Campbell Books

This is a delightful kids' book. The drawings are filled with life and wonder, especially the one-eared cat. A treasure.

Having a Wonderful Time by Pohrt reads as a post-card home, sent by a little girl who (imagines) that she travels with her cat. The story is so imagistic that you cannot help but see Eva reading through a world atlas on a rainy day and letting her imagination run free. With her cat, she travels through deserts and sands of time, through beautiful cities full of whimsical surprises. The paintings - delicate and detailed - are rather like small pictures one would send with a letter or postcard while travelling abroad.

Wry, witty, and very worth acquiring for the simply beautiful and detailed artwork, this is a book that any child should have, and let us all hope that we too can remember what is like to be young and to dream - and let it never end.

Eva and Sam one dark winter day book passage on a zeppelin to a place far away and warm and after many days arrive at a beautiful city, with the sea on one side and in the distance a wide open desert. The travelers rent the last hotel room only to discover it is occupied by insects playing raucous dominoes. Sam and Eva's adventures begin in earnest when a camel offers to guide them across the desert. In the desert, they meet lions and bees and follow directions to the Crocodile Cafe, where it becomes clear they are to be the next day's luncheon special. In the end, lions, bees, and crocodiles behind them, Eva and Sam write post cards to their friends with the title message: Having a Wonderful Time. Tom Pohrt's early work invites comparisons with N. C. Wyeth. The new book is as vivid and original as THE NIGHT KITCHEN OR THE 100 AKER WOOD. Jim Latimer, author of GOING THE MOOSE WAY HOME.

If you love the children's books of yesteryear, you'll adore this book. Pohrt takes you back to a time when children's books painted the world as a beautiful and mysterious place for a child to explore. This is one your children will want to look through over and over.

After the darkest night of the year, imagine it never got brighter.

Faced with the unimaginable, Darak sets out to both return balance to his world and save the brother who's caught up in the struggle. The characters are richly drawn, from the haunted Darak to the dark and oh so enticing Morgath.

One of my biggest problems with fantasy novels is that the women seem to just be there to worry about the hero, hope he likes them, and get rescued. In Heartwood, Griane is as strong as Darak. They're delightful characters to revisit again and again. Heartwood was a fantastic read.

Heartwood offers us a world where magic, shamans, spirits and gods are not metaphors to explain reality, but ARE reality. Heartwood tells the story of the spring that will not come because the battle between the sacred trees of the people has not gone according to custom. The balance of nature is off and a brave band of folk go off into the endless winter to see if they can set it right. On their journey they meet gods who walk the earth: a delightful Trickster, whose charm and sense of humor can almost make you forget the mischief he makes; a villain who can shape-shift by taking over the bodies of any living creature; a spirit-guide who offers assistance to the aging shaman. These classic elements of so many earth-based religions are here treated as reality, with sometimes terrifying...and always exciting...consequences.

The tribe of the Oak has suffered tremendous losses due to plague but they still intend to observe the midwinter ritual where the Oak-Lord and the Holly-lord battle. Oak defeats Holly so that spring will arrive. Darak the hunter is not looking forward to this ritual because his beloved brother Tinnean will become Tree-Brother, apprenticed to the Tree father and will owe his allegiance to his master instead of his family.

When it is time to travel to the dimension where the First Forrest lives, Darak refuses to join them and witness the loss of the brother who will be part of yet separate from the tribe. Something goes wrong at the ritual and the Oak and Tinnean disappear. Tinnean's body is inhabited by the Holly-Lord while the Oak and Darak's brother are in the land of Chaos, put there by the spirit of Morgoth, the evil Tree-Father, who held the position before Strauth killed him. Darak and his allies prepare to do battle to bring Tinnean back into his body and finish the rite so spring will return.

Think Jean Auel and Judith Tarr and readers will have some idea what HEARTWOOD is all about. The setting feels prehistoric with magic an everyday occurrence. Darak is a strong stubborn man who loves deeply and wants to keep those he cares about close to him safe; when his brother is in danger he is willing sacrifices himself to free his sibling from the enemy. Barbara Campbell creates characters readers will care about and produces a storyline that grabs reader interest.

