New Books

One of my all-time favorites. This is the second copy purchased. Never got the other returned.

27 years ago my English teacher at a private international boarding school in Malaysia read this book to me in class. Wow! A dramatic, exciting, story about a true adventure that includes that angst of a Christian trying to understand and do what he believes God wants him to; including leaving home and being a missionary at 19!

The author writes well and the reader can feel Bruchko's emotions, smell the humid jungle and the unwashed bodies sleeping in hammocks in smoky huts. You live the adventure with the writer and Bruce Olsen helps you reflect on your own journey of faith as you observe, through reading, Bruce's personal pilgrimage and adventure.

I have read this book several times and am now reading it to my own students at the international boarding school I currently teach at in Korea.

If you have ANY interest in missions or young people or Christian faith or adventure (or any combination of these) then buy and read this book. Well written, exciting to read; enjoy it!

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.

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 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.

Bought this for my tween daughter. She really likes to read books with an historical perspective. Would recommend for ages 10-12.

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

I love the Dear America series of books and think that they are a wonderful way of inculcating a love of history amongst younger readers [8-12 years old]. In "Dreams in the Golden Country", we are introduced to 12-year-old Zipporah Feldman, a Jewish immigrant in 1903 New York City. The story, written as usual in a series of diary entries, traces Zipporah's life in the city for about a year and a half - her family life, her problems and how she copes in an alien environment. It is a riveting and poignant tale.

At the end, there is a historical note on the persecution of Jews in Europe that caused large migrations overseas, especially to the US. There are also many historical photographs, documents, a Jewish recipe and song etc that enhance one's knowledge of the Jewish culture. All in all, highly recommended!

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.

it's been over a decade since I read this and can't justify giving it 5 when it's been so long. That said, I enjoyed this quite a bit as I recall. What makes this a good read is that it is about an ordinary guy finding himself in an unbelievable scenario and how he faces the challenges. Many authors would be tempted to turn Joe Schmo instantly into James Bond or any other fantasy hero with all the smarts and moves. Fortunately, Saint avoids this and presents us with a story that we can almost believe is fact, not fiction. This is actually more a review of the film than the book. If you've seen the abomination of a film citing this novel as the source material and thought it was good, you should probably pass on giving this a read. Much like Bonfire of the Vanities, this was horribly miscast and butchered. How this ever fell into the hands of John Carpenter and Chevy Chase, I'll never understand. Someone else mentioned that Harrison Ford would have been better cast as the central character and I think that's pretty much dead on but the screenplay would have to have been trashed and put in the hands of someone who wanted to create something that actually represented the original and also in the hands of a more capable director. John Carpenter may be good at what he does but he was way out of his depth with this and was probably incapable of controlling Chase. Bottom line, the books very good if not great and the movie is a huge disappointment that really sucks.

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?

The book is fun and easy. It is as good for adults, like me, as it is for any youth interested enough to use it. I have had more fun using it than any of my three large telescopes.

If you want to be able to go at night, look up and "know" the sky this book is a must. The constellations are drawn with shapes that make prefect sense. Once you use the book to find the shapes in the sky you will be able to find them on other nights without any problem because the shapes make figures that are very easy to remember. Taking the book out for 10-20 minutes a week is enough to learn the whole sky in less than a year. The only reason for it to take that long is because it takes a year for all of the constellations to cycle through. Anyone using this book will visually know the sky better than more than 90% of professional astronomers.

Now when I go out at night and look up, it is like looking at a group of old friends. You don't need to search for them you just know them when you see them.

If you want to learn the sky and constellations you can be confident this book will easily teach you.

I had this book on constant borrow from my public library when I was kid in the 60's. I learned the sky from this book and still use it for easy reference today. It's so well thought out and accurate that it provides a great introduction to heavens accessible to all ages. It doesn't have any color pictures from Hubble or triple fold out sky maps but just the information one needs to know to enjoy the sky persented in understandable terms. I reguard the constellations as my life-long friends due to learning them from this book so long ago. They are always there,something to be counted on, rare in todays world. I highly recommend this classic work for anyone wanting to know what those points of light represent. It will be well worth the effort.

I absolutely love this book, so much so that I have given it as a gift a number of times and my copy is one of the most well-worn volumes on my bookshelf.

Among its many outstanding features are the Planetary Tables on pp. 134-135 that show you where the visible planets will be located as the years pass. The tables run from 1997-2006. The tables in the current edition are therefore out of date (type "134" into the "Search Inside" box and look at pp. 134 and 135).

I realize this is a minor quibble, and it is the ONLY reason for my 4-star rating. But these pages deserve an update. There are easy ways to get planetary information on the internet but it would be nice if the tables were updated in the book.

This book is a very good guide for the beginner as well as veteran stargazers. The book's biggest asset lies in the way the stick figures are drawn. Unlike the drawings before this book was published Rey's drawings are realistic in shape, corresponding to the name of the constellation, making them easy to spot and memorize.

