W Books

I bought this book in hardcover form when I was 18 or 19. It sat on a bookshelf for a decade or more having never been read by me or anyone. Then it disappeared somehow through movings and such. Recently, some 25 years later, I found a used paperback copy at my local library and purchased it. This time I read it and kicked myself for days for having not read it so many years ago. I must agree with many of the other reviews. This is a wonderful book. Full of nostalgia and humor and so many other things. The characters become part of you and you don't want the book to end. I purposely did not read it quickly because I knew right away I was going to enjoy it. And I did. I love stories about nostalgia. I am nostalgic so I guess I identify with George. But all the characters are wonderfully illuminated by Mr Myrer and you feel like you know them personally. The use of the music of the 40's and 50's is great. A nice touch. Particularly if you love this kind of music. Which I do. A must read. Try it.

I read this while in college almost 30 years ago and still recommend it to people from my list of "best books of my life." Myrer is incredible and "Once an Eagle' should be also considered. One of the greatest books in American Literature!

This book really encapsulates the experience of the World War II generation, and brings it alive for Boomers and Gen X readers. I would put this in the top twenty of the best novels I have ever read.

I first read this book probably 15 years ago, and I still pick it up and re-read it once in a while. It's so well-written, it makes me nostalgic for a time I didn't even live through! While it's about a group of college friends starting out in the 1940s, I think the story and its emotions are timeless enough to appeal to anyone. I saw parallels to my own experiences in college during the late 1970s, minus the war. The characters are so real, and they stay with you long after you've finished the book.

The Last Convertible is an esquiste trek through the past. Author Anton Myrer takes us on a journey into the lives of five young men who meet and become friends while attending Harvard in the era surrounding WWII. They are bound by a fantastic automobile - a gargantuan Packard nicknamed the Empress. Each of the men has a unique life backstory and is uniquely created to demonstrate a life of his own. Myrer introduces us to their girlfriends and families as we journey through these war years learning of their lives and loves and adventures.

I first read this novel while in university. I was an English lit major and I neglected my own studies for a period so that I could finish this wonderful book. I passed the book off to all my friends and my girlfriend. We were already living our own version of this comraderie so reading about this "romantic" era's friends only reinforced what we had. It was as if I could smell the same air and feel the same breezes as the characters.

The only problem arises after the characters leave Harvard. Once they move into the real world, their lives seem forced and not as interesting as they did when they are all together as a unit. It is as if the total is not equal to a sum of the parts.

It is still refreshing to read a story that provides us with such a vast landscape, so finely crafted. It is a book filled with prose-like writing that is elaborate and detailed without being bogged down by the words.

I really can't recommend this book enough. I think that you will find this to be a book you can expect to one day be taught in school.

But I have loved all the books in the series. That being said, this one was fabulous. They Gears do a good job of making the stories interesting and entertaining but if you are into the pre-history there is so much information in there well placed in broad daylight but it all blends together beautifully.

I have purchased the entire set of these books from Amazon. They were all delivered in great condition, not to mention how exciting it is to read about the "olden" days and how life was lived before trains, planes, automobiles, stupid music and electricity!!! WHAT????..No washer?..Go to the river! No dryer?..Wait for the sun to shine!...No toilet paper?..use your own imagination on that one! And get hooked on these great books.

I've loved everything I've read by the Gears and I've read just about everything they have published. Wonderful interposing of fiction onto the facts! They use their expertise as anthropologists and as story tellers to combine what really has been found about North American Indians and interpose a very believable story onto it. They really make the past come alive! The inclusion of what has really been found by anthropologists adds tremendously to the books!

If you like the Gears and haven't read it you need to. If you haven't read the Gears try this one. This was the first one I read and I had a bit of a problem at first following there style of writing a book...but I got over that fairly quickly as things progressed and I realized what and how it was written.

