Authors Books

An excellent grouping of poems. They each reflect real life circumstances in today's busy world. I am pleased to be an integral part of my grandchildren's lives. As such, this book is quite relevant to circumstances that they could face as they grow up and out into a more independent world. Thanks Vickie for having the heart to tell it like it is. Your sensitivity and talent certainly shines through your work. You help us face and address so many of the current social ills!

Vickie,I will start off by saying your words,language and poetry are simply clear,down to earth and truly has a message.The only reason that I gave you 5 STARS is because there was no 10 on the board! My review may be quite different from your other wnderful reviews and that is because the reason that I said Divinely Awesome is because I do not understand God's Ways or Timing.I now know that He says that all things work together for His Good and purpose.I pray that every child,teenager,parent and also anyone that would like to have hope and press on and accomplish their purpose,would get your book and read it often.I really wish that I had mentors or someone when I was a hurting and confused child and teenager,to guide and direct me.I became a very angry and violent young woman that every poem in your short but very powerful book described with such clarity and humor.My prayer is that many more doors are open for you to help young people,which are our future to know that they will submit to someone for the rest of their lives,that they must develope character and that their gifts can take them but their character must KEEP them.They also will always have choices,there will always be consequences,they can continue to play the BLAME GAME and that they can choose to be BITTER OR BETTER BUT THEY CAN'T BE BOTH.Your words in each poem touched my soul and gave me hope in a way that you will never know on this side.I was the destructive child that grew up in a very violent home;chose all the negatives that lead to many addictions.I am now 52 yrs old,and the author of 'All Cracked Up" and at this stage i began to feel like giving up on my purpose to continue my triology of my books to help the youth,battered men and women,unhealthy relationship addicts,sex addicts,rageaholics,sucidal tendencies and eventually crack addicts.Why? because I became all of the above and more; I didn't have someone like you who cared enough to talk,write or show me the WAY and some how THE DIVINELY AWESOME GOD THAT CREATED ME and knew me before I was in my mother's womb;through all the rain,storms,fire ,trials and tragedies, He directed and kept me to tell my story from experiences to help someone.Now with all the mentors He has provided for me I am proud He added Vickie as a road model and mentor in this 52 year old woman's life.When the road gets hard as it has, I can read "The Trouble I See" and know to hold on,some more Help is on the way.Keep up the Awesome call and purpose on your life Vickie Lynn Wright Wilson!!! Again thank you with all my heart!

I really enjoyed this book and feel it can make an impact on the yougth of today. It is easy to read and in a language they can understand. The book projects prospectives of parents/adults and those of teenagers. The poems demonstrate deep feelings of concern, desires for sucess, christian principles, and provide situations of caution. The book should be promoted for parents and their children. The author has found a tool to make an impact on our society!.

A wonderful book of poetry!!! Ms. Wilson's concern for the well being of all children and her experience as a parent and teacher shine through in each poem. Congratulations on your debut. I look forward to reading your next piece of work.

Reminds us that it is still possible, at a time when irony and
cynicism are so much the fashion, to pay tribute to our greatest
asset 'our young teens', in teaching them to recognize 'failings
and failures', while being properly appreciative of virtues and
victories. If you need to read a single book to help save our
teens, 'THE TROUBLE I SEE' is it.

Reviewed by Elizabeth E. Gibson-Evans for RebeccasReads (5/08)

The theme of this book, "Trust in the Lord," by Deen Kemsley, is the journey to know Christ; it is the journey to know the deepest, best element of ourselves. If we embrace this divine element within us by genuinely believing in Christ, we experience the wonder of being born of God, and we discover that Christ's power to heal is deeper than our deepest pain.

As Christ transforms us, He instills in us the genuine concern for others and the desire to serve and sacrifice without regard for worldly praise or reward. If Christ were merely an effective teacher, He couldn't evoke such enduring praise -- this is a witness of the literal Son of God.

We may not always receive specific answers to the questions we pose, but if we listen carefully we will receive a deeper answer -- Christ is in the Eternity overhead; Christ is in the eyes and faces of our young children; Christ is in the tears and joy of these whom He transforms; and Christ is deep within our hearts. "God is there, He hears our prayers, and He loves us."

Often it's in the common bond of Christ that we most clearly perceive our common eternal inheritance. "As we step out of the mire and temptations of this world and begin to ascend the mount of the Lord unto the tabernacle of Eternity that is within our hearts, we will find the true Holy of Holies -- Jesus Christ Himself. No matter how far we may have strayed from Him over time. We will learn He has always been there on the look out waiting for us to return.

