News Books

This book is a great gift, especially to those enterring new exciting chapters in their lives. It could as a result of death, illness, or just starting a new chapter. Life is hard but enjoy gain strengh from that around you.

This book is very inspirational and can be used a a motivator for young people embarking on their life journey. The accompanying cd is excellent as well.

I felt so connected to this and cried , I gave it to my daughter , who had just found out she had cancer . goldenyrs43

Leeann Womack does a fantastic job at describing how the song came about and how to apply it to every day life.

Being a lover of this song and of gift books, I naturally couldn't resist ordering this book the minute I saw it in a store. The lyrics of Leann Womack's classic song is featured throughout the book, along with inspirational messages and beautiful photography from those who put the book together.

I did dock a star because the messages in the book that accompanied the song occasionally came off as a little too..mushy. I'm really not that harsh a critic, not of books like these, but the beautiful words of inspiration were, a couple of times, replaced by words that were definetly too syrupy for my taste. I prefer truly moving messages and stories to speak for themselves, but it occassionally seemed like the authors wanted to hammer the point home, overdo the sentimentality, and even make their message serious and cheerfully bouncy at the exact same time (trust me, that doesn't work.) For ex: throughout the book, the lyrics of the song are printed in large bold letters in order to differentiate them from the authors' separate words of inspiration. Usually, the pages featuring the lyrics had no other words on them, but at one point, right above the words of Womack's moving song, the authors' placed a bulletin that said, "Attention! This is BIG stuff!" Considering the fact that Leann's song more than speaks for itself and doesn't need any extra emotional boosting, I found those additional words annoying and almost jarring to the flow of the song and its message.

Elsewhere in the book, as I mentioned before, the sentimentality goes into overdrive. One page is dedicated entirely to love and begins with the words, "Love, love, love. You have to love." Again, I got that idea the first time. It's nice to compliment the song with additional words of motivation, but we don't need an interpretive page with every selection of the song. In another part of the book, while speaking of youth, the narrator says, "Ah, youth..new skin, wide smiles, clear eyes..the future so bright. If only we could bottle it up, sip it now and again.." This sounded more to me like a bad commercial for a fountain of youth than a motivational speech. I don't mean to sound cynical, I usually love gift books, but the tone in this one was sometimes just too sweet for my taste.

I also didn't particularly care for the version of the song in the bonus CD. There's a mainstream version with soft rock music and female voices in the background (which I prefer) and there's a country version with male voices in the background and the occassional awful twangy instruments; this one's the latter. If you like country music, good for you, but I don't like the country version of this song.

There are plenty of good points of this book to make up for the disappointments, of course. The song is wonderful, whether you hear it or read it, and some of the separate words in the book were lovely to read. My favorite part of the book's text, other than the song, was a beautiful little haiku that the authors wrote called "You", celebrating every individual. The photographs are also gorgeous, from grinning children to nature scenery. A beautiful package, altogether.

Now, if they'd only make a gift book celebrating the beautiful song "Private Malone"..

This would be a great book for a guy in their teenage years, if however you are older than this I think that you will find this book childish with many chapters that are of no help whatsoever.

Most of the scenarios are school-based and there are chapters on zits, farting, and other teen-issue things.

Many of the techniques that the author puts across will most likely only work on teenage girls, for example the author says that to let a girl know you are interested in her you should make a stupid funny face at her.

In the author's idea for the first date he suggests that you take the girl to a fast food place (which we don't have here in NZ) that I'm guessing is like Burger King. I don't think a 30 year old woman is going to be very impressed if you take her to such a place on a date.

As I said there are chapters on zits, farting, and is your little man normal, etc which again are really of only use to teens.

I found the author's writing style to be rather annoying too, with lots of comments, afterthoughts, and attempts at being funny in brackets throughout the text that really breaks the flow of it.

