Works Books

Jeremy Cowart is an incredible photographer. If you have a heart for Africa, you will absolutely love this book. It has a good balance of quotes and photographs.

I bought this book along with "Vanishing Africa" and I am pleased with its quality. I am happy I bought it, because I feel it brought me closer to Africa.

This book is amazing. It draws the reader into the lives of the African people! It stirred my heart to prayer and made me love them even more!

There are few words to describe Cowart's work and Jenna's commentary. If this book made it's way into every household in America, Africa would look like a completely different country, because we could not help but be moved to action.

The pictures are beautiful; some of them are only templates begging for words, but they convey the stuff that Africa is made off: the wood, the mud... The children's faces are smiling, always innocent and beautiful. The older people show resilience, dignity, and an expression that seems to say: 'It's done, I'm almost there'. The more enigmatic faces are of those in between, the young and middle ages; they are going through it. Most of these people dress clean clothes, specially the women. The book does a good job in that it makes the pictures alive, and their protagonists almost speak to us (although whatever they say depends on the listener).

One gets an idea of what Africa looks like. The landscapes under ominous skies, the muddy lanes, the water streams in front of the doors threatening with floods. I felt, however, that I wanted to know more about specifics in these people's lives. Their problems are mentioned as in headlines. I know it wasn't meant to be for this book but, still, I feel I would have liked to know even just a little more about those people in the pictures, from themselves, in their words.

This book was a shock to me. It's not just a book of annotations, it's also a history of Ireland, literature, language, and nearly everything else Joyce decided to allude to in his masterpiece. I never would have guessed that just reading the annotations (without the source text) would make good reading, but that is certainly the case here. You do not by any means need this book to enjoy Ulysses, but it does give remarkable insight into the mind behind it

I am still digesting "Ulysses." I read it while walking around Dublin a few years ago. It was marvelous to trace the steps of Leopold and Molly, and to see what they "saw," but the novel remains a distant pleasure to the reader. I must admit it is not the most accessible book ever written, but it gets four stars for its intent ... and that it is better than "Finnegan's Wake." Be warned: This book is not for the casual reader. But this annotated edition makes it all worthwhile. You'll get genuine, comprehensible guidance. If you must read "Ulysses," this edition might be most helpful.

Gifford's book offers fascinating glosses and contextual annotations for Ulysses, but was not quite what I was looking for to help me with my first attempt at the book. The annotations are mostly disjoint explanations of specific allusions and references.

There are other guides to Ulysses that are better suited for the novice Joyce reader, helping the reader to keep track of the plot, the progress of the Odyssey and Hamlet corelations and explaining the shifts in style through the book. This kind of hand-holding may be unnecessary for more sophisticated readers, but for my first read, it was essential!

When I first tucked James Joyce's ULYSSES under my arm, Don Gifford's ULYSSES ANNOTATED was tucked under the other. (My biceps became very well developed because of this.) It took me an entire summer to read the books side by side but how worthwhile it was. Gifford's essential line by line, almost word by word, guidance made ULYSSES less overwhelming than if I had tried to tackle it alone. Once I got through ULYSSES the second time (the following spring) I was able to go to the more overarching analyses of Joyce's masterpiece. Stuart Gilbert's ULYSSES and Richard Ellmann's ULYSSES ON THE LIFFEY were particularly helpful.

Just a heads up that this is NOT an annotated edition of Ulysses (as I mistakenly thought in purchasing)(duh). It is 600-some pages of notes only and does not include the text of the novel.

Better than work with several Jungian therapists - in my experience, this book is the real deal. After a succinct summary of the conscious and unconscious parts of one's being, this fine book provides a pathway between the two via working with dreams and active imagination.

I agree with most of the positive reviews on this book. The author is an excellent writer, and the contents of this book are excellent.

But HarperOne should be ashamed of themselves regarding the quality of the physical book. The paper is so cheap that underlining is rough on the pages. This kind of cheapness is ruining the book business--it's like watching publishing self-destruct.

My recommendation to the writer is to find another publisher in the future.

I really liked this book! Tons of info, personal experiences and suggestions are within on how to work with the unconscious mind in a healthy way. great for magicians, witches, sorcerers and lay folk alike!