"Trust in the Lord" takes you through a true spiritual journey of what it means to truly depend on the Lord our Savior as He Himself trusted in His own Holy Father during His walk as one of us. You learn the way to handle loneliness. Discover answers to the many tough questions we all have or have had. But, most importantly you learn true faith and that no matter what "He hears us and He loves us!"

If you have even small doubts about the reality of a living Savior that knows you, loves you, and is aware of you, this book was written for you. It's a book that will most likely change your life. I am half way through my second reading and I feel like a new person. The book doesn't tell me how to run my life, but because of this book I can feel my Savior's direction. He really does care about me and my life. Thank you, Deen Kemsley, for sharing this important message. This is a book for everyone.
-Ardent Reader

One of the first things I noticed about Deen Kemsley's Trust in the Lord is that I had initially misread the subtitle. Having mistakenly misread it as "Reflections on Jesus Christ", I was startled to find it actually read "Reflections of Jesus Christ". The distinction is not a minor one. In Kemsley's own spiritual sojourn, Christ is not just an abstract idea to be reflected upon but an active force in our lives that is reflected in the wonder of everyday things. The beauty of nature, the laugh of a child, the kind act of a stranger, all in some way reflect the love of Christ to a fallen world and give light to lead us back to Him.

Meditating upon the joys and disappointments of his own life, Kemsley points to the subtle ways in which God moves in all our lives that are often only noticed in retrospect. While there may not be an empirical demonstration of God's existence that would satisfy the doubts of skeptics, this is less a reason to abandon God than a reason to understand the limitations of our methodologies. God may not answer prayer in a loud roar nor the way we want but He does hear and He does answer. Moreover, He does love us.

The meditations cotained in Trust in the Lord are rich and one may find wisdon in reapeated readings that did not seem apparent at first glance. In this beautifully written and faith-filled little book we do indeed see the love of Christ reflected.

Deen Kemsley's writing resonates with uplifting encouragement, inspiring challenge, and amazing insight in is new book "Trust in the Lord." He captures the heart of Christ's own thoughts as he reflects and shares intimate experiences of his own spiritual journey.

Kemsley invites the reader to recognize the Savior at the cross to receive a fresh vision of who Jesus is. He draws from his own experiences and those of others as he speaks about the underlying foundation of the Christian faith as the undeserved, limitless miracle of the love of God demonstrated on the Cross of Calvary. He shows how this love produces joy in circumstances of tribulation, suffering, and persecution. These poignant illustrations draw the reader into an eager search for a fresh encounter with the Lord Jesus.

I experienced a personal call to revival, to recognize my own helplessness without the hope redemption provided through the cross. I am eager to sense the enrichment of God's presence in my life as he works to produce wholeness.

"Trust in the Lord" is for those hungry to contemplate and reflect on the sacrifice of Jesus and His great love, to see fullness replace emptiness and harmony replace loneliness. The book offers the readers freshness in purity as motivation for their actions in their search to fulfill their deepest, truest potential.

Professor Kemsley's personal stories bring to life eternal truths in this book. I found that I could relate to several of his stories making it much more enjoyable. This book truly brings one closer to Christ.

Though Roald Dahl's reputation comes mostly from his children's books, these stories, though mostly aimed at adults, are worth reading. This book is full of short stories with somewhat bizarre twists to them, though they are enjoyable all the same. My favorites are Mrs. Bixby and the Colonel's Coat, The Butler, The Landlady, Parson's Pleasure, The Umbrella Man, Vengeance is Mine Inc., and Taste.
In Vengeance is Mine Inc., Two brothers named George and Claude move to New York with only four hundred and fifty dollars. When they run out of money, they become desperate. Then, Claude gets an idea. The brothers start a company called Vengeance is Mine Inc., which sends out letters to rich people who have been insulted in the newspapers, offering to punch the offensive columnist them in the nose, black their eye, put a rattlesnake (with venom extracted) in their car, or kidnap them, take off their clothes (except for underwear), and dump them on fifth street at rush hour.
After just two days of sending out letters, they already have to punch someone in the nose, put a rattlesnake in someone's car, and kidnap someone (with the above specifics). Do you want to know if they succeed? If you do, you'll have to read the book.
However, if you do decide to read the book, you will end up reading a lot of other great stories in addition to this one. The endings are just as varied as the topics of the stories. Several are slightly gruesome, others are very interesting, and one of them is very sad. Generally, though, they turn your expectations inside out and upside down, with witty (though sometimes outdated) humor and clever plot lines. If you enjoy this kind of thing, I highly recommend that you read this book.

It has taken me nearly ten years to complete my collection of Roald dahl books in hard back and this was worth the wait.