If I was to rate this book on the amount of usefulness I (in my late twenties) got out of it I would give it 1 star. Realizing that this would be more useful for a teenage guy it gets an even 3 stars. The more accurate title for this book would be "A new Girls' Boy".

This is a great manual for older boys suffering from puberty. I'd say 18 and above. I have 2 young boys and I'm saving my copy for them to read when old enough. I thought it was respectful to women and pretty true from the female perspective! Way to go Colin.

I began reading this book thinking that it was going to be totally sexist and vulgar. My mind wasn't very open to what I was about to read, but once I started, I found myself laughing and agreeing with a lot of the things that Colin writes. He nails the wants and needs of most women right on the head and even proceeds to explain the ways of women to the average clueless male. The book is a quick and worthwhile read. If you don't find yourself laughing at something on every other page, perhaps you should lighten up and get a sex life. Mad props.

my sister and i both read colin's book. it was both funny and educational. since its written in the male perspective i had a real learning experience. i even read some out loud to my boyfriend!! thanks for the help, and the great read!

(Other than the cover posted - mine was much livelier), this book is really pretty good.

Helps guys who lack the confidence to approach and date women on a consistent basis.

Unfortunately this book, like many others in this vein, still hold onto the old saw in providing 'pickup lines' to initiate interest in the opposite sex. Pickup lines, no matter how clever or nuanced, don't work. Why? Because they are usually crude or insulting. Field tested routines are much better to convey the eight components of attraction and showcasing men's best qualities.


- Razr

I would love to detail all of the specifics of what I found interesting and helpful from the books and DVDs in this system, but that would surely take up more time and room than this space allows, lol. Suffice it to say that those Reiki recipients whom I have been working with for some time have commented that they notice an increase in Reiki power -- and they didn't know that I had been doing further study with Steve Murray's Usui Reiki system products; they simply knew something was different. As a newly-signed author myself, I love his writing style; Steve is straight to the point without unnecessary wording --- I like and appreciate that.
Steve Murray's books and DVDs and absolutely priceless and will remain in my personal library as invaluable reference materials in the years to come. I do and will recommend them to anyone that I believe would be interested. I also see that his new book and DVD will be released soon. I plan to purchase and study those also ;)
Namaste,
Raine

While many books, DVDs, etc. SAY that they will reveal the secrets of Reiki, the series written by Steve Murray really delivers.

Here you will learn all the Reiki symbols, the attunements for 1st level, second level, and Reiki master, and much, much, more.

Thoughtfully written, you will find everything you want in this series of books and I highly recommend purchasing them. They are a must for any Reiki healer's library.

I have always known that I had healing energy but in 2004 I began to read Steve Murray's books and receiving his attunements by DVD. It works. Beginning with - Reiki The Ultimate Guide, he teaches his students about the Reiki sacred symbols & attunements and becoming a Reiki Healer. I received my attunement for 1st Level Reiki from Steve's DVD. After that I went on and received attunements for the 2nd Level & read his books - Reiki Ultimate Guides 2 & 3. Steve Murray's method of explaining the sacred symbols and attunements makes it easy to understand and he hides nothing from his students. His book Reiki False Beliefs Exposed For All shows how honest he is with his students. I have bought his DVD and received the attunement to become a Reiki Master, but waited until I felt ready. First I bought the DVD's Reiki 1st Aura and Chakra Attunement and Reiki Healing Attunement - Heal Emotional - Mental - Physical - Spiritual Issues and received these attunements. Afterwards I felt ready, and received the Master Attunement by Steve's DVD program. Steve's program is thorough and easy to understand, and his unique way of teaching is effective. The knowledge and attunements have been very helpful for me while on my own spiritual journey. I would recommend Steve Murray's program for anyone that is interested in becoming a Reiki Healer or in expanding their own knowledge and intensifying their own abilities as an energy healer. Steve Murray leaves no stone unturned, and will leave you feeling enlightened, and stronger as an energy healer.