I have previously read only one book on dream interpretation and think this one is excellent. I've always steered away from dream interpretation because I thought they were too mental for me. I am by nature an intellectual and caught up in daydreaming most of the time anyway. But Johnson tells me to bring feeling and body into the interpretation process, and that I like.

He also warned against passive daydreaming concerning any real person for they will feel something over the collective unconscious. Compared inner work to marching around the walls of Jericho -- conquering a psychic center might take years of persistent work.

All in all: simple and concise. I recommend it.

This book is a fantastic guide to doing Active Imagination. If you are new to the ideas of Carl Jung, this book has the introduction that you need. I have used the techniques from this book on many occasions, and I know I will keep going back to it. Active Imagination has helped me in working with my compulsions and in understanding my bad habits. This is not a 'self-help' book with catchy slogans and common-sense rephrased kind of book. I found that although dreams and day-dreams seem to be nothing but nonsense, this book helps you to find the hidden treasures in that 'nonsense'.

I loved everything about this book. I particularly enjoyed the card deck. I was unable to put the book down once I got into it. I spent a weekend in a hotel room with this book and a notebook charting my next move in all areas of my life.

It's Your Move inspired me and got me up and moving. This book is a roadmap for anyone that is serious about going to the next level in their life.

Regardless of how old you are and how long you've worked, you can always learn new tools to make you more effective in life. A book that can add to your learning is It's Your Move - Dealing Yourself the Best Cards in Life and Work by Cyndi Maxey and Jill Bremer (Prentice Hall).

The general design of the book and plan is a series of 52 techniques, or "cards", that you can play in your life in order to improve your effectiveness in life. The techniques are grouped into a number of sets: preparation, attitude, visibility, style, presentation, listening, learning, balance, and flexibility. At the end of each chapter, you are instructed to "draw" one of the cards and start to apply it to your life. By not being able to pick and choose what you want to do, you are forced to examine possibilities that you may shy away from if given your choice.

If you've read books of this genre before, you'll recognize a number of the techniques... take risks, set goals, etc. But regardless of how many you've heard before, all it takes is one new idea to propel you forward. Maxey and Bremer have an easy style of writing that makes it simple to understand and incorporate the idea into your life. They also use actual personal stories to help the reader relate to the technique. All good stuff...

Worth reading if you're looking to make a change in your life...

This book was a real eye opener for me in many ways. It's down-to-earth format makes it easy and interesting to read. Within the 253 pages you learn how to enrich your personal,professional,financial and emotional strengths and how to vastly improve your weaknesses. It puts into words and organizes how to deal with almost any challenge one can confront in life and how to succeed and win at the same time. It makes sense! It's a blueprint to becoming or remaining proactive,powerful and self confident.

Although classified as a Business book, this title is really a self-help book. It was confusing for me as a reader, possibly based on my expectations.

Based on the subtitle of the book, I expected that I might see a card deck kind of format clearly presented. I imagined perhaps 52 great ideas that I could use to build my effectiveness. The fan of playing cards on the book cover reinforced that expectation. When I finally got past the pages of the publisher's advertising to reach the table of contents, I found that there were nine "hands," an introduction, a preparatory chapter, and a conclusion. Each hand (examples: attitude, visibility, style, listening, learning) in the table of contents has categories that highlight information and advice that would be helpful for anyone looking for some self-improvement help. There are graphics of success cards at the end of each chapter, but the graphics were not emphasized as well as they could be in the chapters. This is a design issue, rather than content, but the design affects the readability of the book.

Some "players" are introduced in the first chapter, representing composites of readers. The idea here, I believe, is that readers would be able to identify with these characters as they move through the book. These characters do stay with us through the book, but an army of other people pop in and out as examples in various vignettes. This parallel theme confused me as I was trying to follow the players and all the valuable advice being offered by the authors. The result of all these themes, a large number of call-out boxes, and a sans serif typeface made this book seem overly complicated.

Unquestionably, there is a lot of valuable advice in these pages, but be prepared to separate the book you'd like to read from the others that seem to be interwoven with it. The index, which appears just before the closing advertisements from the Financial Times, is helpful. The conclusion includes a survey with check-boxes that will enable the reader to focus on next-steps.