Simply an amazing book. Roald Dahl does have quite the reputation for creating children's books, but this is no child's book. Each story is so brilliant that you would think there were several decades of planning put into each one. A few will leave you frightened, some will leave you gasping, some might leave you roaring with laughter, and others will have you feeling sad.
But I assure you, no matter what feeling these stories leave you with, each and every one will be accompanied by satisfaction.
Roald Dahl was a saint when it came to children's books, but if you haven't read any of his Young-Adult (I like to call them) classics, then you have no idea what true literature is. I also recommend some of his other non-children's books, such as, one of my favourites: Going Solo.

I am a huge Roald Dahl fan, so naturally I am a bit biased. I love this compilation of short stories, and I constantly reread my favorites, which include Mrs. Bixby and the Colonel's Coat, The Butler, Man from the South, The Landlady, The Umbrella Man, The Way Up to Heaven, Royal Jelly, Taste, and Neck. If you like Roald Dahl's stories as much as I do, I recommend Dahl's Omnibus, which compiles most, if not all of his short works.

Thirteen tales of horror and hilarity from master storyteller: Roald Dahl. How much will you pay for revenge? Would you stake a bet on your little finger or on your only daughter's hand in marriage? Each of the thirteen stories collected here will grab your attention and keep you riveted till the very last words. By turns shocking,ironic,humorous and touching, these tales are filled with bizarre twists and unexpected delights. This collection proves Roald Dahl's standing as one of the world's finest storytellers. My favourites in this book are The Umbralla Man, Mrs Bixby and the Colonel's Coat,Parson's Pleasure and Taste.

What sets this anthology apart from others on bad poetry is the quality and tone of the short editorial commentaries preceding each poet. These witty and elucidating notes enhance the enjoyment of the poetry. This anthology also seems to include the largest selection of what the editors of The Stuffed Owl anthology would call bad bad poets. Fred Emerson Brooks, for example, was noted for his partiality for writing in dialect, a crowd-pleasing late nineteenth century device. The Petras siblings include his "multicultural masterpiece" "Foreigners on Santa Claus" and his "particularly nauseating" baby talk poem "The New Baby." The latter qualifies for "The Worst Baby Talk Poem." Such stunningly awful examples of special bad poems are highlighted, labeled, and scattered throughout the text. Highly recommended even for serious readers!

Let's qualify this review with how much I love bad things. I spend most of my free time wondering incessantly about what the creator of such inconceivable nonsense had in mind. Why did you, Ms. Parrington, think it was okay to write a poem about a 'dissected dog'? Why, William McGonagall, do you think your "mastery" of poetic license should have no meter, no forward movement and incredibly bad rhyme schemes? And, what the heck do you say to "Ode on a Mammoth Cheese"??? All in all, the Petras did a magnificent job of putting this compendium of what-not-to-do-if-you-want-to-be-a-poet. And, don't we all want to be poets? Keep trying and maybe you will be in volume 2 of this excellent awfulness.

Great poets have their weak moments, but they tend to produce only the occasional bad line - say, for example, when William Wordsworth, one of England's greatest poets, wrote the unintentionally bawdy "Give me your tool, to him I said."

Very bad poets, however, "are perpetrators of a unique and fascinating kind of writing. Unlike the plainly bad or the merely mediocre, very bad poetry is powerful stuff. Like great literature, it moves us emotionally, but, of course, it often does so in ways the writer never intended: usually we laugh."

This book is dedicated to those writers, mostly from the 19th century, who excelled at very bad poetry with astonishing consistency. Those who were blessed, if that is the word, for their entire career with "a wooden ear for words, a penchant for sinking into a mire of sentimentality, a bullheaded inclination to stuff too many syllables or words into a line or a phrase, and an enviable confidence" that allowed them to write despite absolute appalling incompetence.

Here we find the awful metaphor ("the dew on my heart is undried and unshaken") and the tortured rhyme ("Gooing babies, helpless pygmies,/ Who shall solve your Fate's enigmas?") next to one of the most unappetizing titles for a love poem ever ("I Saw Her in Cabbage Time").

Some of the most hilarious effects are created by the attempt to dramatize the pedestrian, as in the "Ode on the Mammoth Cheese", aptly subtitled "Weighing over 7,000 pounds":

We have seen thee, queen of cheese,
Lying quietly at your ease,
Gently fanned by evening breeze,
Thy fair form no flies dare seize. (there are five more delicious stanzas)

Not quite as riotously funny, but interesting as a phenomenon of the 19th century, is the preoccupation of very bad poets with death. It produced tasteless marvels of what the editors labeled "tabloid verse" like:

Oh, Heaven! It was a frightful and pitiful sight to see
Seven bodies charred of the Jarvis family;
And Mrs. Jarvis was found with her child, and both carbonized,
And as the searchers gazed thereon they were surprised.

