Authors Books

When a disaster directly affects us--an earthquake, a hurricane, a car accident on the freeway--we respond in different ways. Writing as a widely consulted expert on adapting to change and crisis, author Laura Day explains four different reactions to crisis: denial, anxiety, rage and depression. Most of us experience one or more of these typical reactions as we respond to the sudden setbacks and unexpected difficulties of our lives.

Yet instead of these largely negative reactions, Day believes we can train ourselves to respond to a crisis with positive energy, transforming what might have seemed disastrous into a life-changing experience that fills us with hope, vision, and fresh energy. The difference is not the depth or difficulty of the experience, but rather our attitude as we encounter it.

Counselor to the star and guest on major TV shows, Day believes instead of fearing change, she believes, we should learn to expect change and be empowered by it. The worst of circumstances can be transformed if we are willing to adjust our perspective.

As Day writes on page 77, "To be effective in your life...you need to grow from your experiences, rather than being derailed by them." This is the primary thrust of Welcome to Your Crisis, as the author teaches us that even a major disaster can become a stepping-stone to personal growth.

Many of her ideas are not new, yet she explains them with a fresh voice. Readable and easy to understand, her prose keeps you moving forward, turning the pages and continuing to learn.

Decide who you want to be, Day insists, rather than letting the difficult moments of life define you and limit your future. Transform the negative thoughts, attitudes and feelings
that you encounter into warmer, more confident beliefs and values.

"Good lives are not easy," Day writes on page 219, "they require daily acts of adaptation, courage, and love." Clearly, the author supports the idea that all of us can learn to face our challenges in these ways--and by doing so we can improve our own lives and the lives of those we encounter.

Armchair Interviews says: Thought-provoking information.

Thsi book is a fabulous book for those in need of solace and direction. Perfect to help in any type of crisis management situation. A must read.

I felt guided to this book by a higher power -- and boy, am I glad I listened to that voice. (Or rather, to those Voices!) For so long, I was burning my candle at both ends, to steal a line from Edna St. Vincent Millay. And nothing seemed good enough, until my own personal crisis arrived. Well, needless to say, this book was -- as you can tell from the cute little life preserver on the cover art -- a lifesaver! Many blessings to you, Laura.

Life Changing.

Crisis or not, this book will help you find a new path if you let it. Your true path. The simple tools and ideas in the book provide immediate direction. Hope. Energy. I'm a big fan of this author, I absolutely adore "The Circle" and "Crisis" takes her work to great new heights.

It is personal and practical and immeasurably powerful.

Thank you, Laura Day.

Laura Day narrates her own journey out of a crisis ... first through the tragic loss of her mother at 14 ... and then the devastating divorce that left her life in tatters ... to its gifts of healing and intuitive ability and career as a writer and speaker. Laura Day has been there herself ... a crisis ... and the stakes have been high ... but she pulled herself out of it ... and now shares the tools that became her lifeline. Day addresses the unique response styles and how you can make them work for you in a crisis. Best of all she has set up a website for this specific book with resources and group support so you need not go through this alone. I first met Laura Day at a Circle workshop on the East Coast in 2002 and returned to her work when she published the Crisis. More than any other self-help book on the market, this is stunning in its brilliant simplicity. No New Age blame game, no woo-woo, no magical thinking. A great tool to have in a self-help tool kit that keeps you empowered with YOURSELF.

Day emphasizes the gift of a crisis because you cannot go back to the past. This is the best advice in the book. It is like an old episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation where Captain Jean-Luc Picard is given a chance to return to his youth and change destiny. Instead of having the trauma of a fight in a bar that lead to his receiving an artificial heart, Jean-Luc averts the disaster. Good? Not really because when he returns to the present he discovers that his life has been mediocre rather than stellar. In fact, he is a low-level ship mate who is not seen to have any leadership ability! The gift of his crisis was the development of impeccable judgment and calculated risk taking. Jean-Luc opts to go back and claim his sacred wound and returns again the Star Fleet legend and Captain of the Enterprise. This old storyline depicts Laura Day's wisdom on why the rock bottom of a crisis can actually be starting point of a brand new life that outshines the old.

