Poetry Books

This book was an inpiration in my spiritual journey.
-The Big Glow

This is a book which can easily change the way you see (observe) world. It is a book which requires meditation.
Krishnamurti's talks on various topic and his insight to know yourself is life changing.
While reading it, I used to go deep into thought and observed myself. During this period you realize and know a lot about yourself. One of the biggest thing which I learned was that you know the truth when you know what is not true. Making yourself aware of yourself (including anger, jealousy, prejudice) and not forcing it to go away is the the true observation. Just watch yourself as you watch the the sky and the birds without trying to do any change. This is just a small part of things which changed my life. It is not a book that will change your life but definitely one can change his own life after reading his book. At some points in the book you will be lost as there is nothing wrong or right but constant meditation on the topic will help one out.

If you are ready to challenge your believes and habits, this is a must read book.

One the MOST influential book I have ever read! It is very easy to follow, and I would recommend it to every one.

If you're interested in actually practicing Buddhism, not just reading or conceptualizing it, I feel like this book may help, because it's like having a teacher in your pocket. He guides you in a way that is productive, yet you have to truly see what he talks about for yourself in order to appreciate it. Otherwise, as JK would say, it's just more dead words.

"Some of you believe in the idea of reincarnation. You come and ask me what I believe, whether reincarnation is a fact or not, whether I remember my past lives, and so on. Now, why do you ask me? Why do you want to know what I think about it? You want a further confirmation of your own belief, which you call a fact, a law, because it gives you a hope, a purpose in life. Thus, belief becomes to you a fact, a law, and you go about seeking confirmation of your hope. Even though I may confirm it, it cannot be of vital importance to you. Whatever it may be to me, real or false, what is important for you is that you should discern for yourself these conceptions through action, through living, and not accept any assertions." - krishnamurti

I cannot recommend this book high enough. This book is one of the most comprehensive and accessible of Krishnamurti's work. It is a collection of talks given at various parts of the world. In each series of talk Krishnamurti leads the listener to look into serious topics like Operation of thought, conflict , The art of seeing, freedom, the energy needed for freedom, do we need a teacher, etc. There is a huge difference between looking into an issue and "thinking" about an issue. Thinking involves thought, and simply looking is mere observation. And krishnamurti says that if this observation, the seeing is done with total attention without the interference of thought, then the intelligence operates.

Many a times while reading this book, my mind will come to a complete stop and I would be taken to deep and spontaneous meditation. Krishnamurti is highly skillful in sparking our insights and allows us to see what he sees. He never says "This is right or this is wrong", he doesn't even want us to agree or disagree to what is being said, because he doesn't offer any theories. He just tells us to look without judment, prejudice or opinions. He asks us to listen "completely". He says that people ask questions for two reasons, one is to confirm what they already beleive in, and the other is to "really" find out the truth. The first way of asking will never lead to an answer, because we are unwilling to listen to the "truth"; We only want a confirmation for the false, and only the false needs confirmations. This book is for sincere seekers of truth who really want to know the truth. He says that when we look at the false as false, what remains is truth. Health is the absence of diseases, and so it truth the total negation of false. The ability to discern the true from the false is what intelligence is. I have observed that reading one talk per session in regular periods helps tremondously in awakening "intellingence", not "my" intelligence but just intelligence.

"As I was saying, the importance in asking a question is not to find the answer but to understand the problem because there is only the problem and not the answer. To ask a question is easy; but to go into the problem is extremely difficult because once you know what the problem is, the very seeing of the problem is the understanding of the problem. The moment I can state the problem very clearly, simply, the answer is there, I do not have to look beyond. But most of us do not know what the problem is. We are confused about the problem and so naturally we look, in our confusion, for answers; and that will only produce further confusion. " -krishnamurti

The Mom's Choice Awards® honors excellence in family-friendly media, products and services. An esteemed panel of judges includes education, media and other experts as well as parents, children, librarians, performing artists, producers, medical and business professionals, authors, scientists and others. A sampling of the panel members includes: Dr. Twila C. Liggett, Ten-time Emmy-winner, professor and founder of Reading Rainbow; Julie Aigner-Clark, Creator of Baby Einstein and The Safe Side Project; Jodee Blanco, New York Times Best-Selling Author; LeAnn Thieman, Motivational speaker and coauthor of seven Chicken Soup For The Soul books; Tara Paterson, Certified Parent Coach, and founder of The Just For Mom Foundation(tm) and the Mom's Choice Awards®. Parents and educators look for the Mom's Choice Awards® seal in selecting quality materials and products for children and families. This book has been honored by this distinguished award.