Another favorite of very bad poets is the use of bizarre words in blissful ignorance of their meaning or the common readers' associations. One of the most talented in this respect was one Amanda McKittrick Ros, "a writer with a gift for (as she puts it) 'disturbing the bowels.'" To her we owe the following lines written on the occasion of her visit of Westminster Abbey:

Holy Moses! Have a look!
Flesh decayed in every nook!
Some rare bits of brain lie here
Mortal loads of beef and beer
Some of whom are turned to dust, [only some?]
Every one bids lost to lust.

The editors' favorite worst poem ever written in the English language bears the title "A Tragedy" - which, indeed, it is. But I don't want to spoil the fun by quoting it here. My own favorite is an excerpt from "A Pindaresque on the Grunting of a Hog." Nothing describes the voice of a very bad poet better than the sounds this animal makes:

Harmonious Hog draw near!
No bloody Butchers here,
Thou need'st not fear.
Harmonious Hog draw near, and from thy beauteous Snowt,
Whilst we attend with Ear
Like thine prik't up devout,
To taste thy sugry Voice, which hear, and there,
With wanton Curls, Vibrates around the Circling Air,
Harmonious Hog! Warble some Anthem out!

Pindar, by the way, was the most famous lyric poet of ancient Greece. He lived in the 5th century BC and saw himself as a poet dedicated to preserving and interpreting great deeds and their divine values.

Another famous ancient Greek author ("Sing, o muse, the wrath of Achilles ...") inspired a very bad poet to what is perhaps the worst line of poetry ever written without satiric intent: "Now, Muse, let's sing of rats." In fact, the poet changed the last word from the original "mice" to "rats" because he found "rats" more dignified.

Bad poetry is one of life's greatest illicit joys, and there are some real gems here, along with much commentary by the editors who help explain why this stuff is so terrible in case you somehow can't figure it out. For my taste, there are too many little excepts here and not enough complete poems. For fans of this sort of thing, I also strongly recommend two other books. The first is "Pegasus Descending," an earlier collection of bad verse that was among the first of its kind. (I think it may come back into print in 2001?) Hilarious. The other is the catalog of "Moba," the Museum of Bad Art in Massachusetts. Lord, are those paintings funny.

I stumbled across this book, and immediately bought it, along with several copies for my friends as well. Taking it to a nearby coffee shop, I laughed so hard other patrons were staring, and somebody actually came up and asked me what was so funny. They seemed to think I was crazy for deliberately buying a book of bad poetry. Finally, I began laughing so hard I was crying, and had to leave to coffee shop to save some sense of dignity! With such gems as "Ode to a Ditch," and "Elegy for a Dissected Puppy," this book proves more interesting and entertaining than I expected, and is also a testament to the indomitable human spirit, which warbles the strangest of verses.

In the book of poems titled Walking to Martha's Vineyard, Franz Wright will surely ponder reader's minds everywhere. There is a constant theme involving spirituality throughout his poems. Often you will find his poetry calling out to a higher power or demanding faith through fear. He provides a sense of something that is hidden to the outside world that only he will ever fully understand. He keeps secrets from his audience. The spirituality woven throughout this collection of poems can be compared to Rainer Maria Rilke's poetry, although it is not as heavily demanding in the spiritual sense. Wright's actual prose can better be compared to Some Thing Black by Jacques Roubaud.

Franz Wright was born in Vienna in 1953, and grew up mostly in California. He won the Pulitzer Prize for Walking to Martha's Vineyard and was a also finalist for his work titled The Beforelife. He currently lives in Waltham, Massachusetts with his wife Elizabeth and works for the Center for Grieving Children and Teenagers.

His poems are all connected in an orderly fashion that slowly moves the poetry forward with a subtle taste of satisfaction. There is no set form to his free verse and he uses punctuation for a reason, never taking it lightly. In his poem "Fathers," Wright beautifully discusses and compares his own father and a higher power, or a heavenly father. He calls out to the creator of the stars to create a new heart in him. I believe the most beautiful stanza in the poem is right after this when he writes, "Homeless in Manhattan, the winter of your dying." It flows so beautifully on the page. There is a constant sense of wanting to belong and to be loved. The last line reads, "and how often I walked to the edge of the actual river to join you." It is so wonderful because it is so real. It is not known to whom he is calling out to. It could be his real father that passed away when he was a child, or the Heavenly Father. It could be both.

