Journals Books

What can I say about Ernie Pyle? One of the most well-known correspondents in WWII, he wrote with an empathy for the common infantryman that transcended his simple, eloquent prose. "Brave Men" is a collection of the articles he wrote while covering the war in Sicily, Italy, England, and France. Exceedingly modest, Pyle always downplayed his role while extolling the infantry fighting on the front lines, his beloved "dogfaces." Pyle may not have thought that he was doing anything of importance, yet his articles served to bring the war home to an American public that was being fed a somewhat sugar coated version of the war by the government; in turn, the GI's loved Pyle as one of their own. He immortalized as many of them as he could in his articles, stating the names of the many men with whom he had contact, and often their full home address for good measure. He shared many of their hardships on the front lines, and now, more than 60 years later, his articles offer an insight into WWII for today's readers that is as poignant now as it was then. He makes the reader feel as if we know these men personally-they are our fathers, grandfathers, brothers, neighbors, friends. Impossible to put down, this book is the enduring legacy of a great man whose life ended much too soon (after surviving the European theater, he traveled to the Pacific at the request of the Navy, where a Japanese sniper took his life on the tiny island of Ie Shima, just off the coast of Okinawa); I would recommend this book to everyone I know with an interest in WWII.

I read many of these stories when I was an infantryman in the ETO during WWII. I just wanted to re-read them again to satisfy the feeling of respect I have always had for Ernie Pyle and what he did for the American soldier during that conflict. It was good to smell the smells and hear the sounds while in a safe environment.
It is an excellent 'Chronicle' that takes one back to a time of long ago.

I have read this book several years ago and was touched by his writing and empathy toward the GI's. I saw a biography about him on the tube and found out how the war torn the man apart inside. That and the burden of his wifes dive into madness and all I can say is there was a man! Rest easy Ernie you did good!

Ernie Pyle was truly the soldier's reporter. I have the original wartime copy of "Brave Men," and it's a work of genius. Pyle knows how soldiers feel, Army, Navy, Army Air Corps, from Privates to Sergeants to Lieutenants to Generals, Pyle brings their stories to life with a simple sort of clarity that nonetheless retains every ounce of power that original stories had. Many reporters told the stories of World War II, grand theaters, massive battles, staff meetings, generals, leaders, strategies. Ernie talks about privates, sergeants, lieutenants, the adrenaline highs and sheer terror of close combat or being surrounded by flak, the miseries of mud and rain and the joys of the girl at home and that package of fried chicken that some thoughtful mother sent. All the little things that make soldiers soldiers, and men as well.

Pyle was nothing less than a genius, and his death on Ie Shima resulting from a Japanese sniper's bullet was a loss to journalism. But then, I'm at Indiana University Bloomington, within spitting distance of the Ernie Pyle School of Journalism, so I guess I'm biased. =D

I'm a french reader and I discovered Ernie Pyle through an excerpt of Brave Men published in a french newspaper.
Obviously, this man was a great reporter! I was looking for Brave Men in a French edition but it seems to be impossible to find it, what a pity !.
I was very happy to find it on Amazon.com.
I think that this book is far above all the films or novels you could read on this subject. With Ernie Pyle style, you can catch the real feelings and the fears and the heroism of this men who were caught in this Maelstrom.

If you are the type of over-anxious mom I am, you will want to have all your child's medical records in one place. This journal is a great tool for organizing and recording your child's doctor visits, illnesses, etc. It is small enough to put in your diaper bag and take to the dr's office where you can then pepper the dr. with all the questions you've written down in the journal. And it's got a cute cover to boot!

I have this book for both of my kids and it is sooo perfect for keeping notes from every doctor visit, questions for the doctor, knowing where my shot records are, and tracking their growth and development all in one easy place. MUST HAVE!

I received one for my first daughter and bought one for my second daughter. It is very cute and handy. It fits nicely in the diaper bag or purse for doctor visits. This makes a nice gift for a baby shower.

