Events Books

This book is really interesting and i really enjoyed reading this novel,i think that whoever reads this wonderfull novel will find lots of things that maybe no one knows about.

Perhaps one of the greatest mistakes of ours is developing thoughts about Iraq with absent resources. We are so removed from what happens there, and what people have gone through that it is easy enough to say that war is not the answer and believe that the solution lies in allowing a people to overthrow their own dictator. This book obliterates the logistics behind that line of thinking.

It is a heartwrenching biography that provides a perspective that we commonly forget to include in all the dialogue generated about our war in Iraq. Clearly war is never a good answer, but allowing the injustice this man endured to exist is tragic.

This book is more than a wonderful novel by a brave author; it like a history that involves the most important period of time in Iraq which we need to know more about it. I had spent most of my time reading this novel for some days and I couldn't stop myself reading more and more. I was following step by step, the moving of the hero of this story "AlY" from place to place in prisons and cities of Iraq. And I was concentrating on the human's emotions that the author could describe it bravely and what was going on in the strict prisons. I felt sorry for what happened to his wife and his two children and I cried for what was happening to the thousands of young Iraqi men and women in prisons. This novel is a scream of the maltreated people in Iraq. This novel is the most wonderful journey I have ever red. At the end, I would like to say thanks to the author.

I would like to thank the author about this amazing book.I really enjoyed reading it and i did find out lots of things that i didnt thouhgt about. its really one of the nicest book ive red.
john

I was really interested to read more about Iraq and Sadam's regime,So I found this interesting book about an Iraqi prisoner that had been taken for many years and had seen and heard lots of stories.you can tell that its a nice and exciting story from its very first page.The most romantic part was when he met his wife "Sahar" for a first time, and the time he spent with his friends.Its a real life story that happened to the author himself, thats why it made me more excited to read it in a short period of time. On February 6, I red an interview in "Chicago reader" ,in the front page, with the author of this book. He told some details about his life and his family. I just want to tell the author that I will be waiting for more....

I picked up my issue from Diane while attending the Art in the Park show in Plymouth MI. After reading just a small write up without opening the book, I felt a connection. Little did I know how much of the book seemed to have mirrored much of the last 17 years of my life.

The story, the characters, the lesson learned (for those like myself that see one even if it wasn't necessarily there) this book is one to be shared with others. In a different way it was hard to put this book down for the most basic reasons which is why I still read it cover to cover yesterday.

Well done and thank you Diane, I look forward to reading more of your work.

From the pink pillbox hat that reminds the main character of her grandmother to the pinch of sand held in a locket, the small details makes the story endearing. Sure to be a success, The Boy's Club is not to be missed.

Diane Dignan creates a memorable character in Alex, a young woman who finds herself challenged on all fronts in her life - from her mother, to her love life, her own grief over the loss of her father and to top it all off, a precarious situation at the office. Diane has crafted a strong character who seems to still be a bit of a hopeless romantic, and very endearing. I found myself really enjoying the journey Alex takes.

I really enjoyed reading this book . This is a story to really warm the heart.Once I picked up this book I could not put it down.It felt so good to read a book that I could feel like I was a part of. You will feel an attachment to these characters as you get into the story. A wonderful read I recommmend this book to all.

I found that The Boys' Club was riveting. I recommend it to any lady who remembers what hitting the glass ceiling is like, and how much it hasn't changed. The Good Ole Boy Network still runs the majority of the businesses, and women must be careful in how they present themselves and how they climb the corporate ladder to achieve the same results as men. I liken The Boys' Club to my business experience while living in Houston, Texas during the 1980's. Thanks Diane for a job well-done and written exceptionally well.

Nick has a very special way of relating real events. I found this book very compelling and exciting to read, not only because of the author's straightforward style, but because these were real events.

If you like intrigue and real-life crime type stories... buy this book!

Mangieri's books bring to mind the nonfiction of Peter Maas, author of Serpico. However, Mangieri's work has a sharper edge, simply by virtue of the fact that it is based on his personal experiences and is told in his own words. His books are well worth our attention.

