Sheep Books

I have mixed feelings about entertainment for the masses, as good entertainment can move people to new heights and new awareness, but it also is able to lull thinking (and in this case, religious) people into getting all their truth from entertainment. But, before the author is too critical, he ought to remind himself that, as powerful a critical realm as film entertainment is, if good people do not finance their own movies, get their own scriptwriters, cast their own crews, hire their own film music composers, then we are going to be left with movies that are irrespective and downright hostile to religious ideas. After all, we get movies according to whoever is producing them, which, for the most part, is the irreligious Hollywood community. The film industry has for too long been neglected by the church, as well as the religious community at large, and Mel Gibson took the bold step of possible ostracization by his own film community to put his talent and business acumen into this.
Many of the reviews here have stated that this book is none other than a anti-Catholic polemic. On that basis, I would have to agree for the most part. However, Mel Gibson is Catholic, and what does the author really expect? If the author wants entertainment to totally represent his religious viewpoint, then spend the $25 million to advance his own film and get it destributed. In fact, I think a lot of the anti-Catholic criticism against Mel Gibson is really unfair, because Gibson tried very hard to leave out a lot of Catholic beliefs, such as Mariology, so that all orthodox Christians could enjoy it, which is one reason so many non-Catholic evangelicals and other conservative Christians approved of the movie (the author is critical of these evangelicals for endorsing the movie). And, just in case anybody questions it, I am not Catholic nor was I ever raised Catholic. I believe that the other reviews here are from Catholics who are chagrined about a critical work from an evangelical being so anti-Catholic about this movie.
The criticism from secular and reform Jews against this movie were so great, you would have thought it was the worst film to have been shown, whipping up hatred from here to eternity, and this Jewish criticism was ad nauseam (some of the Jews who criticized this movie ought to remember how tiresome their rhetoric has become and no, I am not insensitive to some of the suffering they have had to endure, such as the Holocaust). If some of the Jews want to show a film how the crucifixion of Jesus has stirred up anti-Semitism, then they should shell out their own $25 million, make their own film, and distribute it themselves instead of constantly whining and complaining. In this case, though, the author is a host of The Berean Call, a very well-known conservative Christian organization.
McMahon, as well as Dave Hunt, who writes a small approval of the book, as both Arminians, which, by the way, I am also. Therefore, I am not antagonistic toward Dave Hunt's books, and have very much enjoyed reading them. Therefore, I believe I'm being very fair and objective, because most of the vicious criticism against Dave Hunt have come from other Protestant Christian writers and leaders, who are Calvinist. However, since Calvinists far outnumber Arminians in Protestantism, this was to be expected. Calvinists, except for Presbyterians and a few others, begrudgingly admit that Arminians may have a different view of God's sovereignty vs. free will, but that their viewpoint doesn't dismiss calling them brethren in Christ.
While some of the above paragrah probably went over many readers' heads, I want everybody to be assured that the review I have given is very fair. No, I am not Catholic nor ever have been, and yet, I believe that this book was very much an anti-Catholic polemic. I also belong with Dave Hunt and McMahon on the Arminian side of the aisle.
I do believe, however, that this book is worth reading, there are some good points to be made about being infuenced too much by entertainment and not making up our own mind as to what is right and what doesn't line up with truth, not only with this movie, but with entertainment in general. This book is rather small, and doesn't take much time to read, but it is the first non-Jewish essay against the Passion film that I have seen, which also makes it worth reading.

Although there are some who may accuse the author of this book of "Catholic bashing", the truth is that he himself used to be a Catholic for many years until some loving evangelicals lead him to the true Jesus Christ. It is sad that many of today's evangelical leaders do not have that same love in their hearts for Catholics. This thought provoking book not only addresses Mel Gibson's movie, "The Passion of The Christ" - it actually addresses several key trends. I have found it to be an eye-opener, and the Lord has used it to confirm some convictions which I already had (Yet which I have tried to ignore) to be true. It is also written in a very loving spirit, and I think that the author is very fair to Mel Gibson in this book.

The Passion of the Christ is a Roman Catholic Movie. The movie depicts Jesus trial and crucifiction that is consistent with the Catholic churches teaching. Mel Gibson expanded on the story of Jesus path to the cross beyound what is written in the Gospels or elsewhere in scripture. These sources may well be acceptable as reliable within the Roman Catholic Church and not in most Evangelical churches. This is an accurate portrayal of the movie. The fact T.A. McMahon does not like the fact he does not like certain Protestant churches speak highly of the movie without expressing pause to the Catholic perspective of the movie does not make the author of this book intolerant. I believe Protestant ministers could advocate their parishners to to see the movie and yet express disagreement to the Catholic presentation of the Gospel.

Mary the Mother of Jesus is the second most presented character in the Passion of Christ. Reading the Gospel in either Protestant or Roman Catholic translations would give the reader the same perspective. No where in the Gospel does Mary follow Jesus from trial to trial, present at the scourging of Jesus, whipping up the blood afterwards, telling Jesus afterwards she wished it was her instead, and following Jesus as he carries the cross. This might give the watcher the idea Mary was some sort of co-redeemer. The portrayal of demons and the shroud of Turin are all part of the Catholic tradition, but extra biblical.