I read this one even faster than the last 6. I was so sad to realize this series is over. Felt a little better to find out the author is coming out with another series that will include some of the original characters.
Great reading!!
Book was in wonderful condition and arrived very quickly!
Thanks
Connie in NC

This is a spiritually stimulating series full of warmth and wit and a delight to read. It captured my interest and my heart. Good job!! A series everyone should read - you will be a better person for it. Peggy Touchtone ShollyDown Home Delicious

I enjoyed the book, but I was a little disappointed that it was so short. Overall it was a decent ending to a great series.

Now that I have finished the Yada Yada series, I am grieving that it is done. I have so enjoyed these books from start to finish. The author does a great job showcasing the power of our Lord without being "preachy". I have learned a lot about my own prayer life while reading these.

This is to be the final in the Yada Yada series and it wraped things up nicely. I've enjoyed the whole series as its been an encouragement to see how other Christians handle LIFE. I felt the Sisters had worked out major differences between themselves and were better equiped to live life following Jesus. Great Ending

I bought this book for one story but it turned out all of the stories were great.

Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings always makes me cry. The other reviews of this book here describe it so eloquently and throughly that I don't feel the need to add to that aspect. The book has a strong emotional pull that made me cry and made long to go to Cross Creek and see it for myself. Rawlings is one of my all-time favorite writers, ever since my seventh-grade teacher read the newly published book The Yearling to her class, a chapter or two each day after lunch.

Wonderful view of an isolated place in FL (near Gainesville) circa 1930 written by a brave, independent woman.

Cross Creek is a series of entertaining if perhaps embellished anecdotes relating to Florida in the years preceding World War II told from the perspective of a educated emigré from the North. Some of the language, which was typical of the times, would no longer be considered politically correct and might be offensive to some. The book, however is totally delightful and gives some insight into life in rural Florida at the time. An excellent companion read is Tom Glisson's The Creek, which gives a native's view of the same time and area. Both books are a must read if you live or are interested in North Central FL.

Rawlings explores the lives and interations of the odd assortment of people living in Cross Creek, Florida in the early 1900s. It is often assigned reading for teens, but I doubt that most of them can appreciate it. Her accounts of neighbors feuding and subsistance living gives us many lessons in human behavior.
The lyrical descriptions of wildlife and the orange groves and wild landscape are very appealing. Your mouth waters as you read her essays on downhome foods like hush puppies. She turned those into a cookbook which I'll have to try out.
Modern readers squirm uncomfortably at her use of the N----- word and her characterization of blacks as irresponsible, drunken, immoral, etc. It is probably a faithful representation of common thinking at the time it was written, so recognize it as a snapshot of the times. Then move past that to luxuriate in the beautiful passages in the book. (I deducted 1 star for this)
The reader becomes absorbed in Rawlings' love of the land and the creation of a home. It gives much the same feelings as A Year in Provence or Under a Tuscan Sun.

There are already more than enough books on the publishing process and the nuts and bolts of publishing yourself or finding a publisher.

What was lacking was a book that talked about the love/hate relationship I have with my book, that made me feel part of something bigger and let me know I was not alone in my journey.

I thought other authors knew things, and had confidence in their work 24/7 without fail. I thought I was a freak for not being totally sure of my book and my abilities as a writer.

A Book is Born showed me this process is painful for everyone. It is confusing for everyone. It is scary for everyone.

I cannot express how relieved I felt as I got to the end of the book, my only regret was that I wasn't published by Wyatt-MacKenzie...all the women felt so supported by the publishing house I actually thought I might have made the wrong decision regarding self-publishing.

But even if I did make the wrong decision, it's something that happens to everyone. While I write my next book I'll refer back to A Book is Born early and often to remind me my journey is not a unique one, and that the feelings I have while my book is being born are natural and normal.