I really enjoyed this book, which tells of corruption in an important government investigator's job. Nick Mangieri dealt with very difficult issues that most of us don't have to face in our day-to-day lives. Despite the pressure, he kept his head and his integrity intact. We can all learn a lot from his story.

This book gives the reader a vivid experience of the day-to-day reality of a white-collar crime investigator. Although the blurb tells us that the author didn't get his main targets, nevertheless he came very close to thwarting his adversaries (who certainly knew they'd been in a fight), and readers will be surprised to see what successes Mangieri had and how his efforts fell short. It's also encouraging to read about some of the allies Mangieri picked up, groups who work largely out of the spotlight but help greatly in keeping corruption and incompetence from wrecking our system altogether.

Outstanding read. I salute the author for his honesty and resolve. Having been assigned to Washington,DC as a member of the armed forces my observations paralleled that of the author's. As a Federal Investigator the author uncovered wrongdoing and by the oath of his office pursued the corruption. A Great Read! This is the Real World Folks! Read it! You won't put it down until you close the rear cover. The author should have received a medal.

The Celts have a term for people like Studs Terkel. Mr. Terkel is one of our cultural Shanahee. In the world of the ancient Celts, the story around the fire was the way in which cultural values, community and family history was transmuted to future generations. The role of the Shanahee was to keep the family tales and pass them on to future generations. That is exactly what Mr. Terkel does with this book. Wisdom and the values of the past are not something that younger generations today value so I fear that Mr. Terkel's book, although very interesting and informative may not be read by many nor the great pearls of wisdom discovered and carried forward.
Over sixty elders were interviewed by Studs Terkel. After reading about their lives, their adventures, their hopes and dreams for the future, and their indomitable spirits, there are some that I would really like to have had the opportunity to meet and other that I did not find as interesting.
Since this book is a collection or oral history interviews, it is not a typical book that a gerontologist would use for research yet the book is helpful to those desiring to know more about the life experiences of older persons. As I read the book and entered the life experiences of those interviewed, I was moved and challenged and delighted as I read about people whose lives impacted and created the world I live in today.
After reading Terkel's book, and this was the first book that I read written by Terkel, I think that oral history is an under utilize in teaching history and makes a contribution to understanding the lives of people, common people, who were part of making the history we learn about in text books. In many ways oral histories make history come to life.
I don't believe that Studs Terkel set out to write this book as a means of making a contribution to any one particular academic field. I think his motivation was two fold. The first purpose was to give the reader insight into the common person's impact into the events that formed the 20th Century. The second purpose was to allow those who he interviewed to tell their story and in recording their story, allow that person to leave their legacy to the world. Coming of Age contributes to gerontology as a field because it elevates the art of oral history, it highlights the importance of oral history in understanding the life experiences of older adults, and it allows a means of informally testing formal theories of aging by comparing and contrasting those formal theories with the actual life experiences of real people.

Pulitzer Prize winner Studs Terkel, widely known for his oral histories on World War II, work, race and the Great Depression, here offers an oral history of the twentieth century. The 70 people on record range in age from 70 to 99 and represent a wide variety of endeavors from labor organizers to CEOs, cops, lawyers, philanthropists, doctors, environmental crusaders, artists, clergy, farmers and more.

In addition to a zest for life, which they all share (few, despite physical infirmities, consider themselves "retired"), a few common themes emerge in these recollections. Whatever their background, almost all were affected by the Depression and World War II and a surprising number felt the blight of McCarthyism.

Yet most view the young today as facing a tougher road than they did. And while they all claim to find younger people invigorating, most deplore the modern lack of community feeling, the emphasis on self, the ignorance of history and unwillingness to learn from the struggles of the past.

The Catholic priest who was a gung-ho soldier in World War II, learned about race in a poor southern parish and went on to join the Berrigans in protesting the Vietnam War, says that what's "lacking today is a national cause in which all can join." You could say he spoke too soon or those were the days.

Jazz musician Milt Hinton's grandmother was a slave of Jefferson Davis. He recalls the apprenticeship of his youth, sitting in with the greats. When prompted he cites the more absurd of racial indignities faced touring the south but prefers to dwell on the good times, voicing regret that those opportunities don't exist for today's young black musicians.