This journal is so cute and handy... will order more as a gift for my friends baby shower.

i work in a pediatric office. when a mother gave me this book to note the baby's height and weight i fell in love with it. i knew i had to buy one for my son and my daughter in law for their baby. one of the reasons i liked it was because mom can always carry it in her diaper bag and have all the medical information at her finger tips.

I cannot tell you how rough this year has been. I felt like I was drowning in "have to do" and "I wish I coulds." This book helped me connect my true wishes, secret desires and priorites. I was free to let go of the rest. I was even able to deal with conflicting emotions surrounding a romance. I have had this book for awhile and have used it at different points, but 2008 marked the first time in a long time I was in overload mode. I happened to notice the book "waiting" for me on a side table in my living room. I picked it up and I have felt better since that day.

I bought this organizer on the basis of the other reviews here.

At the time, I was looking for a way of planning and reflecting that enabled me to be more flexible about both what matters to me and more respectful of the range of mood and other influences that are part of life. I've been dipping into the organizer and thinking about how I can integrate Ms Louden's suggestions into my own experiences.

This is not so much a book describing a linear journey as it is a variety of maps for the journeyer to choose from.

And now, it is 2008, I am ready to start! In the meantime, I have purchased two additional copies of the Organiser as gifts.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

Whether you are organized or unorganized, this book provides a way to get in touch with your deepest values and goals. This is a great starting place for anyone wishing they had more balance in their life and the author's emphasis on treating yourself with kindness and respect is refreshing and encouraging.

I ask myself, why does a woman need a life organizer? What has happened to create a need for us to seek answers through various devices and advice gurus? We've become so goal-oriented we can't even listen to our own intuition. Simply lying on the earth should give us any answers we need, but we're too busy, too stressed, to do even that. So we turn to today's guidance, often in the form of books, to find out how to come home to ourselves.

One of our helpers is Jennifer Louden, also known as "The Comfort Queen." Louden is the author of several books including the bestselling The Women's Comfort Book and is devoted to nurturing women to express their "true creative power." I love books and look to them for inspiration and, frequently, affirmations of what I already know. This one is a heart-based, spirit-directed approach to listening to ourselves.

The Life Organizer is glossy, full of color and original artwork, and is written in Louden's warm, over-the-back-fence, casual style. She doesn't offer advice, but rather, "a collection of possibilities to inspire you in creating your way of participating with life and with your gifts."

Those possibilities are ways to stop and "tune in to what you really want and what you really know." She notes five main steps that make up the life-organizing process: connect, feel, inquire, allow and apply. Louden cautions readers not to focus on the five steps, but rather on your own life experiences, posing questions to assist you in getting in touch with your life experiences.

Besides the main steps to help you "create your optimum life day by day, moment by moment," Louden offers six "life-planning concepts." All of these suggestions grew out of Louden's busy life experiences and the intuitive planner she created for herself, which she shared with her coaching clients and those who attended her workshops and retreats. The results, and the stories of several of those women, are included.

"Shadow Comforts and Time Monsters" is one of Louden's life-planning concepts and refers to those comforts that masquerade as self-care techniques, but in fact drain your energy. For example, chatting on a message board may be energizing, or it may be a tactic to avoid talking to your partner. Among the women Louden has coached are those "whose lives consisted almost entirely of time monsters, because they were too afraid to do what they really wanted to do." Watching TV, spending a month cooking for the holidays, and spending a week decorating your child's classroom may be among your "time monsters." Some discerning questions are helpful to consider. We so often say we don't have time, but if we look at what we're really doing with our time, a light may go on.

I particularly like the chapter on "Creating Your Life Planner." I'm a fan of journals so that's why I probably enjoyed the various approaches women have taken to crafting their own Life Planners. You may write in Louden's book, but if you need more room, a spiral notebook will work just fine. Then you need to place your life planner where you have easy access to it, by your bed, or alongside your date book. One woman constructed her own card deck using the questions throughout the book. She uses the cards as her own divination system, drawing a question card or two on which to reflect. She has decorated them with her own images so she can stare at those images and see what they spark in her.

