Half-Truth High" is that it is somewhat less than half of the whole. Knowing Kevin Fleming personally and having been witness to his really unusual talents as an observer of people and a healer of people's distresses and shortcomings, I fully expect the rest of the whole to show up. When it does, I also fully expect most of us who pay attention to who's speaking what truths to which audiences to become aware of him. The reason is that he's fully capable of being the next Dr. Phil or Judge Judy, but with a depth of wisdom and a spiritual clarity that it would be unfair to expect of either of those entertaining personalities.

But about this book. The first six pages of the prologue are among the most gripping paragraphs of non-fiction prose I've read in a long time. As a very young clinical psychologist, Dr. Fleming found himself on call in Laramie, Wyoming, not long after Matthew Shepherd's brutal murder for being gay. At the University of Wyoming, a student is perched on a windowsill several stories up, threatening to jump. What Dr. Fleming did to bring back to reality and take him away from danger is boggling. And what his superiors did to him because of his unorthodox method for dealing with the student dangling his feet in death's face is indicative of much that is wrong with leadership everywhere. Wow! What a beginning. But then Dr. Fleming got in a hurry and jumped himself without thinking it completely through. There was a hell of a book in vogue here, and still is. I fully expect Kevin to write it before long.

Meanwhile, here's the skinny about "The Half-Truth High." Yes, it's self-published. Yes, it's a little over the top in self-aggrandizement. Yes, Dr. Fleming drops too many names and engages in far more cheek-kissing (front and back) than he needed to to let people boosting his highly promising career as an executive coach and a family therapist know he appreciated their helping hands. But the amazing thing is, despite all this, the author delivers more wisdom in 72 pages of often butt-kissing dilatory asides that most self-help books do in 225 pages of carefully simmered, seined and seasoned psychospeak. I'm a little uncomfortable urging anyone to buy it. Money is money, these days. But I'm even more uncomfortable with the possibility that anyone reading my words here may invite a train wreck in their lives by not knowing the truths, half-baked or not, that the Inc. Shrink (there's his P.T. Barnum side again!) tosses off in these short pages. You make the call. Or maybe just call or e-mail him and ask for a free three-minute introduction to the ideas in his book. Bet you he'll make the time.

Andrea and Tina's book is chock full of practical advice and unexpected success tips. It's a fun and quick read. A great guide for entrepreneurs - whether you're just starting out or you're a veteran looking to boost your business.

If you are an entrepreneur (especially a coach) - you need this book! With this book and with Andrea Lee's other book Multiple Streams of Coaching Income, I have doubled my income (and I was already making 6 figures.)

Get this book NOW!

This book was a real delight.

I came away with a whole fistful of nuggets that I immediately have begun to implement in my business to propel it to the next level.I highly recommend it to any business owner who is ready to expand their thinking and attract gobs more money and meaning.

Wondering how real-life experiences relate to business? Want to learn savvy business strategies that produce a win-win for you and your customers? And have fun (the book cover says it all)?

That's what authors, Tina Forsyth and Andrea J. Lee, share in their hot-off-the-press book, Money, Meaning, and Beyond.

These two ladies deliver out-of-the-box thinking with practical applications. It's one of the few books that truly operates like a manual to be referred to often for inspiration and fine-tuning your business.

P.S. If you like Money, Meaning and Beyond, there are promotions at the back of the book for additional products and services that more than pay for the book itself. Now, how's that for a deal!

Andrea and Tina have done it again! In Money, Meaning and Beyond they have dropped nugget after nugget for building a business that is fulfilling and financially successful. Page after page gave me ideas and suggestions that I can easily implement.

Archbishop Chaput hits the nail on the head with this book written for all Christians of good will. This book is an easy read. I read it in a couple of hours. Yet the points that he makes are excellent. We really do need to stop leaving our faith at the church door and get out and change this country for the better. Read this book... it will challenge you and maybe even change you... for good.

The issue I want to introduce in a nutshell, and it is not really an over against critique but an expansion on this excellent theme, is this: When it comes to moral teachings that are not fully transparent to one's human reasoning, for example, involving the metaphysical distinctions regarding human life and human personhood (and especially as such distinctions might, for many in the political arena, reasonably raise parvity of matter questions that are particularly pertinent when values begin to conflict and compete), to the extent one obeys such teachings out of deference to a teaching authority and not rather as a consequence of reasoning one's way from an is to an ought, how could one then coherently urge such deference (what amounts to an obsequium religiosum or even fidei?) on others in a pluralistic society? It is not enough to claim that such a teaching authority's moral reasoning is grounded philosophically and is not essentially theological? That reasoning must also be genuinely compelling (perhaps especially to one's own flock, not to mention to a pluralistic society as a community of value-realizers writ large)? Metaphysical questions are at stake and metaphysics, by its very nature, is an exploratory and not an explanatory enterprise; it traffics in vague references and not robust descriptions, its language employing more so heuristic and less so theoretic concepts and categories, whereby metaphysics can legitimately probe but not conclusively prove realities. Hence, our deontologies should be considered as tentative as our ontologies are speculative, and urged, therefore, more modestly, which is to say more fallibilistically?

1) American democracy does not ask its citizens to put aside their deeply held moral and religious beliefs for the sake of public policy. In fact, it requires exactly the opposite. (Inside Cover, Render Unto Caesar)

2) Catholics strongly support a proper and healthy separation of the civil and religious dimensions of our national life. Of course, everything depends on how we define "proper" and "healthy." No one in mainstream public life wants to force uniquely Catholic doctrines into federal law. But the "establishment clause" does not mean that religious believers, leaders or communities should be silent in public affairs. In fact, healthy democratic life requires the opposite. (Separation of Church and State, Render Unto Caeser)

Indeed, the American response to the Enlightenment critique stands in stark contrast to the Continental approach, which marginalized religion with its secularistic, Enlightenment fundamentalism, marked by an empiricistic rationalism and scientism.

