N Books

If you are a heartly companion to your wife or to your gilfriend or to your boyfriend or husban, this is a fundamental book for both of you.
It is a compassionate, heartly and very open hearted book that I strongly recommend to everyone.
It is a precious book that cost me nothing. I am very grateful for it. You only depend on your heart on your life. Remember this.

I wish I had known more about this book and the author before I bought it. I was looking for subject matter for our Bible Study, and the reviews were encouraging. However, I did not know that this book was written from the perspective of a transcendentalist. The content IS good, but it does not have the Biblical backing in content that I had been hoping for. This book will still be useful, but it's going to take some work on our part to make sure the points are Biblically sound.

I was delighted with this book's uplifting and practical messages, as well as with the lovely prose. I have little pieces of yelllow sticky notes poking out of the book at places where I want to be able to find again certain poetic, well-turned phrases. Anyone who wants to become a better loving partner can find inspiration and concrete ideas in the well-organized, concise sections, stories that illustrate each section, and "questions to ask yourself" at each section's end. As a therapist, I see multiple ways to use the information in this book to help couples create more mutually satisfying relationships.

Marriage from the Heart is one of those books that doesn't come along often enough. The text is chock full of words of wisdom to share with friends and loved ones from authors who have obviously learned the truths contained therein from the trenches. This book does not belong on a dust collecting bookshelf, but on the nightstand or on the coffee table to be referred to frequently, by couples young and old, sharing relationships fresh and tarnished. Marriage from the Heart breaths new life into the self-help genre with its weaving of life experience with a good dose of philosophy and psychology, a dash of theological insight, and a splash of humor towards life's challenges, making it a perfect recipe for an open, honest, and lasting relationship.

I like how this book applies itself more towards strengthening an existing relationship rather than fixing a broken one (although the techniques presented are applicable to both situations). In fact, the content of this book could easily be applied to non-romantic relationships as well. The authors style and liberal use of applicable anecdotes yields an easy and enjoyable read. I will be sending copies to both of my sisters.

This delightful book was an easy read, yet the unique approach to spirituality kept me thinking, even re-examining the way we think about "god." The plot and commentary push open the mind's windows and let some new light in, and like a draught of fresh air, rejuvenates the mind.

I loved the God in the Coffee Shop Donovan portrayed. So caring, loving and real. I was right there , breathlessly waiting for each new encounter. I talked with Grandma for months after finishing the book. A very moving tribute to a new author, I can't wait for her next book. Maura Rand, Marshfield, Massachussetts

I loved the God in the Coffee Shop Donovan portrayed. So caring, loving and real. I was right there , breathlessly waiting for each new encounter. I talked with Grandma for months after finishing the book. A very moving tribute to a new author, I can't wait for her next book. Maura Rand, Marshfield, Massachussetts

Rene Donovan's sparkling descriptions of nature and the miracles of everyday life make my heart sing. It's good to know that I'm not alone in seeing God's glory in every ounce of creation. As I write this review, on a north bound flight, the Canadian Rockies glisten outside my window in snowy majesty, their silent voices proclaiming, "She's right you know! There's joy and beauty in all of God's handiwork."

Though everyone may not agree with the beliefs and practices described in this book, the principles of love and divinity set forth are universal. Whether you embrace the Pentacle or the Cross, after reading "Me 'n God-", you must agree that God is love no matter by what name we might call him. The author has done a marvelous job of conveying meaningful concepts through the medium of fiction.

Rene Donovan offers her readers more than a great story: she gives the gift of the divine. Love flows from every page, love of self, love of the Earth, and love for the divine that exists in all. For those on a path of spiritual awakening, the book offers encouragement and reaffirmation. Those who have not yet stepped on the path may well stumble onto it through this incredibly wise, funny, and uplifting tale. It is rare to encounter the divine in everyday life; rarer still to run across it in a novel. But "Me 'N' God in the Coffee Shop" is most certainly a divinely inspired work, refreshing in its hopeful outlook and its wonderful message that "each of us is a miracle". Spiritual seekers will love this book, and Starbucks should, too...