I wish I had this book when I started out on this writing journey over six years ago. A Book is Born is a wonderful, informative, fun read for all the writers out there. All the inside secrets and how to's are shared in a fun way.

Reading this book is like having a mocha latte at a corner Starbuck's and getting the scoop on this writing journey from some of the best writers there are!

Thanks, Nancy. What a great read!

Trish Berg
Author, Book Reviewer
[...]

Rattled: Surviving Your Baby's First Year Without Losing Your Cool

The Great American Supper Swap - Solving the Busy Woman's Family Dinnertime Dilemma

Nancy Cleary's "A Book is Born" is a hands-on, photo and graphic-filled blueprint for the regular person to use starting when they're tossing around an idea to get published, all the way through actual publication. Told from the point of view of 24 different authors as they journey from book idea to publishing that book, there is always a different voice to tune into if one person's perspective isn't the direction you're interested in. With so many unique voices, Cleary shows that there are as many techniques to prepare for publishing and the aftermath of publicity as there are writers. Very easy to read, extremely helpful for the frazzled writer in the midst of publishing chaos. Cleary breaks the demons of publishing down into easy steps, and offers solutions for the up-and-coming writer. A fun essential for any writer. Cleary's concise and practical book makes the trip toward publication a natural and interesting journey. Definitely order one!

I spent the weekend reading this book and found it truly inspiring. It was wonderful to hear about all the women's experiences and the paths they took, going through the process. The touch of "baby" humor throughout was an added bonus.

All the advice given throughout the book will help any aspiring author reach their dream, including myself. This book offers both encouragement and motivation. A great read!

As a first time author, I have been struggling with the complexities of how to get from point A (writing) to point B (published). This book provided really practical information: details about terminology, chronological checklists, and actual experiences related by authors. I enjoyed the tales of the authors even as I was being instructed by them. The book is like a user's manual supplemented with "dream potion recipes", and will undoubtedly launch the careers of a new generation of writers who have been waiting in the wings for stage directions.

Whatever else they do in life, Nancy Cleary and co-authors have left a legacy of impactful guidance that will further the goals of storytellers yet unrecognized.

Boricuas, an anthology edited by Roberto Santiago, should be in the classroom library of all high school English teachers. Although it is focused on the writings of Puerto Ricans, its universal themes transcend all barriers when included as part of a thoughtful curriculum.
I have been able to use pieces from this book in themes on Identity, Human Rights, American Identity, and Nationalism. I know of teachers who have used this book from high school classes to college courses. It is that versatile. I write this review in the hopes that Mr. Santiago will consider the following request in creating a second edition.
It would be most helpful if some biographical information was included about the authors. There have been some more "influential" writings since the book's publication, specifically "Changing Race" By Clara E. Rodriguez, my former professor, who is already included in the book. It would also be nice, perhaps as an addendum or a separate chapter, that some pieces of historical significance, such as En mi Viejo San Juan in Spanglish, by Pedro Pietri, or WTC by new contemporary poetess La Bruja, would be added. An overview of "scientific" journals and writings both controversial and insulting would be good in a chapter on how Puerto Ricans were "viewed" by the outside. This would be a good counter point and provide the context for the need for self identification and pride.

I love this book! Its got lots of different stories and poems that can fit any Puerto Rican. It really is worth it

Art, Poetry, Short Stories, Drawings. Stories of Religion, from Catholic, to Santeria. From growing up in hungry in the streets of Spanish Harlem, to growing up in the rural areas of La Isla. From being a street hood, to being a Chico and The Man Tv Star. Boricuas, is destined to be a classic. In this collection you get only the best, from the best Puerto Rican writers and poets. Piri Thomas, Esmeralda Santiago, Judith Cofer, Nicholasa Mohr, just to name a few of these talented writters. What I love the most about this book is that it will introduce many Puerto Ricans as well as the rest of the world to the many talented Boricua authors there are. This book will fill you with pride and joy, if you are ever thinking of that perfect gift for that young adult Boricua in your life, this is it.