3) The author draws significantly upon the thought of the late theologian, John Courtney Murray, S.J., who played a considerable role at Vatican II in the elaboration of the Council's pioneering Declaration on Religious Liberty, "Dignitatis humanae." Murray argued (and Chaput agrees) that the founding documents of American democracy drew upon a natural law vision that affirms universal truths about the human condition. Thus Catholics, with their commitment to the natural law tradition, have a crucial contribution to make to American public life and the political process. Indeed, how can one possibly contribute to the common good unless one brings to the discussion and debate one's deeply held values and moral convictions? ('Render Unto Caesar' answers crucial questions about intersection of faith and politics By Fr. Robert Imbelli L'Osservatore Romano)

This is all very consonant with Pope John Paul II's words from Fides et Ratio: "Although times change and knowledge increases, it is possible to discern a core of philosophical insight within the history of thought as a whole. Consider, for example, the principles of non-contradiction, finality and causality, as well as the concept of the person as a free and intelligent subject, with the capacity to know God, truth and goodness. Consider as well certain fundamental moral norms which are shared by all. These are among the indications that, beyond different schools of thought, there exists a body of knowledge which may be judged a kind of spiritual heritage of humanity. It is as if we had come upon an implicit philosophy, as a result of which all feel that they possess these principles, albeit in a general and unreflective way. Precisely because it is shared in some measure by all, this knowledge should serve as a kind of reference-point for the different philosophical schools. Once reason successfully intuits and formulates the first universal principles of being and correctly draws from them conclusions which are coherent both logically and ethically, then it may be called right reason or, as the ancients called it, orth(o-)s logos, recta ratio."

Also, consider these reflections of R. Mary Hayden Lemmons ( First Things, April 1995, On Natural Law: Carl F. H. Henry & Critics):"Moreover, believers ought not deny the universal accessibility of moral norms. For if moral precepts were not universally accessible and if their justification belonged only to the realm of faith, then moral norms would bind only believers. ... ... Moral claims are justified through logical arguments that appeal to the requirement of human nature and dignity."

However one grounds one's moral philosophy, indeed, the Catholic affirmation of human moral reasoning capacities over against any fundamentalistic fideisms recognizes and affirms the efficacies of moral discourse even in pluralistic societies. However ...

4) Pluralism is a demographic fact. Nothing more. It is not a philosophy or ideology or surrogate creed. It does not imply that all ideas and religious beliefs are equally valid, because they are not. Pluralism never excuses us from speaking and acting to advance our beliefs about justice and the common good in the public square. (Introduction, Render Unto Caesar)

5) Obviously the common good demands a respect for other people with different beliefs and a willingness to compromise whenever possible. But for Catholics, the common good can never mean muting themselves in public debate on foundational issues of human dignity. Christian faith is always personal but never private. This is why any notion of tolerance that tries to reduce faith to private idiosyncrasy, or a set of opinions that we can indulge at home but need to be quiet about in public, will always fail. (Introduction, Render Unto Caesar)

6) We can't separate our private convictions from our public actions without diminishing both. In the words of the author, "How we act works backward on our convictions, making them stronger or smothering them under a snowfall of alibis." (Inside Cover, Render Unto Caesar)

This affirmation of the willingness to compromise seems in line with a Catholic tradition of political realism, wherein the best is not allowed to become the enemy of the good. Such compromises are practical and not theoretical, which is to say not a capitulation to any insidious indifferentism, facile syncretism, false irenicism or moral relativism but, rather, an approach that is both incremental and principled.

7) American Catholics and other persons of good heart are part of a struggle for our nation's future, says Charles J. Chaput. Our choices, including our political choices, matter. Catholics need to take an active, vocal, and morally consistent role in public debate. We can't claim to personally believe in the sanctity of the human person and then act in our public policies as if we don't. (Inside Cover, Render Unto Caesar)

Religion News Service caught up with Archbishop Chaput to talk politics and theology, as the Democrats were holding their national convention in his backyard. RNS asked: "Why should non-Catholics agree with church teaching on abortion?" and Chaput replied: "This is not a Catholic position, it's a human rights issue that our faith encourages us to support. To identify this as a Catholic issue is a trap. It was the law of the land for decades. It was the way human beings thought human beings should be treated. That's the kind of question that irritates me." (http://ncronline3.org/drupal/?q=node/1760 )

Chaput also recently corrected Joe Biden: "Sen. Biden is a man of distinguished public service. That doesn't excuse poor logic or bad facts. Asked when life begins, Sen. Biden said that, "it's a personal and private issue." But in reality, modern biology knows exactly when human life begins: at the moment of conception. Religion has nothing to do with it. People might argue when human "personhood" begins - though that leads public policy in very dangerous directions - but no one can any longer claim that the beginning of life is a matter of religious opinion. (http://www.catholic.org/politics/story.php?id=29157 )

These are all excellent commentaries on the place of religion in public discourse and are consistent with the document "Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship: A Call to Political Responsibility from the Catholic Bishops of the United States," wherein it is written: "What faith teaches about the dignity of the human person and about the sacredness of every human life helps us see more clearly the same truths that also come to us through the gift of human reason. At the center of these truths is respect for the dignity of every person. This is the core of Catholic moral and social teaching. Because we are people of both faith and reason, it is appropriate and necessary for us to bring this essential truth about human life and dignity to the public square. The Catholic community brings important assets to the political dialogue about our nation's future. We bring a consistent moral framework--drawn from basic human reason that is illuminated by Scripture and the teaching of the Church-- for assessing issues, political platforms, and campaigns. We also bring broad experience in serving those in need--educating the young, caring for the sick, sheltering the homeless, helping women who face difficult pregnancies, feeding the hungry, welcoming immigrants and refugees, reaching out in global solidarity, and pursuing peace. The Church equips its members to address political and social questions by helping them to develop a well-formed conscience. Catholics have a serious and lifelong obligation to form their consciences in accord with human reason and the teaching of the Church."