I've read quite a few self-help and business how-to books, and usually they are good for an idea or two. This one goes way beyond that, however. It has more helpful concrete information per square inch than any other business book I've read. I assumed I'd read this, then pass it along or resell it -- but no way! I'm keepin' this puppy. (Buy your own!)

If you want a reality check about the image you project at work, or some ideas about how to break the ice with the boss, or you need to figure out why your ideas just never seem to get the response you'd like at meetings, this book is definitely for you. It doesn't just tell you what to do; it describes a few ways to go about it, describes how each way might be perceived, and then walks you through some practical examples of how to go about trying something new.

I was surprised at how much information the authors included on topics that I hadn't considered much but that, by gosh, really do matter. A lot. This book comes at a topic from all different angles, and gives you quick fixes, easy things to do that are very effective, and also things you can (if you choose) build on if it's something that matters a lot to you. It is extremely thorough, in an easy-to-read way. For example, I've never really paid serious attention to clothes. I have the requisite business attire and know the "rules" -- nothing flashy, good tailoring. But I was fascinated by the discussion of color, different levels of business dress from formal to casual and what really differentiates each level (the unspoken rules that, yes, really do matter), a detailed and intimate talk about details you thought you could only count on a close friend for (bad breath and what really works and what doesn't, taking basic care of your fingernails), and a marvelously sensible talk about how to take care of different fabrics ("Between cleanings, wool garments should be hung out overnight before being put back in a closet. Wool is a resilient fabric and will return to its natural shape if allowed to breathe."). I found myself approaching my closet with new respect.

This is one of only a very few self-help/business books I've ever read that actually resulted in my changing something. And it was easy. I can count at least 4 things I changed immediately, with little effort, after reading this the first time. The chapters on increasing your visibility (hard for us shy types) and attitude and style are worth their weight in gold. The book is very useful as a reference you can go back to for ideas, and for ways to rethink a situation.

This one's a keeper.

I could be verbose and describe the virtues of this book in great detail, but the pictures in this amazing work speak much louder than anything that I could write. He was a man who gave his life for his craft, and this book is a powerful tribute to that craft. Absolutely stunning and indispensable to anyone that wants to understand "that war" and the power of the visual image.

Larry Burrows was and still is a benchmark which other photojournalists should strive to attain. Great book. Buy it.

What is a good photograph even in times of war? Look into this book. Larry Burrow gave us a clear message.

An amazing book, incredible images from the great artist Larry Burrows. Although taken 35 years ago, they are as relevant today as they were then.

This collection of Burrows' work in Vietnam is unbelievable. At great risk, he captured photos of American soldiers and Marines in Vietnam -- photos of young men that seem to leap off the page. Nothing like this has come of coverage of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan -- not because the photos weren't taken, but because of the incredible cowardice and corruption of the American media. This book is a tribute to the courage and skill of one photojournalist, and an imperishable record of the men who fought and died in that war.

Reading his words, we are saddened in knowing he is soon to die a martyr at the young age of 39 by the Nazis. Bonhoeffer fought for biblical truth, and against appeasement. He writes his thoughts (at times very deep and philosophical) from prison, when he entered in 1943 until extradition to another prison over two years later, just before the Allies' liberation in 1945. In his letters to his parents amazingly he is not bitter, but thankful and in good spirits. He was always hopeful. He finds joy in even the smallest of things. Some of the letters we will discover are slightly coded to get through the "checkers". The preface sums it up better than I can: "page by page, these letters show us a picture of life in a prison cell, as it was experienced in all its aspects, with the intimate details of an individual life fused into a striking unity with the disastrous events that were going on in the world outside, a unity produced by an outstanding mind and a sensitive heart."

Much of Bonhoefffer's letters were written to his dear friend Eberhard Bethge. Bonhoeffer expounded with difficult theological questions for Bethge........I would like to hear his answers. Bethge as editor writes the foreword and preface, along with what Bonhoeffer experienced during his final days. The preface is a short biography and explains how the papers came to be.