This book has enlightened me. I know I am not alone in my thoughts. All the feelings I have towards the Puerto Rican struggle for recognition and respect have been expressed and shared throughout this book. Every word brought about different ideas and views on what has been taken away from Puerto Rico. Every Puerto rican should read this and learn about our past and opinions of fellow latinos. This book has opened up and filled a void at once.TO Piri Thomas, Edwin Torres, Pedro Albizu Campos, Esmeralda Santiago and Even Freddie Prinze, I thank you. I feel as if I have discovered I do have a past and yet there is so much more I need to learn. Thank you.
This book should be used in school. Latinos have be deprived of our hertiage along with every other minority. Give it to your children, as a matter of fact READ IT WITH YOUR KIDS.

This book contains a splendid collection of stories about Puerto Rican life by Puerto Ricans. It is an insightful reference tool and an eye operner for the many who may not know much less understand their roots.

Puerto Rico's existence has been a complex one and it is still evolving. By collecting the voices of so many talented observers in a single volume, Roberto Santiago provides a living record for those who want to learn, to ponder, to think. A must read!

An enjoyable read; the stories are well-written and a perfect length for a little reality check in between a mom's busy day. I especially liked it because the setting is familiar ground to me (both in regards to raising little kids and in the geographic locale).

This book reminds me of my four awesome daughters when they were young. They were very close in age and life was hectic, but wonderful!
Ms Hohlbaum paints a picture of parenting that is true to life, inspirational and humorous. The book is so interesting, it is hard to put it down.
I will definitely pass this entertaining and heart-warming book to by three daughters who have children of their own.

Francine Larson: Co-Author of "Character Keys to a Bright Future."

As grandmother to a toddler, I am constantly being reminded of the day-to-day trials and joys of being mom to a preschooler. Ms. Hohlbaum's book cemented those memories and gave me some new potential disasters (adventures?) to contemplate. I plan to share this book with my daughter, so she'll remember to laugh when everything goes wrong.

Ms. Hohlbaum's writing style is clear and entertaining. I finished this book in no time at all. Busy moms will find time to read it in the bathroom, in doctors' office waiting rooms, and in the car waiting for school to let out or sports practice to end.

It was over all too soon. I laughed, cried, and laughed some more remembering my own children's antics. I was sorely disappointed when it ended before I was ready for it, silently begging for more.

It's a gift for any newly married couple, any couple thinking about having children, men who think they know, mothers in the throes of their own epiphanies, grandmothers, premarital counselors as a job tool, and single friends who don't understand.

In an age of parenting experts, Christine Hohlbaum has written a delightful collection of stories from the real trenches of motherhood. Mothers (and fathers!) will see themselves throughout Diary of a Mother; it's honest, funny, and wonderfully universal.

For some reason I didn't think this was going to be a very good book when I selected it. Boy was I wrong, it's a great book. My husband who is not a reader, unless its something to do with sports, is reading it.

Sue O'Neill brings home all the craziness of being in a war. This collection gives a firsthand account of just what it was like to be there and reveals the humanity on a new level. I especially recommend it for the children of vets whose mothers or father may have never come home or never have talked about the war.

Other Amazon customer reviews have done a great job of outlining the subject matter of these stories. But the stories, which are fine pieces individually, are also wonderfully orchestrated in this collection. Some stories are poignant, some are dark with flashes of humor, and 'Monkey On Our Backs' is laugh-out-loud funny from beginning to end. The stories benefit from both a common thread and great variety, and the overall effect, with recurring characters, is a bit like reading an episodic novel.

Above all, Susan O'Neill is an excellent storyteller, a writer who has mastered her craft. I hope we're going to see more stories from her. I would expect her narratives to be compelling whether set in a war or not. Highly recommended.