These characters are absolutely endearing. Based on historical facts of the Hopewells it is a marvelous journey based on suspense, humor and the supernatural. It made me addicted and craving more of there books! Try it out, as you can see I am not the only one telling you you won't be disappointed!

Though the book does follow the basic formula of the other books in the series, it has quirks and differences that make it absolutely hilarious and engrossing. Not that the book is a comedy, but the way the characters interact is priceless.
I admit, I'm pretty bored with the basic plot of these books -- variations on Young Person Runs Away From Arranged Future (or abusive tribesmember) -- but even if this series has left you cold due to the politics (if that's the case, just ignore the beginning), get this book! A well-turned tale, with wonderful, sympathetic characters and a wonderful tour of maybe a third of North America.

I remember reading these books years and years ago! I'm in 10th grade and it's been more 5 years since I was in elementary school and yet when I go work at my old school I go back and read them again!

A fun (and funny) book which will delight kids with Amelia's well-intentioned but mistake-laden chores. Kids feel empowered because they are 'smarter' than the character and are able to cheer her on. In the end, Amelia's good deeds overpower any mistakes she makes.

I recommend this book for any child who is beginning to read on their own!

This is surly a kids favorite since I was a little girl! We join Amelia Bedelia as she starts her first day of work for the Rodgers. They rush off shortly after she arrives, but they've left her a list of things to do. Should be a snap, as all the tasks are simple and clearly stated...but that's what you think...Amelia Bedelia begins completing each chore in quite a literal fashion...drawing the drapes and much, much more! Younger kids (1-4) will like the silliness of it and beginner readers and more savvy grade schoolers (5-8) will like that's it's simple and clever/silly too! I recommend it without reservation! I'm sure Amelia will be with us, teaching fine lessons about the words we use and the many means they can have for generations to come!

A great, witty book that my 4-year old loved. Made her think about the different meanings of words.

In a language where so many words and phrases have multiple meanings, there's no doubt that the literal-minded Amelia can be kept busy through many a book. The fact that it's funny is just the thing to get young readers hooked.

Amelia, beginning her new job as maid for Mr and Mrs Rogers, makes a pie and then tackles her to-do list. Dust? Well, at her house, they un-dust, but she's going to do as she's told - so she finds sweet smelling dusting powder in the bathroom and spreads it throughout the living room. Draw the drapes? Not much of an artist, Amelia does her best. The pie is done just in time for the return of her employers. Mrs Rogers is surprised at Amelia's interpretation of such simple directions as "trim the fat"... and is about to fire her when Mr Rogers offers her a taste of Amelia's wonderful lemon-meringue pie. Mrs Rogers will just have to learn to say things Amelia's way, because they certainly don't want to lose someone who can make a pie like that!

Very funny, and it exposes young minds to the various meanings of words in English - easily one of the most complicated languages ever, and one that you just don't think about if it's your first language until you read a book like this! The book is rather old (copyright 1963) but is timeless and this is a great time to read it with your kids. As the Spanish-speaking population grows in the U.S., it's a great opportunity for kids today to realize just how hard English can be!

An amazing story from the 'inner world' of a lost boy. When one wants to feel its heart touched? than read it!

The movie was wonderful and the book was even better, filling in details the movie had to leave out. I especially was touched by his growth in faith that was absent in the movie. A wonderful book for young people to develop character, but for adults as well. I was a little disappointed in the abrupt ending.

I Am David shows the horror of a country without freedom and what living in a country that holds no love for freedom for all men, shows what is done to men and children "they" find subversive. David is a special child given the strength to trek through difficulities and the unknown looking for what he knows in his heart to be something "lost" and so much better. Even though this is a book aimed for the primary younger crowd, this grandma couldn't put the book down until young David experienced the bad and good from those that journeyed with him in his search.