I note that the other reviews of this book have been either four or five stars and I am not about to buck the trend.

John Barron has crafted an interesting albeit short work on an event that sailed right by me in the 70s. His description of Lieutenant Belenko's life in the USSR is as riveting as his description of the actual defection flight itself. Mr. Barron has forced me to look elsewhere for more material on Viktor Belenko and, in so doing, I have found him to be a genuinely likeable man, a hero (to the West, at least), and someone I admire a great deal..

..Viktor Belenko, by the way, says nothing to discredit Mr. Barron's worthy effort. It's an old book, but a worthwhile glimpse into the politics of the old Soviet Union and the cold war.

And was just telling someone about it! I decided to look it up to see if was still available.

If you get a chance.. read this book.

This book paints an insightful picture of Soviet life and politics during the Cold War, and Belenko's story within that Soviet context is very interesting. The book is great.

I read this book to pieces -- literally -- when I was in my early teens, and just seeing the paperback cover reproduced here on Amazon ("Russia gave him everything a man could want -- except freedom" -- printed on the back) brings me way, way, waaaaay back, to an old story that never gets old.

Viktor Belenko was a Soviet fighter pilot who defected to Japan in the 1970s -- in his top-secret Mig 25 "Foxbat", at the time the world's fastest and most feared interceptor. On the surface he seemed an extremely unlikely candidate to jump the fence of the worker's paradise: the son of a decorated partisan fighter of the Second World War, he had overcome his poverty-stricken family's lack of political connections with a Samurai-like work-ethic and, against all odds, become a pilot of the most coveted and jealously-guarded aircraft in the USSR. He made good money, had the best priveleges, and could have looked forward to a cushy retirement when he was only 40 years old. His defection was as much a question of "Why?" as a question of "How?"

Author John Barron writes a compact, highly readable account of Belenko's life and the long series of incidents which turned him from an idealistic young communist, who sheds tears over the death of Stalin, to a man so filled with hatred for the regime he seeks not merely to escape it but to hurt it in the most grievous possible way -- by handing its most precious secrets to the enemy.

"Mig Pilot" is one of those stories that can be enjoyed on several levels. Read through quickly, it is a first-class adventure, a "will he or won't he get away with this" thriller. Read more slowly and thoughtfully, it is a terse, often humorous, yet ultimately horrifyingly revealing tale of what life was like under the communist system -- a system so corrupt, incompetently managed and morally bankrupt it drove some to suicide, most to intellectual surrender, and a tiny few to risk their lives just to get the hell away from it.

Barron litters the book with anecdotes about the grotesquerie that was the Soviet Union: about buildings so shoddily constructed they crack apart with their inhabitants still in them; officials so corrupt they refuse to perform their jobs unless paid substantial bribes; crime so rampant that people are stabbed to death for the clothes on their backs; enlisted men treated so badly they riot, desert and murder; and a system of informers so all-pervading that only the most dishonest man could ever rise to the top. Everywhere you look is filth, corruption, lying, hypocrisy, and cant, all set to the tune of patriotic music and propaganda slogans that bear about as much resemblance to reality as a Tom & Jerry cartoon. It's Orwell's "1984", with worse technology.

Ultimately, though, the book is not about oppression but rather freedom -- the indestructable, indefatigable desire for human beings to breathe and think and speak their minds, without wondering if the secret police will take them away to a death camp or a mental institution for their troubles. Belenko, for all his perks and petty priveleges, found himself unable to play the role of [...]to the communist party's pimp. He risked everything on the gamble that, somewhere over the horizon, there was a better way. If Barron, who is admittedly jingoistic American patriot of the cardboard sort, made the better way look a bit too close to perfect....well, to Belenko's eyes, maybe close to perfect was perfect enough. To paraphrase Howard Fast, whose (ironically) pro-communist novel "Spartacus" served as Belenko's lifelong inspiration:

"As long as men suffered, and other men profited from those who suffered, the name of Viktor Belenko would be remembered, whispered sometimes and shouted loud and clear at others."[...]

