Montana Books

I enjoyed this true life story so much I bought a copy for our grand children. It is inspirational, I would like to see it on the reading list for middle schools everywhere. When young people are motivated, encouraged and supported, they can and many times will do amazing things. To struggle through some difficult circumstances, have some expected support and some un-expected opposition and to achieve their goals was a great story. The relationship between Homer and his father will be related to by many. One page will have you laughing and the next will have you in tears.
I loved it.

If you were born in the 40s as I was, in New York, reading this book will take you back to the time you 'heard' about the coaltowns in West Virginia. This story will match your memories ... not to mention your memories of the era it represents. I LOVED it!

escape via rocket, October 6, 2008
By V. N. Dvornychenko (Rockville, MD) - See all my reviews


Part "Angela's Ashes" (Frank McCourt) and part "I Aim for the Stars" (Werner von Braun), this book chronicles the efforts of a teenage boy to escape the confines of his West Virginia coal-mining milieu. Fourteen-year-old Homer/Sonny Hickam (the protagonist and author) is determined not to follow in the footsteps of his coalminer father - who is already showing signs of black-lung disease, a disease which will eventually kill him.

Homer/Sonny has an older brother, of whom he is very resentful. Among his brother's "sins" are ease with the girls, success at high school football - and most of all - favor with the parents. Normally there are only two paths for escape from Coalwood: the military, or a football scholarship.
The brother, Jim, holds a strong suit in the football option. Homer, slightly built and very nearsighted, knows he has no chance at footfall - and, so it would appear, with the girls. Then a miracle happens.

The "miracle" that provides a third avenue of escape is the launching of Sputnik by the USSR. The shockwaves produced by this event change American values almost overnight. Intellectual "nerds" suddenly become fashionable. Homer hatches a plan which he hopes will eventually land a job designing rockets for Werner von Braun. The plan is to design, build and launch model rockets. Homer collects a circle of followers - mainly other "nerds" -- and together they put the plan into action.

Besides the shockwaves produced by Sputnik, another kind of fault line runs right through the Hickam household. On one side stand Homer with his mother, on the other his father and brother. A major reason for the fault line is that the mother does not wish to see her sons follow the fate of her husband. But that is not all; it appears the mother has certain misgivings about her marriage. With her artistic bent, and something of a free-spirit, she harbors feelings that perhaps -- just perhaps -- she married beneath her station. A consequence of her frustration is that she succeeds in pulling Homer/Sonny over to her side, resulting in a more-or-less permanent rift with the father. It is also interesting to speculate what other personality traits may have resulted from Homer's closeness to his mother. Homer appears to have a penchant for being attracted to girls that give him conflicting signals - somewhat in the manner of Lucy of the famous comic strip, they entice him, only to pull the ball away at the very last second. Homer is also attracted to an "older" woman (though she is only in her early twenties), his science teacher, Freida Riley.

Although Homer appears to fear and hate everything about mining, some of the most spellbinding moments are excursions into the mine. His favorite science teacher would not, however, approve of the chemistry in the book, which contains several mistakes.

I began by characterizing "Rocket Boys" as part "Angela's Ashes" and part "I Aim for the Stars". In retrospect, is little doubt that "I Aim for the Stars" constitutes the minor component. Although much of the book details the design and building of rockets, Homer's fascination with rocketry and Werner von Braun appears to be mostly motivated by this "ticket out of Coalwood." The epilogue to the book reinforces this. After some delays, Homer Hickam does indeed go to work for NASA, and enjoys a successful career. But sadly, no speculations appear in the book regarding man's role in the cosmos - the "extraterrestrial imperative" Krafft Ehricke called it - nor did any subsequent books on astrodynamics or space theory emerge.

The author produced a sequel "Coalwood Ways." Published only two years later, it covers much the same territory, but has a very different flavor. It concentrates on interpersonal relations, and is much "sweeter" in its outlook than its precursor. It gives the appearance that the author underwent some personal event between the two books which changed his outlook. A film, titled "October Sky," was made based on "Rocket Boys." It has a different flavor yet. "Rocket Boys" is a fine book, and after all is said and done, it would appear that Homer Hickam's true calling is writer.

THE EXPERIMENTS DESCRIBED IN THE BOOK ARE VERY DANGEROUS AND SHOULD NOT BE ATTEMPTED.