All of these oldsters have strong convictions about what's wrong with the world, although surprisingly few sound cranky about it. "I'm deeply accustomed to giving advice that is not heard," says economist John Kenneth Galbraith, a long time critic of "private affluence and public squalor."

Many of them find a new freedom in old age. "Young people don't have this liberty," says environmental activist David Brower. "They can't alienate themselves too much from the system."

Some seem to live almost wholly in the present. A Nisei school teacher who spent World War II in an internment camp spends her entire interview enthusing about the young children she teaches and the future before them.

An admiral who directs the Center for Defense Information, a whistle-blowing group, was a model naval officer. "My fervor and dissent has increased....as you get older, you realize that whether it be a justice of the Supreme Court or the president of the United States, he's just a human being subject to human foibles."

Terkel, a feisty fighter himself, has naturally picked a large proportion of social and political activists - people who see the world as imperfect then and imperfect now - but always worth fighting for. This is an invigorating and thoughtful collection and a fine perspective on the last century.

A host of compelling stories marks COMING OF AGE as one of the top efforts from oral historian Studs Terkel. We hear from dozens of outstanding senior citizens, each one giving their personal remembrance of American life in the 20th Century. The mostly liberal interviewees range from ordinary citizens to baseball activist Marvin Miller, Congressmen Henry Gonzalez and (the late) Charles Hayes, and Chicago medical director Quentin Young. Readers get a strong personal sense of major events like the Depression, World War II, McCarthyism and Civil Rights - something one seldom gets from dry academic texts. The book also lends credence to tales many of us once heard from older and often now-departed relatives.

I gave COMING OF AGE just four starts because Terkel's increasing rigidity in sticking with liberal interviewees deprives readers of an honest cross-section of views. Despite this flaw, COMING OF AGE remains a moving effort.

Studs Terkel captures in this volume what few children of the new millennium will ever learn about or experience: how our parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents grew up, grew old, and left footprints on the twentieth century. His vignettes of life throughout the century, focused on the lives of amazing Americans from coast to coast, are quite profound. Terkel did not profile famous athletes, politicians, and CEOs; his interviews capture the lives of those who have made - and continue to make - an impact on our local communities.

It did not take very long to become addicted to this book. Terkel captures some of the most valuable American minds at just the right moment. The interviews give a first-hand look at history while capturing pearls of wisdom for the future. I recommend this volume as a gift and as a textbook for students. What Studs Terkel has captured here is worthy reading for any generation.

American society suffers from collective Alzheimer's, says Studs Terkel, "and the young are suffering from it the most severely. We don't know anything aboout the past and we don't seem to want to know." The author of widely-praised, bestselling books like Hard Times, Working, Race and The Good War, Terkel interviews 70 strong minded and outspoken Americans, the youngest of whom is 70, the oldest 99. Nearly every page is mesmerizing. Particularly delightful are his interviews with art critic Katherine Kuh (at age 89) and Sophia Mumford (at 94), the widow of Lewis Mumford.

Having spent my teenage years in Mozambique during the 1950s, I've always felt a strong affinity for Mozambique and its people. I read Finnegan's book with a heavy heart, finally piecing together the puzzle of what has become of the, "Terra de boa gente", the land of the good people. Finnegan's book is amazingly sensitive and intelligent. This is a book built on a foundation of deep insight, patience and great scholarship. Through Finnegan's incisive reporting, I was transported back to this "harrowed" land down to the smell of the wood fires. Not having been in Mozambique since 1968, Finnegan re-kindled my interest and wish to re-visit this challenged land and to see it again for myself.

This is a great introductory book to understanding the war in Mozambique from independence until 1992. This would be the first book that I would recommend anyone wanting to know about the history behind current events not only in Mozambique, but in Southern Africa in general. Finnegan divided the war into sections based on the provinces of Mozambique, and then told the unique story relative to each region and how the war was influenced by Mozambicans and its neighbors. If anyone is interested in further reading on Mozambique and/or Southern Africa, the bibliography in the back of this book is exceptional. Most highly recommended!