His poem titled "June Storm" speaks about a sad journey through life - always living with a question and never knowing any answers. He always ends his poems with a very solid statement that ties the entire poem together, but at the same time leaves the mind to wonder. In "June Storm" specifically he talks about how as a child and now as an adult he does not know the names of trees or birds or leaves. There is a sense of realization that comes with age and is also despised. He ends the poem in three lines saying, "I felt this as a child, and now I know it."

When reading this work of art, it is best to read it from beginning to end in order to obtain connections and meanings in their entirety. While one poem can inspire you, all of the poems can change you. Wright's poetry should be read by everyone, religious or not, because there is no damnation, only captivating secrets and questions among the pages.

It's a remarkable book, and his poems are so true. Look at the poems about his father; that should make the decision.

After years of a sincere, horrendously painful search for an answer to the suffering of his own life, and by extension, the suffering of humanity as a whole, Franz Wright has finally found some peace of mind.

It actually does not surprise me that Wright has come to believe in God; his lifetime of inner hell, alienation, abuse and almost unnaturally intense dedication to his vocation as a poet leaves him no other outs. "If they'd stabbed me to death on the day I was born," Wright says, "it would have been an act of mercy," and yet on the same page affirms the majesty of the world with all its horror.

Any fan of Wright's work knows that he speaks with looming authority on the subject of rebellion against any metaphysical solution at all, which is why we can take this collection so seriously. He has gone so pathologically far into the hell of depression, drug abuse, and alcoholism that anyone with similar experiences will understand his need for an answer to what he has witnessed. Wright is the kind of poet who, even during the height of what he would term "the poet's lonely fame", would often find himself in mental hospitals, jails, and rehabs. Until now, neither literary recognition nor his talent have brought him any relief.

Wright's poetry has always spoken to addicts/alcoholics perhaps better than to anyone else, and his gratitude for still having his brain intact and still being alive at all is something we can all relate to: "Thank You for letting me live for a little as one of the sane; thank You for letting me know what this is like/Thank You for letting me look at your frightening blue sky without fear, and your terrible world without terror, and your loveless psychotic and hopelessly lost/with this love".

Suffice to say, Wright's poetry itself is uncompromising, apart from the radical change in attitude he is expressing. They are the kind of poems that, reading them aloud, produce a hushed silence of admiration and respect because they are so uncompromising. While there is very little in the way of "light" material in Wright's body of work, this comes the closest, and is a must for EVERYONE. This should be put on high school book lists.

With this volume, I believe, Franz Wright finally, fully passed from beneath the shadow of his father, the famous poet James Wright. In fact, upon Walking to Martha's Vineyard being awarded the Pulitzer for poetry, James & Franz became the only father & son tandem awarded the Pulitzer Prize in the same category.

Like a number of critics, I felt much of Franz's earlier work got bogged down in issues relating to abuse and addiction - it seemed for a time he was destined to banish himself to a truncated audience by making himself into a single issue, thematic poet. However, in Walking to Martha's Vineyard, Franz Wright forcefully breaks free from simple categorizations - his poetry comes alive, embracing the whole of human experience, including of course genuine suffering and loss. This slender volume is somatic, visual and emotive - it reaches the reader on many levels. Also it's mastery of the line, the springboard of rhythm, is a wonderful balance of experiment & tradition.

I give Walking to Martha's Vineyard by Franz Wright 5 stars - something I rarely do. I think there is much here for almost all lovers of poetry to cherish. I believe you will find yourself, like I have, returning to its treasures over and over again, always wanting for more.

Franz Wright speaks to me, perhaps more so than any other modern poet, and he does so with an elegant, minimalistic style. He has a keen way of recognizing the common, often mundane aspects of our existence. Yet, when he captures them on paper and puts his characteristic spin on them, it's a thing of beauty.

Not to mention, Wright has lived. I mean really lived. This is an artist who has suffered from major depression, alcoholism, poverty and has come out on top. Although if you talked to him, I am sure he would say that everyday is a journey of new found meaning and sobriety. From interviews I've read, he is a class act!

This collection, as a whole, is about redemption and his new found idea of positive living. Everyone could learn from that.
The poems are never long, never tiresome or tedious and always interesting. He uses rhyme scheme sparingly and when he does, it's hardly noticeable. I also love his use of white space. In my opinion, no matter how great a poem is, if it's laid out poorly it becomes boring and its meaning lost. Wright understands that and has structured each poem to be its own work of art. Some of these poems could actually be framed.

Unlike other Pulitzer winners of the past, I feel that Wright definitely deserves the honor bestowed him.

