Biographies Books

I Highly recommend the The Game of Life UNABRIDGED MP3 AUDIO Game of life and how to play it Game of life and how to play it

The book offers clear and high spirited answers to life problems.Despite dealing with fundamental issues,it is written in a no nonsence,easily undestood manner,leaving the reader inspired to reach for his/her highest potential.An absolute MUST read material!

I first read Florence's book "The Game of Life" many years ago and fell in love with her timeless philosophy and outlook on life. Since that time I have purchased numerous copies as gifts for friends & family.

I was first informed of the works of 19th Century writer/teacher,Florence Scovel Shinn in 2007 and had planned to read The Florence Scovel Shinn Reader immediately. However,overwhelmed with the incidentals of writing, I again put off study time needed to devote to another metaphysical text. What a mistake! What a rewarding book!!

As an author, I am aware of the arduous task of demystifying New Age Thought. What an artist. Ms.Shinn is indeed a skilled and creative instructor of universal laws. This book is a valuable guide for raising the consciousness of all who wish to learn how to change their life and affairs in a positive life affirming manner.

Ms. Shinn makes it easy for the novice to move toward empowerment by recounting numerous life altering manifestations experienced by both her clients and students. The Shinn reader is an excellent transformational key. Doors are truly unlocked and many spiritual truths are revealed. The Florence Scovel Shinn Reader is a informal treasury of metaphysical teachings that has stood the test of time. As a student and teacher of positive thought, I highly recommend The Florence Scovel Shinn Reader.

C. A. Lofton, author
African-American Guide to Prosperity

I first read this book (The Game of Life and How To Play It) over 20 years ago. I have purchased more than a dozen copies of the book and given them to friends. I have returned to the simplicity of her writings on so many occasions. Mrs Shinn was a metaphysical teacher in the 20's. Her metaphysical Christian approach (my words, not hers) opened my eyes to greater metaphors within the Bible; teachings that I never learned in Sunday School.

Don't let her simple approach to spiritual living or her 'easy to read' writing style fool you. She speaks to 'truths' that are at work in our lives, and 'how to' align yourself with those principles.

In all, she wrote 4 books on spiritual living. The Florence Scovel Shinn Reader contains all her works in one place for easy reference.

This is an easily read book which you will enjoy over and over again.

It was shipped to me within 2 days, great service and great product.

I had to read this book for one of my Woman's Studies classes at Western Illinois University. I think this is a must read book for everyone (especially those who are in recovery or have been convicted of a violent crime of this nature). It is a bit graphic and I don't recomend that anyone under high school age read it. I had to set it down a couple of times due to that, but, it was nessessary to truely understand Ms. Raine's story. You don't truely understand what someone goes though after rape without going through it yourself.

A friend loaned this book to me but it is likely a book I will never forget. Nancy Venable Raine tells her important story in a very accessible way. As a nurse who took care of rape victims in the middle 80's and now a school nurse, I am aware that the secret of abuse and assault reverberates in too many lives. And while I would never say that my experiences as a young nurse were equivalent to those of my patients, I vividly remember hearing my victim-patients stories and identifying with them. Many of my victim-patients were not that different from me--young, single, living alone. During that time, I _usually_ slept with the lights on because I wanted to try to be able to identify my perpetrator, if that ever happened to me.

Raine shows us her story, how it echoes in her life. Coming back from and integrating the experience in life is not, cannot be easy but one cannot help but feel she is one of the minority of individuals who gets the needed help to do so.

Now, in year 2007, I was acutely aware that at times Raine paired the rape experience and the torture experience. It is a source of sadness to me that we, as a nation, are perpetuating that experience for so many. There is something profound about her description of the rape victim as a container for her perpetrator's anger. And that is far from the only profound idea.

Having also read "Lucky" by Alice Sebold, I would say they are both very important books but this book is a far better glimpse into the recovery aspect.