I read this book twice while the Soviet Union still stood. The book is brilliently written. You get a view of life inside the former Soviet Union, inside their millitary and civillian life, and you see through the eyes of a refugee when he first experiences America. The story helps you to appreciate what you have here. Lt. Belenko is a very courageous man.

Mrs. Ballard's Parrots

The most amazing book and story. I love it

Not only lots of photos..but the history of how they came about. Being a fellow parrot owner, it was delightful.

There are photos of parrots dressed as famous actors and actresses. Great little coffee table book. I gave one to my neice who loves dressup as I thought she would really appreciate the costumes on the parrots.

Mrs. Ballard is truly gifted! As an artist, I am impressed with her obsessive devotion to her wacky vision and to producing her costumes and sets. As the owner of two parrots, I am amazed at her ability to enlist their cooperation in her endeavour. We have owned Zeppo, a Mexican Red Head, for almost thirty years, and I can't even get him to wear a hat.

A book filled with parrots dressed up in costumes and photographed in appropriate settings. I would have loved to be in the room when this was proposed to the publisher.

The result is page after page of hilariously enchanting, fun, and meticulously created scenes. So meticulous that once you stop laughing, you kind of HAVE to sit back and wonder about the person who clearly dedicated many months of long, long days to get these just right. It's very existance is a reason to smile through your day.

If you have any sense of humor at all, get this book today. You will never regret it.

Do you feel isolated and judged at work, simply for being who you are? Then you may well be a Mustang Sally, insists journalist Fawn Germer ("Hard Won Wisdom"). Mustang Sallys (from the song) don't go along to get along, says Germer, which means great rewards, but also great trouble - especially in business, where women have little leeway as outspoken leaders.

Peppered with interviews from some 75 different women like Hillary Rodham Clinton, Erin Brockovich and Eve Ensler ("The Vagina Monologues"), Germer offers advice on being true to yourself, fighting for what matters, getting what you want and daring to make mistakes. While Germer suggests little in the way of self-examination, she will definitely reassure courageous yet criticized women who refuse to kiss up in order to move up.

I just discovered Fawn Germer's books thanks to a friend who saw her speak in D.C. last year. What great advice for someone who is struggling career-wise. I am in a situation where I am unwilling to compromise my beliefs in order to fit in to a work environment where I am not respected or valued. To read this book and hear what ultra-successful women have gone through in order to just be themselves has given me hope and renewed energy. I am presenting "Mustang Sallies" to my reading group next month and I feel confident thirteen other women are going to find strength in Fawn's writings.

I highly recommend this book to any and all career women who have felt undervalued and conflicted about their careers.

If these stories of women who made a difference despite all odds don't inspire you to achieve to your fullest potential, it's doubtfull that anything else can. The spectrum of women chosen is a testament to diversity. This would make a great holiday gift for anyone and everyone.

This book will have a permanent place on my nightstand so I will find a little calm before going to sleep. Finally. FINALLY! Someone has explained all of my self-doubts and shown a way around them. This is a powerful book that I am giving as gifts to every one of my friends. It's required reading for any woman who has ever felt judged or criticized by others when she was absolutely in the right.

I was given this book as a gift from a friend who said, "Now you'll understand what's going on with your life, Diane. You're a mustang. That's not a negative." When I read Fawn Germer's Mustang Sallies, I knew what she meant. I've always felt misunderstood and underappreciated. Now I realize I am what Germer calls a "trailblazer." I've never been one to go along to get along, and I don't kiss up to move up. That's hurt me in the past, but Mustang Sallies is filled with strategies to make me succeed without selling out. I love this book. (...) It's phenomenal.

If you love the comic strip, Mutts, you will love this beautiful color edition of the comic strips with large, easy-to-read type. It'd look great on your coffee table. Mr. McDonnell relates what inspires his strips, his personal history, and thoughts about his characters. There are roughs showing his thought process, sketchbook drawings and examples of his pre-Mutts artwork. As I suspected, Krazy Kat, was a big influence on his artistry. This is the kind of book fans enjoy.

You might want to check out a book on a collection of Krazy Kat cartoons to compare the style.