Thirteen elegantly designed planning sections that include four weeks worth of theme-based questions also include "Stories Along the Way," true stories of women who have used Life Organizing to improve their lives.

Each week, on a two-page spread, there is space for writing your intention. Three circles provide space for completing these phrases: "let go of", "have to" and "could do." Questions, and some possible answers, give impetus to a creative and intentional week.

Although this book is full of possibilities, at the core is its intent is to bring you back to yourself, eliminating what no longer serves the life that you, in your heart of hearts, desire. It looks very organized, but in fact you can approach it in your own non-organized, non-linear way. Using it as a divinatory tool seems a good idea to me. Just open the book and see what tips and stories appear for you today.

Jennifer Louden is a bestselling author, personal coach, radio show contributor, columnist for "Body & Soul Magazine" and creator of learning events and retreats. Louden is married to cinematographer Christopher Mosio, living in a small house on an island in the Pacific Northwest, along with their daughter, Lillian.

You can share a cup of virtual tea with Jen at www.jenniferlouden.com and www.lifeorganizerbook.com.

by Mary Ann Moore
for Story Circle Book Reviews
www.storycirclebookreviewsorg
reviewing books by, for, and about women

A perfect tool for taking charge of your life. Not a rule book, not even an advice book. Almost as if she's walked through a year of life and left a trail of bread crumbs, along with helpful guideposts pointing out potential destinations. Nary a stray hint of blame or chastisement to give credence to that irritating inner voice who loves to list for us all our shortcomings and why we don't deserve, haven't earned the life rewards we desire.

I've got a shelf full of other journaling/life path books, but this is the one that I use. It's structured enough to give direction but flexible enough to allow my passionate, artist-inside part of me to take control of the process. I bought a boxful of this book, hand them out like precious gems to all my women friends.

this is a wonderful book. It is full of new and old songs.

GIA, the publisher of this hymnal, is a Catholic publisher. This book is not a Catholic hymnal unlike "Lead Me, Guide Me", GIA's "turnkey solution" to gospel-style music for Catholic services. Also, the lyrics have a lot more "I", "Me", "My" and "Mine" in the lyrics than would be appropriate for Catholic litugies. This is not a quibble; just a bit of information for potential Catholic purchasers. Those matters aside, this is a fine product, packed with impressive new material and old favorites that will add much to spirited worship.

This hymnal has all my favorites in it. Even the responsive readings are biblically solid. I love it. My pastor does too. The pianist at our church loves to play these hymns.

This song book has wonderful spiritual, God-loving songs. It is a great source for getting your congregation in the spirit of 'singing praises to our King'. Introduce it to your choir or congregation and you will be forever greatful for the joy it will bring.

I was visiting another church and saw this Hymnal. I started turning the pages and could not stop reading it. It brought back so many memories of my childhood. New songs, old songs, so much variety! Every choir member must have this book!

I loved this book. It helped me to find a sense of peace within. I never knew what that meant until I started practicing some of the techniques in this book. One of my favorite quotes from the book, and there are many is, "Every woman needs two things": her own money and her own room. This book is filled with little gems like that. This is a must read. You'll love it!

This book really helps me on my journaling journey. I appreciate all of Jan's anecdotes that I could relate too. It sounded like she was writing about me, which I will think anyone who reads this book may also find. Jan has a real sense of how we can go inward and "come home to ourselves" through journaling. I love the stories as well as the blank pages with the wonderful quotes that gets the creative process flowing. I appreciate the "tools" this book provides for my journey through life as well as my journaling process. A great gift for anyone going down a similar path.

I feel "Coming Home to Ourselves" is an important tool for the novice as well as the more seasoned wife, mother, daughter, worker, etc. Jan gives very helpful suggestions for assessing just where we are in our self-nurturing, which is an area we neglect in our increasingly hectic lives. She then unfolds how we may begin to better care for ourselves, that in so doing, we can offer better care, not to mention empowerment, to all around us. We don't need to be over-achievers; we must take time for us. Jan, and her book, is a blessing for us all to enjoy.