This is a great book....reducing the complexities of the always in motion astronomical world to something understandable by ordinary folks with a curiosity.

In my life long search for the true meaning of life I have studied and investigated a lot of things. Ultimately I have become convinced that our truth purpose in life is enlightenment and now study and follow the so called non-dual religions of the east. Having found non-dual wisdom I abandoned all my previous spiritual / religious beliefs including the belief in channeled information as well as the new age idea's that we reincarnate to learn specific lessons. So initially I was resistant to revisit the concepts that are presented in this book as they seemingly are in direct conflict with the non-dual wisdom path. How could both be right? One believing that the personal self is an illusion and that there is only one true nature and the other believing that there is a spirit world and that we have individual immortal souls that reincarnate to learn lessons. However it proved well worth my while to put aside my reservations and read this book!

My review will not cover the `life plan' aspects of this book as so many other reviewers have already done that. If that is what you expect then it would be better to read one of the other reviews. If it interests you to read on then you will find a high level critical review of this book based of the highest level of spiritual truth that I know, the non-dual wisdom teachings of the east.

"If you always - and I mean always - take the higher road, the higher frequencies will lift you into more loving actions towards others." ~ Page 285, Courageous Souls. Non-dual wisdom says if you seek your true nature then the Self will begin to pull you in. What I discovered in reading this book was that it is far more inline with non-dual wisdom than I initially suspected. It now seems to me that reincarnation and life lessons are an intermediate stage (that we all go through) which will ultimately lead to the desire to seek enlightenment itself, which is where the non-dual teachings of the east begin. The channeled information in the book states quite clearly that the personality structure is an illusion created for learning; "The personality is the illusion that is required on Earth in this space-time to learn the lessons" ~ Page 222; "You must understand that the personality is a construct" ~ Page 230. Non-dual wisdom says something very similar that the personality is a construct / illusion and that enlightenment is seeing through the construct and knowing ones true Self, which is indescribable impersonal conscious non-duality (oneness).

I am university trained in logic and deductive reasoning and do not simply believe something because it sounds impressive or it is popular. I put everything I come across through rigorous logical analysis and cross checking and only embrace it when it stands up to thorough examination. Just because I have embraced spiritual teachings does not mean that I have thrown out logic and reason. Therefore the unscientific approach of this book grated on me and although I was pleased that the author validated the information by using several different sources for the same person the book is clearly written with no objectivity. I found the writing style too informal and loose for what I consider a serious subject. The author repeatedly inserts his own understanding of the material, his personal beliefs and common new age beliefs which requires some sorting through because of the different sources and levels of understanding mixed together. The reliability of the source of all information is of utmost important to all scientists.

Spiritual truth can only ever completely be trusted when spoken by someone who knows because they have been there experientially. Second hand truth may be true but there is no way to verify that it is not simply nice cozy concepts that we want to believe in because they make us feel better. Lastly I definitely do not trust channeled information, for the same reason, you have a completely unverifiable source of information. You have no idea what level of consciousness that `spirit' who is providing the information has reached, in fact you have no idea if information is even being channeled. A clever psychic or psychologist could simply be reading you and telling you what you expect to hear or giving you some spiritual information that they read in books especially after you have already provided them with a lot of information upfront. I am not saying that the information provided in this book is not true but rather that you can not verify the source of the information and therefore it is automatically less trust worthy. For these reasons the book lost one star. Despite my misgivings I still rated this book at four stars simply because of the inspiring and beneficial affect it had on me. And despite what I have said I have faith that the unverifiable `life plan' information is reasonably reliable because I crossed checked the other channeled information with my non-dual wisdom sources and these sources I have complete faith in since I have been validating them for years.

Some further extracts; "Do not consider reuniting, for that betokens a separation. There is never any separation. What the personality feels after death, when it feels as one with God, is simply the brushing away of cobwebs that obscure its view" ~ Page 223. Non-dual wisdom says that the world appears as duality but in reality is non-dual. In other words there is no separation only a oneness, this applies to physical object as well as consciousness. Further it says that we can not see reality because our view is obscured. "we create the illusion in which we appear to be separate from one another and All That Is" ~ Page 203. "The realization and recognition that one is responsible for creating one's own sense of happiness and well-being" ~ Page 143. This is also a teaching from a high consciousness level and indeed similar to non-dual wisdom which states that we project all meaning out onto the world. All emotion states stem from our mental positioning towards objects. Therefore if we give up our constant mental positioning we can experience peace. "What other activities are you engaged in? We, too, server as guides and mention for others, and we seek our own melding with the absolute"; a question that is asked of channeled spirit ~ Page 74. This is saying that there are other beings in other realms also seeking enlightenment in their own way and this agrees with the non-dual teachings that say we are seeking enlightenment.