"Throw away the lights, the definitions
And say of what you see in the dark" - Wallace Stevens

"Speech is civilization itself. The word . . . preserves contact - it is silence which isolates." - Thomas Mann

Following her rape, this author became a completely different person, a person who lived "with sudden fear the way others live with cancer. The fear was always there." It took seven years before she could begin writing about her experience. She states that the anniversary of her rape "was more significant than my own birthday, and yet there was only silence . . . I had become, the one who marked her anniversaries in silence . . . Could I celebrate my survival in silence and alone? Not according to Webster's, which defines the verb "to celebrate" this way: "to perform (a sacrament or solemn ceremony) publicly and with appropriate rites" . . . It pained my family and friends to remember. To acknowledge my experience might bring up what they hoped I had forgotten . . . for me to remind them that I had not forgotten seemed unkind, even cruel, because I knew they needed to believe I had. Our rite was, therefore, silence."

"I thought about Wittgenstein's observation that the limits of language are the limits of reality. Was rape off limits to our most distinctly human attribute - language? . . . I could no longer consent to silence."

Another friend and rape victim asked her, "How do I tell people who don't know, people who might become close friends? If I don't tell them, it makes it a secret, like something to be ashamed of. When I do tell them, they make it worse. They never ask me about it. It'a a part of me, part of who I am now, but they don't want to know about it. It's no-win. Just no-win."

"But silence has the rusty taste of shame. The words 'shut up' are the most terrible words I know. I cannot hear them without feeling cold to the bone. The man who raped me spat those words out over and over during the hours of my attack - when I screamed when I tried to talk him out of what he was doing, when I protested . . . The real shame, as I have learned, is to consent to them."

So she wrote an essay "Returns of the Day" in The New York Times Magazine in 1994. In response "Without exception, all of the letters from survivors described the isolation of the aftermath of rape, its life-altering transfromations."

"The victims of rape must carry their memories with them for the rest of their lives. They must not also carry the burden of silence and shame."

If you have friend or family member dealing with these issues (and the odds are that you do), here are other books that are also excellent on this and related topics, "Lucky" & "The Lovely Bones" by Alice Sebold, & "Siolence" edited by Susan McMaster - all written by women. Rape victims and victims of relationship violence and abuse often hide their experiences and the behaviors of their abusers, feeling ashamed for even being involved with the abusive patterns. All of these books suggest women become more free and mentally at ease when they realize there is nothing to be ashamed of about being victimized. And they suggest the causes of our silences and the things we hide probably deserve more attention, new perspectives, and reconsideration.

Ms. Raine describes the trauma and recovery of rape in clear and helpful terms and I appreciate the references to other works about rape recovery and feminism. Raine's AFTER SILENCE inspired me to read another landmark TRAUMA AND RECOVERY by Judith Herman, MD. It is hard to find books about rape recovery and people who can and will talk calmly, rationally, compassionately (or at all) about this subject. Raine's AFTER SILENCE should be required reading in high school for both boys and girls! Rape is so widespread that it should be addressed more often by family and friends; local, state, national, and world leaders; educators and news media. Raine also references I NEVER CALLED IT RAPE by Robin Morgan, another excellent source for raising awareness of the frequency and extent of rape in society. My own childhood incest and young adult rape were not known to my parents, siblings and doctors for decades even though the symptoms were so obvious that I was hospitalized for months. Can't praise Raine's work enough. My heartfelt gratitude goes out to Raine and all those who made her work possible. Healing may be slow in coming, but it does come, after the silence, with the help of authors like Raine.

Kimberlee Auerbach, The Devil, the Lovers, and Me: My Life in Tarot (Dutton, 2007)

Warning: the phrase "in Tarot" in the title had me thinking that I was going to be reading a memoir about the life and profession of a Tarot reader. That is emphatically not the case (and, in fact, the Tarot reading that provides Auerbach's framework here is, not surprisingly, fabricated). Thus, if that's what you're looking for, move on, folks, nothing to see here.