This wonderful book has been a perfect tool for my group of women friends who enjoy getting into in-depth conversations on personal growth. The author touches on topics and situations that seem to be pertinent to every one of us. Her manner of communicating through print seems to open up long-locked doors, helping us look inside and discover who we really are...and how very "worth it" we are to know. On a personal level I really enjoy the journaling section. I can look at a situation in a totally different light when I reread my entries. Through my written words I finally "say things out loud" that have been rattling around in my brain, undefined and without direction. It's a great book for group or individual exploration.

For thousands of years, woman has been the primary caregiver, not only to her children but to everyone in her world as wife, daughter, sister, neighbor and friend. We were taught to suppress our own needs in order to have more to give to others. In Coming Home to Ourselves, we discover that in fact the opposite is true. When we give from a place of emptiness we just become more empty. We must first create and maintain a reservoir of love and life energy from which to draw. Then we can give to others with joy and love, from a place of abundance. Jan Forrest shows us that by making small changes in our daily lives we can find the time to reawaken the spirit of joy within by giving ourselves the gift of ourselves.

Fantastic book for experienced diarist or beginners. Beautifully written and easy to read, I will use this book for reference purposes in the future. I can't praise this book enough!

Only one regret... I bought this book very late!
It is the best one I read about journaling. I'm gonna sell every others books I have about the subject. All you need is there.

I've kept a journal/diary off and on for over 20 years. The biggest problem I have is that I have been stuck in the little locked book/calendar frame of mind with my journal. Tristine Rainer gives her readers some really great tools to break out of that thought pattern. Before reading this I didn't fully realize that I was in this pattern of self-editing/self-consciousness with pretty much all of my journal writing. It really held me back. Instead of not having enough to say, not thinking that my life is interesting enough to track on a regular basis, I now feel freed to explore my inner life. The combination of encouragement and practical tools to do this make it an invaluable book for the journaler.

My only complaint is that the language is dated and I would like to see it updated. It took me out of the moment book too often.

After keeping a journal for the better part of the last decade, it had started to lose its lustre for me and at times even felt chorish. I felt I had nothing to write about and was guilty for no longer writing.

And then I read The New Diary. It reminded me of all the wonderful things about journalling that I'd forgotten and opened me to new techniques and tools. Most importantly, it stopped me laying a guilt trip in myself for not writing and helped me recapture everything I'd previously loved about my diary.

I would definitely recommend this book for anyone who's thinking of starting a journal or wants some inspiration to refresh their current one.

This book by Tristene Rainer is reccommended reading for this U 3 A course and although I have not completed my reading it is very helpful with good advice and pracices to do I would highly reccommend it to anybody beginning a Diary or journalling.

Although the famous author's last years brought her much sorrow and depression, she continued to depict the world as it once more became plunged into yet another world war. In her famous journals, she described movies she saw, including GWTW, air conditioning, and the frustration involved with generational gaps. It is a must read for those who followed the previous books.

Obviously this is for fans of L M Montgomery - if you know and love her writing, you will recognise among the friends and acquaintances of her youth the characters that people Anne of Green Gable's turbulent world. But this wonderful journal is much more than that - it is a fascinating insight into a world which is long gone.

We read of Maud's complex family arrangements, her desire to be a good teacher and disappointment with some of her placements. Her small victories selling stories to publications, and the seemingly endless stream of suitors who proclaim love for her (my favourite is the hapless Mr Mustard). It is a tale of love found and not acted on (and the agonies that accompany it), familial obligations, frustrated talents and beautiful Canadian country side. It tells of heppiness, despair, joy and nostalgia, and is as engagingly written as any fabulous novel.

By all means read this if you wish to understand the creator of one of the world's most engaging literary characters, but also to have a glimpse of a world none of us will ever see the likes of.