After being attuned to the 3 Reiki DVD's, I tried it out on 1 of my massage clients. He was more than willing to be my Guniea pig. I asked him not to tell me if anything was wrong, I wanted to see if I could figure it out on my own. While i was performing the session, i felt tingling going all over my hands & going up my arms. I wasn't sure if it was the Reiki or if my hands were falling asleep from holding them up for so long. They tingled all over his body. When our breif session (maybe about 15 minutes) was over, I asked him if he was sore all over. He responded, "Yes! How did you know?" I told him, "I just knew." Still not sure if it was the Reiki, his wife, who is a dear friend, reinforced it for me. She said, "He said he NEVER felt anything like it in his life. He never felt such heat generated from something that wasn't touching his body." I believe this is proof that the Reiki Steve's teachings and attunements work.

His books are so helpful in answering questions that he didn't have time for on the DVD's. So far, my favorite is the "False Beliefs" book. I started out with that book. The others reiterate it & therefore, I believe make the Reiki stronger because you can understand it better. Steve is a wonderful teacher and is so helpful in answering your questions. There is no doubt in my mind that he is an even better teacher in person. If I had the money to visit him in California, I would. He is a very special person. BDB

This is a great way to learn Reiki. I took a lesson for one and two attunments. But I get more out of Steve Murray's information. I have all of his books, DVD's, CD's. I can go back at anytime to study the information. This way I learn it even better and grow with it. I can't go back to a class unless I pay BIG DOLLARS!!! This is well worth it, it teaches you the same thing a class does. When I did the first attunment I truly felt something, more than I did at a class. It give me more consentration being by myself so I get the real feeling. It's amazing. I now have my Master through this wonderful program.

i really loved this book if i was born around his time i would have been his friend i love how he stood up for his beliefs and went back to school in stuff even though he didn't get to gradulate, but he still lived a great in fun life it was short but he did things with it i'm young but my aunt past away with AIDS and after reading this book it really touch me i was crying because i felt so bad what ryan went though but he didn't let it get to him. He was so strong he got people believing again.

In fifth grade we were introduced to an illness called AIDS. We also learned about a boy named Ryan White. I took an interest to this story because I have an illness called diabetes and have to deal with how different people react and treat me because of it. Just like Ryan and AIDS diabetes is not contagious and there are no know ways to prevent or cure it. I have heard many different reactions when they find out that I have Diabetes. The most commom being "Did you eat too much sugar or something?" Most of the time I just laugh at this and explain that you have no control over getting Diabetes. I took an interest in school that year and by doing so I found myself a role model...Ryan White.

When I was young I remeber a copy of People magazine that my mom had lying around with Ryan White on the cover. For some reason I always took an interest to him, and his life, and all the article that I could find on him. In high school I remeber reading part of it to do an exta credit project. Finally 2 year out of high school I decided to reread the story of his life. It is amazing how people really are. It really hit home, not living too far from Kokomo, Indiana where he was from, that people in my community would treat people this way. It is also amazing how much determination he had to be who he was and not let anyone or anything get in the way. This book is great!!!! Everyone should read it and put themselves in this families shoes!!

Today is World AIDS Day and each year I remember my childhood friend, Ryan White. His sister and I were both Rollerskaters and skated in the same skating rinks. Knowing Ryan personally and having his book for years now, it is still a story that resonates with me. It is true, thoughtful, and in his own words.

I'll never forget the hatred the spewed from the city of Kokomo against him. It was such a devastating blow to his well being. Not only did he have this death sentence, but the entire town was treating him worse than what you would treat a pig going to slaughter. I am not joking. I remember seeing him at the skating rink one day, it was a time when he wasn't as sick so he was able to be a kid. I went up to him to give him a hug because I hadn't seen him in so long and he said, "You want to hug ME?" He was shocked that someone would want to touch him. That's how bad it was.

Read his book. He is the reason people with AIDS are accepted now. This friend of mine had more courage than anyone I have ever met.