That said, given my antipathy towards memoirs, I did find myself grudgingly hooked pretty fast. Not that it's different than your run-of-the-mill memoir-- bad childhood memories, abuse, etc. etc. ad nauseam-- but Auerbach has a storyteller's touch and a sharp sense of humor, both of which have been notably absent from any number of memoirs I've read over the years. I hope that at one point she turns her attention to writing a novel; I'd like to see what she can do with the rest of the stuff in her head. Until then, we'll have to make do with this; a shiny presentation on trendy, though quotidian, subject matter. ***

Kimberlee Auerbach is a FUN writer! This book was mentioned to me via a friend, so I picked it up on a whim - and loved it! Engaging and highly entertaining, I literally stayed up half the night to finish it! Based on real life stories from the author's life, the first-person plot revolves around a professional tarot reading meant to enlighten the author along the journey to her future. But in order to find her tomorrow, she must first understand, embrace, and make peace with her past. The story's tone is witty and honest, making one feel as if Ms. Auerbach is speaking one-on-one to the reader, as a best friend and confidante. A very talented writer and storyteller, Ms. Auerbach should definitely write more books. This one was a gem!

The most impressive thing about "The Devil..." is Kimberlee's candor. Her experiences are powerful; there is no denying it. However, it's the biting honesty and the utter vulnerability that carry the truest gift of the book. Most people will relate to the heartbreaks, but every single human being can relate to terror and failure described and then triumphantly overcome. Brava. I will pre-order her next books.

Kimberlee pours her heart onto ever page. From beginning to end, it was an amazing journey of human relation, life, and love. Kimberlee's willingness to share is inspiring and brave to say the least. As each card is turned, with each story, each memory, the author exposes her deepest fears, the fears which we all share, and with each lesson she learns, she teaches the reader how to face those fears. Through it all I was able to see myself, my past, my mistakes and lessons learned. It is not an introduction into Tarot card reading, but rather a story of one's life illustrated by the cards themselves. One may not learn his or her future by reading this book, but it will truly make one pause and reflect on what has brought them to where they are in life thus far.This book is funny, heartbreaking, amazing, inspiring, challenging, entertaining, and simply wonderful.

This debut memoir is honest, funny, touching and raw and though it has a known ending, it's life-affirming message can't be over-told. Auerbach is a gifted writer and healer as well.

This book is awesome wicked crazy and I would recommend it to anyone who was ever interested in anything on the edge of reality.

It shows a side of drugs that people without an addiction are rare to find. It is an honest account from a not so honest guy about an absolutely shameful pastime. I love this book.

Aleister Crowley is best known for his books and essays on magick (it was he who coined that spelling), but he also wrote several works of fiction. Diary of a Drug Fiend may be his best novel, even though it is in many ways more a platform for his ideas and techniques than a conventional novel.

The novel takes place in Europe, mainly England, around the 1920s. This was apparently the time when drugs such as cocaine and heroin were just becoming illegal and socially unacceptable. The story concerns a young couple, Peter and Lou, who fall in love, both with each other and with cocaine and heroin. Crowley, who had considerable experience with drugs himself, is very effective at describing the euphoria of people experiencing drugs for the first time. Their lives are utterly transformed in an almost mystical way. Of course, the body quickly develops an increasing appetite for these powerful substances, and soon more and more is needed. Soon after that comes the inevitable crash, when the addict must take huge quantities just to feel normal and goes through hellish withdrawal when drugs are not available.