Favorite poems and quotes from "Walking to Martha's Vineyard":

1. University of One- "And I've lost my fear/of death/here, what death/There is no such thing./There is only/mine,/or yours-/but the world/will be filled with the living."

2. Untitled- "Some say/the more you stray/the more you're/saved,/I wouldn't be surprised/....Set the mind/before the mirror of eternity/and everything will work."

3. Letter- "The humiliation I go through/when I think of my past/can only be described as grace./We are created by being destroyed."

Go out and buy this book. I promise it will speak to you...

Although they were different in many ways, The Wasp Eater reminded me a little of The Secret Life of Bees. If you liked that one, give this one a try. This is a wonderfully told story by a writer who knows how to describe certain the details of something in such a way you already perceive them but didn't realize you did until you read his description! Such talent! I hope to see future work from Mr. Lychack.

This is a thoughtful well-written book that explores many facets of family relationships. Although it is fiction it is likely to strike a familiar chord with anyone who has had a less than perfect relationship with their father.

Beyond a doubt, this is one of the best bits of writing I have come across in several years. I would hate to classify it as a novel, per se, as it is more akin to a short story, or short narrative. The author's use of language is wonderful, lyrical yet rather shocking. The author touches on so many emotions and does it so well, that this one is bound to stay with you for some time. Very highly recommend this one, and I promise you will not be sorry after reading it. Hope we get more of the same from Mr. Lychack.

I thought it was an ephemeral novelette with several thoughtful descriptions of characters. Very good read.

The Wasp Eater is one of the best novels I've read this year. The author's expertise with language and story is so complete that he draws you in from the start, and doesn't let go. It's a slender book; you'll read it quickly, and then you'll want to take your time when you read it again.

THis is a great inspirational book for anyone suffering from a major life changing injury.

The best compliment I can provide is I'm buying more copies to give to friends. The book is thought provoking as well as extraordinarily uplifting.

A very honest emotional description of experiences while dealing with a cancer, a surgery, radiation, learning how to live with pain as a companion, learning how to live as a "gimp"--word used by the author, and many other superbly described experiences. Just the right touch, just the right doze. Very subtle and lithe. Joy to read.

Should be mandatory reading of all Medical Students and Residents. Disease process as seen and documentd by a patient. The physical, emotional, and spiritual swings a patient goes through during a long protracted illness.

This is a book about severe illness and recovery. It is a true story of hope and healing told without self-pity. Price writes of being faced with a diagnosis of severe cancer of the spine. "Some vital impulse spared me needing to reiterate the world's most frequent and pointless question in the face of disaster - Why? Why me? I never asked it; the only answer is of course: Why not?"

In the same candid, sometimes funny, yet always affecting words, the popular and prolific author tells of his battle with disease. First struck down in 1984, he suffered through surgery, days of agonizing pain and was eventually confined to a wheelchair, unable to function professionally or personally.

He later sought treatment with a hypnotist at Duke University's psychiatric department with beneficial results. Throughout, Price gives credit to the power of prayer, which he calls "the first strong prop beneath my own collapse."

This is not only the story of an illness and recovery, it is the saga of resolve when confronted with a frightening enemy, and it is a tale of family and friendships, the human network that supports us.

Highly recommended.

- Gail Cooke

The best thing about a book like this, 100 short stories in 145 pages (not counting the lengthy interview with the author at the end), is that everybody will have their own favorites. Mine were the "Nightmare Jobs" series and "A Donation," a macabre first person account of a man who plans to will his body to science. These stories are horror stories, complete with blood and viscera and body parts. But the most important thing a potential reader needs to know is that these stories are FUNNY.

100 Jolts is a book comprised of what is called "Flash Fiction", a type of very brief fiction pieces that has gained a lot of popularity in the computerized publishing age. When reading online magazines, one does not want to scroll forever, and the eyes will tire; which is where flash fiction lights up to its best advantage.

Whether calling it Flash Fiction or Minimalist Horror, 100 Jolts is a shockingly delightful romp through some very sticky, and very slimy, situations. Michael Arnzen clearly demonstrates that he has been working with Flash for some time, showing off these bereft-poetry-haiku type of "smack you in the face" stories with style and substance.

We have all occasionally read those droll books where an author takes a 50 page story and pads it into 500 pages of tedious reading, and 100 Jolts is the exact opposite of those snooze fests. In this book, there is the sense that a 50 page story has been pared down past the meat into the skeletal frame and left us quivering with the ringing of steel on bone, as Arnzen slices off the juiciest of the story just for us, handing it out to us on a tiny platter, a toothy grin gracing his face.