Some Relevant Distinctions

Some of the distinctions that have been introduced are those between faith and reason, the teaching of the Church and human reason, personal and private issues, religious and civil dimensions, justification in the realm of faith and justification through logical argument, private convictions and public actions, the beginning of life and the beginning of personhood, and so on and so forth.

From a sociologic perspective, such distinctions bring to mind additional distinctions that have a direct bearing on our present consideration. In a pluralistic society, we might recognize that not all of our definitions and distinctions, concepts and categories, seem to enjoy universal acceptance. This holds true whether we employ them in descriptive, normative, interpretive or evaluative modes. Our concepts and categories can be characterized in many ways. I have found it useful to distinguish them, from the standpoint of any given community of value-realizers, as negotiated or nonnegotiated by that community. The nonnegotiable concepts and categories I like to call semiotic for they make our communications possible and without them we could not establish any meaning at all; they would include various first principles and other noninferential propositions to which we all pretty much assent out of practical necessity, however we might otherwise attempt to ground them philosophically.

The negotiated categories and concepts then fall into three buckets: the dogmatic or nonnegotiated, the heuristic or still in negotiation, and the theoretic or negotiated. The reason such distinctions are salient to our discussion is that, as we move from a religious community of value-realizers into a wider, pluralistic community of value-realizers, the lingua franca is going to necessarily change, which is to recognize that --- not only are our descriptive, normative, interpretive and evaluative stances going to possibly (probably) differ, which is enough of a problematic, but --- many of our concepts and categories are going to be subject to renegotiation, which is to suggest that many of our dogmatic beliefs will have to be bracketed and some of our heuristic placeholders will have little normative force for others.

Usually, we will still have all of our semiotic concepts and categories and most of our theoretic ones, too, which, serving as givens (the is), can help us reason together toward the normative (the ought). Now, there are some who, with Hume, would deny our ability to reason from the descriptive to the prescriptive, from an is to an ought, from the given to the normative, who do not affirm even the inherent normativity of epistemology, itself, and all I can suggest is that, if they should come for tea, hide your silver spoons.

All of this is to suggest that the Society of Jesus is correct in saying: "When abortion laws are changed, it will not be the imposition of a narrowly confined religious position upon an unwilling majority, but rather the consequence of a new broad-based consensus grounded upon persuasive and reasonable arguments accessible to people of all faith traditions and people of none ... ... ... ... ... ... ... We must acknowledge, however, that phrases such as `the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness' and `the inherent dignity and the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family' in documents like the Declaration of Independence and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, are phrases with contested meanings that others understand differently than we do." (A Statement of the Society of Jesus in the United States on Abortion)

As Catholics enter into public discourse, there are additional distinctions that come to bear. One involves the Church's hierarchy of truths and doctrinal authority; see this discussion by Cardinal Dulles at http://woodstock.georgetown.edu/church_studies/reese/ec/ec-7dulles.htm , this one by Dr. William May at http://www.ignatiusinsight.com/features2006/wmay_authority_nov06.asp.

What is at stake in these discussions are distinctions between the various "voices" of the Magisterium and the types of responses they require from the Faithful, sometimes distinguished as the assent of faith (obsequium fidei) and religious assent (obsequium religiosum). There are further distinctions that come into play such as: a) obsequium religiosum, which means to be acknowledged with reverence and adhered to sincerely (somewhat analogous to that which is commonly called "the benefit of the doubt") or one with the searching church, working for clarification; b) voluntatis obsequium or obedience; c) intellectus obsequium or deference; d) attention bienveillante or cordial attention; e) docilité d'esprit or willingness to be instructed; and f) obsequium fidei or the unconditional acceptance of faith, which is an unqualified mental acceptance (beyond but not without the propositional), whereby we are one with the believing church holding firm to a doctrine.

What all of these orientations have in common is that they are a form of assent, which represent an unconditional belief in propositions that can be apprehended even if not fully comprehended; the object of assent is truth. Per Cardinal Newman, simple assent is an act of the intellect "direct, absolute, complete in itself, unconditional, arbitrary, yet not incompatible with an appeal to argument, and at least in many cases exercised unconsciously," and which, via one's illative sense, the extension of assent to non-logically proved propositions is not unreasonable.

The above-discussion of the hierarchy of truth, voices of the Magisterium and responses of the Faithful vis a vis various types of assent has only an indirect bearing on our consideration to the extent we must draw a further distinction, with Cardinal Newman, between assent and inference, which he considers to be a proposition intrinsically dependent on other propositions, where the object of inference is truth-like and ultimately syllogistic. This, then, introduces another assent, complex assent, which is made consciously and deliberately with acts of inference as its antecedents.

To wit, then, per P.J. Toner `s entry on Infallibility in The Catholic Encyclopedia: "Assent is given not to the logical force of the syllogism, but directly to the authority which the inference serves to introduce; and this holds good in a measure even when there is question of mere fallible authority. Once we come to believe in and rely upon authority we can afford to overlook the means by which we were brought to accept it, just as a man who has reached a solid standing place where he wishes to remain no longer relies on the frail ladder by which he mounted. (Volume VII. Published 1910. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Nihil Obstat, June 1, 1910.)