In addition to the physical addiction, Diary of a Drug Fiend shows how the addict's overall judgment is clouded. Peter easily falls victim to a con man, and soon the couple are facing a shortage of money. They are only rescued by the intervention of a mysterious man called King Lamus, who is a thinly disguised version of Crowley. What makes this book interesting, and different from other books that deal with addiction, is that the real point is to show the power of the will to overcome any problem. According to this view, which adherents of modern 12 step programs will not take kindly to, there is nothing special about addiction. It's simply one way people can lose sight of their "true will," to put it in Crowley's terminology. "Do What Thou Wilt Shall Be the Whole of the Law" was one of Crowley's favorite sayings, and it is repeated often in this book. The meaning, as is made clear, is not to simply do what you want or to follow your whims. That is how the couple in this novel end up addicted to cocaine and heroin. It means, rather, to follow your Will, which means living up to your highest potential, fulfilling your destiny or becoming one with your Higher Self, to put it in other terms.

Diary of a Drug Fiend is an enjoyable, if not a great novel; in some ways it's rather didactic, especially towards the end. Still, even someone who is not particularly interested in Crowley or magick could find the descriptions of the couple's descent into addiction and madness compelling. Crowley says in the introduction that the events depicted are all true. How true they are we may never know, but it is a fact that Crowley set up a kind of community in the Mediterranean called The Abbey of Thelema. The last few chapters of the novel depict a kind of idyllic life where people discover and live according to King Lamus' magical instructions. What Crowley did here, both in the novel and real life, is to try to set up a kind of laboratory of the spirit where people are led to reach their highest potential. At various times, other spiritual teachers, such as Gurdjieff and Rajneesh (both as controversial as Crowley in their own ways) established communities of their own. Whether Crowley succeeded or not is still hotly debated, but Diary of a Drug Fiend gives a compelling summary of many of his ideas. It is also an entertaining read with a style more accessible than Crowley's nonfiction books.

It's not quite as much fun to write a review when it seems everyone is basically in agreement. Crowley was not as evil as folklore suggests, and he was a lot more intellectually accomplished than his detractors would care to admit.

What struck me about this book were the resounding themes in the final chapters. (I don't think this is a suspense-driven book, so I don't see myself as "spoiling" the ending here.) "Do What Thou Wilt" may seem archaic or sinister, but it ultimately means nothing more than finding your ultimate purpose, your deepest will. Once you find that, your other problems will fall by the wayside. Put in those terms, perhaps the theme sounds too pedestrian. But the way Crowley presents it here in terms of overcoming a heroin and "snow" addiction is marvelous. In many respects this book, particularly toward the end, reminded me of Ayn Rand's writings, where man's ultimate potentials are examined and exalted. Crowley's King Lamus is not far from the John Galt and Howard Roarke idealisms. I walked away from this book refreshed and inspired. Thank you, Mr. Crowley.

Yes, if you have any interest in narcotics addiction this is a MUST-READ. Seriously, if you are a cop, or a lawyer, or a judge, this is a fundamental source of information that will really expand your comprehension of the subject of narcotics addiction. Thank goodness here in California the emphaisis is on REHABILITATION for users and simple possession. And, thank goodness, here in California if you are a dealer that clank you just heard is the prison door, scum bag.

Yes, for those with interests in the arcane, the esoteric, the occult or the erotic, your time will be well rewarded by the book. There is bizarre imagery and mystical references throughout. You'll have a blast with this one. Please note that these Crowley books become astronomical in price when they go out of print, even the paperbacks, so you may want to snag one of these even if you can't read it right now.

One sign of a good book for me is that when I'm done with it, the book is all marked up with pencil marks indicating points which I want to read again some day. Just about every page of this book is marked. Yes, it truly is classic.

Awesome. Great writer. First few pages took a little while to get through due to all the British lingo, but after that, it flew.

I picked this book up in a used book store. Although I am not a huge fan of his music I picked the book thinking it may be interesting. I was actually surprised to find out how good this book was to read. DMX discloses so much of his personal life in this book. He is very candid and does an excellent job telling his life story from his passion for pitbulls to his problems with drugs.

There aren't many people who possess the energy and resilience that DMX has. He connects with his audience in ways beyond belief. I met him at a recent performance, was on stage with him the whole time, and was literally blown away. He is one of the greatest performers in the industry today and should be recognized as such. I appreciate his honesty in his book and in his life. What a great man!!