Poor poor woman. I could scarcely put it down. But it brings up many questions. Why did she think that Mr. Leard, the Love of her life, was not worthy of her? Why did no one ask her husband Mr. McDonald what the heck was bothering him? Why did she not know in 5 years of courtship that something was terribly wrong with him? Poor, poor woman. The synthesis of this book is when she asks herself why a woman that she felt was mean and hateful was happy and she was not. Indeed, why?

IF YOU LOVE THE OTHER DIARIES YOU WILL ENJOY READING ABOUT HER FINAL DAYS. I ENJOYED ALL OF THE OTHER DIARIES BUT THIS ONE IS THE SADDEST. SHE HAS HER GOOD DAYS AND BAD, BUT SADLY SHE STOPPED WRITING IN THE LAST YEARS WHEN LIFE BECAME SO UNBEARABLE THAT SHE COUDLN'T EVEN WRITE ABOUT IT SO THIS DIARY IS INCOMPLETE. YOU WILL LOVE SEEING INSIDE THE LIFE AND MIND OF AN AUTHOR WHO ACHIEVED SUCCESS IN HER OWN LIFETIME AND LIVED TO WRITE ABOUT HER PERSONAL LIFE FROM CHILDHOOD TO HER LAST DAYS. THIS DIARY IS HER LAST, BUT LUCY MAUD MONTGOMERY WILL CONTINUE TO LIVE ON IN HER WRITINGS. HER DIARY WAS A WAY TO SHARE HER INNERMOST THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS THAT SHE COULDN'T SHARE IN HER NOVELS. YOU TOO WILL FEEL LIKE A KINDRED SPIRIT.

These journals, are beautifully put together. I remember when I found the first one and then each suceeding volume. I knew this one was coming. I even called the author at Guelph University to ask her how much longer I would have to wait.

She said then that they had to wait for some of the people in the journals to die before they could publish them. I would guess Dr. Stuart Macdonald was one of them.

They thrill me and make me feel closer to thise amazing woman. I've read everything she's written now. The sad thing is that once this volume is finished there is nothing new to read.

My greatests thanks to L. M. Montgomery and to Drs. Rubio and Waterson for their great work.

I found this read to be heart felt, emotional, and real. Even though I have never know anyone myself who has had an eating disorder, I related to it simply by the struggles of raising children. When our children are born, they don't come with a book on how to raise them, we just go with the flow and do the best we can. Normal is hard enough, but Mary went the extra mile with blinders on and never gave up on her family. Now that's real. Wrinkles on the Heart is for anyone. To actually read a book (journal) written by a mother, and feel every emotion that a person can feel was amazing. Thank you Mary for sharing your story to help anyone dealing with an eating disorder and the insight of just raising children and not giving up.

First, let me say that I have never had any first-hand experience with this condition, so this story was a real eye-opener for me. I found this to be a riveting story of determination, courage and love. It is the moving and true story of a family's struggle to help their daughter overcome anorexia. This book details the mother's daily struggles to understand and support her daughter while trying to continue her role as a wife and a mother to three other children. The reader will be drawn into the story of this terrible battle with its many ups and downs. Father and mother often disagreed on the right approach to this problem in their family and even the medical professionals didn't always have the right answers. Mary Fleming Callaghan tells her story through a series of letters written to her uncle and through diary entries.
The chronicle of a family's struggle to overcome this threat to the life of a beloved daughter should be read by everyone who is experiencing this problem with a family member. And, it should be required reading by every medical professional who deals with this frightening disorder.

`Wrinkles on the Heart' by Mary Callaghan is a godsend for all parents of children with anorexia. It is a poignant, immensely readable book, written with enviable honesty. (It was a catharsis for being able to remember how much of a brat my own my beloved daughter, who also suffers from anorexia, was at the beginning of her illness.)