The two years Bonhoeffer spent in his dreary jail cell he consumed an immense amount of literature; he discusses his favorites. He also gives us a hint of what jail life was like: the solitude, the allied bombings (air-raids), the cell attendants, and his fellow prisoners, whom he does not justify their pathetic cowardly actions; he believed prison was no excuse for poor behavior. Other subjects he touches on is liberalism within the church, and a world that is increasingly existing without God. He believed his thoughts were somewhat odd and his poems needed work, but they were far from it.

This is a book of hope for all who will believe. If Christ is a lie, think of the millions who then threw their lives away in martyr for Him.

Wish you well
Scott

Dietrich Bonhoeffer's "Letters and Papers from Prison" is the account of an extremely intelligent German theologian and pastor who was thrown into prison during WWII. The correspondence Bonhoeffer shared with his family members during the time he spent in prision (over a year and a half)reveals his character in a remarkably honest way. The love and concern he has for his family and his selflessness, even while sitting in prison, are a great testament to the Christian faith regardless of your theological position.

I read this book several years ago at the behest of my Pastor when I was still a man of faith. And although I've essentially fallen out of that faith in the last few years, I still consider this one of the most inspiring true stories I have ever read. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the German minister who openly spoke out against the Nazis-and allegedly even participated in the plot to kill Hitler-was imprisoned in 1943 and eventually hanged by the German government shortly before the end of the war. This is a collection of his correspondence with his family and friends during his two years of incarceration.



The strength of this book is that Bonhoeffer was not only a truly courageous man who refused to abandon his principles, but as a Christian, he actually practiced what he preached. This seems to be rare these days and I think the reason that so many people resent Christians and Christianity is that they see so many of them as hypocrites. They constantly talk about God and peace, and righteousness, yet they are so quick to drop a bomb or condemn those that disagree with them. Bonhoeffer represents a pure Christianity of love and justice. This is my take at least and others might disagree with my assessment. With that said, this was a man who truly believed in his God and accepted with dignity whatever fate that God had in store for him. His courage and joy in the face of such a harsh fate is evident in his writings. So, even though I don't share Bonhoeffer's religious beliefs or some of his "ethics," I don't hesitate to recommend this truly inspiring book to believers and non-believers alike. My only warning is that there is a lot of theological discussion and those with little or no knowledge of the religion might find these parts a bit over their head.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer's Letters & Papers from Prison was a most edifying read, primarily because it stripped away the mystery and mythical aura that surrounded him, before and after his murder by the Nazis in 1945. The fact that his reputation is so universally well known is greatly due in part to his brother-in-law, the late Eberhard Bethge.

Having been raised in a very German household myself, I would hear occasional stories from my own father, who grew up in Germany at that time, about the German pastor who was a part of the plot to kill Hitler, the one who was the moral conscience who aided the conspirators while they tried to rid Germany of the diabolical dictator and his vile atrocities that were sweeping throughout the land, for nothing was sacrosanct.

Bonhoeffer, known throughout the Christian world for his books, The Cost of Discipleship and Ethics, among other treaties, pamphlets and sermons, was a great example in respects to how a man or woman can truly live an independent Christian life while working in the world and that heroism does not necessarily come from preaching the Gospel, but rather, living it or trying to. It also comes from incorporating nuances of those truths, big or small, into the daily activities of ones life and sharing that Christian goodness (in a healthy and practical manner) with people from all walks of life, irrelevant of class structure, education, ethnic background, et cetera.

In this book, Bonhoeffer's theological musings move from the act of suffering to the meaning of love, whether human, religious or even material, and the insights that he shares with some of his correspondents, especially Eberhard Bethge, is sometimes profoundly compelling, and one can endlessly cite the abundant source material to back that up. But while he was accepting his cross of suffering, knowing in a way that it was a gift, he had an agony for those whom he was separated from, specificially his fiance, Maria von Wedemeyer-Weller.

The overall profile of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, as presented in this work, showcases an all too human man, sometimes short-tempered and impatient yet very religious, contemplative, moral, ethical and surprisingly creative. For an example of that, read his short fiction piece entitled: "Lance-Corporal Berg: A narrative" which is almost similarly reminiscent, style-wise, to that of the writer and author Erich Maria Remarque. His poems, however, were not that great, but it made him only more real.