Now, even as we properly suggest that our fellow Catholics "[must] bring to the discussion and debate one's deeply held values and moral convictions," before we either explicitly or implicitly suggest that they are somehow a) "putting aside their deeply held moral and religious beliefs" b) "muting themselves in public debate on foundational issues of human dignity" c) "[reducing] faith to private idiosyncrasy, or a set of opinions that we can indulge at home but need to be quiet about in public" d) "separating [their] private convictions from [their] public actions ... diminishing both" e) "smothering [their convictions] under a snowfall of alibis" --- it seems to me that it is incumbent upon us to inquire of this or that fellow Catholic as to exactly what type of assent they have given to this or that moral teaching. (Hence, the Bishops' desires to meet with this or that politician?)

This is to suggest that some Catholics might have, with utmost deference and a most cordial attention, demonstrated a clear willingness to be instructed, and further, that these very same Catholics have, then, with all due reverence, sincerely and obediently adhered to and acknowledged, sometimes with an obsequium religiosum, sometimes with even an obsequium fidei, this or that moral teaching of the Church, even as they have not consciously and deliberately engaged an act of inference in following a logical argument, although, again, not unreasonably extending such assent to a non-logically proved proposition.

This is also to suggest that other Catholics, with the same deference, attention, willingness, reverence, sincerity, obedience, acknowledgment and obsequium may have assented even though they have indeed engaged an act of inference but, in so doing, could not, with all intellectual honesty, be moved by this or that syllogistic force or concur in this or that logical conclusion, perhaps, in all good faith, not even recognizing certain of the concepts and categories employed in such arguments. This is to suggest that the snowfall of ad hominem characterizations of such loyal Catholics and faithful citizens would melt before it hits the ground, because such rash judgment is one thing that assuredly has no place in our public square.

Only if one, as a believer, engages in both assent and inference, however formally or informally, can one then honestly urge such convictions on the wider community of value-realizers through such formal argumentation as is the currency of political discourse. As we know from cultural appeals and imagery, political communications also (maybe even mostly) employ our imaginations and subrational faculties. There are many believers who, not unreasonably, but without conscious reflection, deliberate assent or formal inference, sincerely hold, practice, and are genuinely convicted of, certain moral teachings; such believers can still give profound witness to the secular world through the example of their lives in protecting innocents and serving those in need, and also through narrative and storytelling; still, it behooves all to strive toward a more conscious competence and ongoing intellectual conversion that they might better contribute to formal public discourse. With St. Francis, I'm not wholly convinced that the formal discourse would be more efficacious than the living witness, but it's still best that we take a holistic approach and cover all evangelistic bases. Still, as Newman suggests, we want to eschew any "slavish reliance on the capricious ipse dixit of authority".

http://www.geocities.com/rc4o08/abortion_politics.htm

A concise review of the American history of Catholicism that calls us to better integrate our private and public life.

Archbishop Chaput has made a clear and concise explanation of the issues for which Catholics, and other believing Christians, will be responsible for deciding on election day. His emphasis on LIFE, in all of its forms beginning with conception through death is paramont. No other issue can superceed its gravity. If we continue on the path of "excusing" politicians who rationalize "choice" as a course for their votes, then our society is doomed to failure as was the Roman Empire. The book helps clarify how one must priauthorize the issues in the coming election.
Highly readable, and important for any believing adult.

Archbishop Charles Chaput eloquently explains the necessity and obligation of Catholics and all Christians to be part of the political process. This book is obviously divinely inspired and a great read!

Wonderful introduction to theology written by the greatest Catholic apologist in recent times. He lays out all the basic theological beliefs that Catholics hold dear in a simple, easy to understand way.

..is how much FUN it is to read. This man wrote with such clarity and wit, I wish I had known about him much sooner, like in high school!

This is the ultimate apologetics guide. Or the ultimate personal spiritual guide. Read it even if you think you understand Catholicism. Among other things you will realize why God cannot be anything but a Trinity.

You may think you know your faith but you will still learn from Frank Sheed. He teaches: why we study theology, the Trinity,the nature of man, the sin of our origin,redemption,grace,virtue,gifts, Eucharist and Mass and so much more. He goes deeper than any teacher I ever had even at classses at seminary adult education classes. Give this book your full attention, take your time; take notes too. Make this book your New Year's resolution to learn more about your faith. You will not regret it.

I would strongly recommend this book for anyone who wants to learn more about the Catholic faith. It had answers to everything you would have a question about!

This is the best of class in Roman Catholic theology introductions. It provides a systematic overview providing the big-picture view one might miss short of reading the entire catechism. A good, solid, sound introduction that will be ideal for RCIA students and long-time Catholics alike. Included is a solid introduction providing the reasons to study theology and the rewards that come with it. Beginning with the seemingly simple assertion that God is spirit, Mr. Sheed carries us through the implications of that assertion through to the doctrines of the last things giving us all we need to form a coherent and solid foundation on which to build further. Indispensible and still the best of its kind.

You will never imagine what kind of surprises are awaiting inside... the imagination is endless.

This book is a compilation of all "Mafalda"'s comic strips. Who is "Mafalda", you might ask?. Well, she is a very outspoken little girl who isn't afraid to say exactly what she thinks about many subjects, including her parents, politics, ecology and her enormous distaste of soup :)

"Mafalda" was created by Argentine cartoonist Quino (the pseudonym of Joaquin Salvador Lavador), and has been published in Latin America, France, Greece, Italy, China and Portugal. Even though "Mafalda" first appeared in the '60s, most of the stories you will read in this book maintain their edge. A great part of "Mafalda"'s charm is that these comic strips allow us to see many matters from the point of view of a young but highly intelligent girl, who isn't old enough to know that speaking her mind isn't always the right thing to do.