I am very please with the service. The book came in just a few days and I will certainly use Amazon again for all my books.

I love this book!! I've bought multiple copies for all of my friends expecting their little angels!!

A beautiful book explaining God's gift of a gaurdian angel to each girl or boy born.

This book is a special reminder to any worrisome new parent, that their child will have a guardian angle to protect them whenever their parents are not there. I buy it each time a friend or family member has their first child, and it is a great gift.

Picked this book up when looking for fodder to help sort through a number of issues of mine relating to "growing up" and accepting change. This book is particularly good because it deals with the difficulty an otherwise jaded & skeptical person can experience when faced with accepting something truely positive for their life ... like a relationship that actually works!

Given the nature of the topic, it's length was about right ... but still, I was a little disappointed that I finished reading it so quickly (only ~2 hours, and I am a slow reader!).

Overall, I like Anita's perspective and I appreciate her means of expressing it ... even if I find her to be more than a tad solipsistic. Actually, the fact that she apparently revels in her egocentrism and makes no apologies for it almost makes it acceptible.

An angry poet and performer meets the perfect man, falls in love, and struggles to escape a strange state of bliss in How to Stay Bitter Through The Happiest Times of Your Life, which uses blog entries, poems, to-do lists and more to explore her changed life. While it's difficult to neatly peg this title - it's part memoir, part humor, part psychology - it's something any public library collection should put on its display shelves, and is especially recommended for New Yorkers who will readily recognize the caustic humor.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

You know how sometimes you love the first book an author wrote so much that you're afraid to read their next one for fear of being disappointed? There's nothing to fear here. Anita's follow up to her hilarious debut "How to Heal the Hurt by Hating" is just as insightful and entertaining. Do yourself a favor and add it to your cart immediately. Oh, and you might want to buy two because this is not one you're going to want to lend to your friends.

Oh my gosh - once again Anita Liberty KICKS [...]!! Her books are hysterical and so funny that you just laugh out loud (caution to those of you who read in unfunny places). If you've been through a break up, good one or bad, her books are a MUST. You'll relate to everything she says and has the nerve to do. If you haven't been through a break-up, good for you but read the book anyway. So, if you are reading this review to see if you should buy this book - DO IT NOW and get How To Heal The Hurt By Hating while you're at it - now GO!!

It's hard to stay grounded when you fall in love - and it's even harder to keep a sense of humor and reality once you become engaged and begin planning a wedding. The experience of falling in love to getting married is both amazing and overwhelming. However, somewhere in between the dress shopping, the registry, the diet, the guest lists and the family drama, a woman can forget who she is and who she was before the entire process began. This is where Anita Liberty steps in and slaps every intelligent, independent and accomplished woman who is going through (or has gone through) this process and reminds them that who they were before the engagement will inform who they'll be after the engagement and during the marriage. Anita's poetry is inspiring, funny, and real. In one poem, she admits that she doesn't want to get engaged, for fear of losing her independence, but also acknowledges that some other part of her really wants to be married and is dissappointed when an engagement doesn't come sooner. To me, this poem echoed what so many women I know go through as they fall in love - they want to be with that person entirely, but they don't want to lose who they are completely in the process. And I think that within the pages of Anita's book, any person can identify with the contradicting feelings she has, the inner struggles, and even the surrender to a Vera gown (despite a desire for simplicity). The book is about saying goodbye to ex-lovers, saying hello to one's future, and embracing who you are as an individual going forward. I laughed, I cried and I re-read it the same day I finished it. I really hope you consider buying this for yourself or for your friend/sister/cousin because it's more therapeutic than that hour massage you planned on buying her at the local spa.