I just grabbed this book out of curiosity. I knew of DMX and his music but no fan. Wow, was I impressed. To be completely honest, I figured it wouldn't be so good because frankly, how good of a story can a ghetto playa bring to the table?
Well, a very good one in fact. My favorite part of it was that he didn't restrain himself from sounding intimate. He would describe how he was living with nothing and then he had bought a little bouncy ball and that was the shiznit! lol I love that. He appreciated the small things. He still had a heart and needed love no matter how roughed up he was. I got mad respect for him and I feel his story was genuine. DMX did not try to make the projects seem cool or anything. I had a picture the entire time reading it. Dark, gloomy, dirty streets and bad vibes. I recommend this book. Seriously, just read it with an open mind. WOW.

Never could have imagined what a rough life DMX had. He has truly defied all odds!

This book offers nothing positive at all. DMX lived a negative life and he speaks negative rap. He robbed people (mostly women) as a youngster. He robbed other kids by using his dog. He stole cars. He stole for the thrill and because he wanted nice things without working for them. And he didn't care who he stole from. He stole a chain from his friend (TQ). He would offer his home made tapes for sell to people, take their money and not give them anything. He promotes violence. He spent most of his life victimizing people in and out of jail. At one point in the later chapters and in one of his raps, he implies raping men in jail. He summarizes quickly what his jail time was like, he avoids going into alot of detail about those years. He's showing you the slice of his life that he wants to show.

He spends too much time on the earliest years of his life which are uninteresting. He doesn't really cover the parts of his life that most people are interested in. He doesn't talk much about the actual business of music. He doesn't talk about how his life changed with the music business success. He doesn't talk about how he grew as a person or what he learned from his incarcerations. Did he spend his time in jail doing anything positive? Or was his jail time just fighting people and rapping about it?

I do appreciate his talent, but not his messages. There were alot of DMX songs that I used to listen to. After reading this book, I see him more vividly now. I see him as a horrible person who I would want nothing to do with. He isn't a person that should be celebrated, he should be ashamed for the life he has led.

You shouldn't buy this book. You shouldn't even borrow it. It's a waste of time to read, there are much better, more positive things that you could be doing with your life.

The junior standard-bearer for civil rights during the era of segregation recounts his rise through those times toward his own national recognition. It's an intimate and introspective offering. It's a unique perspective.
After his Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee, crashes, he self-imposes exile as an "invisible man" in New York working as a grant officer for a private charity:
(p398) "New York was just too big for me. I didn't feel as if I could get my hands around it. In the South, communities seemed comprehensible, manageable, workable. You could see where things started and ended. You could get a grasp of the place and the people, as well as their problems. And you could respond to those problems with solutions that might work...."
He always has the South on his mind where there remains "a spirit instilled by the civil rights movement that is still felt and remembered today, a spirit that was not and is not felt in the same way in the North. That, I believe, is the huge difference between the legacy of the civil rights movement in the North and the South. All the great battlegrounds of the civil rights movement were in the South. That fact is cherished and remembered by the people there." (p 208).
There is confusion in "Feel Angry with Me". The chapter describes the fall of Schwerner, Goodman, and Chaney. Their violent deaths in defense of the U.S. Constitution and the rule of law during Freedom Summer (1964) fixed the nation's eyes on racist brutality in Mississippi. The confusion is in character casting and mixing the ridiculous partying with his friend, actress, Shirley MacLaine and his virginity in the same chapter with the sublime. Here, especially, the book sacrifices continuity to rigid chronology.
In and out of church - and on both sides of the pulpit - his cast of characters is most colorful, including a prominent one (not MacLaine) today facing bizarre criminal charges. So many stories within the author's story could make for a better book than a strict chronology.
The author alludes to his motivation to influence the masses, (p 400) "I felt the spirit, the hand of the Lord, the power of the Bible -- all of those things -- but only when they flowed through the church and out into the streets. As long as God and His teachings were kept inside the wall of a sanctuary, as they were when I was young, the church meant next to nothing to me." Like a good, "whooping" preacher, he is, at times, poetic. It's some of his best stuff.
Congressman Lewis is no great hero, though he has a measure of both -- greatness of association to the movement he led until the times turned violent -- and heroism for holding to his sometimes politically incorrect beliefs, though not sufficiently incorrect for this reviewer. And his book is not great literature. It is his gift to us with an interest in non-violent social change.