I bought this book before a trip to Mozambique in the summer of 2000. I found it very hard to find books about the country. I found this to be the most complete book as far as giving me a big picture of what the people had been through in recent years. The book has many anecdotes to show the typical western reader just how different life is in Mozambique. I found that the sense of poverty as well as generosity and warmth that the author communicated was verified by my own experience. It is the stories of the everyday person in the book that are so wonderful. Stories of the joy of children upon recieving a gift of a pen or the desire of young man for a pair of shoes.

The Mozambicans are amazing people. I apprciated them even more because I had read this this book. I was filled with wonder at the total complete wonderful humanity I encountered given the populations truly horrible experience of war.

I bought this book before a trip to Mozambique in the summer of 2000. It was very hard to find books about the country. I ended up coming to Amazon and jsut doing a search. This was one of the books I bought sight unseen. It turned out to be the best. It was the most complete book as far as giving me a big picture of what the people had been through in recent years. The book has many anecdotes to show the typical western reader just how different life is in Mozambique. I found that the sense of poverty as well as generosity and warmth that the author communicated was verified by my own experience. It is the stories of the everyday person in the book that are so wonderful. Stories of the joy of children upon recieving a gift of a pen or the desire of young man for a pair of shoes.

The Mozambicans are amazing people. I apprciated them even more because I had read this this book. I was filled with wonder at the total complete wonderful humanity I encountered given the populations truly horrible experience of war.

This is a lively and well written book which deals with the period of civil war in Mozambique. It was completed and published just before the conclusion of a successful peace process and so provides a particularly clear and powerful view of recent history.It is based on the author's travels within country during the war period and includes extensive interviews. The people he talked and worked with emerge as very vivid and lively characters. The support of the rebels by Rhodesia and South Africa, and the reasons for that support, are well described. A must read for anyone going to work in Mz, strongly recommended for the serious traveler as well.

For most, Charles Dickens is the only source we've encountered regarding the awful human misery of the early industrial revolution. However, Friedrich Engels and Karl Marx reported on it, too. Indeed, most of their criticisms were far more applicable to the raw capitalism of contemporary England than their native Germany.

Engels stayed in Manchester, the premier industrial city of the time, during the early 1840's to research his book. And he produced a devastating indictment of the truly miserable and life-threatening living conditions he found. Unlike Marx, Engels had a pronounced flair for writing; he makes it a fascinating, eye-opening journey back through time.

The topics he includes cover: struggling labor movements, the denigrating effects of immigration on domestic workers (due to competing subsistence-cost labor), the ignorance and crippling of child workers, the sexual exploitation of women workers, the displacement of male heads of household by lower-cost and more pliant women/children, the unbelievable filth and subhuman housing conditions workers endured, the dangerous and unhealthy working conditions of miners/factory workers, rampant substance abuse, doping of children by babysitters, the total lack of legal redress for the poor, the displacement of labor by machinery, and the role of unbridled competition in perpetrating economic distress.

While we all know communism has failed, its rise was due to these very real and serious problems, some of which remain with many Western workers today. And most of these conditions do very much persist in emerging economies right now. So, even though the book is well over 150 years old it is still highly valid!

The main fault of course with Marx/Engels' communist philosophy is that ALL humans are greedy and lazy - it's just that the clever ones (whether they originate from 'bourgeous' or 'working' classes) will always exploit the others. And it doesn't matter whether the system is capitalist or communist - those at the top will always exploit those below for personal advantage. Probably the best response has been the progressive social reform in Western nations over the last 100 years. (Revolutions and dictatorships usually only lead to mass murder.)

This chilling book is the real-life Oliver Twist exposed.I think Fredrick Engels wrote this book,in part to clear his conscious.And largely, to shed light on the fetid ,wretched underbelly of the 19th century industrial-age society.The nameless toilers working ten to twelve hour shifts,in a factory operation they had no vote or control over.Marx and Engels had many valid arguments for improving the workers lives.Did their end-results justify their means of social revolution? Engels would be amazed at the former textile towns,like Manchester,absorbing the large influx of Asians,Moslims and Africans today.It is still being debated,whether history has proven Engels & Marx right.This book is still a historical classic,thats presumptive findings give the modern reader,reason to pause. So,look all around you. -A Great Book !