All the same, her candid but highly accurate views on many issues will make you laugh, and think. Young children, teens and adults will interpret her words differently, based on their diverse experiences. But I bet all of them will enjoy this book.

You must take into account, though, that this book is in Spanish. That being the case, you should at least know some Spanish, or be eager to learn it (and there is no better reason to do that than wanting to read "Mafalda"!). What is more, and in case you are not ready to buy a complete edition of "Mafalda"'s comic strips, you can always find a smaller and less expensive edition in Amazon.

All in all, I think that "Mafalda" is a treat that the English speaking readers deserve to have. The language barrier is there, but it can be broken with some effort. Truth to be told, it is worth it. Highly recommended!

Belen Alcat

I know Mafalda from its days in the leftist Italian newspapers as a comic strip. Every strip told an important social truth. But you don't need to be political at all to love her and her varied friends.

"A buen entendedor, pocas palabras," dice el viejo refran. Cuando se dice Mafalda, quien haya vivido en las ultimas tres decadas en alguna parte de Hispanoamerica (e incluso paises de Europa) probablemente sabe que se esta hablando de ese adorable personaje que desborda en genialidad y gracia con sus ocurrencias de niña precoz, asi que no hace falta elaborar al respecto.

Lo que si merece ser notado es que este espectacular volumen empastado (hardcover) de 658 paginas reune todas las tiras de Mafalda publicadas desde que el popular personaje fue introducido en este planeta por el legendario caricaturista argentino Quino. No tiene tiene desperdicio este libro y es altamente recomendable para el fanatico de Mafalda que detesta la sopa al igual que para el neofito en el mundo de Quino.

A mí siempre me ha encantado Mafalda, y ahora a mi hija
de tres años le encanta, a pesar de que no sabe leer!
Este libro es muy bonito y debe de tenerlo si le gusta
Mafalda.

I was just looking things up when I came across something that some one wrote in a review on Why Daddy, Why?...I would be more then happy to answer your questions. First of all if you go to the Berlin library and look up the old news papers, you will find out about the fire that took place when the Columbia Hotel burned down. But at that time it had changed names to Fournier's rooms.
My aunt Louise bought the hotel from my father. Her last name was Fournier.
I have pictures of the Hotel with fire trucks in front of the building putting the fire out.. Now theres just a big hole where the building use to be..with park benches..right on Main Street. next to the flower shop.
Second thing was the convent remarks. Yes some of the Nuns were very abusive.. I have scares on my legs where I was hit with rulers where the steal part went into my legs..also have the scar on my wrist where I tried to kill myself after being raped. And yes, my sister and I had numbers for our names..I was 64 and Cecile was 121.. Not all the girls were abused but many were.. your 65..10 years older then I was in the convent..The older girls were treated much better. Maybe because they were older and more mature. it was the younger girls that were put there that had no parents coming to see them that were treated much worse.. I'm glad that you were one of the girls that were treated better, I truly am. No child should have to go through such horrible things.
I have come in contact through my book signings with some girls that were in the convent around the same time I was and they too remember how bad it was but then again, there my age.
There are no exaggerations in the book..if anything there are things that I never wrote about.. Things that are to painful to deal with right now. Someday, maybe I'll be able to put that pain to paper.
I can understand your questions and I respect that. Please know that what is in the book, is the horrible truth and I'm glad I was able to write about it..
My precious mama died 4 months ago..she was my best friend.. my heart is hurting.. thank you for your review of 5 stars and thank you for believing that my father was a cruel man. if you have any more questions feel free to email me at my new address ( I've been taking care of my step father since mama passed away).. its, ej64@metrocast.net
I hope this was of some help to you. Emelia Hardy

I am from Berlin. I read the book. It is a great piece of writing. I believe the abuse with her father truly happened. However, having been a boarder at the convent in Gorham, during the 50's I had difficulty believing the cruelty of the nun in question. We were never abused, and we were never called by a number. They used our names. Also, I am 65 years of age and cannot recall the Columbia Hotel, nor do I know the location of the Fournier boarding house. I would love to talk to the author and get some of my questions answered.

This book describes unimaginable fear, pain and intimidation that Emelia and her family members suffered at the hands of their father. As well as, the nuns she went to live with when her mama had to leave and her father could not, or would not care for her any longer.
A father is someone who is suppose to protect his family from all evil. Unfortunately, not in this case. Her father physically and emotionally abused his family for years, until the day came when mama, after suffering her worst beating yet and was forced to seek a better life. Some will question how a mother could leave her children in that environment, and be so selfish as to look out for her self before her children. I say, read the book before you pass judgment. I call what mama did courageous and brave.
After reading Why daddy, why I was able to contact Emelia. Since the book was published in 2002, I wanted to ask her what happened to some of the people she talks about in the book. I will not tell of her responses, that's for Emelia to tell. I have had the Honor of getting to know Emelia. She has amazing strength and courage. She has no ill will towards her father, and in the last page of the book she says,"I have forgiven daddy". This is something I will probably never be able to understand. She assures me things are better now.
To all of you who have suffered or continue to suffer as Emelia has. May you find the courage and the strength to move on and find a better life.
I look forward to reading her children' book, The Adventures of Maureen and Maury to my kids, and I wish her all the best.

This is a book that once you start to read it, you can't put it down.It keeps you on the edge of your seat. You have to keep reading because you have to know what else is going to happen.
It's unbelievable what this family went through!.
It goes on to tell what the author went through being split from her other siblings and mother. What a terrible life this child had!
While living with nun's in a convent, it's hard to imagine that these woman of God could be so cruel! and Emelia tells it all!
The Author described in detail all the terrible things that took place in her life..and there were many things!.. Everyone should read this book!...alcoholics, child abusers, and wife beaters..then and only then, maybe they can see what there actions can do to a family and especially a five year old girl who grows up and ends up trying to kill herself when she was only fifteen from something that wasn't her fault!
The reader will be drawn into this true story and can't help but fall in love with this little girl.
The reader will find that this is a very easy book to read because it is written by that same little girl, Emelia.