Mutts and Patrick McDonnell should be household names by now. The comics are sometimes funny, sometimes dramatic, but always entertaining and thoughtfully done. The drawing is artistic and passionate with homage paid to other comics and various cultural styles. One of my favorite comics up there with Dilbert, Rose is Rose, Foxtrot, and For Better or For Worse.

I really am a fan of Mutts. This book is worth the price. I just want everything of Mutts, so if you are a fan, you have to buy it! And no, I do not own some Amazon stock!

Patrick McDonnell's work is among the very best gracing the newspaper comic strip pages today. There is a genuine quality to his work; an honesty that shines forth from the funnies. It is truly wonderful to see Abrams honor McDonnell and "Mutts" with this absolutely terrific monograph. The design of the book is scrumptious. Each page is carefully considered and I love the way that the designer combined sketchbook doodles and finished comic strips. It was also great to see references given for the Sunday page logo panels. They bring you just a little bit closer to the work.

And the work is really the main event here. The reproduction quality is glorious, giving us a sneak peak at what originals might look like. The color--oy, what color--is beautifully printed. If you can't see the original drawings, this book is the next best thing. The selection of work is great. They chose some of Mutts' very best, including the wonderful ice cream cone gag! That one remains one of my very favorites.

There are some really nice insights here, though they're not overblown. Like the strip itself, McDonnell writes in a true, succint way, then he lets his strip do the talking. You really get a sense of how invested he is in his creation.

If you're a Mutts fan, you can't pass this book up. And if you know of any Mutts fans who don't yet have this book, you can bank a bunch of karma by buying a copy for them. They'll love you more than a pink sock for it.

One of the best new comic strips to come down the pike in the last ten years is Patrick McDonnell's Mutts.

Cute doggie Earl and rascally Mooch have an understated charm that's reminiscent of the relationship between Snoopy and Charlie Brown before Snoopy took to the air in his imaginary Sopwith Camel.

Mutts is a down-to-Earth examination of how pets fit into the lives of their masters and vice-versa.

McDonnell's sensitivities derive from his simple yet eloquent style that draws upon the love and empathy that the strip's characters have for each other.

The book itself is a wonderful reprinting of many of his best daily and Sunday color strips. Also included are notes that cite the sources of the title panels of the Sunday strips that pay homage to old record albums, comic book covers, famous works of art, and movie posters.

The true fan of the Mutts strip will consider this book a 'must-have'. However, I have to admit that if you've been purchasing the Mutts collections printed so far, there's scant new material in this book. For a book of its size, the autobiographical information is very lean. There was probably more to read about McDonnell in a recent Star-Ledger newspaper interview than in this book.

I bought it for myself as a frivolous, self-indulgent treat. You might not want to do likewise.

This was the very first *NSYNC book I got, and I loved it at first sight. I mean, I still like it. It's pretty informative...mostly stuff you could find out in any other book. The pictures are the best part. Some of the pictures a little old, though. It's a pretty good gift for the younger generation of fans, or the freaky fans like me.

Okay, this book is pretty good...it was my very first *NSYNC book and I think it's got some pretty good stuff in it.

Of course, it is unauthorized, which means the guys didn't stamp their names on it, and it has some inaccuracies in it. Of course, you might not notice it if you weren't a freak like me.

I think this is a great gift for a young fan...however, if you're older or a freak like me, then this definitely is a bit beyond your obsession for these hot and talented guys.

Well I know that I am a big fan of Nsync, and to read this book makes me fall in love with this group all over again...it gives 411 on the group and it has wonderful and beautiful pictures (and I mean BEAUTIFUL!) I know this isn't the best description but if your a true Nsync fan than you need to go buy this cuz it is awesome book and it is a great keepsake!!

This was the very first *NSYNC book I got, and I loved it at first sight. I mean, I still like it. It's pretty informative...mostly stuff you could find out in any other book. The pictures are the best part. Some of the pictures a little old, though.

This book about my favorite boy band was really cool! All of the stuff in the book was factual and there were some really cute pictures of the guys in there. There's a lot of stuff on each one of the guys personally and also stuff about the group as a whole. A fantastic book for any fan!