I live in Indonesia (where I grew up), and do most of my reading during fairly frequent and extended surf safaris on boats. I ordered DON'T MEAN NOTHING from Amazon, and when it arrived, I read the first couple stories and then forced myself to put the book away, saving it for precious boat-time reading material. I just got back from my latest trip, and I tell you, I read two stories a day, taking them like a illicit drug. And like an addict, when the book came to end, I was severely wishing there were another dozen to read.

Anybody who's reading this review already knows the collection is set in Vietnam during the war, told from the original perspective of medical personnel working with war casualties. But as with all great stories-or at least, the kind of stories I really love-the authentic and intriguing details of setting and scene only serve to enhance the characters, and it was this assemble of ordinary folk (acting pretty much as ordinary folk would in extraordinary situations) that made the collection such a riveting read for me. The story "Butch" made me-macho surfer dude--misty-eyed, and "Monkey on Our Banks" made me laugh out loud, because I knew a monkey just like that one in my boarding school (it once stole and ate a bunch of candy laxative, with predictable results in the girls' dorm).

As an oftentimes struggling and paper-ripping writer, I marveled at author O'Neill's way with words that don't get in the way yet do immaculate service to the story. But mostly, I so enjoyed the reading that my inner critic never made a peep.

Highly recommended.

Sue O'Neill along with Mary Reynolds Powell (A World Of Hurt) and Sharon Grant Wildwind (Dreams That Blister Sleep) is one of a rare breed of women who not only flew 10,000 miles into a war zone to support an Army whose average age was 19 (in WW II it was 26), she also had the strength and the vision to write about her experiences.

Don't Mean Nothing is an essential Nam book, along with the late Lynda Van Devanter's Home Before Morning. While I don't accept that the war was literally unwinnable, I totally agree that the way it was being fought, with no sense of a Win Scenario at any time, resulted in a mindless and sickening waste of human life - on both sides.

President Johnson, the simpleton who put more than 500,000 US troops in harm's way, yet never defined a Win Scenario or Exit Strategy, once boasted that the Air Force "couldn't even bomb an outhouse" without his approval. Similarly, the target selection for the Rolling Thunder bombing campaign in which the US lost 922 aircraft, was carried out at cozy White House lunches, without a single Air Force commander being present.

Sue's anger at a mind-numbingly incompetent Government, who denied Ho Chi Minh a fair crack at democratic elections (which he may well have won) by installing the hateful and corrupt Diem in the South, is well stated.

These stories take you under the hood, behind the propaganda and the lies and put you right there in the middle of a war that either should never have happened or which should have been fought very differently at the very least.

A great writer. A great human being.

Initially I borrowed this book from a friend and read it at bedtime. The short chapters are perfect for a quick read at bedtime, while waiting at the doctor, etc. Phillip Gulley is fabulous at taking the "normalcy" of life and applying Biblical principles to deepen the experience. His humor causes me to laugh out loud repeatedly. This is a fun and fresh way to look at the Eccelesiastes text. After devouring my friend's copy, I purchased this one to share with my dad. He is loving it as well!

Philip Gulley uses the words of Ecclesiastes, "For everything there is a season", as a springboard for essays on life. He happens to live in the small town of Danville, Indiana, where he grew up, so his stories have to do with the people and customs of his small town. Gulley is a Quaker pastor who holds to traditional values and the sovereignty of God, but this doesn't hinder his sly wit or wry observations on the absurdities of modern-day life. His choices of stories range from the addition of a screen door to his home under "A Time to Build" to a list of his prejudices and pet peeves under "A Time to Gather Stones Together". This is a good book to read a bit at a time as each chapter stands alone. It's also a good way to escape from stress and to get a laugh and a new perspective on life.