I read this book upon entering seventh grade. Ryan's story was so empowering and so honest that I often feel the need just to sit down and read a chapter by random. Everytime I read it I cry. This auto- biography has inspired me to help in the relief and research for AIDS. I have done reports on the disease and Ryan and teachers often comment about how passionate I am about the subject. This book changed the way I veiw life; a treasure that should'nt be wasted. Thank you Ryan.

Joel shares his very personal experiences with you the reader in an unbiased way so that you can think for yourself and come to your own conclusions regarding his extraordinary experiences. He has fulfilled a great purpose in providing a great source of hope for all people in the face of pain, suffering and loss. This is a very uplifting read that will make you think and hopefully, do your own research into life after life. I especially appreciate that Joel was thoughtful enough to include a photo of Albert, his beautiful friend. Thanks Joel for this important work!

I would like to share with the readers my experience with this book "Signals". For quite some time, i have had unexplained psychic experiences (signals) with my loved ones that have passed on. I wasn't quite sure why i was receiving signals until i read Joel's book. It was like a light bulb went on, the BIG AH HA! Everything seemed to make sense. I even wrote to Joel, and we've become great friends for many years now. I've recently had the honor of meeting him and i have to say, he's the read deal! He is the most genuinely spiritual person i've ever met! Please read this book. It is incredible! Jane

Signals is truely a masterpiece. Joels' essence is that of gentle soul who has the courage to write about his tragic loss and spiritual journey. His eloquent story of love will continue to help heal so many others, and at the same time offering them much needed hope. A true gift for all readers.

Jean Larch, author of "Dying to Be Free; A Healing Guide for Families After a Suicde"

This is the first time that I have been moved enough by a book to actually take the time to write a review. I have lost so much because of the devistation of the AIDS epidemic. It is so easy to give up and feel sorry for ones self. Joel made me see the hope and joy even in the most tragic moments of my life. I felt his love on every page.
This book is a gift. If you feel hopeless-this book is for you. If you have lost someone close to you-this book can help you through this time of grief. It helped me to overcome the cold fear and overwhelming sadness that had been my constant companions for too long.
Please read this book-it can change the way you see the world and bring some light into even the darkest and gloomiest corners of your soul

I picked this book up thinking it was about something else and started reading and was hooked. I could not put this book down and kept wanting to know more. This is a wonderful moving story about life and not giving up. I promise, if you are into the paranormal and wanting loved ones to be near us when they die, you will not be sorry with this book, you will also, learn about a man that has withstood so much in his life and continues to push forward. I would recommend this book to anyone with an open mind about love, life and friendship.

i just got this a few days ago and my first impressions, without actually trying any of the techniques, were that it wasn't looking very practical. but the author cautions not to just go through each technique (among dozens) in the order presented but to try a couple that look like they might interest you most and play around with them and then go on from there.

so after scanning awhile i saw what is supposedly salvadore dali's image generation method. yeah right, i thought. well, that worked the first time i tried it. and i sketched it out and it didn't look like a dali, but it was the most imaginative sketch i've ever come up with. it was a man riding through the air on a hobby horse above a pavillion tent. and he was thinking about how glad he was that he didn't crash into the tent. i added more adults in the air playing with childrens' toys (jump rope, pogo stick, tricycle etc.) and the children down outside the pavillion wanting their toys back. beats going out to the park and 'copying' as van gogh called it.

so next i took those words associated with the image and i plugged them into a technique that looked to me like one of the most impractical in the book. and i got an idea that i've been looking for. and that idea rendered a cool poem. most of the examples in the book look to be "business/career challenge" oriented but at least some of these techniques will also inspire raw creativity. be creative about using the toys.

take it from a skeptic. this stuff rocks. but you have to actually use it, not just read about it. i'm so thrilled that i have this book. YAY!