I have given some examples from the book that I have been able to verify with my non-dual wisdom sources. Some other concepts that are mentioned in the book that also correlate with non-dual wisdom are impermanence, non-judgment, compassion and love. One of my non-dual western master teachers often says how judgment is reserved for God alone and that we think is just a beggar on the street may actually be an enlightened master. This book really helped me embrace this teaching. I have found faith in what else is offered about life lessons and despite my continued weariness and tendency to distrust channeled information I have found this book of great interest and usefulness. It certainly helped me become less judgmental, more accepting, inspired greater hope and meaning, and resolved a long conflict I had between my past new age beliefs and current faith in non-dual wisdom. In essence both teachings are true and compatible but vary in approach and target audience. I highly recommend this book to those of you who embrace new age and also to those who study non-dual wisdom (as an interesting and useful adjunct to your primary teachings). I end with one more validation with the non-dual wisdom teachings.

"The hermit who sits alone on a mountaintop radiating a vibration of peace does more to bring harmony to the world than the angry peace marcher." ~ Page 270

Whether or not you believe in reincarnation or spirit guides or even pre-birth planning, this book has something to teach you. The book helps us look at the negatives in our lives and turn those into positives - especially the negative people we encounter. Instead of harping on the negative lessons our parents (or anyone) gave us, we can thank them for being examples of how to and how not to be. It's a complete flip from the negative to the positive. I felt like a tremendous load had been lifted after I finished the book. Again, even if you don't believe in mediums, reincarnation, etc., you can still learn from this book. Give it a try.

If you have unanswered questions about why some of your relationships didn't work out, or why certain things seem to just "happen" to you, read this book! You will get a better understanding of how we chart our lives, prior to incarnation, in order to learn the lessons our soul needs to grow and perfect. Robert Schwartz does a wonderful job of researching!

With my mother dying I had a lot of questions about the journey of souls. This book is packed with a lot of wonderful information and gave me a sense of calm and made me felt more accepting of situations and people in my life.

One of the most important books I have ever read. This book confirmed to me many things that I have always inherently felt to be true, but more than that, it has helped me see life and the people in it from a much more elevated perspective. I cannot stress how amazing it is. I am re-reading it once again. I hope the author writes another very soon.

This was one of my favorite books as a child, and i just gave it as a gift to another child. It is an excellent book - a true story about a famous horse who had to overcome tremendous struggles and his faithful groom who managed to accompany him and assist him no matter the personal cost, as well as a look at prejudice and genuine kindness.

I first read this book when I was in elementary school. That was many, many years ago. The thought of this book somehow crossed my mind a few days ago. So I procured one and read it through in a couple of hours. The re-read reminded me of how great of a book this is.

This book speaks of hope, trust, perseverance, and especially of undying love. Yes, it's a children's book but adults will benefit greatly from reading it as well. It's one of those books which will forever remain a classic in the hearts and minds of those who have read it.

This is one of my favorite horse stories of all time. It is about a young boy who makes a bond with an increadible horse. A must read for any horse lover!!!!

This is my favorite horse story ever! This book stands above all others for me and I will always remember it. My mom read this to me when I was 9 years old and still to this day, I have never read it's equal. Henry's writing is so beautiful, the story so touching and the characters so real. A plot unfolds about a young stable boy in Morocco and his golden-bay stallion who would one day be known as the Godolphin Arabian, who's bloodline still runs in race horses of today. It's quite possible a lot of this book is based on fact. A simply amazing story in all respects! I must warn sensitive readers however, there are some very intense parts of this book, some sad parts which are sure to make most people cry and a few parts where there is fairly harsh abuse and neglect of animals. Maybe not the best choice to read to very young kids, especially if they are the type to get scared easily. Overall, I would say the book has an excellent balance of tragedy and triumph. The ending is a beautiful one, both happy and a little sad but satisfying and well worth reading the story.

King of the Wind is a great book by Marguerite Henry. It is about a mute boy named Agba and his horse Sham. Agba goes with Sham on many adventures together. Agba goes with Sham from the royal stables in Morocco to Gog Magog. Sham also sires many winning foals and when he is gone, Agba goes back to Morocco.
I enjoyed this book very much. I liked it because it is about horses. I also liked it because it was full of adventure. It was sad and exciting and there were many parts where Sham and Agba were seperated. Agba was very brave for a young, mute boy and Sham kept him company with his firy spirit that only Agba could control.
My favorite part was when the cook tried to drive Sham. He wanted to show that he did not need Agba to drive Sham. He left Agba at the royal kitchens then set out. Sham bidded his time till the cart was groaning with goods and a young pig. Then "BAM!" He went wild and ran like the wind, sending the goods, the pig, and the cook into the air. The cook runs after first the pig, then Sham, then the pig, until he is so confused that he catched nither. In the end the apple woman cathes Sham and the cook is so fustrated that he sells Sham to a cruel man. I like this part best because it is so funny and shows Shams firy nature.