I was given a copy of this book by my sister, Mrs. Fruits, who is featured in the "a time to let go" chapter. I also have a signed copy. This is a wonderful book (along with Phil's others) to pick up when one needs a spiritual "pick me up". I have circulated these delightful books through the membership of my Episcopal church and have incorporated some of his stories into sermons. I am a Hoosier from Hendricks County who now lives in Washington State and it is often a nostalgic trip for me when I travel the roads and streets of Indiana in Phil's books. But anyone could benefit from these stories about every day people dealing with every day life.

This is an excellent book, as are all of Philip Gulley's. They are "feel good" books, and I enjoy them all. Although this particular book is not a story evolving around the local townspeople, as are many of his, it is still an inspiring read. I hope Mr. Gulley continues to crank out his particular type of humor/inspiration for years to come!

What a great book about the sweet simple side of life. It made me want to move to the author's small town and settle in with my family. I have enjoyed everything I have read so far by this author.

This is an ageless book on what every person who wants to be successful needs to model. My wife's Uncle, who was highly successful in his time as an executive, gave this book as a graduation gift to every loved one he knew. You just can't lose with such ageless advice.

I can't believe I am 50 and never heard of this book until a co-worker loaned it to me. What a great gift! Who wants to do unimportant and uninteresting things? On a dare, anyone can practice his Four-Fold Development/Four Square Living. Make your checker, sign your name inside and draw the words around it:
Stand Tall
Think Tall
Smile Tall
Live Tall
Or: Play, work, love and worship. Body, brain, heart, soul.
I'll never walk in the shade again. He says the warmth and power of the sun enters your system. Its rays give your face a glow and you reflect sunshine to others.

This I DARE YOU (MP3 CD) version will NOT PLAY ON A CD PLAYER. IT ONLY PLAYS on a computer.
I was a little disappointed since I purchased it to play in the car and on a portable cd player. It only plays on the computer disk player. I'll have to download it myself to an audio MP3 format. It must have been recorded as a DATA file. The narrator is a little momo-toned and I was very surprised that I zoned out on a self-help type CD. There are 14 chapters that run anywhere from 2 minutes 16 seconds to 26 minutes 14 seconds. Some are short, most are average 5-10 minutes.

The "I Dare You plan," first published in 1938 for the young and young at heart, is brightly authored by William H. Danforth, founder of the Purina Company. Written in scoutmaster style, this little gem will have you saluting to adventure. It is precise, simple, and uplifting.

"That is the first principle that I want thoroughly to fix in your mind--that life is a four-sided affair--that your daring program is going to lead you into physical adventures, mental adventures, social adventures, spiritual adventures. You have not one, but four lives to live--a four-fold opportunity to grow. A body, a brain, a heart, and a soul--these are our living tools. To use them is not a task. It is a golden opportunity. To find new capacities within you is not robbing you of any pleasure. It is bringing new treasures into every waking hour. It is helping you touch life at all angles, absorb strength from all contacts, pour out power on all fronts." Danforth adds "How dare you have within yourself these four-fold capacities and not use them?"

Like to be riveted into action? This book will do it. You will also feel rather selfish after the first reading (for witholding your dynamite). Go over it again several times. Mine is highlighted at every point (and there are many). I suggest you study I Dare You! along with the vintage movie "Fighting Father Dunne" (1948).

As one of the other reviewers noted, I too read this original book from my father's library when I was [...], in the 50s. Although almost forgotten, when I was writing articles on leadership, I realized this may have been the single most important book I had read...and used throughout life, becoming a leader in every...yes every...organization I belonged to, from high school Senior class President, college fraternity President, Band president(s), VP-Pres. elect of a national association, President of a state-wide organization, to Editor of a writers Quarterly and business owner. Now at 71, and looking back, "I Dare You" is quite possibly the only book necessary for directions in life. It's not about "success" or "money," it's about being your best and being the best FOR everyone around you.

This is one of the bases for the movie "Wonderland" but reading this book will creep you out on J.M.Barrie. You might never really like Peter Pan again. Author had access to his papers, letter, diaries etc. Very weird stuff.