Harriet Klausner

The best fantasy writers not only invite us to explore the magical, but guide us along the way with credible, world-building skills and sympathetic, recognizable characters that engage our imagination, but never tax our belief. Such is the case with Barbara Campbell's HEARTWOOD.

I read this book over the course of a weekend in spring but for all I knew, I was not sitting in my backyard with the drone of cars and leaf-blowers and other modern "conveniences" competing for my attention. Instead, I was transported to the land of the Oak-Lord and the Holly-Lord where a Midwinter battle determined the advent of spring or the curse of a world locked in the frozen grip of winter.

And it is "heart" that is the key word in this novel. While the fantastic descriptions will delight and frighten, the characters, from the troubled hero, Darak, to the wise, but aging Tree-Father,Struath, to the sadistic villain Morgath --all-- are "known" to us on some level. And that, in my opinion, is this author's greatest gift. Even the god Trickster, cunning, conceited and unpredictable as he is, reminds us of the times we wonder if our Maker doesn't have an unusual sense of humor.

If you want to experience a seemingly lost world where the changing seasons are greeted with hope, awe and wonder versus large appliance sales, read HEARTWOOD. I can't wait for Ms. Campbell's next book.

The book is a telling glimpse into the lives of some of the women of the Vancouver Downtown Eastside.
As a community worker with hard-to-house ex-psychiatric residents in the area, in the 1980s I ran a Women's Group to address the risk of AIDS in relation to prostitution.
The dying wish of a long term dear friend of mine was that I remain in contact with his two daughters. This book available at the Vancouver Public Library--and the excellent video of the same name that aired on TV available at Douglas College that includes an interview with her--give me a means to follow the career of his youngest daughter. I hope to hear from her again soon, and hope she is alright.
Now I'll go ahead and buy the book. If only I could discover whether the video is available for sale to the public.

'Heroines' is a book that is so much more and so much deeper than most photographic books. The images that are presented in this book are, on the one hand, beautiful, thoughtful images and on the other hand, deeply touching and challenging, because of the subject matter. This book humanizes an element of human nature which we often just refer to as the 'drug problem' or 'the addicts,' this reminds us that these are people just like you and I, who have chosen a darker path. This is an important photographic work which has value far greater than just a nice collection of images. The print quality is excellent and the text is interesting, well writen and thought provoking. Overall a fascinating look into Vancouver'e downtown Eastside Heroin and drug Culture. Money very well spent. Great work Lincoln Clarkes!

I grew up in this neighborhood, knew a lot of these women so I may be a little biased, but I LOVE THIS BOOK.
In Vancouver, people try to hard to ignore this part of town, to ignore the people in this part of town, make believe that this problem does not exist in their "perfect" city.
Vancouver is beautiful, but obviously there's a problem.
This book makes it impossible to ignore that fact.
You see the girls as people, as beautiful women, as someones sister, daughter or mother.
They're vulnerable and hurting and you can't ignore them anymore..

These photographs by Lincoln Clarkes in this amazing book will change the way people look at Canada in general and Vancouver in particular. These are friendly and exquisite black and white photographs of drug-addicted women who live and work (usually as prostitutes) in Vancouver's downtown eastside neighborhood, a neighborhood unique in all the world for bearing the majority of an entire nation's overdose deaths, if not drug traffic as well. Clarkes captures the humanity and the artistry, as well as the desperation, of these women ... and of the city, too, which now must look at itself in different way. Heroines really is an epic work of photography and of social documentary.

I just need to know the number it is in the Crystal Creek series. I am looking forward to hearing from you. Thank you for your consideration and co-operation in this matter.

Robert White

I really liked this book because I liked the characters so much. The story was tender and sweet, but it was often funny, too. I loved the wacky housekeeper and her influence on the McKinney men. As a hero, Grady is definitely a keeper. And the little boy is just adorable.

Following the divorce, Tara Hastings sells her ranch knowing that she and her son Del will have to flee the Santa Clarita area because of her powerful disruptive father-in-law Burleigh who is making demands involving her boy. Tara expects little from her ex though he owes child support and it would be nice if Sis visited Del, but the immediate problem is Burleigh. Her brother persuades Tara to move to a spread they bought near Crystal Creek where Burleigh's influence would be minimal at best. She agrees.