Though I am Catholic and my interpretation of Scripture is slightly different, much of what Bonhoeffer wrote spoke volumes to me, especially in tackling the day-to-day challenges and experiences that life has to offer. I think he speaks to many people, and that is good, for what he has to say, by his life, writings, choices, down to his martyrdom can cross all ecumenical boundaries. And that is indeed a remarkable witness.

I bought the book looking to know more about Bonhoeffer's theology..and ended up learning more about my own. Though at times I didn't agree with his thoughts, I found myself agreeing with the man. These letters mix profound questions with small daily details of life. It is authentic and transparent in a way that typical straightforward "theology" books can't be. There is honest, articulate, and earnest faith in these unselfconscious and private thoughts.

I was inspired by reading Dr. Graboy's story. The one thing I found disconcerting was his continued driving. I know he wants his independence but even if he drives only to two local places he could injure himself or someone else on the way.

Fascinating memoir of the same illnes my relative is enduring. I intend to share this with everyone i know who has a loved one with lewy body dementia. We must all live life to the fullest now, while are brains are healthy. Dr. Graboys' story is one of how love and humanity are possible beyond that, long into this illness. Beautiful!

Any general-interest library or health collection needs LIFE IN THE BALANCE: A PHYSICIAN'S MEMOIR OF LIFE, LOVE, AND LOSS WITH PARKINSON'S DISEASE AND DEMENTIA. The author is both a doctor and patient, at the peak of his career at age forty-nine when he was diagnosed with an aggressive form of Parkinson's and dementia. His memoir is revealing and insightful - and considers Parkinson's from the rare vantage point of both patient and doctor.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

Tom Graboys offers sensitive and poignant insight into a devastating disease that afflicts millions as patients, family and caregivers. Being married to a fellow academic physician, world renowned and respected, who suffers from Parkinsonism, I miss my spouse's wise counsel as the "go-to"- person described by Graboys, who continues to be a comforting, wise healer. This book fills that gap a bit by honestly describing the agony of the disease and how to cope with certain loss of self as previously known.

Tom Graboys tells about his life with Parkinsons. It's a "from the heart" book, an easy read, and gives hope to anyone with a disability.

John Ortberg is my Pastor...he is insightful, deep with a great sense of humor when presenting God's messsage to us.

"Love Beyond Reason" falls in line with how I've come to understand Jesus.

I would give it 10 Stars if it were an option.

I have been struggling with letting go of a loved one who is in the throws of alcoholism.
With the help of this writing, I have been brought deeper into my own healing as well as grown in faith & trust.
When we come to Jesus in answering His call to repentance, he accepts us the way we are, but loves us so completely that he won't let us remain that way!

I have read two other of John's books so far.
"If You Want to Walk on Water, You Have to Get Out of the Boat"
"The Life You've Always Wanted"
Each are equally insightful and encouraging!

I plan on making this a staple in my personal library and will give this book as a gift whenever possible.

Many thanks to you, John, for your faithfulness to the Lord and sharing your gift.

God Bless You!

Great book, a MUST read if you're trying to discover more of how much God loves you. This book explains an in depth explanation of God's love for you. Brilliant book.

This is a wonderful book that really depicts God's love for every individual. A must read by John Ortberg!

This book is amazing. I've read it slowly because I want to savor every word. I've been a Christian for a long time and usually I don't like sugar-coated Christianity, but the way this book talks about God's love really humbled me and made me realize the vastness of God's grace. This book discusses God's tremendous unconditional love and encourages us to have that same kind of love for others. One thing Ortberg said that stood out is, as I grow closer to God, am I becoming more approachable (more loving) or less approachable (legalistic and judgemental)? Really made me think about how gracious I am (or not) toward others. I've recommended this book to all my friends.

After having read several of Ortberg's books, I would have to say this is the one that really touched me.

John's gift for storytelling is simply wonderful. He starts the book by discussing our raggedness - but that is hardly the end of the story. He goes on to tell us how the greatness of God heals and redeems us - again and again. He uses biblical depictions that are rich in detail and apply to our lives today.