I read this book over 15 years ago in an attempt to find out who the author of Peter Pan really was, and what his life was like. It was not a pleasant or easy read. I wanted to forget all about it and just have the enchantment of "Peter Pan," but as with the real life of the author and photographer of "Alice in Wonderland," the truth can wound deeply. But lies and half-truths can never reveal the relationship between biography and art, so one must often face much disturbing information in order to understand the art itself. This is not to say that art is reducible to biography; it is not. There is, nevertheless, a kind of dialectic (God, I do hate to sound so gawdawful jargony, but when it so plain, other words just do not work) between the life of a genius and the art of the same individual. The truth of art can only come from the struggle between an artist's vision and the life that made such a vision a necessity. Yes, a necessity: there are those artists whose lives were so fraught with sheer catastrophe that revelation through a skewed fantasy can be so powerful as to take on a "life" of its own. And this is why it is so grievous to "paint-over" the unpleasant details of such a life. There was a recent film with an appropriately disturbing title: in the attempt to not really "find" Neverland in Barrie's life, the art itself is drained of its truly tragic roots. At the time such "nice" little fantasies are presented, they seem so harmless, but they are not. Successful attempts to eradicate truth can also eradicate the depth of the art itself. "Neverland" is a word that begs a little attention: a land where children "never grow up." This is not to say that they physically die - no - instead they live their lives, as did Barrie, in a desolate, lifeless, and desperately lonely "land" and try, from within their internal isolation, to bring others along for the rides to nowhere and "never." Where else could such a person bring another? If one lives in "Neverland" of the mind, there is nowhere else to lead another - nowhere else to go. And if we do not face unpleasant truths as they are revealed in the crucible where life and art meet, we learn nothing further from the art. It is better, actually, to know nothing of an artist's life than to be fed untruths. I would suggest the readers either read this book and/or see Peter Pan, but would urge them *not* to see Peter Pan after experiencing a false represenation - no matter how "well-performed" the falsehood is presented. The play or story would be meaningless. The truths, whatever you choose to make of them are here in this book, like it or not. And once the genie is out of the bottle (such as when you have been fed a disingenuous Hollywood film or other disingenuous account), to refrain from the truths of an artist's life is a violation of the art. No one can any longer understand or be truly moved by Peter Pan, much less try to interpret it based upon a sugar-coated Hollywood paint-job. And the effect goes on: if other artists were inspired by Barrie's work (perhaps because it touched the nerves of their own catastrophic lives), and all we have is a candy-coated film, their art and whatever in their lives might have inpired their interest in Barrie's work is also distorted. I do not know if truth sets anyone "free," but I do know that untruths distort and harm. And then the distortion goes on . . . This book cuts deep, but struggles for truths, which is what a biography of an artistic genius should try very hard to do.

I found this book to be a well-researched and moving account of not only Barrie's life but also the lives and deaths of the original "Lost Boys". After reading this book, I read Peter Pan again in a whole new light and enjoyed it even more. I think reading this book is essential in order to fully appreciate the entire Peter Pan experience as it truly helps to bring the characters alive.