Well, eat up, boys and girls! 100 Jolts is one of the best collections of this new type of fiction I have seen yet. There were a few pieces that left me disappointed, having the feeling of a muse or a simply jotted idea, but the rest of this thin volume left my hunger satisfied and my mind whirling with the impact, exactly how the author intended.

And for those of us with a warped or twisted sense of humor, you will find a chuckle or two lurking here also.
Some of my favorites include: Skull Fragments, Take Out, Stabbing For Dummies, White Out, The Seven Headed Beast, Psycho Hunter, Inside The Man With No Eyelids, Burning Bridges, Next Door, Nightmare Job #3, Five Mean Machines, The Eight Ball In Big Mouth's Pocket, An Evil Eye, The Blood Ran Out, How To Grow A Man Eating Plant, and Domestic Fowl.

Those are just a tiny sampling of the works collected here. With stories ranging from two or three sentences to two or three pages, this book is perfect for a beach afternoon, a late night flight, or a nice little story before bedtime.

Enjoy!

This book is fantastic. Arnzen takes ideas that lesser authors would stretch out over 500 pages and slams them down in remarkably short, yet complete, stories. Arnzen succeeds in doing what I have been attempting to do my entire life. He scares the hell out of people.

One stormy night...well, it wasn't stormy, but six of us did stay up all night, taking turns reading these flashes of horror. Everyone had their own favorite. I fluctuated between 'Stretch' (which few people can read all in one breath) and 'Brain Candy' (which is so good it's used as a back cover blurb).

It's also great to read with a flashlight around a campfire.

Of course, now that some of these were made into the movie EXQUISITE CORPSE, you can see some of the images inspired by the book. (With the lights out, of course.)

In his introduction, author Michael Arnzen states that "Horror is the genre of the jolt, the shock, the spark." To prove his point, he then offers up one hundred short stories to his audience, the longest, "Five Mean Machines," only nine pages in length (many are only one paragraph long), each designed with the idea of creating an immediate, visceral reaction in readers. It's a measure of Arnzen's talent that he more often than not achieves this goal, all without losing sight of a couple basic tenets of storytelling, those being to grab and hold your reader, and maybe make him think in the bargain. Despite the limits he's imposed on himself, Arnzen still proves capable of doing just that in little gems like "Nightmare Job #1" through "Nightmare Job #5" (think of it as a mini miniseries), "The Curse of Fat Face," and "Her Daily Bread." One warning before you begin 100 Jolts, though--like the candy in a Whitman sampler, you'll find yourself gobbling up one tale after another. Not a big problem, until you abruptly come to the end, still craving more. You might consider exerting some willpower, and force yourself to sample these varied delights over several days, thus maximizing their impact.

concept is okay if you are family/procreating type.it doesn't explore different lifestyles.it is okay but not extraordinary.

Wonderful story with great humor, satire and imagination about a journey through a fantastic afterlife with all the creations that ever were and ever will be.

I was curious to discover what a book about afterlife would be like in the science fiction realm. THIS book is unique! IT is a GREAT story, about a man, actually, I suppose, a soul, who is in the process of discovering himself - who he is, and what life, the universe, and all creation is all about. He finds out in a cleverly written story if his journey through afterlife - his "afterworld." It is a reality filled with bizarre ceatures from all times and places that ever were, and will be, all of whom enter this incedibly enormous universe, perhaps billions of times larger and more complex than our own, and where travel is by unque vehicles which are divinely powered, as if by magic, and cover the enormous distances involved in afterworld reality. The creatures Gary Townsend (the main character) meets are unique, enjoyable, and satirize in often comic style all man's social customs, religions, and traditions - for here, in afterlife, there are none. Often thought-provoking and humourous, the drama is always enjoyable and fascinating, as we trek through the mind of an author with an incredibly inventive bent. I recommend it highly to anyone who loves sci-fi or fantasy, or who wants an enjoyable, creative read about a place we all have some idea about when we leave here.

A scintillating look at a man's afterlife, which begins as you open the book. It traces the "afterworld" experiences of an unbeliever as he tries to sort his way through his afterlife with a variety of humans, aliens, bizarre worlds and forms of transportation, and it delves into the MANY questions everyone has about what there is after this life. It does so with occasionally tongue-in-cheek humor, and a good amount of satire in poking fun at our religions, customs, and institutions, through the eyes of the many different life forms the main character encounters. It is about this man finding a purpose, even in afterlife, in finding himself, and finding out who else there might be to share it with. This is an extraordinary and imaginative look at a usually untouched subject, and told in an engaging, informative, and poignant fashion. It is an afterworld that we all might wish to attain someday, but if not, it certainly is fun and interesting to look at this one!