Fabuous book. Engels wrote this when he was only 24- and what a tour de force.

The work is detailed, beautifully observed and elegantly written. Despite the depressing nature of the subject matter, the tone is always possible about a better world beyond the evils of capitalism.

Unfortunately 150 years after this masterpiece was written things dont seen to have gotten better under capitalism. Rather, the old evils of poverty, infectious diseases, starvation have been replaced by the modern evils of capitalism: obesity, alienation, mass materialism, depression, plunging fertility and marriage rates and so on...

Engels was the engine behind Karl Marx, one that gave him all the support he could, so to permit Marx to dedicate himself almost completely to the completion of his works. Judging himself many degrees bellow Marx in terms of intelect, Engels nonetheless is capable of writting a book such as this which describes all the impoverishment of the working class in the beginning of the industrialization in England, being helped by some well porputed factories labor fiscalization agents who allowed Engels to flip trough their reports. Strong terms like "the dark satanic mills" describe fully what were the working conditions of the time in a so rich country as England. An historical document lest no one forget what can happen again if the free hand of capitalism is allowed to run free of any barriers.

Friedrich Engels' classic "The Condition of the Working Class in England" was written when he was only twenty-four, and had but recently abandoned his Calvinist upbringing for a more critical, socialist, point of view. Yet this book reads as if it were written by an experienced political commentator or a radical sociologist, without actually at any point becoming melodramatic or dense.

Engels' main purpose is to confront the bourgeoisie with the reality of their mode of production and to contrast this with the rhetoric of "free choice" and "civil liberties", as well as the capitalist apologia of the political economists of his day, in particular Andrew Ure. With great insight into both the causes and effects of the capitalist system, Engels catalogues the endless want, filth, despair and misery experienced by millions of labourers every day in 19th century England. He pays attention to housing, to factory safety, to unionism, to the physical condition of the workers, to alcoholism, the state of the Irish underclass, to prostitution and disease; in short, all the ills attendant on industrialization.

What gives this book such power is that Engels on the one hand proceeds in an analytical manner, making use above all of sources from the bourgeoisie itself and from Parliamentary reports, in explaining the functioning of the capitalist system and the competition between capitalists and between labourers. On the other hand, he writes in a particularly readable manner and at no point bores the reader with the mere summing-up of statistics. On the contrary, every analytical truth is accompanied by a vivid description, taken from Engels' excursions into working-class neighbourhoods, of the terrible state of humanity that the economic laws of capitalism cause for a great number of people.

For those interested in political economy, it may come as a surprise to see how much of the functioning of capitalism Engels already understood at such an early point in the development of theory. This gives the lie to the many theorists who would later claim that it was Marx only who worked on economics and that Engels was a mere epigone; this book should be a vindication of Engels. His later sketches of the political economy and of the historical development of capitalism would lay the foundation for both the Communist Manifesto and Marx' economic works. But the core insights that would create the modern theory of socialism are for the first time fully expressed here, and in a most appealing and shockingly effective manner.

In other words, an absolute must read for every person of intelligence.

So now I ask myself how I would react if the Flight 93 crash had happened in San Diego where I live. How would you react if Flight 93 crashed in your community? We will not know, because this type of plane crash WILL NEVER HAPPEN IN THE UNITED STATES AGAIN.
165 miles north west of Washington D.C. on 9/11, Somerset Pa, took the blow of the Flight 93 plane crash. Maybe 15 to 20 seconds more air time, school children, home dwellers, or some people playing golf could have been killed by hijacker terrorists. This book describes how the people of Somerset reacted to that.
A weedy field and wooded area in Somerset County is now the resting place of 40 people who fought back against 4 of the terrorists on 9/11. I know now after reading Dr. Kashurba's book, how alot of the people who live in and around Somerset, especially those in Shanksville and Lambertsville, handeled the aftermath of this particular crash and how they helped families of the Flight 93 passengers and crew turned heroes.