"A modern classic. Dewey's lectures have lost none of their vigor...The historical approach, which underlay the central argument, is beautifully exemplified in his treatments of the origin of philosophy."--Philosophy and Phenomenological Research

"It was with this book that Dewey fully launched his campaign for experimental philosophy."--The New Republic

Dewey's philosophy is hard for some people to get into, or take seriously, because his whole body of concerns and ideas are present behind every sentence-- so, even though his language is plain-spoken, it is "saturated with meaning," to use one of his phrases. So it takes real work, and he doesn't always succeed in keeping the foreground clear, while remembering the background. It's DOING philosophy, rather than merely writing ABOUT it. This book is a great example -- what does philosophy do for us, how does it contribute when it is woven into the other enterprises of life, and what ideas in philosophy stand it the way of its making a living contribution. The book is full of dramatic, and even radical thinking, but in quiet, reflective language that requires relaxed, persistent attention.

Written shortly after World War I, John Dewey's classic RECONSTRUCTION IN PHILOSOPHY offered an introduction to the philosophy of pragmatic humanism, arguing against traditional philosophy by suggesting their fountains in self-justification were flawed and proposing an examination of core values based on other criteria. Published in 1948, this Dover reprint of the enlarged edition is an important guide to any college-level philosophy collection.

Written soon after the First World War, Reconstruction in Philosophy by James Dewey attempts to lay out a program for making philosophy adapt to the needs of a new time and age. As man's experience has changed in the modern era, so must philosophy change; philosophy must evolve in order to explicitly address those issues from which it originally arose - those dealing with the everyday concerns of man. It is contemporary philosophy's (in 1919) detachment from man's real life and goals that Dewey wishes to diagnose and address. Philosophy must break the bonds of tradition and become entirely secular; the scientific method which revolutionized man's life must be embraced by philosophy - the facts and experience oriented spirit of science must pervade the reconstruction of philosophy.

It is the rise of science as the great shaper of human life and culture that constitutes the greatest change in human experience. Pre-historic man's life - which, according to Dewey, consisted of brief periods of food gathering and the rest of long periods of reverie - gave rise to conceptions of the nature of man and the world. As men's culture advanced, so did men's accounts of the nature of man and the world; these developments culminated in the works of the classic ancient thinkers, notably Plato and Aristotle. These were philosophies that denigrated ugly matter and imperfect change, and idealized perfect, eternal forms. These philosophies, and those in modern times which carry their influence, place ultimate value and ultimate reality in otherworldly or extra-sensory things - in the Forms, Celestial Spheres, the Categories, etc.

The Pragmatic method proposed by Dewey seeks to dispense with the old dichotomies and idealizations and transform knowledge and philosophy from the "contemplative to the operative." Science broke the old dogmas about the physical universe and philosophy should similarly make experience the test of our principles; abstractions, principles, generalizations, etc. should service concrete action, not the other way around. "The true is the verified," writes Dewey. This is the method by which logic, epistemology, morals, politics, etc. should base its reconstruction.

Dewey's program, it may be argued, only serves to relocate rather than resolve some of the main issues of philosophy. How exactly the methods of science are to be absorbed by philosophy, and whether philosophy does in fact differ from the sciences only in its degree of generality are unanswered questions. While deriding "fixed and final" end in ethics, Dewey posits "growth itself as the only moral end." And by defining society as "the process of associating in such ways that experiences, ideas, emotions, and values are transmitted and made common," he makes both the individual and the state subordinate to this process. Have we not traded one thing to subordinate ourselves to for another? This is not to say that Dewey doesn't offer a framework that perhaps allows us to offer more satisfying answers to philosophy's issues (which is just what Dewey argues for); its just that he is proposing a new methodology for answering those issues, not (in this work at least) offering specific answers, or defending in a satisfying way the assertion that his program is in the first place tenable. These comments aren't mean to trivialize Dewey's program offhand, but to point out the sort of questions he raises which should be answered.