As a consultant, I am regularly engaged in combined sessions with clients. This book gives an excellent overview of the tools and techniques to use, but is more broad than deep. For me, it works fine. For someone who wants to do very specific creative activities, it doesn't give enough examples and practical application.

I have about 400 books in my library and Thinkertoys (with Thinkpak) is the best book I've read so far. The book is full with creative tools and puzzles to play with. The book comes to me at the right time since I am about to start my own business and the book provides a lot of insight, ideas and techniques. Thank you Mr. Michalko for creating the "toys".

This book, together with my treasured Roger von Oech books, sit prominently on my bookshelf when working on a variety of problems - software development, film production, creative writing for scripts or novels, and developing opportunities in this mediacentric age. These books break open your mind from the restrictive fences imposed on our thinking by the conventional world that we are surrounded by. These fences need to be torn down. If you are an older person (probably older than 30!), then your thinking will become ossified. Just like using your muscles, you need to rework your brain and your thinking with effort to create opportunities and connections to emerging technologies and new developments.

This book is a must for anyone in business who is in need of fresh, limitless ways to create the ideas and creative strategies businesses need these days of uncertainty and complexity. I got my copy from my manager who gives one to all new employees.

Falliing is such a great book just like Shel's other books. I have so much fun reading it to my children. This is a wonderful collection of poetry for children. This is the perfect example of what children's books should be... fun.
Another must have book for any fan of Shel Silverstein is Boety by Beau Beaudoin. His books are often compared to Shel, Dr. Seuss and Tim Burton. What my kids love about his illustrations are they are in color.Boetry

This is a great book like all Silverstains books:
Where the Sidewalk Ends 30th Anniversary Edition: Poems and Drawings
The Giving Tree
A Giraffe and a Half

Another author tha I love is Nowiki:
Why Some Cats are Rascals, Book 2

I am doing my review on _Falling_Up__. This book by Shel Silverstein is written very interesting because the poems inside are not just plain boring poems, they have a lot of thought put into them. His poems in this book are funny and they are tied in with the pictures. I think that Shel had a very wild and active imagination. You need that to wright a book like this. The book has a lot of poems that you would have never thought about being in a poem book. I think that that shows how Shel Silverstein was as a person, not just in his poetry. _Falling_Up_ is a good book also because the poems are goofy, and weird, yet he has a way to pull you into them in this poetry book. I recomend this book to any person who has a wild imagination like his, and whoever likes his stuff and has never read this book.
Danielle Guttman

Review of Falling Up

The poem book Falling Up is a very good book. In the book the poems are about a mix of things including important lessons and funny things. Shel Silverstein did a very good job with his books and all of the books he wrote. Falling Up is by far my favorite poem book by Shel Silverstein.

Three poems that really caught my attention are "Gardener", "Spoiled Brat", and "The Toy Eater". I like "Gardener" because it is just a funny poem about a kid making a mistake. "Spoiled Brat" is an example of a life lesson that is very well written. I thought "The Toy Eater" is a great poem about making a little kid believe something that isn't true. All of these poems are very good examples of great imagination.

My favorite poem is "Obedient". This is a good poem because it is a life lesson and a funny poem. The life lesson is that when you do something there is a consequence and in this person's case they got a taste of their own medicine. This poem is funny because the poem takes the order literally by staying in the place for forty years. "Obedient" is a really great poem so I recommend that everyone should read it.

I think this book is a very entertaining, page turning book of poems. It is a great book for all ages, I highly recommend this book.

To be frank, I get a kick out of Silverstein's work. It is always a bit quirky, always takes a couple of readings to really "get," and is very entertaining while being quite insightful as to human nature. This work is no different from his other works, same quality, same odd way of looking at life, same delightful black and white drawings. Publisher's Weekly got it pretty right here, in their usual, rather snotty way, which is one of the few reviews I have ever agreed with them on. (except their little shot at some of his art that they felt may no be appropriate for kids...obviously the author of that review has never been around kids very much). This work consists of 171 pages of poetry rhymes and drawings. I first read Silverstein in Playboy magazine years and years ago when I wasted my time with such publications. I did not particularly care for him them, but over the years have developed quite a like for his work. I truely love this book and do highly recommend it.