Loved this book. Was on the last chapter when I threw October Sky into my Netflix queue; Hoping I'd have it in hand when the book was finished. Timing was perfect. As usual, the book eclipses the movie, but both are great. Passing it onto my 10 year old son who already has aspirations of going into the sciences. Enjoy!

Was purchased due to a requirement by my childs school. He has informed me it is a good book.

Oh how I felt for this child. My heart was torn in two. Child abuse just astounds me. How does it happen. And then the ignorance of the legal system! The school dragging their feet along, knowing something was wrong. I cried through this book.

Some of the writing is uneven, the plot a little bit disjointed, but in fairness to the author, he is writing from the perspective of a twelve-year-old boy.

This book is vitally important, because there still isn't much in the way of non-fiction written by grown men who were abused as children. Their needs are completely different from those of girls. Pelzer's reaction to being placed into his first foster home - literally bouncing off the walls, jumping on all the beds, is perfectly normal behavior for a boy who has been abused. At times, boys taken into foster care are doubly abused, by well-meaning caretakers who don't understand the unique temperament of the abused male child.

In my view, the system very nearly failed Pelzer by shifting him from one placement to another, often at the last minute. However, his positive attitude is truly inspiring, and he has only praise for the social workers and foster parents he dealt with as a child.

It is impossible for a normal person from an intact Brady-bunch family to understand why a child, placed into a loving and safe second home, would start acting insane and doing everything they could to get kicked out of that home. It's a child's fantasy that holds out even into teenage years, that somehow, being kicked out of a foster home means that they're one step closer to going home, even if deep down, they honestly know that they can't ever live with their parents again.

I highly recommend this book to any person considering becoming a foster parent, and for people who are employed as caretakers in group homes or who work with children and young adults in placement. The writing style is easy enough to appeal to even a middle-school age child, especially one that is already in foster care.

I also enjoyed this book as much as A Child Called "IT". This also made me cry as much as as the first one. I could not put it down as well.

This book among others written by Dave have left me riveted. I can't put them down. All I see is a man who has overcome the circumstances placed before him. He is such an inspiration, I only wish more people would read his books and make something out of their lives, instead of playing the victim (which is much easier to do)

The Lost Boy: A Foster Child's Search for the Love of a Family by Dave Pelzer is a sequel to the heartbreaking memoir, A Child Called "It". Pelzer explains what happened after he was taken away by his abusive mother and neglectful father. This book is really uplifting and moving. I highly recommend this fascinating story and his quest to find a foster family who will love him unconditionally. Enjoy!

I did not enjoy this book.

Why?

Because I purchased this book thinking it was YOUNG ADULT fiction.

(a) It was not young adult fiction. Look again. Young adult fiction = TEEN fition.

(b) This story seemed to be written for CHILDREN ages 6-9.

(c) It FAILED to be exciting in any way. I was bored half the time and the other half I was drifting away in my mind to escape the boringness of the book. i.e. "I wonder what book I should read after I'm finally done with this one?"
or "Hmmm I wonder how many more chapters I have to go?" or "Oh wow we have a new president!"

Anyway...

A story with a feminist as the protagonist: check.

A story that failed to be entertaining: check.

A story that made wizards out to be bad when Harry Potter fans are reading it: check.

A book that is now listed on ebay to try to get my money back from buying the whole set?

CHECK.

This is an enchanting story that once again captures the spirit of the perky princess who had no desire to be the traditional damsel-in-distress. So, what's a contemporary woman trapped by royal traditions to do? Offer herself up to the dragons in the first place.

It's a whimsical tale that gives fairytales sly winks and twists at every corner. The characters are rich, and move the story along with their quirks.

This is not just parody, either. Ms. Wrede had managed to create her own intelligent, dragon-and-knight infested tale that creates as much fairy tale as it borrows.

I enjoyed this story, and the sequels, as a young girl. Wrede creates a magical world that has a unique feel while incorporating common elements from fairytales. I've read in several times since and still enjoy it. Dealing with Dragons is very much a girl power book - almost all of the good main characters are female, Princess Cimerone rejects the staid life society thrusts upon her and charts her own course, and the King of the Dragons ends up being a female (King is just the title of the job, designating nothing about gender). It is well written, something that can certainly not be said of all fantasy novels written for this age group, and the story is fun and engaging.

An excellent book for young children that enjoy fantasy with an odd twist. Highly recommended.

I loved this series in middle school and would highly recommend it as a fun leisure read for children in that age bracket.