My daughter never has been an effectionate person. She would come over to visit me and I always had to ask for a hug before she left for home. My heart would ache because of it. I bought this book, Why Daddy Why? and found myself hurting inside all the more because I wanted my daughter to love me the way the author of this book loved her mother. Never have I seena bond between a mother and daughter like this one and I mean never.
Even after the mother runs away during a beating that is unheard of in this day and age. Back 40 years ago I found out it was coman for men to treat their wife that way and no one knew.This bond stayed strong in the heart of this little girl even being sent to a convent with nuns that abused her and her sister that was already there. I could feel that her sister Cecile loved her sister and I could feel her pain also.
My daughter came over one day and saw the book on my table, she asked if she could take it and I said yes that I was finished with it. She came back two days later and I didn't here her come in the next thing I knew she was behind me and gave me a hug. She said thank you Mom for the way you took care of me when I was little. My daughter told me she never realized how forunate she was.
Now my daughter greates me with open arms because of your book Emelia. I think this book saved my life. Altho there was not many hugs for me growing up there was for my girl and now she knows why!!! Thank You Again Emelia

This book does a great job of enhancing the experience of watching The Dark Crystal. Objects that are only seen for an instant or merely in the background are explained in detail in this beautiful collection. My only complaint? There's lots of white space on some of the pages, which makes it feel like less of a guide to an ancient world and more like a textbook.

Even so, highly recommended for fans of the movie, faerie stuff in general, or just great artwork.

Brian Froud, the creator of the Dark Crystal, is a Genius.

This book is a small Bible.

Well written, and with images so refined it makes you wonder if it is all "human" made.

All your questions about the Dark Crystal will be answered.
The information contained in the book seems almost sacred,
as for the capacity for the human mind to understand it all,
that is yet to be proven...

This book is an amazing tome for anyone who grew up in adoration of The Dark Crystal. Brian Froud's illustrations and concepts are gorgeous and so incredibly creative. This book is delivered as a history of the World in which the film takes place. It is narrated by Aughra, "...the first and last," who witnessed thousands of years of creation and destruction. She monitors the cyclical suns, a spectator of the conjunctions that bring the wise urSkeks, and their division a thousand years later into the cruel Skeksis and the mystical urRu. Aughra alone knows the long history of the crystal and throughout the pages, describes life throughout the ages. There are so many subtleties that the book describes that I can't wait to watch the film again, knowing the significance of the shapes of rocks, the intricate details of the clothes the characters wear, and the elaborate symbolism peppered throughout. The art is gorgeous and the insights into the World of the Dark Crystal shed a new light on the film and its philosophy. Bravo!

A must have for any Dark Crystal fan. It contains detailed pictures, decriptios of the various races, and a breif overveiw of how the world works. It also contains some history on the making of the movie, and a copy of the orginal movie idea. Even if you don't like the movie, it would be hard not to appreciate level of detail that went into this imaginary world.

Overall: An excellent book, which I highly recomend.

Combining the talents of Jim Henson's storytelling with Brian Froud's exquisite art, The Dark Crystal is an amazing film. The World of the Dark Crystal is a must-have companion piece to the film. On its pages are inscribed in detail the epic story's conceptualization and the process of designing its beautifully imagined characters and creatures. The book contains rare artwork by the ingenious fantasy artist Brian Froud who designed the complex and immense world of the Dark Crystal, a world whose people feel culturally authentic and utterly believable, a world where the landscapes feel familiar and yet completely alien at the same time. It is this fabricated universe, this artificial sense of reality that makes the Dark Crystal such an enduring classic.

Never before had movie audiences been transported to an entirely new world, a world without any human contact, a world divided by two opposing principals, a world that was so fragile and yet so savage. In The Dark Crystal, we see the evolution of imagination and a physical, tangible representation of duality. We see the importance of balancing logic and faith, science and spirituality, self-preservation and sacrifice. The triadic images found in Brian Froud's artwork express the importance of social, spiritual, and psychological equilibrium. This is a spiritual philosophy shared by many cultures and religions including Druidism, Buddhism and even in Christianity. This is also reflected in the design of the characters and the sets that at times resemble, in physical appearance as well as in architectural design, those of different ethnicities but both Froud and Henson avoid racial profiling. Instead they've created a rich and majestic vision of a world that never existed and still it is so believable that we feel as if we are seeing the documentation of a recently discovered alien culture.

Along with Froud's artwork, the book includes informative descriptions of the characters, creatures, and flora and fauna of this fantastical world. There is also a new introduction by Froud and a facsimile booklet featuring original concept drawings that were used as a tool in marketing the film to studios. In conclusion, The World of the Dark Crystal is a wonderful addition to any fantasy fan's collection, an inspirational look into the mind of an artist, and an essential collector's item for all those who love the film.