Having found this little book before the advent of the film "Finding Neverland" I was able to read it originally without comparing it to the film, always a good thing. The film, of course, changed much of the true story as films usually do. This book standing alone as far better, but note, it is not a happy story with a happy ending, it is a tragedy, and no one is left unscathed.
The photographs, almost all, were taken by Barrie himself, and are absolutely wonderful. He had a natural artistic sense, and his unposed photos of the five Llewelyn Davies boys, Michael, George, Peter, Jack, and Nico at their play, stay with you. They are dressed in the Edwardian clothes of the time, or in costumes they wore in the elaborate make-believe games they played with their childlike grownup friend Mr Barrie, and those are truly memorable in themselves. Often they are playing with J.M. Barrie's large dog, and one can't help but think of the big dog, Nanna, in Peter Pan, it's acutally quite eerie, seeing that the play "Peter Pan" itself wouldn't be written yet for years.
J.M. Barrie came from a lower class Scottish family, and in childhood lost an older brother to illness. His mother took to her bed griefstricken, for a long period, and once, trying to cheer her, young Barrie put on the older brother's clothes and went to see his mother. For just a moment she thought it was the older brother, and he seemed to see happiness in her eyes; for all his life, the message stayed with him, the boy who would never grow up was the loved boy.
He was a strange, brilliant, gentle, childlike man. Highly regarded in his own time, considered a great playwright, equivilent to George Barnard Shaw in his day; and very prosperous due to his books and plays, married, but childless, and probably not very happy in his marriage which would end in divorce, one day in Kensington Park he saw one of the five young Llewelyn Davies brothers. They struck up a friendship, based on Barrie being quite willing to talk to a child on the child's level. Soon after, he met the rest of the family, who were impressed to meet the famous playwright. Their family was also upper class, well to do, but would soon lose their father to cancer, they would thenceforth be in precarious financial straits. Barrie immediately became a combination father/ big brother to the boys. He also became close friends with their mother Sylvia Llewelyn Davies, but not, I suspect, to the degree the movie implies. It was all about the boys, their innocence, and something he wished to capture and hold on to. His obsessive photography of them makes that clear.
Tragedy struck again, unbelievably, when their mother died of cancer as well, at a young age, after a relatively brief illness. By then Barrie was such a part of their lives that his continued influence, and the benefit of his money in seeing to it that all five boys finished school in the manner befitting their "class", was accepted by the boys' extended family. He stayed involved in all their lives indefinitely, though it is interesting that he had his favorites, and the two who were not favorites resented and disliked him as they grew older.
The book stops with the boys' growing up, though he did stay involved with them as a surrogate parent. Tragedy did hound the family, but unlike some reviewers I am not sure that it can be blamed on JM Barrie's role in their lives. In fact, without him, financially they would have far worse off.
It is true the boy named Peter resented that the play was named "Peter Pan", and of course he was teased at school, and Barrie probably should have thought of that. (Of course without Barrie he most likely wouldn't have been at Eton to be teased.)
Two footnotes: all the proceeds of the play went to the Children's Hospital in London for 100 years, until recently with the 100 years anniversary, the copyright ran out, and now it is in the public domain. No proceeds of his biggest success ever went to Barrie.
Also, the girl's name: "Wendy", was first used in the play. It was an unknown name before that. Barrie used it in memory of a young daughter of a friend who was named Wendy, and who died at age 5. (Not known where that family got the name from, or if it was a nickname.) It was not a name known previously and "Peter Pan" popularized it.
Its an excellent book, an opening via the photographs into another long-gone time, a sad story, but not I believe, due to Barrie. I believe he meant well, and tried his best to be a friend to that unfortunate family. He had his demons as do we all, but to "love" children, in that era, to befriend them, and even play with them when they were pre-teens, could still occur without any implication of perversity; and even to sleep with a child, the concern of one reviewer, was, at the end of the Victorian world, seen as a pure and innocent act, like a parent and child might sleep together...I think it is hard for us in our cynical age to see things as the late Victorians/Edwardians did. No whisper of scandal or of anything improper ever came from any of the five boys, their family, servants, or anyone else connected with them; and I think had there been it certainly would have come to light. I believe he truly loved the boys, and they in turn, after he knew them several years, and had observed their play and their natural talk and style, influenced him to write his masterpiece "Peter Pan".

Prompted by the movie "Finding Neverland" I wanted to learn more about the Davies family and their relationship with Barrie. My research lead me to this book. The tragic story of the boys and Barrie was an eye opening read. Birkin is an artful weaver of ancedotes, interviews and history. While I was reading the book I got lost.I started feeling like I was an intimate friend of the families, instead of curious observer. Furthermore, Birkin's website has been updated with more pictures and media files. The website coupled with the book really saturates you into the life of the 5 boys and the mindof the man who loved them very much. A beautiful account of a flawed and tragic life.