I was in love with Katia Gordeeva & Sergei Grinkov from the moment I first saw them skating together. Their classic routines were perfect enough to win many world championships including a 1988 Olympic gold medal in Calgary Canada.

Romance eventually blossomed and the beautifully matched pair were married in April of 1991. Their daughter, Daria Sergeyevna Grinkova, was born in my favorite Morristown NJ a little over a year later.

Reading Katia's memories of their life and love still brings tears to my eyes.

I recommend this book for its portrait of pure innocence enframed in the magical world of ice skating.

I'm really glad I found this book at a library book sale last year. Though this story is no longer current news, I hadn't forgotten about the tragic death of Sergey Grinkov or watching him perform with his wife Katya in the 1994 Winter Olympics. And even though the world has long since moved onto other headlines and stories of interest in the figure skating world, the love story told in this book is truly timeless. As a Russophile and a historian whose field of expertise is Russian history, it was a double joy to read because of all of the descriptions of Russian culture, the differences between Russian and American customs, and what life was like in the late Soviet period and the early post-Soviet period. (Although I have to say that the transliteration style wasn't completely pleasing to me; for example, I don't think I've ever read any other book where a double O is used in place of the letter U, as in Ligooshina or Katoosha, and I'm still trying to figure out how the nicknames Serioque and Katuuh are supposed to be written in Russian characters.)

Though the book begins and ends sadly, in between there's a lot of happiness and love, making this into a beautiful heartfelt love letter to a wonderful person, skating partner, friend, lover, husband, and father. The love between Katya and Seryozha is so pure and genuine, nothing like the type of superficial and problem-plagued celebrity relationships we're used to hearing about. It even made me a little jealous of their storybook love story! All throughout, Katya is very honest and open, about their relationship, the world of young skaters in the Soviet Union, what goes on behind the scenes at the Olympics, the hectic life on the road of skaters, and how difficult it was to constantly have to leave their daughter Darya behind while they skated. While I'm sure there are some things she chose not to write about, overall a very detailed and honest life and love story emerges. She was so lucky to have this wonderful man, who was so much more than just an athletic partner, for (what was then) half of her life.

Because the love story is so beautiful and like a dream come true, the reader can really feel her deep grief and sorrow expressed at the beginning and end of the book. It's a terrible thing to lose the love of your life, the father of your child, the only person you've ever skated with for the past 13 years, when you're only 24 years old. This beautiful love story isn't diminished for me by knowing that Katya has since moved on with her life and found love again. She had a child with Ilya Kulik six years after Sergey died, and married him a year later; it's not like she jumped into his bed soon after this book was published! (And since Kulik is six years younger, he would have been a bit too young for her then anyway.) When you're widowed at such a young age, you should hardly be expected to be in mourning forever, and it may help the more current reader to not feel quite so sad at the end, knowing that this intense pain and sorrow isn't such an overpowering force in Katya's life anymore. And new husband or not, there's no denying that her first husband, her first love, was indeed the greatest love of her life.

What a wonderful story this was. I love to watch skating and have not missed watching an Olympics since I was a kid. I am familiar with a lot of the skaters mentioned in this book. I thought this story was so touching and full of emotion. Katia considers her life with Sergei almost too perfect. They were so in love and their life together was indeed a fairy tale. I commend Katia for being able to pick herself and go on with her life no matter how difficult after Sergei's unexpected death in 1995. I thought the comparison between Russian and American customs was very interesting. This was an enjoyable and heartwarming read.

I remember watching this pair when they were competing. I wasn't an ice dancing fan, but they were so incredible to watch, I started watching any competition they were in. When Sergei died, I was devastated for Ekaterina. When her book came out, I read it, and cried all the way through. But really, it isn't a sad ending. I find it to be very inspirational to see how Ekaterina faced the worst that could happen, and came out on the other side with a wonderful attitude and will to go on. It is now 12 years later, and this book STILL makes me cry, and still inspires me.

I read this book lastyear in the Hardcover edition and I cried. It is such a moving, loving, tragic, and heartwarming story full of love that a young widow had for her husband and skating partner and the child Daria that they had together. It told of their skating years, marriage, how they met, and came to america along with the tragic death of her young husband Sergei. I couldn't put this book down. A great story that you will love. Well written.