Grady McKinney was born in Crystal Creek, but feels the road is his home. However, an injury has sent him to the last place he wants to be: his family home. While Tara works on turning the former dude ranch into a thriving equestrian school, Grady helps her. They fall in love and her son worships him, but Grady cannot commit to staying in one place though the temptation is great and Tara still tastes the bitter herbs of her last marriage.

Though the relationship between Grady and Tara seems too soon as she recovers from the nastiness of her divorce, fans will appreciate this Texas romance between a commitment phobia rover and a scarred marital victim. The story line is typical of the Crystal Creek tales as the lead couple seems an unlikely matches yet love ties them together. Del is a delightful child, perhaps a bit too precocious, but the audience will want to hug him as he turns to Grady for fatherly attention. HOME TO TEXAS is a delightful romantic soup with several tasty ingredients making for a fine entry that mini-series fans will appreciate.

Harriet Klausner

"Home to Texas" is a terrific read - from the horse ranch setting in Crystal Creek, Texas to the thoroughly engaging relationship between foot-loose Grady and committment-shy Tara. And Tara's son Del adds a level of complication and charm that revs the story up even further. "Home to Texas" expertly juggles the growing passion of a developing romance and the gripping subplot of an ex-father-in-law putting Tara's son in jeopardy. I wholeheartedly recommend "Home to Texas."

I picked up this book to take on a trip. The stories are great and perfect to read when your attention span for reading is very short. It's a fun read but really makes you think too. It is spiritually insightful, not fluff. I am currently attending a church where Dr. O'Brien is Interim Pastor and these stories often make it into his sermons. They are great.

I had the pleasure to be a student in one of Dr. O'Brien's classes. This book is testimony to his amazing lectures and wonderful character. What a fantastic and funny read; if you like this one, I recommend his other titles.

To change someone's mind or life, there is the head-butting way and the "walk with me" way, and Dr. O'Brien takes the latter. His stories all contain something we are familiar with, jog a memory we had lost-- and then take us someplace maybe we didn't expect to go today. Take them as funny stories or parables, but either way you will find yourself retelling them. The best use for this book: Read it on a porch on a warm evening, a fan slowly rotating overhead, then leave it gently on the bedstand of someone you love.

Randall O'Brien is a pastor, a college professor, and an exceptionally gifted communicator. In this book he displays a remarkable ability to find the teaching moment in the events of everyday life. The book is collection of stories in which O'Brien calls upon events in his own pilgrimage to become storytellers for the Gospel. The book is full of richness and warmth, southern grace and uncommon insight. The short story nature of the book makes it ideal for occasional reading (i.e. a chapter before bedtime), since there are no plot elements which must be maintained from chapter to chapter. It is a fun book, and I'll bet you won't be able to read it without at least one giggle, one tear, and one moment of, "I have to tell so-and-so about this."

So realistic it brought back memories that I had forgotten.

The journey of Larry Gaiser from wide-eyed grunt to hard-nosed veteran is very convincing, and the combat scenes have an eloquence and ring of truth that leave a long-lasting impression.. You can hear it, smell it and feel it. Campbell takes you there and plants you in the Korean mud for the duration, and you leave, as he did, knowing what war really means-that the experience alone can take a young life just as surely a bullet.

Reading IN THE SHADOW OF GLORY was like a nostalgic trip to a period of time 50 years ago when I was a young and naive Marine not really prepared for the stark realities of combat... I would highly recommend this fast-paced novel to all Korea veterans, military history buffs and anyone who enjoys a good read.
Donald E. Chab, USMC Korea, 1951-1952

"In the Shadow of Glory" serves a profound purpose for those of us who have not, nor will ever serve in combat. Through the eyes of a young, patriotic marine, one is taken to the extremes of both the heroism and horror that were the intrinsic bi-products of the Korean war. The reader hardens with him in an effort to survive. Written in an appropriate, straightforward style, this book is an enlightening yet emotionally challenging read. I highly recommend it.

As we live in a diverse society, this book gives a refreshing outlook on Faith, no matter what your denomination may be.

Deborah D.

Reviewed by Nina Larson for Reader Views (11/06)

On the surface, Duane Campbell's book, "Inner Strength Defies the Skeptic," is about looking inside oneself to find your personal truth, path and spirituality. His main claim is that value and identity has to come from inside a person, not outside, and especially not from anyone who has a vested interest in skewing that identity for the worse. His stated goal is that he wants this book to startle awake his audience. Awaken them to how they have accepted someone else's priorities, ideologies and limits.