Keith Thompson, editor of To Be a Man: In Search of the Deep Masculine, asked me in the mid 1990's where I thought the Men's Movement had ended. Up to my ears in running men's groups, I felt slighted that someone so "in the know" would feel this way. But as I pondered this comment and watched the men I was working with over a period of time, I came to understand what he meant. Men, it seemed to me, liked figuring out the psychology of what makes us the way we are. But when it came to healing our wounds, that's an emotional issue many men are still unable or unwilling to dive into. Rick Belden jumps with both feet into the male emotional pool, baring his soul and path as he, like so many of us, tries to come to grips with who we are and how we are programmed. Iron Man Family Outing helps men show that it is not impossible to tap into our emotional resources, and while it may not be pretty, it is critical we do so. Thanks to Rick for being so bold....

If you are a male survivor of childhood abuse or in conversation with survivors, buy this book. This book is a brave account of resistance and refusal to surrender to cruelty. It answers a question that is often neglected in the victim literature: What are the ways in which you stood up to oppression and struggled to hold on to the truth?

Rick Belden's poetry is his liberation, but his triumph is hardly bloodless. Expect to be enraged and demoralized as well as empowered and filled with hope by his honesty. The author reached very fully and deeply into his experience to construct one of the most complex and effective descriptions of child abuse survival in print.
Marsha McDonough, Psychologist, Austin, Texas

I don't read much but this is a book that I can't put down. Throughout my journey in life, often times I've felt alone. As a man in his mid-thirties, it often seems that no one is eager to empathize with your struggles in life. Often times, I find myself in a sad place where I feel uncared for and misunderstood.

This book is a real eye opener. It's very rare to find someone like Rick who can articulate his emotion in such a way that it really moves you. Like many of the other reviewers have stated, be prepared. I don't allow myself to "feel" much, but as I read along with the "Iron Man" I can feel myself opening up to someone who is showing empathy for themselves, and in a way, for me.

To say I was able to identify with this book is an understatement. I feel as though I do the book a disservice by calling it a "tool" in my theraputic arsenal, but that's the best way to describe it. The collection of poems is such an easy read -- read one and you will be immediately absorbed to where you can't put it down. Whenever I'm feeling low, and feel that no one empathizes with me, I pick up the "Iron Man" and realize that my struggles aren't always unique, and that I'm not alone in how I feel.

This book sits in the top drawer of my desk, there whenever I need it.

Thanks Rick.

This volume of poetry is nothing less than an express route to a powerful experiential understanding of a large sector of men - especially white men who grew up in "mainstream," "conventional," "middle class" families in the U.S. It is a courageous exposé, revealing the eerie reality lurking beneath what routinely passes for normality in contemporary Western society.

Rick's book made such an impact on me that I asked him if I could use some of his poems to tell his story in my own book, Drinking the Dragon: Stories of the Dark Nights of Soul. I was especially glad to find him, since it has not been as easy to find males as it has females to discuss their vulnerability and despair during a transformative dark night experience. What made Rick's book so inspiring was that he did not stay in the dark night, but moved through it to "a more conscious manhood."

This play was very thoughtful and enjoyable, especially if you are able to visualize things while you read. I would highly recommend this book to anyone.

THE NIGHT THOREAU SPENT IN JAIL describes thinker Henry David Thoreau short experience in jail after not paying his taxes. Employing flashbacks within flashbacks, playwrights Lawrence and Lee take on the task of describing Thoreau's life so far. Filled with witty remarks and humorous dialogue, this book transcends what I can say about it.

After having been assigned to read this book for my AP 11 English class, I started out first assignment: Read to page 50. To my surprise, once I got to page 50, I couldn't put it down. My teacher had warned us about this scenario. She said the book was cleverly hilarious and enjoyable. Naturally--it being an ASSIGNED book--I doubted her words.

When I got into the play, within the first few words of dialogue, I was laughing out loud. The writers, whose research was obviously accurate and concise, tickled me when Ralph Waldo Emerson asked "who" his umbrella was, making a reference to his supposed contraction of Alzheimer's disease. Thoreau's teachings of God and fields and notetaking were pleasing and enriching.