"I Am David" by Anne Holm depicts years of the tragic concentration camps. A young boy with no parents, in a concentration camp, has to escape or die trying. David meets an older women that is very kind to him. As David asks the older women about some books people are carrying around. The older women explains the book. David realizes the author of this book is his mother, who he thought was killed when they were separated to go to concentration camps. David and his mother are soon reunited at once. this is a good book, I think this it is a god page turner because this book will keep you guessing; what will happen next? Who is he going to meet next? I don't recommend this book to a 13 year old, I would recommend book to 11-12 year olds because it would be more thrilling ate that age. this book is a page turner but I thought it wasn't very exciting. If you are someone who loves happy endings then this would be a great book for you.

I had seen the video first and then wanted to read the book.
It was an excellent story: emotional, of course.
I was glad to have the chance to read it.
Well written.

This is a very informative book and a must read for anyone interested in understanding why the Bush administration is so prone to launching wars in the oil-rich Middle East region. The author, a renowned economist, is very knowledgeable about the economics and domestic politics that support such warmongering efforts. He identifies the pro-Israel Neocon movement and its alliance with the lunatics of the religious Right as important forces in the push toward involving the U.S. in wars abroad. The military-industrial complex and the strategic importance of Middle East oil are represented by Vice President Dick Cheney in the Bush administration, and are also prime movers of war.

Probably the most original part of this book is its chronology of empires and how Western civilization started its ascendency after the fall of Constantinople in 1453. This chapter (chap. 16) is worth buying the book in itself. The author's style is direct and pulls no punches. An excellent book.

As an amateur student of American foreign policy, I am appalled by the wave of anti-americanism it has generated over the last few years. The policy of systematically meddling in the internal affairs of other countries, especially in the Middle East, has been most counter-productive.

There is no doubt that unbridled interventionism, often done illegally and under murky influences, is the root cause of why there is so much anti-americanism around the world. And case in point is the gratuitous violence imposed on some Muslim countries, i.e. Iraq and Palestine. This is creating tons of resentment all over the Muslim world, turning many to hatred and some to terrorism.

Tremblay's book offers a way out of this circular dilemma: Apply to the Muslim world the same treatment given to the Communist world with the 1975 Helsinki Accords. As he puts it (p. 152-53), the Helsinki Accords, signed by 33 Eastern and Western European countries, the United States, and Canada, played a fundamental role in opening up the communist bloc to liberty, freedom and reforms. I doubt that bombs would have brought the same result.

Former President Mikhail Gorbachev has said that the Helsinki Accords opened the door to reforms that would not have taken place otherwise. Why can we not adopt a similar approach with the Muslim world, instead of jumping all the time on the war wagon? This is a well-written and well-researched book. It is highly recommended.

People who want a condensed introduction on how the Bush administration walked into a quagmire in Iraq should read "The New American Empire". I don't agree with all of Tremblay's arguments, but in my opinion he hits the nail on the head when he identifies the real reasons why Bush II invaded Iraq, i.e oil, Israel, military bases and domestic politics. By the way, the same scenario seems to be repeating itself with Iran, with the same deception about the real reasons for intimidating Iran.

So, even if you do not agree with everything the author has to say, this book is worth a ton of newspapers articles or hours of TV reporting. The chapters on `Oil' and on the `History of Empires' are worth buying this book.

Among the many books written on the Iraq war and the Bush administration's fixation with militarism, this book by economist Tremblay is one of the most readable and most informative.

The fact that George W. Bush was planning a premeditated attack on Iraq to secure 'regime change' in that country, even before he took power in January 2001, should make people pause and think. So should the Neocon blueprint for a complete American take-over of the Middle East ("Rebuilding America's Defenses"), drafted in Sept. 2001, by Cheney, Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz, Jeb Bush and Lewis Libby.

Now that Iraq is a mess, that thousands and thousands of people have been killed, and hundreds of billions of dollars have been wasted, the American people are entitled to know the real reasons why the Bush administration launched an illegal war of aggression against Iraq, with no provocation but with a lot of bad faith. All the official reasons have been proven false. After reading this book, one knows the real reasons behind one of the most foolish enterprises ever undertaken by a U.S. government abroad. I have learned a lot also from prof.
Tremblay's new blog: http://www.TheNewAmericanEmpire.com/blog.