I was hesitant to buy this book, since a novel on one's afterlife, or Afterworld, as the author has it, seemed like it might not be too interesting; but I'd heard about it as decent sci-fi/Fantasy, and wanted to read it. BOY, was I surprised!! It is a very clever trek through one man's afterlife, which begins on page one, and takes you through a highly imaginative super universe far bigger and infinitely more complex than the one we now know. We meet a variety of strange characters, many of whom humorously satirize people and political or religious concepts we have, stranger places, and an intersting story of this "doubting-Thomas" main character, Gary. We onder how it will work out for him - after all, he has FOREVER in this place, and all the people to meet that you would ever want to. The author endeavors to pop many cultural and religious myths with tongue-in-cheek style, while uilding a story that grabs you, because, I guess, we all hope there is something positive to look forward to in everyone's afterworld. Gary's is interesting, and he becomes a major afterlife figure in "afterworld future history" by being exactly who he is. Ultimately he finds purpose, love, friendship, and a meaningful place in the universe! Very uplifting and enjoyable.

I truely wonderful book dealing with the sisterhood, The stardom and fall back to beliving that you are part of a family. I truely enjoyed this book and have added it to the reading list for my art students. I belive it doesnt matter what social group or what age you are, everyone can learn from this wonderful story.

I read this when it first came out and reread it last week. Great book, great writing. Waiting impatiently for her next!

Spent a late summer afternoon completely enchanted by this remarkable novel! The writing is poetic, so beautiful. . . Cammie McGovern is an extraordinarily talented writer. What is so remarkable is that this was her first novel! The story of these two sisters is told with great insight, the dialogue at times heart wrenching, and other times humorous. It all rings true. I will most definitely share this wonderful book with my sisters! Looking foward to more from Cammie!

Recently, I had the occasion to observe a stunning sculpture with a perceptive friend who commented on its graceful lines and delicate interplay between light and shadow. This sensitive, eloquent commentary bespoke an understanding not only of art, but of life itself. It it a gift of seeing, and it is exploring that gift which constitutes the challenge and triumph of Cammie McGovern's exquisite "The Art of Seeing." Her debut novel traces the evolution of the troubled and nuanced relationship between two talented and tormented sisters, equally troubled by the limits and possibilities of their own vision. McGovern's insights are subtle and quiet, their strength owing to the complexities of her character's personalities and the painful interplay betweem them. "Seeing" resonates with truths, not the least of which is that love often exists between people despite the mistakes they make with and for each other.

Jemma, the youngest of the sisters, labors suggestively in the shadow of her older sister Rozzie. Begrudingly acquiesing to subordinate status, Jemma, at five years of age, realizes that she is "a pathway to my sister's approval" and "as easy as breathing" determines to accept this role. Alienated and sensitive to her differences (both outside and inside her family), Rozzie exploits Jemma's willingness to do "whatever is required to ensure...she will never be truly seen again." The two develop a balance based on misgiving, silence and perceived acceptance of role; in reality, both envision themselves intertwined with the other in a complicated mathematics of expectation, subservience and dependence. Although as an actress Rozzie appears distanced and detached, Jemma's choice of photography as a means of artistic expression requires identical traits.

The metaphor of vision haunts both sisters. As Rozzie loses her sight, she fights the very invisibility she affected. Jemma's photography tends to focus on isolation and periphery, and as she begins to study the dynamics of her relationship with her sister, ruefully admits that in her own way, "I am missing too." If clarity sets humans free, both Jemma and Rozzie have built walls, shutting down their capacity to see themselves and each other as authentic people. Both women, talented in portrait and interpretation, lack the art of seeing their own hearts. This terrible irony lends a tragic tint to their relationship, but to McGovern's credit, the author does not exploit it for sentimental purposes. Instead, the author encourages her characters to use their deficiencies as the basis for renewal and change.

Consequently, Cammie McGovern elects to challenge readers to reflect on the limits of their own observations. Have we unfairly sided with either of the two sisters? Are we blinded by our own perceptions? What must people do to attain a sense of artistry in their own sight? Jemma and Rozzie quietly grapple with not only their own individual artistic imperatives; they use their talents to retrain their hearts. "The Art of Seeing" becomes its title, a work of art that permits us a clearer vision of ourselves.

I agree with one of the other reviewers: This is a book to buy for your sister. Cammie McGovern writes great dialogue, and she creates touching scenes; the book hooked me with its premise and kept me hooked with its subtle character development and evocative writing. The descriptions of Rozzie's blindness were particularly vivid. This is a fast-paced novel that will sear your heart...even if you don't have a sister. Can't wait for more from McGovern!