Not only was I thrilled by his paradoxical dialogue,

[In a nutshell...
Thoreau to a student: Why are you taking notes?
Student: So I can remember what you say.
Thoreau: But then it's the notebook that does the remembering, not you.
(She puts away her notebook)
Thoreau: Why have you stopped taking notes?
Student: Because you said to.
Thoreau: Why would you do what I say?]

but I also took away something from it, which is a common moral you would see in books and movies today: Do things for yourself, and pay no attention to what others say or think. Though the moral is a bit overused, Lee and Lawrence refresh it and make the lesson new placing it in the midst of witticism and transcendentalist teachings.

Now, the only thing left for me to do is write a thank you card to my teacher for treating us with this wonderful book.

This play examines Henry David Thoreau, his philosophies, and some of the events in his life. During the Mexican American War, Thoreau refused at one point to pay his taxes. He felt that the war was unjust, and he didn't want his money supporting a government that he believed was doing unjust things. (He also believed that the war was not the will of the people, as President Polk had declared war without the support of Congress.)

The play, which takes place on a simple set that emphasizes the imagination of the audience (and the performers) for props/surroundings, also delves into Thoreau's love for nature and his views on sprituality. (The fact that the set is simple reflects another way that form follows content, as Thoreau encouraged people to turn away from materialism and simplify their lives.) The chief journey in the play is Thoreau's decision to return to the world, rather than remove himself from it.

Themes include individuality, the nature of spirituality, marching to one's own drummer (regardless of consequence), the belief that one person can make a difference, the idea of standing on principle/what's right, and the manifestation of the divine in nature and humanity (Transcendentalism).

It's a somewhat academic play, about ideas more than about plot (of which there is virtually none), but it reminds us that theatre can inform and instruct us as well as entertain us. Additionally, the subject matter of the play is very topical (public funds for stem cell research? or the war in Iraq?) and is sure to stimulate thought and discussion.

The authors of this play (two college professors) demanded that it not be produced on Broadway and, to my knowledge, it never has been. This, I may assume, was their own form of "disobedience," as they maintained that a few blocks in Manhattan shouldn't dictate what real theatre is to the rest of the nation. Despite their mandate, however, The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail has been one of the most produced plays in America, enjoying wide circulation in regional theatres and especially on college campuses.

While Thoreau was living at Walden, then President James K. Polk declared war on Mexico without Congressional approval. To protest this and the government, Thoreau refused to pay his taxes and was sent to jail. This play fantasizes on what might have been going through Thoreau's mind as he spent the night in jail: reflecting on his childhood, the life and death of his brother, his idol Ralph Waldo Emerson, what lead him to his solitary life at Walden and the impetus for his refusal to pay the taxes. I enjoyed reading this very much as it gave some insight into the great thinker who influenced the likes of Gandhi with his non-violent form of protesting the government.

Henry David Thoreau may be experiencing a sort of revival as of late. His treatise on civil disobidience is a hallmark of progressive action today. Upset that his government declared an unjust war, Thoreau refuses to pay taxes to show his digust, which lands him one lauded night in jail. Thus is the basis for this extremely inventive, timely play "The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail".

Not just a night in jail, but a brave overview Thoreau's life ensues, showing snippets of his events, meetings, and philosophies that were so critical to the development of his transcendentalism. This isn't a dry biography, however. The authors weave a Thoreau that is a rich tapestry of thought and action. He is both endearing and complex, wise and unaware.

We enter the play with Henry in his cell, and begins to relive some important moments in his life. We meet Emerson and his wife, Henry's mother, and favorite brother John, as they inact with his memories and become alive themselves. The ebullience of John is obvious, which makes his passing much more severe. This play helps to maginify the brilliance of a brilliant man, while making him more human, more real.

The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail is a great read, and will springboard your interests to study this amazing thinker.

In Planet of the Blind, Kuusisto seduces his readers to step behind his flawed eyes and witness a world where nearly everything visual must be imagined, or, acquired through painstaking use of a single eye that is legally, but not completely, blind. His single "seeing" eye may be his Achilles heel throughout his childhood and youth. It is not until he is in his thirties that he acknowledges to himself and the world that he cannot see. Planet of the Blind could as easily be Planet of the Imperfect. Brilliantly written, both touching and often funny, this is a memoir about coming of age and coming to terms with oneself, imperfections and all, curable or otherwise.

Stephen Kuusisto, the author of the memor "Planet of the Blind," is a poet. You can hear it in every word he writes.