John Lewis's powerful and moving retelling of his journey through the
Civil Rights years, much of it in leadership positions, is a walk through
important American history. His clarity of purpose, values, honed by the
beatings and jailings of those years shine through it all. This personal
insight into events we read about in history makes it real, and makes us
admire the courage and persistence of people like John Lewis. In our present
times of struggle over issues of war, environment and economic fairness,
we need both a reminder of this historical struggle and a next generation
to press us to make changes, to make a difference. A must read for anyone
concerned about our present times.

Ever since I came to the U.S. I learned about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his philosophy of non-violence, I always wanted to learn more about the civil rights movement because of the way African American citizens overcame their obstacles in a non-violent way.


Walking with the wind is a memoir of the author John Lewis, the book begins at his home town where he was raised and learned the meaning of discrimination at an early age. The book describes his whole life how he was discriminated and how became involved with the movement, and how he later on became chair man of the SNCC.
The book also has a part where it only describes the life of John Lewis after the movement, what he does and what happens to all of his close friends, this is at the end of the book, but also talks about how he tries to become something important in U.S. politics.


My favorite part of the whole book is when John Lewis is watching the presidential elections of 1976, when he sees that Jimmy Carter was elected he begins to cry because like he says, he finally sees the hands that picked cotton, picking a president, he cries because he sees that all his hard work pays off, by the government counting the black vote.


The knowledge that John Lewis wants to pass down to readers is the struggle of all African American people to gain freedom and rights, he wants the new generation of people of color to know how much the old generation had to go through to gain all the freedom kids posses these days.


This book is boring, there is almost no action, it is mostly talking about politics, so do not read this book if you are not hooked by memoirs. It takes time to get into the good stuff, like for example, there are parts where the author describes the way police responded in a violent way to a non-violent protest, there are many occasions like this through out the whole book.

I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in learning more about the Civil Rights Movement. Lewis' broad range of experiences gives the reader a glimpse into nearly every facet of the 1960's part of the movement. However, it is also useful for the specific study of the Nashville student movement and the study of SNCC (Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee).

John Lewis' memoir tells of his pivotal role in the civil rights movement as , literally, its most prominent "fall guy." John Lewis was physically at the forefront of the major civil rights events-getting beaten, arrested, and ultimately, prevailing in the struggle to desegregate the south. He was one of the original Freedom Riders as well as the first person across the Pettis Bridge in Selma. He explains all of his actions and ethics through a mirror of highly disciplined non-violence that leaves the reader in awe of his amazing achievements. In sum, this book is a "must-read" for anyone interested in the civil rights movement.

Crimmon's book was heart-wrenching to read. The story of her husband's TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury) and the after effects of it on her life, his life and their daughter have to be read to be understood. I can't do it justice. She keeps a good sense of humor throughout the book but there is certainly an underlying cynical and bitter tone throughout. Not that I can blame her. It's real. It's life and a it ain't pretty. Personally, after reading this I literally wanted to make all my loved ones wear helmets each day after reading about the hell that TBI can put a family through.

We read this book for book club and we all loved it. Only now I understand what my cousin and his family have gone through after he had an bicycle accident and was in a coma for three days. The writer clearly describes the pain and anguish she and her daughter went through. I admire her absolute commitment to her husband and getting him back on his feet and back to a "regular" life. This is a great and informational book to read for everybody who comes into contact with a person with brain injury.