I live in the vicinity of the Flight 93 crash, but did not visit the site until several months after the crash. This book gave me the information I needed to understand the reactions of the people involved. Why I was feeling like I was when visiting the site and why I needed to visit on a regular basis.

I admit that I was sceptical at first, but after reading the preface, I was hooked. I read the book (cover-to-cover) in one sitting, and still I find myself glancing back from time to time. I am amazed how Dr. Kashurba seems to "get out of the way" of the story and allows the subjects of the book to tell their stories. I am a Somerset County, Pennsylvania resident. I will pass this book on to my children as I tell them about the horrible events that occurred 9-11-01.

You can't read this book without crying, but although you'll cry, the feelings, thoughts and stories shared will make you feel good about being human. A few of the stories recounted will even make you laugh. In addition to the first-hand accounts, the book is packed with interesting informaion and great pictures. It's a book to buy, read and hold onto.

I loved this book! It's the first 9/11 book I've seen that let's the people involved with the aftermath tell the story rather than the author. If you like Studs Terkel, you'll love this book, and if you don't know him you'll like it anyway. The oral chronicle combined with the pictures will produce a variety of emotions. This is the kind of book you'll want to keep, buy for your kids and save forever as an heirloom. It's one of those books where you need to read part of it, put it down, think about what you read and pick it back up again because of the nature of the content. By the nature of the interviews, you feel like you were right there sitting with the people being interviewed. This book has a healing effect as well. You realized others may have had the same feelings you did.

A beautiful tribute to the people who were involved with the aftermath.

"Rowe provides a rich picture not only of a particular group of homeless people, but also of the complicated interactions between the marginalized and those who try to help them." -MDSQ Book News

The preceding reviews and comments were presented to the author with permission from: 1. Deirdre Oakley, Psychiatric Services and 2. Cynthia Karlton, Journal of Addiction and Mental Health.

Crossing the Border makes a noteworthy contribution to the field [of qualitative studies of outreach work.] It should be considered an essential read for everyone- from administrators to those on the front line- working with the most marginalized among the homeless.

"Rowe provides a rich picture not only of a particular group of homeless people, but also of the complicated interactions between the marginalized and those who try to help them." -MDSQ Book News

Having been an outreach worker for roughly six years, I found this book to be surprisingly well written. Too often, books tackling this subject present mere caracatures of the people it talks about, vieweing the subjects more as data or political process than real human beings.

This book presents many different points of views and differing types of outreach workers and the people they seek to help. The homeless are not condescended to nor are the outreach workers glamorized. It is quite factual and quite objective.

I saw myself in some of the types and picked up excellent little reminders about the whole homeless issue and those whose lives it affects. If you are looking for a bit more of the 'human' connection of those who are on the front lines (as opposed to the theorists, the politicians, the directors and others removed from the field), this is a great book toward that end.

As both an author and reader of fiction, I was impressed with "A Crown in the Stars". Maybe it is because I have always enjoyed a book that could hold my attention and make me think at the same time. In a nutshell, the characters are believable and yet a little out of the ordinary and the story line unique. Give this book a try.
The Christian fiction book that I have written main story line is about ten years in the life of a little girl who was "chosen by God" to be the next Madonna in the second coming of Christ.
Tommy Taylor
Author - The Second Virgin Birth

A CROWN IN THE STARS is the final chapter in the beautifully written Genesis Trilogy. The book takes place just a few years after the previous book, HE WHO LIFTS THE SKIES, left off. The younger generations are aging faster and Karen and Zekaryah's youngest daughter, Shoshannah has grown into a young women full of beauty. She looks much like her mother and shares her faith in the Most High. However, her parents have sheltered her from much of their past troubles in the Great City. Shoshannah knows that her parents have enemies, but she cannot comprehend the depths they will go to seek revenge. While visiting relatives, Shoshannah is taken to the Great City. Mistaken for her mother she is captured and brought before the Queen, Sharah, her aunt. Sharah and the rest of the city's ruling class learn that Shoshannah isn't who they believed her to be, but decide to use her in their own scheming and conniving plots. Meanwhile, Shoshannah's betrothed, Kaleb, discovers what has happened to her and enters the Great City with his brother to enlist as guards so that they can watch over her. The people of the Great City haven't forgotten Nimr-Rada. His death has turned him into a martyr and the building of the Tower continues. Things look bleak for Shoshannah, but the Earth is stirring with winds of change. The Most High has not forgotten his people and he will respond to their rebellion.