His moving memoir focuses on being legally blind and on the challenges he faced every single day trying to pretend he was a normal, "seeing" person. Along the way, you watch him grow up from an isolated, awkward child to a sensitive and extremely determined individual, one who lived in constant fear of being labled not normal, yet whose refusal to get help made everyday living a challenge to his own survival. At the end, he finally gains independence and normalcy in the form of a guide dog. It is a moment that brought me to tears.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this well-written and inspiring memoir, which does read like a poem. It took me just a few hours to read finish it, it was so engrossing. It also opened my eyes to the world of the blind, a world I had never really considered before.

Thank you, Mr. Kuusisto, for sharing your story.

When I picked up this book, I was expecting an autobiography, a memoir of a blind person. I've always wondered how a blind person "sees" the world, so I was curious to read the book. What I got was something much more than a non-fictional account. The prose is absolutely striking, poetic, full of rich vivid metaphors. It inspired tears, and laughter, and rage, and awe in me at different points in the book.

This book is more than a non-fictional autobiography. It's a work of high literature. You will be enriched after having read it.

I was reccommended to read Planet of The Blind due to my interest in writing stories about people who had disabilities and about by own disablility for I'm visually impaired myself and I have an interest in writing. So I read Steven Kuusisto's book Planet of the Blind and found it very facinating and inspiring! I highly reccomend it! I'd love to know what is he doing now and is he still writing and speaking of the book?

As a legally blind person, who had totally blind parents, this vividly written book went a long way in helping me come to terms with my own situation. Like Stephen, for years I was in denial about my own limited vision and tried, successfully for a time, to "pass" as fully sighted. This is no longer possible and I have to face my own limitations head on, as Stephen finally does.

I recommend this book to anyone who would like to understand what living on the "Planet of the Blind" is really like, and for anyone who enjoys beautiful writing.

The pictures in this book are HILARIOUS !!!! This is a very funny, upbeat book with a bit of a vegetarian theme in a light-handed way. After reading it, our 5-yo looked back through the pictures and said "I think she bought some pets !!!" We borrowed it from the library but I am going to buy a copy to own just because the pictures are so funny...and the way the lady looks at the end of her shopping trips is *exactly* how I feel after shopping with our kids !!!

We first saw this book at our local Children's Museum. After reading it, I had to have this as part of our home library. The illustrations are so original, as is the funny story. It makes us laugh each time we read it together. Plus, the final soup is made of lots of different kinds of vegetables--a great healthy meal reinforcement for your preschooler.

My grandmother used to tell me this story and now I can pass that on to my grandchildren who unfortunately do not live in the same state. It's a wonderful story (with lines I still quote as an adult!) and terrific illustrations that will make you laugh right out loud.

The juxtaposition of the photograph-like mishmashed black and white backgrounds with the colorful illustrations of characters and key items make this book fun and interesting to look at. The twist on the nursery rhyme is hilarious and easy for children to identify with. My child loves to point out the different animals and vegetables and always laughs throughout the story (a lamb hanging out in the diswasher, etc gets lots of giggles). Makes vegetables fun.

We just love the cadence of the words, so fun to read. And the art is so unique, mixing photography with drawing of the characters. My 3 year old picks this one over and over. GREAT gift for a vegetarian friend! (the lady in the book gets so fed up going to Market and managing the animals and fish she has purchased, that she finally gives up and makes veggie soup for everyone~animals included) We are not vegetarians, and this book in no way was preaching Veganism...but it would be appreciated on another level by a Vegan I think. Just buy it...its great.

It was almost as lovely as the first one that was given to my children when they were very small....a gift from their great-aunt who was a Catholic nun with a degree in Library Science...I tried to locate one exactly like the original which was received in about 1964. It was about half the size, hard cover with the most beautiful artwork and my 5 children loved it. Somehow it was lost in one of our moves, but I bought this one for my oldest daughter (now 51) who always wanted a copy..She loved reading it to her younger siblings. She loved it and so did I, so we consider it a wonderful little book.

The familiar poem from childhood paired with beautiful illustrations makes the perfect bedtime read to share with your grandchildren.

Captain Kangaroo sang this song on his show many years ago. I was fortunate to have
the leather bound edition of children's poems by Eugene Field that included this poem.