Szpilman reveals the tragedy of Jewish life in Warsaw under the German occupation from 1939-1946. Szpilman's autobiographical work was first published in postwar Poland in 1946 but then quickly removed from circulation by Polish authorities. An accomplished pianist before the war, Szpilman played for Polish Radio during the siege of Warsaw and later within the Jewish ghetto to provide food for his parents and siblings. With the systematic liquidation of Jewish life in Warsaw and separation from his family, Szpilman's life took a series of surprising twists. As the reader views life in the ghetto through the eyes of a survivor, his escape from the ghetto before the Jewish up-rising and his ultimate survival consistently depended upon a timely combination of luck and sympathetic acquaintances B including a German army officer.

Included with Szpilman's memoirs are excerpts from Captain Wilm Hosenfeld's diaries and Wolf Biermann's own brief commentary. Hosenfeld's equating of National Socialism with Stalinist Communist and Biermann's emphasis on Szpilman's willingness to break with his past detracts from the overall quality of this work. Nevertheless, this work is well written and will retain the reader's attention to the end.

I could not put down this book, and read it in two sittings. Wladyslaw Szpilman, the famed pianist and composer, describes his harrowing account of life under Nazi terror. As a Polish Jew, Szpilman was considered by the Nazis to be entirely subhuman, and it is a miracle he survived the persistent and random acts of violence that surrounded him. He was nearly sent to a death camp along with his five family members, and somehow was pulled off the Birkenau-bound train to a grim prospect of survival. The images in this book are harrowing, such as the depiction of the shattered skulls of little girls, victims of the Nazis' "preferred" method of killing children by picking them up by their legs and swinging them into a brick wall. Imagine the horror....Szpilman's account is so matter-of-fact at times that you wonder how he survived. The fact that he did is a testament of human endurance, but also the ways of fate. There were occasions when he survived simply by the luck of the draw in a Godless universe.

Polish filmaker Roman Polanski who was born and raised in Poland by Catholic parents, was there to see what it was really like, unlike many others who were never there, but make ignorent anti-Polish judgements. It's funny how those who were actually there, like Wladislaw, tell a completely different story that the Hollywood/Media tells. Wladyslaw told the truth. Read the book, and see the movie. Get this book and movie to your schools and libraries - Please. This story has healing qualities that brings people together, and not apart.

This book is an incredible story of survival. I have seen the movie also. I would recommend both!

One of those amazing stories that makes you realize just how much the human spirit can take, and still survive. And just how inhumane we humans can be towards each other. Once you start reading, you won't be able to put this down.

I just love to get my hands on anything to do with personal growth. I had heard about Randy Gilbert's book and eagerly awaited its arrival. What I found far exceeded my expectations. In "Success Bound," Randy draws on his family experiences, wisdom from great literature, and has somehow magically weaved in numerous examples of protocol and incidents from his service in the US Coast Guard. I am always on the lookout for examples that I can use in my own presentations and teleclasses to amplify concepts. My copy of "Success Bound" is well highlighted.

Brian E. Walsh PhD, author "Unleashing Your Brilliance"

Only one word describes "Success Bound" and that is SUPERB. Once again Randy Gilbert has proven himself a master at helping others to break free and succeed in any endeavor. I highly recommend it! -Kathy S. McBride, author, "Remember Lot's Wife: What Jesus Taught About the End of the World."

"Success Bound" by Randy Gilbert is a terrific book that acknowledges that experiencing failure is a part of becoming our best. He gives practical ways to learn from and work through these obstacles. Personal experiences and stories of others are appropriately used throughout the book to reinforce the ideas. It is also great that although the book focuses on success, it does it in a way that supports Christian principles.

The road to success is a road of many challenges and yes, even failures. Many people perceive failure as a negative and this perception stops them in their tracks. Randy Gilbert is a master at explaining how we can first recognize failure, pinpoint the problem, and then chart our course from this vantage point. The book has four parts that include 21 strategies for recognizing and overcoming failure.

The only other book I have read on the subject of using failure to gain success is in John Maxwell's book. "Failing Forward." I keep this book by my bed. In "Success Bound," there are many personal stories from the author that are heartwarming and come from a genuine place of experience and knowledge. The book is filled with advice and excerpts from people like Napoleon Hill, Bill Cosby, Anthony Robbins, and John Maxwell, just to name a few.