All the stages of Mary's family and her daughter's plight were identical to ours, not the details, but the frustration, anger and helplessness that accompany the illness or behaviour or whatever it may be. The difficulties of our own struggle and quest for appropriate support, in both England and in France (medical help is more efficient and readily available in the latter country) were compounded by vastly different, sometimes conflicting, approaches and attitudes. Only when I had become thoroughly confused by the different psychiatrists and their sometimes stupendously inhuman treatment, did I feel I had to take a step back and leave my daughter to take responsibility for her survival and improvement. What a relief to find this is what Mary Callaghan recommends; it was the turning point in her daughter's illness.

Mary Callaghan's book is an ever-present help for suffering parents. And when you finish reading it, there is Mary right on-line willing to help parents with any issues she may not have addressed. A great writer. A great woman. Thank you Mary.

Being an aspiring writer myself, and currently recovering from anorexia, I immediately expected to be critical of this novel. I gained new insight on the chaos and pain I placed my family and loved ones through during my diagnosis, and have a new appreciation for everything that they, my mother in particular, have done for me. The story is passionately and appropriately told. It's difficult for the recovery anorexic to except, but it is also essential. I would recommend it for those suffering or recovering.

Keith from Tucson

We found Mary Callaghan's book,Wrinkles on the Heart, and we ordered it immediately. We didn't expect much since most every book we read on this subject found parents an easy, vulnerable target. I was pleasantly surprised. Wrinkles was a refreshing departure from the many academic volumes and their unfair conclusions. The Callaghans had walked the same road as we were now on, and Mary was able to put those agonizing struggles into words.

After reading Wrinkles I was struck by a surprising reality. The suggestions Mary makes in her narrative could also be applied to other cases of aberrant teenage behavior, situations that had nothing whatsoever to do with an eating disorder. That perception alone encouraged me to write this review.

I could relate to George's frustration with Kathleen. My daughter's stubborn refusal to listen to reason drove me crazy, just as it had for George. My wife seemed able to handle the stress better than I simply because she could talk to her friends about it, whereas I found that difficult to do. This caused disagreements and tension between us, just as it had for the Callaghans.

Mary addressed these kinds of issues in her book which made me feel that she understood how I was feeling. She and George didn't agree but they both cared for and agonized over Kathleen's welfare. Their approaches were diametrically opposed, but they were as one in their love for her. This was so close to our own scenario that it was almost eerie.

Thank you, Mary. You helped us see that we were not so strange after all, that we were just like thousands of other parents looking for solutions to an alarming and life-threatening problem before it was too late.

I whole-heartedly recommend Wrinkles on the Heart to all parents and families who are faced with similar life and death struggles, no matter what the source of those struggles might be.

I have used this book for quiet times for years and I recently purchased another one to use because my old one wore out. It really helped me apply how important praise to God is to spiritual growth.

I am not one given to tossing superlatives about or embellishing my correspondence with capitals. For this book, I gladly will make an exception. This is, by far, the BEST devotional book that I have EVER read. I received it as a gift a few years ago. I've used it almost continuously since and bought several copies to give to friends, who have, likewise, praised it with as much warmth.

It puts the Christian squarely in the right place, praising God and recognizing his sovereignty in every situation and over every person. Each day's devotional is in the form of a prayer, obviously drawn directly from scripture, and includes scripture references (in order) for each paragraph. Every few days there is a supplemental reading that enhances the truths given over the past few days.

Whatever my situation, circumstance or emotion, this book has never failed to provide me with the proper perspective. It provides comfort when I'm afraid, hope when I despair, confirmation when I rejoice, deepening my love and trust in my wonderful Lord, focusing my attention and love on Him and assuring me of His love for me.

It's compact size makes it completely portable; it fits in my purse or my desk drawer. Yet, the print is not cramped; there is no eyestrain.

A wonderful book.

I received this wonderful book as a gift. It's a treasure of truth from God's Word. It has not only been instructive and stimulating, but very touching as it sensitively probes the importance of praise and how it affects our lives. A must read for all who seek to deepen their relationship with God.

I like to start out every day reading from this uplifting little book. It is straight from the Word of God, praising God, which is a life-changing thing to do. I love to give these books as gifts, so my friends can be encouraged every day too.