For a much more fruitful and rigorous defense of a pragmatic-type approach to some of philosophy's central issues, see Susan Haack's Evidence and Inquiry: Towards Reconstruction in Epistemology (for the title of which she borrowed from Dewey). This work by Dewey, however, is required reading for those who wish to study the American Pragmatist school.

John Dewey, as I've heard, was never comfortable with labels. Throughout his career he shifted from and to many rubrics: pragmatism, interactionism, instrumentalism, transactionism, experimentalism. Truth be told, all of these are present in "Reconstruction in Philosophy" and partly because of that, this is probably the best intro to Dewey available.

Dewy has a bone to pick with traditional philosophy. Not only has it lost track with real, as opposed to academic, problems (anyone walking down the street can tell us this) but it never really was that good at depicting real questions and descriptions anyway. Take comcepts like Plato's ideal forms and Kant's a priori. Neither of these are teneble in any realm of experience; rather, they were a misguided quest to explain the permanance and stability of the world.

Dewey's book is an attempt to pull the carpet out from under their feet; science and inquiry using its methods shows us that the world changes and if anything, stability is something that is felt by us - not inherent in the world. Thus a prioris, ideal forms, seperation of the noumenal and phenouminal amongst other current 'problems' in philosophy - all based on the idea of permanant/transitory dichotomy - are not only wearing thin, but are fast showing to be irrelevant. From this, he builds the groundwork of a philosophy in between rationalism and empiricism. Taking from rationalism an admiration and recognition of reason's power to direct action and combining it with empiricims fascination with experience, Dewey creates a philosophy that puts the spotlight not on one or the other, but on both as leading to and taking from eachother.

The first chapter are a philosophical survey of how philosophy went wrong; particularly in Ancient Greek and early Christian philosophy (both having a love affair with absolutes outside of experience). The second chapter focuses on the mistakes when philosophers, like Francis Bacon, widened the chasm between the real and experiential and the ideal and rational.

From here, Dewey proceeds piece by piece to show what was wrong and how to fix it by making clear tht scienctific inquiry (the equal interaction between subject and object) leaves no room for absolutes, forms or a prioris (or at least, not in any pragmatically useful sense). By extension, things like formal rules of logic above experience, non-experimentalism in moral or political theory and psychology that includes the individual without an equal part of the social; all of these become little more than unfounded but continually persisting glorifications.

For the reader interested in Dewey, naturalism, instrumentalism or the implications of pragmatism, this is a great introduction. From here, I suggest Dewey's "The Quest for Certainty" followed by "Experience and Nature", topped off with "Human Nature and Conduct".

This is a well-crafted, very modern story about the joys and sorrows of friendship. Cant wait to read more from McKinnon.

I loved this book. It dares, which is more than I can say for most of the novels I've read in the last few years. Fiction has become all the same thing, seemingly meant to make both writer and read feel good about themselves. This novel isn't about that. McKinnon's writing is alive, her characters are vivid and her story is wickedly fun. Reading the other reviews, it is clear that the author's refusal to tell the reader what to think has [upset] some readers and perplexed others; the smart ones, though, know that she purposely encloses you in the suffocating point of view of a narcissist--here's what it's like to live in the skin of a vain, short-sighted, self-glorifying young woman 24/7--as if to say you'd better watch out, world, or this is what we'll all become. But Becky is not a mouthpiece, she is a character whom McKinnon embodies fully and without flinching. I can't wait to see who and what she'll take on next.

Recently, we've been bombarded by the fiction publishing industry with woman characters that are ambivalent about their independence and obsessed with the desire to be all things to everyone (especially to men). The women of Narcissus Ascending cannot be reduced to these banal caricatures. Instead, Karen McKinnon, in her darkly ironical first novel, gives us two rivalrous characters - Becky and Callie - whose complex, obsessive, self-delusional personalities jumps off the page. The seeming authenticity of these characters makes them fascinating to read about. This is a unique and wonderful book that I highly recommend.

Narcissus Ascending, the initial novel offering by transplanted New York psychologist and writer Karen McKinnon is exactly what you expect it to be when you first see it on the bookstore shelf. And it is things you never expected it to be.