Like the previous two books in the trilogy, A CROWN IN THE STARS is eloquently written. It is full of vivid images and wonderful characters. The story that Kacy Barnett-Gramckow began in THE HEAVENS BEFORE reaches its conclusion here. She holds nothing back. A person could read this book without having read the previous two books of the trilogy, but it helps to have read those books before reading this. Also, whereas the first book was more of a straight romance and the second was more suspenseful, A CROWN IN THE STARS finds balance between the two. Any Christian who likes a good story could enjoy reading A CROWN IN THE STARS.

This whole trilogy was well-written and interesting. It's neat to think about how the story worked in between the parts the Bible reports. They are a fast read, but the names are somewhat difficult.

Once again, Barnett-Gramckow gives us an excellect narrative of the origins of the Hebrew nation. This book finishes the story of the Tower of Babel and it's results.

But I'm sorry to say it's not quite as interesting as the first book of the three. I felt like I didn't get to know Shoshannah very well, nor did she really do anything terribly interesting or exciting during her captivity in the Great City. But considering how we know little about the customs or people of the time, the author did a lovely job. But the ending is exciting, though! It ends the trilogy on a great note with the events of, the confusion of languages the scattering of nations, and the 'passing the torch' on to Abram.

I only wish I knew 2 things---where Ra-Anan's tribe ended up, and what those mysterious sunstones were! lol

A Crown in the Stars picks up where He Who Lifts the Sky left off. Shoshannah, the daughter of Karen and Zekaryah, has grown up with belief of her parents in the Most High God and loves to hear the stories I'ma-Annah tells her of before and during the Great Flood. However, she was unaware of the enemies her mother made years earlier when Karen was involved in the death of Great King Nimr-Rada.

When Shoshannah goes to visit relatives, leaving behind Kaleb, the man she plans to be betrothed to, Karen finally warns her daughter of the danger of going to the Great City. Both Karen's sister, Sharah, and brother, Ra-Anan, would like nothing better than to kill Karen. Nevertheless, events force Shoshannah to go through the Great City and her cruel relatives take her captive.

A Crown in the Stars is a bittersweet finish to an excellent trilogy. It was very sad to see the falls of mankind, first with the Flood and then the Tower of Babel, through the eyes of the three women: Annah, Karen, and Shoshannah. Each of their stories were beautifully written and seemed so realistic.

The Drama of Scripture provides a big-picture look at God's relationship to humanity as the creation and dream of God. The authors analogize the Biblical story to a 6 act play consisting of the following acts: Creation, Fall, God Chooses Israel, Coming of the King, Spreading the News (Church), The Return of the King.

The theme running through the book is God's desire and commitment to his original creation idea and his willingness to restore the fallen world through a personal sacrifice.

The authors follow the narrative of scripture from Genesis to Revelation with the addition of the Maccabee story in Israel's history. They offer some in depth writing on few topics while offering a comprehensive survey of the story promoted as the metanarrative for all people. They tie in the events to the theme of God's mission for humanity.

This overview of scripture would be helpful to readers trying to see the story of the Bible in a more condensed form. It reminded me of the mission of the church today, as the authors stress the unfinished business of the church and God's Spirit on earth. The chapters on the church's mission are most creative and enthusiastic; however, the authors zip through the concluding chapter on The Return of the King and the discussion of Revelation and end times.

The authors stress that God's plan is for total restoration of creation not partial restoration. They identify areas where Israel went astray from its mission and where the church may be missing the mark today.

Overall, a very helpful book but one that may be too elemental for mature students of the Bible.