Also recommended:
Faeries (25th Anniversary Edition)
Good Faeries Bad Faeries
Goblins!
The Goblins of Labyrinth: 20th Anniversary Edition
The Runes of Elfland

I have had this tiny little book for 20 years. I treasure it as one of the greatest books filled with a cutting wisdom that reminds me of the simple and profound truths of God's Wisdom. Not written in religious tones, but carrying such deep spiritual healing wisdoms. Big Truths are simple, and we humans do seem to have an addiction to complicating life, and creating chaos when quiet reflection would reveal the simple nature of truths so well revealed in "The Book of Qualities". It has a centering quality about it, making one go, "Ah yes, that's the truth of it".....after reading a one page passage on anything from "COURAGE" to
"GREED", to "AMBIVILENCE", to "GUILT", to "POWER" and too many more to list here. Give yourself one of the greatest books you will ever own. I expect that you will put it in a special place,easily accessible, and always quitely waiting for that moment when you might need to remember what "truly matters" about being human in this life we create. As soon as I post this review I am heading straight to Amazon again, and purchasing 2 more copies to keep tucked away as I have worn the pages of this wonderful little book over 20 years of re-reading it.

I was given this book several years ago by a dear friend. As is always the case when someone gives me something, it sat untouched for almost a year.

When I finally picked it up... I devoured it. I plotted the relationships within the "community" and also used it to journal, hanging out with the characters in the book for a day or so and seeing how they lived in my life. Ultimately it made my understand just how life and time can affect us all. It's helped me be more tolerant of others... and myself.

This year I was the person who gave it away... It's funny the look on some people face... "Oh... GREAT... Yeah, thanks!..." When they actually open the BoQ and spend some time with the characters, they'll understand.

It took me longer than it should have, but it was there waiting for me when I was ready. I LOVE THIS BOOK! I wish I'd written it.

I owned this book for many years often quoting from it to friends. I either lent it or lost it in a move. I missed it. An old friend returned.

I absolutely love this book, and everyone I show it to falls in love with it too. Gendler had the idea to take qualities such as anger, complacency, joy, and contentment and write about them as if they were people. In so doing, she has captured their essence in a poetic and powerful way. Once in awhile you encounter a writer who reveals things that were right in front of you but went unnoticed for years, and in so doing enriches your vision and your world. Gendler is one of those writers. Every time I read it I experience the same sense of wonder and discovery. If I were stranded on a desert island, I'd want this book with me. I don't usually seek autographs but I am honored to have an autographed copy. Gendler is also a visual artist and has illustrated her own work.

April is National Poetry Month. Yeah, I know: there's a national month, or special week, or weird celebratory day, for every topic and group in the universe now. There's even a book up at WNBT that lists, by month, everything from "National Dental Health Care Week" to "International Talk-Like-A-Pirate Day". (Although those two topics might not be so unrelated as they first appear, har har.)

But I actually look forward to National Poetry Month. I love poetry. Poetry challenges me, feeds me, shocks me, makes me giggle, soothes me in songs, comes to me from sacred texts and coffeeshops and in emails from friends. And, unlike many genres of literature, I believe there is a poetry book for everyone. There may not be a story from the thriller group that you'd like, or a biography, or a book on investing. But I'm fairly certain if we looked, and probably not even for that long, we could find a poem or two that you would love.

I told Kevin I was prepared to write two or three columns for National Poetry Month, or even do the entire month of reviews. He gave me a look. He thought one column would be enough. "People just don't like poetry all that much," he told me, gently but firmly - although he writes fine poetry himself.

So how do I choose one book to focus on? Actually, it was a clear and easy choice. There is one poetry book that fits all of us.

When I had to be in the hospital for a while during my college years, a friend brought me this special book - J. Ruth Gendler's "The Book of Qualities". Since then, I have turned around and given copies of this book to all different people in my life. I've shared this beautiful little book as a gift for graduations, wedding showers, birthdays, major illnesses, surgeries, and as a thank-you note. I've read selections from it at open mike nights, support groups, and memorial services.

In "The Book of Qualities", poet and artist Ruth Gendler dedicates one page to each of almost one hundred human characteristics and feelings. These are the Qualities. With playful and insightful words, she describes each Quality as though he or she were a person you know. Change becomes your unwelcome houseguest; Honor could be your grandfather; Courage may be the woman who befriended you as you faced your divorce. Each of the Qualities has a favorite color, or a hobby. They have faces and hair and cars and clothes and jobs. And in those characteristics, in each Quality, you will recognize yourself and those you know - often in delightful and startling new ways. This little book is truly a classic: one of those books that you will find yourself revisiting time and again, once it has become a part of your life. Every time you re-read it, you'll find something new.

Editor,"Of A Predatory Heart"

This book is amazing in its scope. Mr. Toker has researched the Kaufmanns, Pittsburgh, Fallingwater, Wright, and American culture with incredible depth and breadth. As a fan (but layperson) of architecture, I found the insights into the design and construction fascinating. Of particular interest was the information about the overall architectural milieu into which Fallingwater was inserted by Wright(or inserted itself). I also enjoyed the sections of the book that reconstructed the commercial history of Pittsburgh.

That said, I hesitate to give a universal accolade to this book. Toker occasionally belabors his arguments and stretches his scholarship to its limits. Particularly tedious are his chapters on the literary representations of Fallingwater, the press coverage of the completed house, and the interminable lists of objects d'arte found in the house (either currently or in the past). I also found the lack of illustrations of many of the referenced architectural works (of Wright and others) bothersome. Certainly I can look many of them up on the internet, but I shouldn't have to, especially since Toker insists that these works are so important to any understanding of Fallingwater and Wright's conception of it.

Finally, the binding on the paperback edition is atrocious! Less than a third of the way into my reading, the book fell apart. I am not that hard on my texts! I see that others have had the same problem. This is not the fault of the author, but it does detract from the reading experience.

Overall, if you are a fan of Wright or Fallingwater, or if you want a better sense of the American architectural scene of the period, give this book a read. You will come away with a much better understanding of all of these than if you merely read a picture book or general guide to the house.

The binding on my paperback copy also fell apart half-way through the book. While I found some of the writing less than crisp and the organization sometimes left me confused as to sequences of events, overall it's a wonderfully detailed history of how a great house came to be. I wish I had read it before I visited Fallingwater; it would have greatly increased my enjoyment of the house.