In the bible, King Solomon asked for wisdom. Randy Gilbert has so many inspirational and wonderfully wise quotes from the bible, that he must be following in King Solomon's footsteps. Rkandy's integrity and humbleness in achieving human success on this planet is a true indication of a capable leader. He gives credit where credit is due. "Work to rid yourself of the feeling of having to be perfect when you launch into a project. This type of fear will drive you away from those who want to help you accomplish your goals." This statement speaks volumes to the reader, just as many of the lessons in this wonderful book speak to you on the journey to success. I will keep a copy of this book by my nightstand for the times I feel that insatiable need to be perfect, which makes me limit myself in the process.

The end of the book is about freedom to live and to love. There is even a bonus section at the end of the book that is priceless and gives me faith, not just in this book and its words, but also in Randy Gilbert's character. I am motivated to pass this book on to others and to follow the steps of this great leader in our world today!

Nicole Biggs, Author of "The Single Mothers Journey to Wholeness"

A lot of self-improvement books skirt around the issue of Christianity. Not so with SUCCESS BOUND: BREAKING FREE OF MEDIOCRITY by Randy Gilbert. There is a unique approach to success here, where the primary focus is learning how to fail before you can learn how to succeed. Gilbert's book gives twenty-one strategies for turning failure into success.

The book is broken into four parts; (1) Rainbows After the Rain addresses the problem so many people have of giving up too soon. They encounter failure a few times and pin the label on themselves rather than on the action plan they used. These first five chapters teach the reader how to overcome this failure mentality. (2.) Wisdom for Young and Old focuses on learning from failures, both yours and the failures of others. Here we begin examining some of the natural laws dealing with success and failure such as the Law of Cause and Effect. (3) Shatter the Glass Ceiling instructs readers on how to overcome self-imposed restrictions we place on ourselves. There is a good bit of detail here on overcoming fear of failure. (4) Free to Live and Love covers familial relationships, both spousal and parenting. This section alone is worth the price of this book.

Society today says it's wrong to keep score in children's games. Gilbert correctly illustrates how this type of political correctness is condemning a generation to life of mediocrity because they never learn how to fail. If you never learn how to fail, you will never learn how to succeed. Gilbert encourages parents to allow their children to fail and he does so in a constructive manor that reminds parents to always show love and support regardless of the result. These chapters alone make this a great book for parents.

There is a ton of information packed into 200-pages. I also love the quotes scattered throughout the book. This is one of the best success focused books you ever read. I did have one disappointment. Gilbert mentions in the book that he had at least two other books in progress, but I have been unable to find any indication that they ever went to print. He does have several books available that are business interviews that he apparently did in a radio show format. I have never read any of these, but they could be worth a look.

Published 20 years ago, this book's advice couldn't be more superbly useful today. In fact, over the past 20 years, the polluting tripe that we are fed in terms of advertising became even worse, and so Hawken's call for refreshingly honest, clear and crisp communication with the customer (not consumer) which makes a business stand out from the crowd is more relevant than ever.

The book cuts through the regular business cliches and hogwash, and gives you sound advice for organically growing a business in which you, your employees and your customers are as satisfied and fulfilled as possible. Highly recommended.

good book for the people who are already in to business or planning to start

Form any startup, the founding team must commit to a getting it right - for it is not easy to getting your market and product right - what you need is likely what I needed for my latest startup - Pay Parade [...] - author and entrepreneur Paul Hawken provides an insightful tale of how to farm your newly seeded company - whereas I thought of this book to help me with marketing, I ended up learning that it often takes more of a cultivated farming sensibility than any hard marketing science. Go ahead and treat yourself to a gift that keeps on giving - purchase yourself a copy of Growing Your Business.

What a spectacular little business bible for a world that has forgotten that business and people are one and the same. Read this book.

This book was my constant companion when I first started my company 12 years ago. I underlined, starred and highlighted countless passages and dog-eared the corners of numerous pages. The underlying philosophies still guide me--be in it for the long haul, create legendary service, you can never rush the rules of the field, and focus, focus, focus. This is especially true in light of the Internet where everything happens at lightning speed. But business is still about people and relationships. Nurture them. Whenever I meet someone about to start a business, I send them a copy of this book. It's the best advice I can give them: read it.

Into the Blue: A Father's Flight and a Daughter's Return
this was a great book. It's really scary from the perspective that it reinforces what we hear that we must take charge (or someone must do so on our behalf) of our healthcare options.

Into the Blue is a funny, touching, inspiring and educational ride that we all need to take to deal with what this life may hand us. Edsall and her sister did amazing work with their dad in a situation many of us have or will have to deal with. Buy multiple copies and send them to everyone you love.