Saint's narrative of how an invisible man survives in an urban setting is very credible because of the amount of details provided. Nick is forced to become a true survivalist because government agents are after him with the intent of making him a laboratory curiosity.
One reviewer commented that Nick appeared rather wimpy in his response to Colonel Jenkins' persecution (that is the best word for it) and this is the only aspect of the book that put me off slightly. If I'd been in Nick's place, Jenkins' life would have been much, much harder.

It takes you on a journey in your mind. You feel like you are the character. Fighting for survival. It's an amazing book. Fascinating. Awsome, What else can i say?

Edgy, nail-biting, darkly humorous, sexy, paranoid, and brilliant speculation about what life might be like for a man who is accidentally turned invisible.

This is light-years better than any of the many other recent attempts to build stories on this theme, from books and TV to films, and sadly including the distinctly average Chevy Chase comedy which was actually inspired by this book.

The narrator and central character is Nick Halliwell, a 34-year old, single, securities analyst working for a New York firm, who is completely ordinary except perhaps for an overactive sex drive. As part of his campaign to seduce a beautiful New York Times journalist called Anne Epstein, Nick invites her to a demonstration by a company called MicroMagnetics of their new type of magnetic fields.

Unfortunately Anne has cartoonishly stereotypical left-wing/liberal views. She decides that the magnetic fields must be intended for nuclear fusion containment, and tips off a buch of lunatics called "Students for a Fair society" about the event. These idiots decide to stage the other sort of demonstration, which includes cutting off power to the building.

As Nick puts it later, he should have paid more attention to what the students were about to do and what effect this might have on the process which the head of the company describes.

"I knew that someone was about to shut off power to the building ... And this man was telling me that he had some loopy subatomic process roaring away, which sustained itself but whose control system used outside power. It is important to listen to exactly what people are saying ..."

Shortly afterwards Nick is in the toilet when the building is evacuated as someone realises what the students are about to do: perversely ignoring a security guard who asks if anyone is there, he remains in the building and consequently is still inside when the control system has its power cut off, and the equipment blows up, turning everything else inside the building invisible.

Nick is knocked out by the effect. He comes to his senses a few hours later, and realises that he has been turned invisible, by which time government investigators are looking at the building. He calls out to the nearest investigator, expecting them to offer help, and is astonished when the man speaks into his radio and even as he promises medical help, Nick can see that an ambulance and some paramedics are being told to leave. Then the investigators come towards the building with a net. Nick realises that they see him more as an invaluable asset than as another human being, and falling into their hands might be a very bad idea ...

The main plot of the story is about the determined efforts which the investigators, led by the horrible Colonel Jenkins, make to capture Nick, and Nick's equally determined attempts to stay out of their custody. The sub-plot is that invisibility does not affect Nick's considerable libido, and he misses female companionship more than anything else about his situation. And as if it were not difficult enough for an invisible man to find love, any attempt Nick makes to do so is almost certain to offer new opportunities for Colonel Jenkins to catch him.

The dramatic tension in the book is sometimes unbearably strong, and there are some very exciting action sequences: there are also some moments of extreme pathos and some hysterically funny or embarrassing scenes.

Contains a lot of speculation, much of it highly plausible, about how other human beings might react to an invisible person. He is still solid, still needs food, water, sleep & shelter, and has to open doors to pass through them, so he cannot avoid leaving evidence that a person is around. Some people confronted with evidence of Nick's presence assume he's a ghost, or that a burglar has been and gone, but other people who become aware of him react in much more dangerous ways.