The truth shall set you free!

Dr. Tremblay is right on target with his assessment of the direction the U.S. is heading, along with his critiques of the politicians we have in this country. It is amazing that more people don't "see through" the false facades these people present to the public, and that so many people believe the lies doled out to unsuspecting voters! I would recommend this book as a very timely read....particularly in view of the upcoming 2008 Presidential Elections

Think about it, if you are going to pay a few hundred dollars (maybe thousand or so)for a tailor-made suit, you want it to fit, yet when we buy golf clubs, do you ask the right questions, only what is the lastest and greatest turbo driven miracle slice cure recommended by your best mates parrot who saw one in a window?
Tom Wishon is right, like buying most things in life, armed with knowledge is far better then a salesman waffle.
If you are going to spend this much money on one 'hail Mary driver' or other implement, at least see a professional fitter.

I found this book very helpful in identifying the characteristics I needed in my new driver. Well written!

This book provides an excellent explanation of the importance of having the correct clubs and how to go about choosing them. Easy to read and full of useful information for all handicap levels.

Do you want to get ripped off the next time you buy golf clubs? Then don't buy this book!

This book teaches you what you why golf clubs are made in a certain way. Why some of the latest innovations will help your game, and why some of the latest "innovations" are nothing more than hype to sell clubs that will actually HURT your game.

Did you know that buying a driver with a longer shaft and lower loft will cause most people to hit the ball SHORTER? This book explains why, along with a number of other things that will help you make smart choices the next time you purchase clubs (and prevent you from making the expensive mistake of buying the wrong clubs.)

Having played golf most of my life, I thought I knew all of the basics of golf club physics. Wishon provides a real education. This book will teach you everything you want and need to know about golf clubs, how they work, and why you should be custom fit.
Certified Instructor
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This is an excellent book. I think that this issue is not addressed enough in our society and occurs more frequently than once thought. I was a Child of a parent with PAS and then growing up and became a target parent. The study that this book undertook helped put into prospective what I experienced and I hope that I will be able to use some of the ideas to help my own children in the throws of PAS.

Great book - great insight - gives hope especially for a loving dad and two loving half sisters and extended family who desperately want to know their big sister and brother. Also explained the transgenerational issue of which my husband was a victim of. Lets pray the cycle stops with effective education and real love for our children

Hi,

I booked 3 books about PAS and Sexual Abuse Accusation and my lawer start to read this first. I tried to find in Brasil literature or cases about Adult Children of PAS and didn't find. Many doctors know about cases that is in course but not like me. The judge return my contact with my daughter but im stay 5 years without contact with J.

Now we start the new way to return the contact but many professionals don't know how do it, no exerience.

So, i hope to listen about some cases ... my email ricfvc@hotmail.com

Read about Movimento Pais por Justica. Is a moviment like Father's for Justice but is not the same.

[...]

Hangs

I'm the targeted parent and my son just turned 18. I bought this book in search of some advice in dealing with the situation. There really isn't much out there to help parents in my situation. At leaast I haven't found anything. Near the end of the book there is a small chapter addressed to me, and the books was valuable to me as a result. There should be more information available for parents in my situation.