The title of the work and its modest size (214 pages) may lead you to believe it contains the usual dose of pretentious self-indulgence that often accompany a first novel, which this one does. Two of the first four words in the opening paragraph are "I" and unless you are among the most voracious and academic of readers, not a few times will you find yourself reaching for the Roget's to get a handle on the sometimes reachng vocabulary. But don't let that keep you from picking it up. This look at the relationships between a group of late twenty-something friends that don't spend their lives huddled in a New York City coffeehouse immediately grabs hold of your interest and rarely lets go.

Written in a unique "diary-like" narrative from the perspective of the main character, Becky, McKinnon's writing structure here is perfect for the subject matter and is a large part of what makes this such an enjoyable read. The lack of dialogue punctuation and the often combined thoughts and sentences make the reader have to work a little harder, but helps to stay atuned to the story line and each of its subjects.

The story is centered around four friends wrapped up in the melieu of New York's East Village who, aside from the day-to-day travails of Manhattan life are each dealing with the mental residue deposited by a fifth character, Callie, whom, though we don't actually meet until the last 80 pages of the book, we come to know and loathe...and fear, but are anxious to meet. The setting is well written and through the interaction and thoughts of each character, we are given a look into four distinct lives and points of view; neurosis, desire, ambition and all. McKinnon walks us through their relationships, individually and collectively, and as we progress, have no choice but to make comparisons with our own lives. Their private thoughts, personal battles and betrayals and the rationalizing of sexual indiscretions and desires are upfront and honest, to the point we are left to wonder how many of the characters and experiences are autobiographical or if the writer is just this good.

McKinnon does deserve a little slap for not reaching further into the character Dahlia and how her life as an incest survivor fuels her thoughts and actions, but should be highly praised for her research into modernist artist Becky. If we didn't know the writer was a psychologist, her depth of detail regarding her artist's struggle for professional self-definition and the art world itself would have us looking forward to her next show at the MoMA.

The storyline focuses largely on the angst and fears of its main players and their shallow, adolescent need to acquire revenge for past deeds done them by the protragonist Callie. But there is an unspoken subtext you can not help but delve into, questions about the foundative solvency in today's society you can not help but ask. Because most of the character development is so thorough and well defined, we can't help but wonder if present-day adults are really this [messed] up and whether we fall into one of two categories; those as equally disfucntional and in need of therapy as the characters we're reading about or those who are fortunate enough to have grown up.

A quick-paced, cozy-up-on-the-sofa-for-an-evening novel, Narcissus Ascending is a fun read that takes an naked, revealing look into the self-centered aspects of the human condition we all enjoy...or suffer from. But don't believe for a second that after you close the cover, it won't have you thinking.

Perhaps more than you'd like to.

I came across this debut novel recently and on cracking open the cover I didn't look up until I had finished all 200 plus pages several hours later. McKinnon's style of writing is impressive and her ability to render the novel's characters into flesh and blood is mind-whirling. The examination of the complexity of friendships that form when self-absorbed people (and aren't we surrounded more and more by them) find each other is sobering...and, I hate to admit it (and so will you), familiar. I can't wait to read more of her writing.

This is one of the early books dealing with the bible and homosexuality written in 1983 just after John Boswell's book (Christianity, Social Tolerance, and Homosexuality, 1980.

In his commentary on 1 Corinthians Gordon D Fee says that this book "is a model of fairness to all sides". The book is very clearly written and his quotation of the various Greco-roman sources is especially useful as it gives us valuable historical information about society and homosexuality at that time, for this alone it is worth getting. His main thesis is that pederasty was the main form of homosexual activity in higher levels of society in the Greco-roman world. And that the NT bible is against this exploitative sexual activity. Now if Paul had only written 1 Cor 6:9 condemning the malakoi and arsenokoitai, he would have a very good point. However, this argument falls rather flat when one considers Paul's reference to male and female homosexual activity in Romans 1. The fact that Paul says that the men were "consumed with passion for one another" means that he is hardly referring to just exploitative sex. As far as we know female homosexual relationships were very rare in society in those days. Paul's argument in Rom 1 is based on the created intent of the Creator, therefore he indicts both males and females who practise this sin. It is easy to understand that men indulge in this sin, but even the females indulge in this sin, that is Paul's point.