I was given this book as a gift and it has been an amazing tool to take me to the Father. I can't tell you how many times what is written for a certain day lines up with something going on in my life. I've had it for a few years and given many as gifts to friends.

Michael D. O'Brien is a masterful storyteller. He has compiled a stunning series, Children of the Last Days, of which Plague Journal is the second. I am now just beyond half way through Eclipse of the Sun, the third. I have two more to go, and by then perhaps he will have written some more. While I'm reviewing his work, I'd like to applaud his latest work : Island of the World. That was a "watershed" book for me.There are not words to convey the power and authority which which he strings words together. It is compelling fiction. Any one choosing to read Michael D. O'Brien's work will be in for a major treat as well as learning experience.

Michael D. O'Brien's novels are among the best I have ever read. Plague Journal is the (chronologically speaking) 2nd book in the Children of the Last Days series. Which should be read: 1. Strangers and Sojourners, 2. Plague Journal, 3. Eclipse of the Sun, and the other 3 in any order (although I'd personally read Father Elijah 4th, Sophia House 5th, and A Cry of Stone last--which is the least connected to the other books). They are deep and thought provoking books, and will make you look at the current trends in society in a whole new light. Although there is an element of action/adventure in this story, it is by no means mindless entertainment. The action/adventure element is always secondary to the philosophical/spiritual element that we see and partake of in the lives and thoughts of the characters; in much the same way as the murder/mystery element in Crime and Punishment is secondary to the philosophical/spiritual element.
I've grown up a Protestant, but these books (along with other influences) have made me take a good hard look at Catholicism. I'd say I'm 9 tenths converted--and almost ready to take that last step. But whatever your religion, denomination, or lack thereof, do yourself a favor and read these books.

Michael O'Brien has a tendency to overwrite his books (one of his very few flaws as a writer). But in Plague Journal, he reined himself in (or finally got an editor who did) and the result is a book that is no less packed with plot tension, cultural criticism, and character development than his other tomes.

The middle book of a trilogy of books about the Delaney family (starting with Strangers and Sojourners and ending with Eclipse of the Sun), Plague Journal also fits within O'Brien's larger series, which he calls Children of the Last Days. The first of those is the explosive novel Father Elijah.

While Plague Journal is my personal favorite. I recommend reading it after Father Elijah and Strangers and Sojourners, since it needs the other two to provide its context in O'Brien's view of the Last Days.

And O'Brien's view is a bleak one. The government has become the tool of the antichrist, whether it knows it or not, and an honest journalist (even one who doesn't have a living faith in God) can't get an honest shake, but is hunted down.

Swift, sharp, and poigniant, O'Brien provides his readers with everything that Left Behind readers should have gotten but didn't and without all of the silly speculations. This is good literature that shapes the heart and the mind Christianly.

O'Brien's "Children of the Last Days" series shows what the apocalypse might be like through Catholic eyes. "Plague Journal" shows what an average man would go through when he sees the very land he loves slowly but surely choke off all joy and life in the name of an efficient government. The main character's actions and thoughts make you slow down and wonder what you'd do. Also, not all the characters automatically do the right thing. Each of their actions has a consequence, whether good or bad, and they have to put up with those consequences, which is more realistic. There's no flashy deux ex machina, but God works through the characters in a way that's somehow more majestic than simply suspending laws of nature to make sure the good guy wins. I highly recommend this book no matter what religion you follow. You will laugh, cry, and think.

As I'm sure most reviewers have said, be sure you read Strangers and Sojourners first; PJ is the second in the series. Also, it is good to read Father Elijah too; it occurs about the same time as PJ.

I read PJ in a week. It is one of the most moving books I've read, but I was reluctant to heed its message in the beginning. In this world of half-truths and deceptions where everyone is a partially educated philosopher and politician, PJ really does show the need to not believe everything we heard or read.

Should we be constantly paranoid? Not really. But a healthy skepticism is necessary.