There are many articles stating PAS does not exist. None based on research, but advocacy. Yet, as a forensic psychologist, when I go to court, many times I cannot mention the term "Parental Alienation Syndrome" without an objection claiming that it is an "unproven" term. Or, if PAS is accepted, then there is the assertion that the so called Target parent helped to provoke the PAS. I asked forensic psychologists (most of whom did not support Dr. Gardner's views on PAS) to provide MMPI-2s from child custody evaluations, some with PAS some without (controls). I collected 158 MMPI-2s. I asked two professors (Drs. Stoffey and Bottinelli) work on the data coding and statistical analyses. They had no idea of the hypotheses. What we found was that both father and mother alienators were alike in using primitive defenses. Target parents MMPI-2s were the same as the controls.
We relied on Bakers research to guide us. We quoted her heavily. She is an outstanding scientist and has contributed to helping children and their targeted parents. Her book will aid researchers and the courts alike. Our study can be viewed at mmpi-info.com

My name is Mark Tomblum. I am in the 7th. grade. I live in a small town 5 miles outside of Dallas, Tx. I never really liked reading books and writing to much. I do like school but not reading or really writing. I go to an after school program and one of my teachers had this Dream Real book. She read a few pages to me. I wanted to read the book myself. My teacher let me take the book home. After reading this book I must say that it made me like reading. I really liked this book. I can say it changed my life. Football is big in the state of Texas. I want to be a success in life. I want to move on and play college football. Now I know that I must do good in my studies if I want to play football in high school and in college. I am using Dream Real for my book report.

Adults always say things like this or that book changed my life. I just thought it was there way of tricking us into reading because I never picked up a book "that I could not put down".

That changed when I borrowed this book. This book made me see alot of things more clear. Like how I really do not have a "game plan". I am "only" 13 but I am very very different now that I have a game plan in sports and life.

"Big L"

I love to read all kinds of books. My middle school teacher just gave me this book, Dream Real. I just completed reading it. I really loved this book. I can tell that Mr. Napoleon wrote this book from the heart. It takes a special person to share your personal experiences with the world. Mr. Napoleon is a special person, this is why his book is a great book to read. If you read it, you will learn something from it!!!

T.J. 8th. grade, The ATL

When you read a good book, it should change your way of thinking or your way of viewing things. When I read Dream Real, it changed my life! This book made me realize some of the mistakes I was making with school. This book made me realize some of the mistakes I was making with sports. I was putting sports before my school work. Now, I realize that school is more important then sports. If I do well in school, that can take me just as far as doing well on the basketball court or the football field. My dream was to play pro basketball in the NBA. Now, I also want to be a doctor if I don't make it to the NBA. In order to become a doctor, school must come first. I never looked at it that way before I read Dream Real. Now, I know that school must come first and basketball comes second. Reading Dream Real, changed my life.

Paul Burns, 8th grade student, New York

I play Pop Warner football in Newark, N.J. My coach gave this book Dream Real to my mother during the football season. I just got the chance to read it. Once I started reading it, I did not want to put the book down. I started to dream about playing football at the professional level. I really love playing football. My mother always talks about me doing well in school. After reading this book, I know how important school is to my future. Growing up in Newark is hard. I understand what Mr. Napoleon is talking about in his book. Growing up in the city is hard. Now when I think about sports, I will also think about school. I will work on doing better in school. I need to be smart to get what I want in life in the future.

Jamal grade 8 QB

As one who had a 'wounded soul,' I cannot tell you how much this book changed and turned around my life. I received it as a gift many years ago and I have now bought my 4th copy of the book, as the ones I have loaned out never 'come home', which speaks of how powerfully this book also speaks to others. In this book, Max tells of characters of the Bible as if they are actually people you know in real life; perhaps an aunt or uncle, sister or brother, friend or neighbor. His narrative is so possitive that no one can read it and not be affected. I consider it a must for any library!.

I read this book several years ago. It's one of the author's finest, in my opinion. I remembered it being so moving and convicting that I purchased a half dozen of them to use in a bible study group I'm now hosting. The book has scripture reference and discussion questions for each story in the back of the book. It's proving to be wonderful for promoting introspection, group discussion and sharing. Our group loves it.

I enjoy much of Max Lucado's writings, but this has always been my favorite. I have found much in this book that speaks to my life, and to many others. This was the first book I read of his, and one of the first I read as a new Christian. Its easy to follow and great to inspire.