In his discussion of the origin of the word "arsenokoites" used in 1 Cor 6:9 he establishes that this is based on the Greek translation of Leviticus 18 and 20 in the Septuagint the LXX (p86). He fails to point out that Paul's use of the word arsenokoites, which he gets from his Greek OT, means that Paul also thought that the Levitical prohibitions against male-male intercourse also applied in his day. But on p107 he seems to back track by saying that arsenokoites has no recoverable history prior to Paul's use if it, but this is hardly the point, Paul's use of the word arsenokoite is derived from the LXX, meaning that Paul approved of the Levitical prohibitions. He then goes on to argue, and it is quite subtle, that when malakos and arsenokoites are used together, then malakos points to the effeminate call-boy, then arsenokoites in this context must be the active partner who keeps the malakos as a "mistress" or who hires him on occasion to satisfy his sexual desires. If this argument is correct then Paul is only condemning exploitative sex and prostitution, which Paul also clearly condemns in 1 Cor 6. Again we need to look at Rom 1 to see more on Paul's thoughts in order to clarify the issue.

In his discussion of Rom 1:26-27 on p 109 Scroggs clearly looses the plot. He does not seem to realise that Paul refutes his expoitative argument when Paul mentions "dishonoring of their bodies among themselves", men being "consumed with passion for one another", and "and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error".

I highly recommend this book for all who are interested in the biblical issues that surround this debate, especially for the Greco-roman history. Also recommended is Robert Gagnon's book "The Bible and Homosexual Practice: Texts and Hermeneutics".

Dr. Scroggs does a wonderful job of describing the culture at the time the bible was writen... A little gross but effective.

He then relates this to what is said in specific scriptures. A good way to read the bible, I think.

This is an excellent book for anyone curious about the Scriptural basis (used by both sides) in Christian debates over the morality of homosexual acts. It is short (150 pages) and very readable.

The book starts out with a brief overview of various positions on homosexuality taken by different Christian sects, and how those different positions are claimed to be supported by Scripture. Then he takes a historical approach, going into detail about the cultural background of the time and place where the New Testament was written, which means particular focus on Greek pederasty (sex between men and boys). Scroggs explains both the debate in mainstream Greek society, as well as the views of and Scriptural interpretations (and misinterpretations) of both Palestinian and Hellenistic Jews. He makes clear what is known, as well as what is missing from the historical records.

My favorite aspect of this book is that Scroggs does not let the reader know his opinion at first. He starts being incredibly objective, and then slowly becomes more and more opinionated and colorful in his statements. Finally, in the last chapter, Scroggs gives his own conclusions. I won't spoil the end, but I will tell you that he bases his conclusions on two conditions:
(1) The biblical statements must be consonant with the larger, major theological and ethical judgments which lie at the heart not only of Scripture, but of the historical church throughout the ages. (2) The context today must bear a reasonable similarity to the context of the statements at the time of writing.

Scroggs, a Biblical scholar and Christian, is intellectually honest and rigorous about both his research and analysis. He jumps to no rash conclusions about anything, and when he states his own conclusions, he always presents opposing views in a way that is non-judgmental.

It is the Christian right who takes scripture out of context to suit their own desires, that is, promote homophobia. Start scratching--itchy ears.

tching ears, April 15, 2003 wrote:
Reviewer: A reader from Ballwin, Missouri United States
2 Timothy 4:3
For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.

The information in this book is incredible. It compares and contrasts the "boys club" in Rome and Greece circa 300 BCE to 300 CE with the loving caring relationships enjoyed by modern gay couples, and concludes they have nothing in common. The reader is guided through an unjust, misogynistic, male dominated society that was in every way the exact opposite of God's kingdom of equality and justice and love. It is no wonder, the early church found so much to condemn. And it is no wonder the later, unjust, misogynistic, male dominated church did nothing to correct the misunderstanding. Robin Scroggs has come a long way toward documenting the injustices done to our brothers and sisters.