"Memoirs of an invisible man" is one of the best novels I have ever read. As I prepare to post this I see that the number of Amazon.com reader reviews is now up to 64 and 62 including mine are five-stars, which must be almost unprecedented. But the book really is that good.

I first read this book almost 20 years ago, and remember at the time recommending it to everyone I knew who loved books. They recently had a re-run of the dreadful film ( movie) of this great book, which prompted me to get my 15 year old daughter to read it - she loved it!

ps anyone ever find out who actually was H.F Saint?

Note: I made some immature Mormon angry because of my negative reviews of books out to prove the Book of Mormon, and that person has been slamming my reviews almost as fast as they are posted.

So your "helpful" vote is greatly appreciated. Thanks, and note that a
short review can be a good review if it prompts a person to read a good novel.

This was one of the most enjoyable stories I ever read. Set in modern times, there is an accident at a research facility, and one man becomes invisible.

The adventure starts there. It's too bad this author never wrote any other books, but this novel is a classic and a fun read. The man even finds a woman to love him.

The many dangers of being invisible were fascinating--like being accidentally hit by people or cars. And, of course, the government wouldn't let him live his life. They wanted to use him (make him a prisoner). He was too valuable. A great fantasy about a man being tracked down by the government.

I don't want to say too much and ruin the story, so just go it. Fantastic.

Also, don't miss the original "Invisible Man," by H.G. Wells.

Even though I haven't gotten a chance to read this book since it arrived a week ago, I'm giving it 5 stars because my husband got a hold of it first and read it before me and absolutely loved it, and now I've ordered the next book for him. My son now has the book, so I'm not sure when I'll actually get to read it myself, but I'm looking forward to reading about how Bruchko - Bruce Olson - trusted God with everything. What an encouragement, and what a challenge!

Great book. Amazing story. Very inspiring. Easy read, and you won't want to put it down.

This book is an outcry for those who want to see a Christian life given to God to serve whatever purpose that He has. The story is of a man, Bruce Olsen, who as a child comes to know God through Jesus and begins to be persecuted by his parents who eventually kick him out as a young teenager. The book is a story of Bruce's life thereafter, in which he constantly is given to seeking and trying to find the will of God and the place where he needs to be. It is an illustration of someone doing the work of the Almighty and being blessed for it and being taken care of out of nowhere when he had nothing and noone else to look to. This book should be read, and it will be read quickly by those who pick it up, by any person who claims to be a Christian. It may shock many to see the way they are living is nothing like the way that it should be, and this book is a good example of that life.

Awesome quick sale, product was just as stated. thanks for the sale ~ God bless ; )

This story will make you marvel at the way God used Bruce Olson in the jungles of the Amazon. I marveled at his story about his conversion and about the time he told his Lutheran pastor about it. His pastor was stunned, to say the least. His pastor had prayed over Bruce at his confirmation and did not see the need for "Conversion".

I had to marvel as Bruce tells how he learned the language of the Motilone people. He used the old fake trick of pulling his thumb off. He did not initially think much of it, but he noticed that they loved to watch him do this. They would laugh each time he did it. Bruce did this trick so many times that he started figuring out what some of their words were. As they watched, they would say "He is going to pull his thumb off", "Now he is going to put it back on". Over and over again, Bruce slowly picked up some of their language and verb tenses.

The other interesting story is about how he told the gospel to them so that they could understand. The native Indians he lived with had formed their houses into one large circle, with a big opening in the middle. Looking down from above, it resembled the shape of an ant hill. According to Indian legend, they learned how to do this from the ants. It seems one day one of the ants became a man and told them to build their homes in this fashion - like the ants do. When you look at an ant hill that is what you see - a hole with dirt all around it. Bruce used this illustration to tell how another Person wanted to tell us about God. And in order to do this, He became a man, told them the story of salvation, died for their sins, etc. What is so neat about the story is that Bruce realized that in order to relate the Gospel to them, he had to tell it in a way they could understand. This was the perfect illustration, the ant that became a man, so he could tell them about how to build their homes.