Our Wednesday morning bible group read this over the summer and met weekly to discuss it. We all have had years of extensive bible study and, consequently, felt this book wasn't as "meaty" as we would've liked. We did have some lively and inspiring conversations about some of the chapters. An area of concern was the wording of some of the questions in the back of the book: we couldn't understand them! We had to take a best guess as to what Max was talking about.

I've read most of Max Lucado's books and this is not only my favorite by him but my favorite book of all time. (Well, except for the Bible.)

This book is helpful in some way for anyone who reads it. I have given this book as a gift for so many people going through a tough time and it has helped each one.

No one tells a story in quite the way Lucado does. It is hard to put his books down and this is one book that I read continually until I finished it. It is a book you keep and read again and again.

God has blessed Max Lucado with a gift of story telling and finding scripture that might be obscure or a special verse that God shows him and then opens his heart to a whole new and unique way of looking at and explaining its meaning in a way that is easy to understand. He brings about such deep emotions with his writing.

God has given Max Lucado a special gift and in turn God, through Lucado, will bless each person who read his books. This book is a must read for everyone. On a scale of 1-5 I really give this book a 10.

This book is actually a collection of essays. Lewis addresses various things such as, the glory of man as being a reflection of the glory of God, why he is not a pacifist (where he gives some pretty strong moral, biblical, and sensible arguments), speaking in tongues and various spiritual gifts (moreso on their implication, not on the technicality of each or what exactly each gift is), what he calls "is theology poetry" (or in other words, do we believe in theology just because the idea of a cosmic drama appeals to us), the affects of peer pressure and the gradual degradation of one's inner principles and also its positive affects when one surrounds him/herself with Christians, and forgiveness.

Overall a very enlightening read, in which many issues that are not commonly talked about are given attention. Not very long either, but packed full of insight.

I agree that this collection is often overlooked when considering the best works of CS Lewis. Among the essays, my personal favorites are Weight of Glory and Transposition. I highly recommend this book.

This is one of my favorite books by C. S. Lewis. The essays are all valuable in many ways; they all touch upon not just theology, but politics, science, life in general. Lewis packs down into uncomplicated prose some of the most profound thoughts I've ever considered in "Transposition" and "Is Theology Poetry?", and they have to be read several times to be understood. In some ways, all the essays are interlinked; it makes sense to read it--the first time--from start to finish. Those who have read only MERE CHRISTIANITY and SCREWTAPE will find here more personal, complex, and unsimplified Lewis.

For the serious reader of C. S. Lewis Christian apologetics, as opposed to his fiction and literary criticism, "The Weight of Glory" is Lewis at his deepest and best. The title essay alone is worth the price of the book.
And what is the weight of glory? "The load, the weight, the burden of my neighbor's glory should be laid on my back, a load so heavy that only humility can carry it.... All day long we are, in some degree, helping each other to one of the other of these detinations [heaven or hell]." (pp. 46-47)
But, wait, there's more!

There is a jacket blurb on The Weight of Glory from John Updike, who comments on both the comfort and pleasure afforded by Lewis. Neither should be underestimated. This is great devotional writing but it is also great writing, writing that is typified by Lewis' ability to deal with the weightiest of matters with a light touch.

It is a truism that our faith is reinforced whenever we see it embraced by great minds. Samuel Johnson believed that and it is interesting that Lewis often turns to Johnson for such reinforcement, as we turn to Lewis--one of the indisputably great intellectuals of the twentieth century. Part of that greatness comes from the stark clarity with which Lewis sees important matters. That makes his work accessible; it does not make it simplistic.

All of the lay sermons in this volume are trenchant, though 'The Weight of Glory' and 'Learning in War-Time' are exceptional. I especially like 'Is Theology Poetry?' and 'Membership' and find 'Why I Am Not a Pacifist' of particular interest and importance these days.

This is a book to be read, embraced, and shared.