I have now read FALLINGWATER RISING twice, and I think it is one of the most well-written, readable, and engrossing books about any subject. What I like most about it is that even though Fallingwater is an inanimate object, we feel that it is a living thing; this is our emotional response to it. This book makes it clear that people made the building happen. People with all of their strengths, foibles, desires and aspirations. Each of these people come to life on the page, and Toker's delightful spirit of inquiry illuminates the writing and makes it sing.

Every "thing" you could ever want to know about Fallingwater is contained in this book -- and then some. It is an enjoyable, insightful book about an extraordinary house. The writing is convincing, intelligent and clear, covering a wide range of complex and contentious topics without ever seeming either simplistic or academic. For my tastes there was too much detail on some peripheral subjects -- such as Ayn Rand's book The Fountainhead and the PR campaigns relating to Fallingwater. I didn't really need to be given lists of all the doo dads and art objects that were put on various walls and shelves at one time or another, but some of these matters are easily skimmed over. Despite its encyclopedic scope and thorough research and analysis, the book ironically fails to really get at the essence of the creative process that resulted in Fallingwater -- especially the contributions of EJ Kaufmann. How is it that EJ Kaufmann built Fallingwater and the Palm Springs Nuetra house -- two of the most extraordinary houses of the 20th century? In the end the essential mystery of Fallingwater remains.

I must say that as an architect who has been practicing for over 25 years, I have not read any book quite like this before that reaches so deeply into the creation of a master work such as Fallingwater. I have always "appreciated" FLW work but only recently have more fully understood what he has accomplished and created in built architectural works that to me borders on magical and genius at the same time. The glossy pictures alone only begins to reflect him as the gifted craftsman he represented. Living in Chicago I get to enjoy much of his work all the time. I'm still enjoying the book and must say your work here is amazing and a fitting tribute to an increbible individual and architect. Thanks for the experience. Jack Svaicer

This is an excellent book. It will give you a more balanced perspective of what means to be a man of Faith, and how society expects this man to actually be.

In my top list of books. Made me cry when I read it. That's powerful writing.

It's puzzling that Loyola Press choose to print Joseph Bottum's preface to The Keys to the Kingdom. After reading his preface, I almost returned the book to Amazon. Thankfully, I didn't because I loved reading this story.

I disagree with Mr. Bottum on three points:

1- The Keys to the Kingdom was not written by a "hack." Cronin was clearly inspired by an ideal, not money. The fact that Loyola Press reprinted it seventy years later as a "classic" contradicts Mr. Bottum's opinion.

2- The thoughts of the main character may not be "deep," but any philosophy Francis voices is less important than how he lives his life.

3- I did not see the "unique Christian faith" that Bottum claims "shines through" the story. Then again, despite the many examples of less admirable clerics, both Protestant and Catholic, I did not think that Christianity was denigrated.

Many things happen in Father Francis Chisolm's life, he encounters many different kinds of people, and he faces many challenges. However, the most engaging aspect of the book, for me, was the mystery of his character. Was he simply born a good person? What was the source of his goodness? Was his humility a virtue and did it help or hinder him? (I also wonder about the ways various people responded to him, but to say more would spoil the story for you.)

Each of the characters could easily have belonged to any religion. I didn't feel that I was reading Catholic novel. Cronin rarely points out specific ideas that propel the less admirable characters ("do this or be damned" or "have you been saved") and never explains what guides Father Francis, the Fiskes, Mr. Chia, or Lieutenant Shon. I don't know if that makes this a good book or a poor one, but it made me think and wonder.

Joseph Bottum is right in asserting that "When Cronin sets down what he clearly imagines are the profound spiritual revelations of his novel they turn out to be little more than pious uplift, along the lines of "Why can't we all just get along?" and "Aren't all the religions really saying the same thing?" Although described disdainfully, those do seem to be Cronin's ideals. However this is not a naive story and Francis is not a weak person. He is strong and admirable and I admire at his ability to walk through the life he had without losing his love or faith.

While I would like to criticize the fact that Cronin does not apologize for the impulse to send missions to China (or to convert an atheist Scotsman), I can't. This book isn't an attempt to promote a particular doctrine; it's not even about China or missionaries. It's about a good man who should be, and sometimes is, an example others emulate.

It is a sweet story.

This book was a bit of a surprise. While it is not the best "Catholic" novel I have read, its many good parts provide much to recommend it. I have been familiar with the story line from the Gregory Peck movie which has been a late-show staple. The book is more intricate and nuanced, like novels used to be. Cronin's characters are well-drawn, seem consistent and grow in your imagination like real people. He has a notion of ecumenism that concervative Catholics might find simple-minded and perhaps offensive, but probably reflects his childhood experience, with which many American Catholics could easily identify, that sometimes God lets himself be found extra ecclesiam.
In sum, a good book. I am glad I read it. I had trouble putting it down at night.

I purchased this book on the cheap not knowing a thing about A.J. Cronin. Reading the back, seeing the "Christian" theme, I decided to give it a try (it was on the clearence table!).

Grabbed from the first few pages, one can't help but feel for poor Francis as he struggles through his emotional and tumultous childhood, discovering his faith and ultimately landing in China to rekindle the flame of a forgotten mission. Through the story he meets various characters: the local militia, outcast roughians, the tender and vulnerable Chinese people, Catholic hiarchy and a few friends...

Francis remains true to Scripture (with one notable exception) and his vocation by being pious, and living in only very minor indulgences. He lives for the God, the mission and for the Chinese people, often to his own detriment, leading the way by his example.

A great read...a treasure that I "just" picked up...