The Drama of Scripture" (213 p.) by Bartholomew and Goheen is an excellent read! I don't know much about Bartholomew but Michael Goheen did his dissertation on the missional ecclesiology of Lesslie Newbigin who is really the father of missional theology and has been very influential to many of the emerging church leaders. This book was designed for an intro course in Biblical Theology. The authors want the reader to become familiar with the storyline of Scripture, and help articulate a biblical worldview to live out as God's sent people. They write, "The Drama of Scripture tells the biblical story of redemption as a unified, coherent narrative of God's ongoing work within his kingdom (11)." They argue for a narrative reading from Genesis to Revelation. It is similar to a popular form of Dempster's "Dominion and Dynasty." Scripture should form our metatnarrative. They use the theme of kingdom to structure the book in 6 acts: Creation, Fall, Redemption Initiated, (Intertestamental Period), Redemption Accomplished, The Mission of the Church, and Redemption Completed.
They basically walk through the storyline of Scripture, with an eye to missional living throughout. I highly recommend this book! The chapter on the intertestamental period was very insightful for setting the background of the Jews and the coming of Christ. I also appreciated the emphasis on inaugurated eschatology, and the emphasis on the cosmic scope of redemption. 5 out of 5.
Quotes:
"Furthermore, the kingdom of God has arrived in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Two great figures stand at the entrances to two worlds: Adam stands at the gate of the old world, Jesus at the gate of the new. Adam's first sin inaugurated the old age and brought sin, death, and condemnation. Now in Jesus a new day of righteousness, life, and justification has come (Romans 5:12-21). If we are 'in Adam', we are part of the old age and under its sway. But if we are 'in Christ', we are part of the age to come and can already experience God's life-giving power" (189)
"If our lives are to be shaped and formed by Scripture, we need to know the biblical story well, to feel it in our bones. To do this, we must also know our own place within it--where we are int the story" (197)
"Salvation is not an escape from creational life into 'spiritual' existence: it is the restoration of God's rule over all of creation and all of human life. Neither is salvation merely the restoration of a personal relationship with God, important as that is. Salvation goes further: it is the restoration of the whole life of humankind and ultimately of the nonhuman creation as well" (199)
For similar theology and outlook, see N.T. Wright's article on how the Bible can be authoritative (they have been greatly influenced by his work), Dempster's book, Robert's book God's Big Picture, and Hoekema's book The Bible and the Future.

This book is excellent. The texts takes its reader through the story of Scripture as a large play full of characters and a director.

Bartholomew and Goheen's perspectives on God at work with His people is very inspiring. I have gained many great insights from their theological perspectives but also I have gained a "bigger picture" of the story of God's actions through history.

I have already recommended this book to several people and highly recommend more to read it. God has been at work at restoring his creation for all time. This book really helps a reader grasped that.

As an added bonus, the authors include many theological and historical insights along the journey of the play. These have been helpful to grasp more of what God is doing with man.

DEFINITELY READ IT!

I'm not sure what other reviewers are so ecstatic about, but this book is decent. It certainly serves as good introduction to the Bible's own story. The authors come from a perspective whose assumptions I don't share as they leaves more questions unanswered than they answer. Given the value of the book, I would point out that the authors do not deal with the Mosaic covenant well. It seems that may be because of the goal of the authors--they want to introduce readers to the biblical narrative without diving deeply into its theology. Nonetheless, what they do choose to address concerning the Mosaic covenant is how all of Israel's life was supposed to reflect the character of God. Like one reviewer mentioned, these authors have a missional agenda; this is clearly reflected in what they choose to cover (and they choose not to) and how they frame things. This left me disappointed, for example, of how they address the covenants of Scripture (and election). The reader may find Michael Horton's God of Promise an ideal way to follow this one.

the bible is way more than a big book of isolated verses to claim for helping oneself spiritually. the bible is the "story" of God's unfolding plan of redemption throughout history, from creation in genesis, and it's fall into sin, and then climaxing in the new creation vision of revelation ch. 21 and 22. This wonderful book shows this story from start to finish and shows how the biblical story of God's salvation unfolds and holds together. This book has some truly eye opening material about what the bible is all about, it should be required reading for anyone wanting to understand the bible according to the bible's own thematic structure. Don't miss this one!