My favorite chapters were "The Lord of the Second Chance" and "The Roundabout Way."

In "The Lord of the Second Chance," Ortberg gives a detailed account of Peter's great failure and how Jesus restored him. It is a very touching depiction, rich in detail and emotionality.

In "The Roundabout Way," he explains that God is not as concerned with the journey as he is "who" we will be when we arrive at our destination. He discusses the possible reasons for the roundabout way, suffering and how this journey can bring us into a closer relationship with God. From my own experience in the "roundabout way," I can honestly say that I see things much more clearly now.

Another chapter that I found very provoking was the chapter on Grace and how even we, as Christians, sometimes forget that we need to extend grace to others as freely as God has extended it to us.

I have read this book over and over and plan to give it as a gift to several of my friends and family. I highly recommend it!!!

This book is written so it is very easy to understand,no overload of hard to understand words. It has great ideas and solutions for marital problems. You will find much help in it. I can't wait to read HIS NEEDS, HER NEEDS: BUILDING AN AFFAIR PROOF MARRIAGE.
I can highly recommend this book!

Extremely practical guide to save a troubled marriage. Well worth the read and thoroughly recommend - even for the sake of improving your marriage.

This book saved my marriage. Everything that I had been trying to say for years was finally said by an expert and not me. My spouse was able to read and understand through the book and he was not able to argue about what the book said, like he would have done had it been only me saying those things. I also learned a lot about my own destructive habits (lying was one of my big ones... "Are you mad?" "No, I'm not mad, everything is ok" when in fact it wasn't).

My suggestion is that you read it together, or have one person start reading it and writing comments into the book as you recognize yourselves in it. Then when the other partner starts to read it they too should write comments into the book as well. Later you should both go through it together to read the added comments and use those as talking points.

I also feel that if your marriage is in really bad shape that you read this book first because you HAVE to stop the "love bank withdrawals"... they are causing your marriage to go bankrupt. Once you have a handle on your withdrawals then your deposits (His Needs Her Needs) will finally be able to accumulate to the point of causing positive change. You can make as many deposits as you like, but everyone knows from life even that if you don't control your withdrawals that you can easily overdraft your account.

If you are struggling in your marriage, READ THIS BOOK!

After 8yrs of dating and 4yrs of marriage, our relationship had become...well, boring. Our date nights, if we had them, were typical dinner and a movie. Something was definitely missing. A church marriage counsellor recommended this book along with The 5 Love Languages. It is a must read for BOTH spouses. Do not expect results with only one partner reading and/or applying it!

If you are thinking about buying this book or any other relationship book - do not delay! Dr. Harley's books (including His Needs, Her Needs) have been very helpful to my marriage following a crisis. He makes excellent points that somehow seem to reach both of us and explains things in a way that both of us understand without either one feeling hurt or attacked. It is a terrific book, and I believe anyone who reads it and adopts it in their marriage will see improvement.

This book gave me a great amount of knowledge and detail about Lupus. However, I especially enjoyed the author's table talk approach. The text was not weighted down with too many medical terms. Instead, the author did an excellent job of sharing her everyday battles and victories with Lupus. The encouraging words and advice she offers can be applied to improve everyday life, not only those living and battling with Lupus. Excellent!

I have had two family members to die from Lupus. And I still didn't have a clue of what it was. This book gave me great knowledge of the disease. It also gave me insight of what my family members were going through. I really enjoyed the book.

This is an excellent book full of inspiring and informative information. It is a good book to read even for people who are not suffering from Lupus."If it got any better I could not stand it".

I thought this book was very informative to read with or without having lupus. It's very detailed about letting you know what a person wiht lupus goes through no matter how healthy they may appear on the outside. The book has wonderful stories about the writer trials and tribulations and how she personally beat lupus. This book was motivational and funny and it's a great book to read if you have or know someone that has lupus.

I enjoyed the book more than I expected too. I first picked it up expecting to just scam throught it but I just couldn't put it down. It offered hands on life details of a real person sufferng from lupus. I really didn't know alot about this hidden disease, but found out alot once I read the book. It was also many parts in the books that made me cry mainly because I began to put myself in the authors shoes. It was an excellent book to me.