I found this account of a severe brain injury and the bumpy road to recovery very moving. I ask will there be more to Cathy and her husband's experiences
written as a memoir at some later date? Maybe not this book was published in September 2000. Worth the read!

I read this book in four nights, right before bed. I tore through it like no other memoir before. This book, for me, was like reading my own parents' memoir. My father suffered a TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury) when I was four/five years old. Of course, so much of what was available to the author's husband was simply not around 45 years ago. I understand so much more why my father acted the way he did for the remaining 16 years of his life. This book is powerful. It is honest, raw, intense, lighthearted at times, funny, sad, well written and easy to read (though the subject matter is quite painful at times)... an all around excellent book. I am so glad that I read it, and plan to keep this one.

An honest telling of head injury and what family will experience.

I was shocked at what her daughter, Kelly, was exposed to - I have since read that the author now regrets this. Rehab is NO PLACE for children - or an endless stream of friends. I am sad that her husband's privacy was taken away in order to project 'normalcy' or the authors belief in emotional honesty. She should have protected her husband and her daughter. THIS is the time when you close the door to the world outside and tend to your family - as best you can.

I feel for the author. How quickly the nurses/non-doctors put forth a 'professional opinion' about brain injury. As I often say: Everybody wants to be a doctor, nobody want to go to medical school. You have to see brain injury over a long span of time, which is years and decades. A nurse who sees them admitted and discharged knows next to nothing, unless personally affected.

The beginning of the story was confusing to me because the marriage had so little intimacy. The parents were 2 ships in the night and then they had a child. This little girl was utterly alone through a waking nightmare. I hope she finds the support that she will need as she grows up.

Eventually, the author acknowledges her lack of connection to husband and child and explains herself in a way that is somewhat satisfying.

I appreciate her honesty in the discussion on disinhibition. You can count on it happening and it's real hard to explain to people - especially when you have to.

Worth reading, though disturbing in ways the author may not have intended.

I deducted one star because she uses Roman Catholic religious terminology that I wasn't familiar with. That is to say, they failed to provide a glossary.

Her book is more lengthy than her husband's autobiography of surviving the Holocaust (Max Liebster, a Jewish Jehovah's Witness)

I could feel her loneliness and also her strength and determination to win the race for life because Jehovah kept strengthening her at the right moments to that she never felt alone!

Unlike some Witnesses who survived the Holocaust, I'm pretty sure that Simone and her husband did not succomb to Satans' lies of materialism, immorality, idolatry, and apostasy! (At least, I would hope so around here.) All the anointed die faithful and loyal when under severe persecution. It is only when they believe Satans' lies (like Annania and Saphira) that they fail. Remember your Achilles' heel!

I surmise that a Jew/Israeli is more likely to become a Witness than they are to become Mormon. Isn't that funny?

What a wonderful true story to inspire courage and the ability to stand up for oneself. A true treasure to be read and reread.

This is a powerful, inspiring story of how even a child can have tremendous courage in the face of overwhelming oppression. My 10-year old daughter and I shared it together.

This book is a first hand account of a young girl who had what it took to survive her horrible experience under the Nazi's. What she "had" was her religion. It is amazing to me that the large amount of Jehovah's Witnesses came through those war years able to cope with life after the war. So many others (in the camps) had no means of doing so. What J.W.'s have is nothing short of a miracle, as I have seen for myself. My 18 yr. old son and I met Simone and her husband at their home in France this past winter. The first thing Max did was to show us the number tattooed on his arm.Then he said to my son, "young man, I watched a 1000 people being put to death every day". Yet, here he stood, just out of the hospital the day before, still bright and full of life and love for his faith, at over 90 yrs. old. Next on my list is his book which I hear is just as inspiring as his wife's.

This young girl suffered so much at the hands of the French, who sided with the Nazies.
She was French and they took her away from her parents and put her in a terrible reform type school.
This book enlightened me as to how horrific that these Jehovahs Witnesses were treated and only because of their deep religious convictions.
It brought many tears to my eyes at how the innocent ones suffered.