Despite an early claim that his work, referenced under the title of `The Awareness Project," was for "all facets of people, regardless of age, social class, racial or religious background, economical or educational level," pp17, I felt his target audience was clearly poor, black, urban Americans; especially males. This feeling is an example of Duane Campbell's skill in writing. What he writes is more layered then most authors' works. For instance, tracking back on my feeling about his target audience, it started from his repeated use of "man" and "mankind" in one chapter and of course the male pronoun throughout. This was startling since I had heard about this disassociation from other females in other writings, yet I had only once felt that way myself. I suspect this feeling was solidified from the poem extolling the wonders of black women and the next poem a dirge for the black man. As you can see, all of this is subterranean; and very different from his explicit words.

Much of the book has these layered meanings. On the whole, while his route to finding inner strength was helpful, I am uncomfortable with the sub text about the purpose and use of this inner strength. The author states that "some may consider the (main section) of (this book) to be radical and/or confrontational" pp19. I however found that section to be the best part. I can understand why he thought this since on the same page he defines the choice faced after the reader uses that section as either a "rebellion of an oppressive state of existence or the acceptance of a corrupted social and/ or psychological hierarchy," pp.19. This kind of choice is like asking a man if he has stopped beating his wife. By definition any answer is an admittance of violence in the past. Likewise, because the author only allows those two options, it defines you as either with him or against him.

The setup of the book brings this lens up early, in the first of the three sections. This first part explains the `Awareness Project,' the book, and about the author. The second section is titled `Outreaches' and is the bulk of the how-to. In this part, a poem starts each chapter. The last section, labeled `Flow,' is all poetry. All in all this is quite a short book and very lyrical. "Inner Strength Defies the Skeptic" is a great example of how different written English usually is from spoken English. The entire book has a rhythm; ponderous on the statements, dancing on the poetry. A minor quibble is that the first two sections are a little disorientating to read since almost all of his sentences are statements and each sentence is a different paragraph. This is probably due to his goal of having all of his ideas "in statement format and not within the terminology of the theoretical" pp. 12. And this format does make it easy to meditate on any paragraph/ idea. Mostly these sections read like they should be orated from a pulpit or in a rally. On the technical side there were a couple of grammar mistakes that might be deliberate since his poems used e. e. cummings' method of lower-case letters as the standard of punctuation. It did bother me that his great `Awareness Project' mantra of "Within the seed of an apple there lives an orchard invisible" was under a picture of a sprouted acorn.

In conclusion, I believe "Inner Strength Defies the Skeptic," follows the author's intention very well. This is not a comfortable book and probably has layers I couldn't see or didn't notice. I found his message interesting, the methods helpful, and the purpose disquieting. I believe this book would interest any person who is spinning in place, convinced that their value depends on what "everyone knows" is important. I get the impression that this is the first of many planned publications and applaud Duane Campbell for following his path.

An excellent book, that really makes one think, on a whole new level.
The book is great at giving u a diiferent point of view, from poems, to the author's point of view.
Very, very enlighting.

Campbell gives us a unique look at the strength, peace and needed balance that lives within the human spirit. This combination of poetry and psychological/sociological references gives us a candid view of today's African American youth. Extraordinary insight to the souls of the black american future. Read it and learn!!!

This book brought back such a flood of memories of my own born-again upbringing. The great gift of this book is that it made me laugh hard and out loud, after all these years of hiding out from the memories. It captures just about every oddball, earnest angle to the whole experience, from what a teenager should do to pass the time in church (do make important sermon notes in the margin of your Bible, don't clean out your purse) to what you're supposed to say when someone asks you to dance ("I don't dance, I'm a Christian.") to why you felt so smug when you won a Sword Drill. The book doesn't make me want to relive it (once was enough!) or inflict it on my own child (though I did make him memorize the books of the Bible, just so he wouldn't be Biblically illiterate). But it does make me think, well, okay, it was weird but it was also funny (in retrospect) and I'm mighty grateful someone else who lived it got it down on paper before we all forgot what happened to us. I've ordered copies for all my brothers and sisters, who will also see themselves on every page. Great job.