This book is the fascinating story of two sisters and their dad who was suffering from a stroke. The sisters are determined to get him back to his airplane. In this book the author underlines the support a patient needs from his doctor for a fast and safe recovery. This book will definitely be a welcome read to any one suffered from a stroke.

After eliminating my coffee habit with the help of a wonderful coffee substitute made from soya beans called "Soyffee", I'm feeling so much better. My doctor recommended it to help lower my cholesterol and promote strong bones. It's available online at www.S o y c o f f e e.com.

I loved this book! The writing was so sharp and funny, and the story is heartwarming and hilarious, without being overly sentimental.

Susan Edsall does suggest you go off coffee slowly before you start the plan. This would minimize headaches during detox. I couldn't wait to get started so, of course, did it all at once and had the most horrible awful headache for 4 straight days. I finally broke down and had a 1/2 cup coffee one day instead of taking aspirin and that did the trick...for the moment.

You feel as if you've known the author and her family all your life after reading this book, and you really care about them.

OK, I'm humble enough to admit I was wrong. When one of my best friends, a Volvo-driving soccer mom if there ever was one, suggested that I read and PURCHASE "Into The Blue", I was skeptical at best. Scenario: author and sister rehabilitate stroke-afflicted father so he can - *gag* - fly again. Yet another "chick" book. Ho-hum.

So untrue. It's been a long, long while since I've been so entertained, overwhelmed, affected, whatever, by a memoir. Susan Edsall has a great gift for writing, and for viewing the world by crushing the rose colored glasses. If this were simply a novel about how our heroine pulls her dad back from the abyss, it'd probably sell a bazillion copies in the romance section. "Into The Blue" is not simple - not by a long shot.

First off, it should be required reading for every med student, neurology resident, or anyone who has contact with stroke victims. The start of Edsall's tale is pretty grim; not for what happened to her father, but for the reaction of the medical community to his plight - indifference, condescension, and that "oh well, that's what happens, nothing we can do" type of nonsense that we've all seen too well from supposed professionals who you'd think would have more insight and creativity to go with all that specialized education.

Love of a parent pushes the Edsall family into a series of tough decisions, but the neat part of this book is the places that they come to as a result of these mileposts. The author seems as surprised as the reader at times by the way in which her father's stroke and her family's actions cause her (and all of them) to reconnect in new and very meaningful fashion. Susan's descriptions of her relationships past and present with her mother, her husband and above all her sister Sharon are hysterical - and very moving. I could relate 80 percent of her patter to my own family, which was an experience both interesting and disturbing!

This is a tremendous piece of writing, worthy of wide distribution and discussion.

Every once in a great while, you as a reader are given the opportunity to read something that will "impact you forever". It is rare and usually unexpected, but the feeling of "I'm reading something magical!" stays with you long after you turn the last page. The Outsider is one of those rare gems.

I hesitate to even review this book. I want to "do it justice" and communicate effectively just why you need to purchase, not just read, this incredible story.

The plot is simple. An Amish woman belonging to a sect called the "Plain People" is widowed and raising her 10 year son. Her life changes when an "Outsider", hence the title, staggers onto her property shot and half dead. All people who are not Plain are considered outsiders and "lost" people. Of course, Rachel takes him in, prays for him, and nurses him back to health. Johnny Cain is the Outsider. For as good and innocent as Rachel is, Johnny is her counterpoint. He is an admitted killer and has seen and done evil. This is their story.

Rachel Yoder is a hero in my book. She displays courage, determination, empathy, and a faith that (although frustrating at times) was REAL and authentic. She lived her faith in her everyday actions and words. I quickly came to care very deeply for her and wanted happiness for her. Johnny Cain drops into her lap and BRINGS BACK HER LAUGHTER! I loved it. He taught her how to laugh and have fun, something that had been missing since her husband passed away and the burden of single-parenthood was overwhelming at times.

Johnny Cain just might be my favorite hero EVER. At first he seemed so "bad", but you quickly come to see a different side to this complex character. Unfortunately, you are not let into his head until towards the end of the book, but his actions speak volumes about how he feels about Rachel and her son Benjo. Rachel comes into Johnny's life and TEACHES HIM HOW TO LOVE AND ALL ABOUT FAITH. It is this aspect of the book that is absolutely magical. At one point he says "I don't believe in anything..but I believe in you".

The descriptions of the Plain life, sheep farming, and the small surrounding community are all wonderful and important, but it is the deep and abiding love that gets planted, takes seed, and grows between Rachel, Johnny, and Benjo that sets this one apart.