I Say a Prayer for Me was an excellent book. I had actually purchased it locally about 2 years ago and had not gotten around to reading it until we were deciding which book to read next in by Sisterhood Ministries group. I suggested this book, and everyone including myself, could not believe what a great book it was. To read about Stanice's life and her struggles with what God would have her to do, was true testimony of how Faith can turn your life around. After we finished the book, I ordered additional copies from Amazon and gave them to my sisters as gifts, and they also raved about how good this book was and have since purchased additional copies and given them to their friends. Great work, Stanice!!!!

The writer gives the impression that you can overcome herion addiction just by praying and becoming a member of the 700 club.

Whew, what can one say after reading this book!?! To read this woman's stories of what she experienced and to see her now; only God can create such a transformation in one's life. I laughed and I cried as I read through the chapters. Some reminded me of my own experiences. This is a MUST read! If you are in need of any type of healing, it will definitely take place in the pages of this book.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Her life is an inspiration. She taught me to consider God in all things no matter how small I may think it is. Her story of her California trip was great and really taught me to witness to anyone and everyone. This was my selection for my bookclub and I was the toast of the day. We all enjoyed this one.

Not only was this book written as a testimony to show how GOD navigates our lives to help us know that we are loved it also shows that with faith all things are possible. This book is not only for those with drug or alcohol addictions but it is for those of us who suffer addictions of all kinds, it is for those of us who don't believe in ourselves, for those who have experienced hurt and also dished hurt out towards others. The lord spoke to me personally thru his vessel Stanice. Thank you for allowing your loving and gentle kindness to flow from this wonderful women who has allowed you to use her. I am and will always be in loving awe of your unconditional love.

A must read for all those who are compelled to understand the insanity of Nazi Germany. The evil is in the details as these journals so devastatingly reveal. Sometimes necessary to read only a few pages at a time as the devastation and slowly increasing helplessness of this man's life is revealed. A critical historical document.

As an educated Professor of Philology, Victor Klemperer documents life as a Jew in Nazi Germany. The very act of keeping this diary was grounds for his demise.
The essence of these incredible documents, is that it records the tightening of control of the Jewish people under Nazism. The progressive pogroms took away simple things such as going to a movie or taking a ride on a tram. The taking of one's own home and living in a communal Jewish home further degraded the Jewish people. The simple fact that each had to wear the yellow star which indeed put all Jews into harms way.
Mr Klemperer was forced out of his professorship because he was a Jew. Even though he was an honorable World War I Veteran, he was forced to live on a half pension.
The only thing that saved Victor Klemperer was his Aryan wife Eva. She never abandoned Victor as I'm sure other wives in similar circumstances did. Looking at this, I think is an incredible act of love by Eva. Her subjucation to Nazi Life living with a Jew for 12 years was indeed a severe prison term.
The diaries are edited to delete repetition. However several things are constantly repeated. Victor was always at death's door with an ailing heart. The other repetition was he and his wife's constant physical hunger.
This set of diaries should be required reading for anyone who is a serious student of 20th century history.

When my son told me a student said the Holocaust was much less gruesome than reported and was exagerated by people over the years, we started to read this together... Not that he needed to be reminded, but how incredible that even today some are still floating this insane rumor!

This is a great memoir that any history buff or historian or anyone should read. It ranks right up there with Anne Frank's diary. It offers a unique view since Mr. Klemperer was married to a German woman during the Holocaust. It is this unique view on the Holocaust that makes this memoir so good.

Victor Klemperer's diary of pre war Germany provides fascinating insight into what life was like for ordinary citizens in Germany. Interspersed with the mundane aspects of life, e.g., shopping, driving, going to the dentist, etc. are ever increasing examples of the insanity that was Nazi Germany. It was a little difficult to get into, but it soon became a page tuner. The later years are particularly interesting. I couldn't put it down.