I laughed and cried as I read this book. I could see myself and my family in so many of the stories and pictures. Eras long gone but some very happy meomories.

This is a very sweet book that will make you laugh if you grew up with only a few of these memories. Not irreverent or blasphemous, it is a true but humorous look at how we grew up in religious families and communities. So many things that I had forgotten from my childhood were brought to mind again while reading this scrap book of growing up spiritual. It was surprising that the authors left out Davey and Goliath as proper TV fare though, maybe because it usually aired on Sunday morning before we left for Church. And it is funny to remember what we thought about those "other Churches". I thank the authors for putting this memory album together for us. So buy, enjoy, and share this book with others who will relate, before this gentle way of life is forgotten altogether in some parts of this country.

I have NEVER before laughed OUT LOUD in a bookstore until I picked up this book. I HAD to rush to the checkstand and buy it before they labelled me certifiable and carried me away. I honestly don't think I've ever read anything funnier in my life. I suppose the reason it so appeals to my sense of humor is that it is ALL true!

Who this book is for---anyone who remembers flannelgraphs of Jesus, Sunday School in the church basement and potlucks with lots of macaroni salad.

Who this book is NOT for---Anyone who had no emotional response whatsoever upon reading "Who this book is for." It's also not for those who fit the bill "who this book is for" BUT who take themselves way too seriously and have no sense of humor. The genius of this group of "born again" authors is that they manage to poke fun ad infinitum at the "if you're saved and you know it" generation with complete hysterical...I mean historical accuracy while maintaining a spirit of absolute fun and not an ounce of disrespect or guile. They're not poking fun at God. Their humor is aimed at us, the people who in our sincere attempts to love God, tend to say and do things that are quite frankly fertile ground for laughter.

Again a word of caution, do NOT buy this book if you are easily offended, especially by religious matters. On the other hand, BUY THIS BOOK NOW "if you're saved and you know it" and you want to grin about it until your mouth hurts.

Lisa from California

This book had a lot of good info for a high school research paper about the newsies and the strike in NYC.

I have been researching the American Labor movement for years now. This book was very good. The point of view was new and fresh; great for teenagers and great for adults. Although these kids were treated much like their counterparts in the adult world, the impact is even greater when viewed from the kids' perspective. It makes everything even more dramatic and better able to capture the basic injustice of it all. Good job!
A nice quality and designed book also.

My seven-year-old daughter is reading this book now. This morning, she said to me, "Daddy, I'm so glad you got me this book from the library. But there's one thing I don't like: those companies were so mean! And why? Because of money, that's why! But those people aren't any better than other people are. It's just the way the black people used to be treated, it wasn't fair. People should be treated nicely, not just the rich people, that's what I think." So if you want to nurture a sense of social justice (and maybe a little social rebellion) in your child, this seems to be a good book. I can't wait to read it when she's done.

Kids on Strike is an excellent introduction to U.S. labor history. The book is well-researched and enhanced by the addition of a chapter-by-chapter bibliography. Bartoletti uses her journalism background to weave an eloquent and powerful narrative. Even adults will learn something new. I, for instance, was completely unaware of how a teen-age girl led a widespread (and successful) rent strike in New York City in 1907. A great addition to school libraries.

I just love this book. The story from which the book takes its title profoundly affected me the first time I read it: it is the story of an Indian king who has to take part in a quest.This turns out to be an unexpected and thoroughly comprehensive lesson in life and the king emerges from it as a new and wiser person. You will also feel different after reading it. All the stories related in this book are incredibly old but can still connect with the deepest part of our souls. A book to reread.

In the tradition of Johann Jacob Bachhofen and in league with those such as Joseph Campbell, Heinrich Zimmer"s "The King and The Corpse" gets about as good as you will find with respect to comparative mythology. I highly recommend any Jung readers to visit Zimmer's brilliant pages. I also find the melding of Western and Eastern myth systems to be superb. Here is an adventurous path to follow.

In the tradition of Johann Jacob Bachhofen and in league with those such as Joseph Campbell, Heinrich Zimmer"s "The King and The Corpse" gets about as good as you will find with respect to comparative mythology. I highly recommend any Jung readers to visit Zimmer's brilliant pages. I also find the melding of Western and Eastern myth systems to be superb. Here is an adventurous path to follow.