This story has many events that are just too incredible. I still cannot imagine the Yuko drink that they made and then drank it!!! This story is incredible from beginning to end.

It is truly one of the best missionary stories I have ever read. I have read this book twice now and used it in Sunday School lessons.

Have you ever encountered a book for young readers so good that it gave you goose bumps? This is such a book.

Told through the viewpoint of a twelve-year-old Jewish immigrant from Russia living on the Lower East Side of New York City, we see the very real struggle of people who came to America to find a new life, but struggle over giving up the old. Despite the fact that this is a fictionalized diary, the author provides us with an intimate look into the sometimes painful personal experiences that make up our history as a whole.

No matter what your own family's history might be, we can learn from the experience of Lasky's incredible characters.

Dreams in the Golden Country: The Diary of Zipporah Feldman, a Jewish Immigrant Girl, New York City, 1903 (Dear America) is a book to be savored and cherished.

I thought the book was awsome. I couldn't put it down there was no part that was boring. I recccomend this book to every one. i read it so fast and i want to read it again

Life's Roads as a Jewish Girl

Zipporah Feldman (Zippy) comes to America with her Jewish family. They came from Zarichka. This book was the diary of Zipporah. After coming to America they all have found some sort of dream in this new country. What was it about America that makes you like this, having big hopes and dreams. Her beloved sister has gone away with the guy she loves, who is not a Jewish boy. Mama gets mad ands pretends top mourn over her daughter like she is dead. The family has fallen apart. Zippy is sad. Something happened to one of her friends. She wants to fly an airplane like the first two brothers did. Or be an actress. She had dreams to look up to.

I really liked this book. Because it was a diary. It was interesting and I liked it a lot. Because she wrote in it almost all the time, it was like a story of her life. Another good diary book that I enjoyed was The Diary of Patrick Seamus Flaherty. I like diary books because they are like a life story and very interesting. These books are different diary's and people. But both are excellent books to read!

Have you ever wondered how long and painful a trip across the Atlantic, would be? Leaving your home, your customs, your whole life, all left in the waves. In the book, Dreams in a Golden Country by Kathryn Lasky, a girl named Zipporah Feldman, mostly known as Zippy struggles to adjust to the American way of life. Zippy would not even have had to come to America, but in her small town in Russia Jews were being persecuted. Zippy has a father who decided to come to America first, who is becoming more American everyday. Zippy has a mother who refuses to leave her old ways, and two sisters, one named Tovah who is obsessed with politics, and the other, Miriam who falls in love with a Catholic firefighter. Zippy has to start in 1st grade, since she had never gone to an American school before, but she eventually gets to the grade she should be in. Zippy is the only family member who was allowed to go to school. I like this book because you get to see the easy and difficult times in an immigrant girl's life during the 1800's. I recommend this book to someone who like stories in diary entry form.

Zippoah is a jewish girl coming to America to meet her Father in New York City. They come to New York City from A small village in Russia. They come for a new life away from all the attacks that are going on in Russia. Zipporah starts a diary of what is going on in the new country she is in. SHe Starts school, Makes firends, and new ideas come to her family that they would have never dreamed of thinking about in Russia. Some thoughts are good & some are bad & some frighten her mother. Her mother is a person who likes to stick to old customs but she starts to add some new ones once she is more comfortable with the New country she is in.
Her father is a very nice man who played the violin very well and was a photographer. Zipporah has two sisters Meriam & Tovah. Tovah is a more seriouse and political person she is also the oldest of the three. Mariam is a very romantic girl, she is the middle child. Mariam ends up falling in love with a cathlic boy and her mother is furious when she finds out that they got secretly married.In Zipporah, or Zippy as her firends call her, has to learn how to read & write in english. At School Zipporah recites poems and learns many new things at school. Zippora's life gets better at some points and bad at some points. But let me ask you how would you feel in her shoes?