I sang "Wynken, Blynken & Nod" to all our children and all the children I have loved. The original
is a bit different and has more lyrics but the feel is the same. The color pictures
are beautiful. The song is a wonderful bedtime routine and the imagery is lovely. Also,
it is appropriate for either a boy or girl. This book makes a wonderful addition to any children's library.


We will be gifting and singing this poem to the children of the many children we
love.

Eugene Field spins a marvelous bed time yarn with Wynken, Blynken, & Nod. Wonderfull Illustrations by Johana Westerman enhance this century old tale. It was my favorite bedtime story as a child, no violence, no villians, no nightmares. A fantasy delight that will send all young children off to dreamland with vivid and happy thoughts. Highly reccommended to parents and teachers, or anyone who cares for a child.

I was thrilled when I discovered Wynken, Blynken & Nod was still being printed. I believe of the two books I have saved from my childhood (I'll be 65 next week), this was one of them.

I treasured this book. It's a classic.

Today I found it has arrived. I am so sure that my grandchildren, 4 and 2 will love it as much as I did, that I bought it for them.

It is definitely the best book I have ever read, and I read many great books throughout my life. I read it about six times, the first one when I was little. I still remember. Now I got it for my own children. It has amazing principles, and wonderful teachings. I wich we could all see life the way "El Principito" does. What a great lesson!

A BOOK THAT INFLUENCED MY LIFE

The book that has influenced my life is "The Little Prince". This book iis basically about a little blond boy that meets an adult with who he will become friend, somewhere in the world, dunno where.He discovers, during a trip, adults, who will allow him to understand adults world and life on hearth In the begining of the story, the pilot crashes in a desert and thers were the story begings.This story has many characters, but the two main ones are the pilot (the narrator), and the little prince.One of the main settings are the dessert were the pilot meets the little prince, and the planet were the little prince lives, but this story has many settings.

I read this book because my mother told me that every kid must read this book, so she gave me the book and i read it when i was almost 12 years old. This book has influenced my life in many ways. Every time i read this book it makes me think, about pepole and friendship, it makes me cry, laugh, and be a better person and a better friend. It also makes me be more pacient, and this is a thing that im not so good at, but every time im in a cituation were i have to be pacient, since i read that book, I have teach myself to try to understand people, and why they are like that. This book is in a prose/chatter way written, in this way it was easier for me to understand the meaning of the words. This book you have to read it more than once to get the meaning of the words.











By Avira Arreola.

Creo que uno de los libros mas lindos que he leido. Es un libro que podes leer a cualquier edad, tendo 18 años y recien lo lei.
Es una aventura muy linda que algun dia espero poder leer a mi hijos :)
Les recomiendo este libro a todo mundo.

It's been one of my favorite books since I was in 6th grade, great life values in this story! Great for kids! and people of any age.

This is a lovely story, and I wanted to own the book to follow while I listen to the story in Spanish on my ipod. Children's stories in Spanish are a delightful way to study for the mid-level student.

T.William Waltrip, M.D.

Shel Silverstein's poems are always truly a delight. Some of the collections, however, contain poems that are not quite appropriate for the very youngest listeners. A Giraffe and a Half IS targeted at the youngest audiences.

As the poem goes on, the titular giraffe is exposed to a more riotously funny situation on every page (a rose on his nose, glue on his shoe, etc.) My kids were laughing hard, and completing the rhyming phrases by the time the tired (and ludicrously attired) giraffe is rescued from visiting the mole in his hole, and divested of all his rhyming add-ons by various (also rhyming) people and animals.

This is a great book to read aloud to your children--just remember to take a BIG breath at the beginning of each page!

I am a preschool teacher for four year olds. There is nothing better than having a group of children completely engaged in a book, laughing over it and finishing my sentences. This book was asked for again and again and is a class favorite. It is a great introduction to rhyme and poetry. I think we all have it almost memorized!

Recommended by a teacher and read by a teacher the first time to grandson. High marks and great interaction by grandson who's three.

i neice LOVES this book! a classic for me and now i can pass it on to her...aaahhhh!

Read this to my Kindergarten students and before I got halfway through the book they were "helping" me read it! They ask for it often. What better recommendation could there be?!?!?!