There are very few sex scenes, and those present are discreet, subtle, and vague.....it doesn't matter. I am a romance reader that likes the payoff of a great love scene. I never thought I'd say this, but this book might be too good for that. The "love scenes" really have nothing to do with the act of sex, but more center around their interaction outside of the bedroom. There is definitely passion (don't get me wrong), but the love these two share transcends passion. It is a soul connection.

I don't know what else to say? If you've been in a reading slump and are looking for something incredible, gut wrenching, and lasting...look no further. I've read all of Penelope Williamson's books and they all provide that "special something" that is so rare in fiction today, but The Outsider is her MASTERPIECE in my opinion and just should not be missed.

although the movie doesnt compare.. AT ALL!! Penelope Williamson is by far my favorite author.. and this book is a great read.. you fall in love with everyone in the book, and whens its over you wished you could continue with them!

Although I am not usually a big fan of the typical Romance genre, (which to me has one dimensional charactors and a very predictable story line) this book seemed like so much more. I am sure some will say the story is "predictable", but I felt as though it certainly was believable and there was more of an exploration of human nature with the "good and evil" being not so clear-cut but rather having lots of "gray areas". For instance, the "Plain People" or Amish of the book who feel they are so "holy" and "closer to God than the "Unbelievers" who don't belong to their religion, in some instances are shown to exhibit the very human foibles of jealousy, anger, and mean-spiritedness and the "Outsider" who is a "cold-blooded" killer is shown in instances where great restraint and a giving and kind nature is illustrated. Some of the Amish in the book are very rigid in their thinking and acting and yet you see where Rachel is less rigid and gives more thought to life and sees things in much less "black and white" issues.

I also liked the two main charactors of the book and if you "like" the charactors you can't help but like the book. I also liked the story but would have liked a little less time spent on exploring the lives of some of the peripheral charactors in the book, such as the town doctor and the prostitute and a little more on the two main charactors. I also wish the author had written this book with some perspective of the inner thoughts and feelings of the "Outsider" but perhaps she did not because he was supposed to be an enigma, a mystery man.

All in all, I highly recommend the book. I also recommend the DVD which closely follows the book.

I love Penelope Williamson is one of my favorite authors, and I've read my share of them ,till nowadays I must have read 400 historical and contemporaneal romance novels, I am a compulsive reader, and I consider this book wonderful ,it was the first I had read of this author and I liked it so much that I've read all of her books,save the suspence ones, I really got upset when I knew she had changed of genre.What a pity!
I advise you to read it, you won't be disappointed.

This book reminded me of the movie "Witness" with Harrison Ford.

Boy, do I love this author's style of writing.

I felt like this story ended abruptly. I'm still wondering what happened with Marliee and Lucas and if Rachel's family ever spoke to her again, but then again perhaps wanting more is the measure of a good novel.

Delightful stories of the Hundred-Acre Wood and all of its lovable characters. Pooh and friends have quite a few adventures (or misadventures) in this collection of Winnie-the-Pooh stories. The stories remind me of childhood, making them special each time I reread them. I wouldn't even be able to choose my favorite chapter in this book -- each one is full of wonder, laughter, and Pooh.

The charming and timeless story of Christopher Robin, Winnie-the-Pooh, their friends and their adventures. I truly enjoyed this more than I thought I would. After all the years working at TDS where we had the Disney version of Winnie-the-Pooh shoved at us from all directions, I'd taken to having a distinctly soured view of the bear and all his friends.

It occurred to me one day that I had never actually read the original, and thought maybe I should give that a chance, and am glad that I did. It's a simple and direct story, and proved to be a joy to read.

My 2 1/2 year old loves this! It is soooo much better than letting her watch tv as this uses her imagination. I'm very happy I bought this.

This book is such a classic. I love reading it to my kids, no matter how many times they ask. (And as a homeschool mom of 4, I get asked a lot! I require it for kindergarten though.) And it gets even better the older you get. It is so funny and clever and wise and endearing. We see almost every personality type in the characters. Definitely a must-read, and if you can at all, own a copy of this book! (A good audio version is nice to have too--British accent a must!) It's on every children's book list I've seen, and with good reason--it's stood the test of time. The children in your life will thank you for introducing them to the original and still the best version of Winnie the Pooh.

This book was such a sweet little something to come home to at night. This book isn't just for kids, but for adults too! relax and enjoy!