T.A. McMahon the author has the problem with any image being made of Jesus Christ. He therefore has a problem with any movie that has an actor portraying Jesus. No matter how consistent the movie is with scripture. He makes a very good argument for this in his book. Since I watched the Movie three times I do disagree with this point. But I do believe protestant ministers and their churches can encourage their flock to see the movie, but only if they are willing to teach where the movie goes against scripture. I believe the book is worth reading.

First off for all those who don't know much about christianity, The Catholic Church was the FIRST christian church is.. This anti-catholic polenmic mumbo jumbo has been refuted and answered many times.. and if you really watch the movie it is a very VERY accurate portrayal of the crucifiction(Jesus in the garden, Judas, Pilate, Judas suicide, the roman spear, the temple splitting in to".. Remember there are many different version of the bible, KJV, NASB, NAB, WEB, ASV, WEB, etc.. and while the word for word language may be different at times the focal point is all still the same..it is just the same for this movie.. there seriously has never been such a powerful movie as the Passion.. while most other movies on Christ are jumpy happy baptist/protestantish non-realistic type portrayals this is actually the closest to what actually happened back then(the Romans were very brutal)

I find it funny that protestants consider themselves 'Saved" even if they were formally Catholic.. Where as the exact opposite is true, all they have done is broken away from the original church and gone in the way of protestant division.. Protestant churches didn't exist till 1500 YEARS AFTER CHRIST, now why in the world would someone want to follow a errored church by some excomminicated priest 1500 years later after christ is beyond me, and yet these people think they have the "truth"?? that all of a sudden God was doing everything wrong for 1500 hundred years and Martin Luther has the theological answer to all??

Its funny how the Passion has been ridiculed and persecuted by both Jews and now Protestants. As Jesus said the Church would be a persecuted Church. And what church today is more bagged on and persecuted than the Catholic Church.. We Catholics are truely the real Christians because we existed long before any of these know it all protestants with their gymnasium "barn-like" church gatherings and their fat white trash wig wearing pastors..

This book lures you in by suggesting it is about biblical inaccuracies in the movie "The Passion Of the Christ". By Chapter 3 you realize it is nothing more than a tool for T.A McMahon to bash catholics, the catholic faith, and people of faith in general.
Mr. McMahon's use of bible quotes is often misleading. He sews together several sentences from different chapters of the bible to make whatever point he's trying to make, while at the same time completely missing the point of the 'entire' bible verse he starts to quote.
By chapter nine I found myself saying "Ok! I get it..you hate catholics", and quite frankly didn't want to spend another chapter listening to him rail on about why catholicism is the world's worst evil. But, I finished the book.
In short, his points are poorly thought through, his use of the bible is, at best, troublesome if not out right inaccurate, and his anger towards those who choose not to follow his ministry bleeds through each and every paragraph.

My family and I enjoyed this show so much that my wife actually started clapping at the end of one episode! She didn't even realize it! I watched this show as a young boy and loved it. We really hope that the second season is put out on DVD!!!

I was deeply touched by Pappy Boyington's thoughtful and apparently honest insights about himself in this book. Especially interesting was his descriptive telling of the 20 months he spent as a secret prisoner of the Japanese. His appreciation of cultural difference seems ahead of his time. His very human flaws made the book even more interesting to me. From the difficult upbringing he had, I can appreciate what he was to accomplish in his life (flaws and all).

The autobiography of one of America's top five aerial combat aces of World War II, Greg Boyington, is not only a great read about a very gifted and very human pilot, but also provides some enlightening historical insight that applies even today.

PIPPY PAPPY SLIPPY SLAPPY DIS WAS A GOODY WOODY BOOKY WOOKY. PAPPY WAPYPY SLIPPY SLAPPY
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I came to this book believing that "Pappy" Boyington was a pugnacious drunken spendthrift that the Marine Corps was anxious to be rid of, and that he may not have been the leading Marine Corps ace of World War II as he was thought to be. From what I had read, Boyington spent most of his time on the ground as a member of the American Volunteer Group (AVG), better known as "The Flying Tigers," and was only credited with shooting down 3 ½ Japanese planes (although he claimed six). I also understood that Boyington left the AVG early and was the only man ever dishonorably discharged from that organization. In addition, I questioned his account of the final action in which he was shot down, another unseen action in which he claimed two more enemy planes.

After reading this book, however, I'm not quite so sure. In it, Boyington readily admits that he was a "drunk" and a "bum," and he allows as how he liked to wrestle a bit. As to his claim of six enemy planes while with the AVG, his explanation is easily believable. As he explains it: In order to get credit for a kill with the AVG you almost had to bring your victim back to the landing field in your teeth and drop it where everyone could see it, whereas the majority of his kills had been 75 to 100 miles away, most times behind enemy lines. In addition, and most likely with some merit, he states that the records of his actions at Rangoon were lost when that city fell to the Japanese. With regard to his being "dishonorably discharged" from the AVG, Boyington acknowledges that he left shortly before the remaining volunteers were forced/coerced into the Army Air Corps as 2nd lieutenants. But once again his explanation rings true. Boyington correctly states that he wasn't the only member of the AVG to leave the group, that the reason he left was because he wanted to return to the Marine Corps rather than be conscripted into the Army, and that it was ridiculous to claim that you could "dishonorably discharge" someone from a civilian volunteer organization. As to his account of his final, once again unseen action, Boyington's account is so vivid as to be easily believable.

Having read a number of books which touched upon the life and times of Gregory "Pappy" Boyington before reading this one, I had already formed a somewhat negative impression of the man. After reading this book, however, I have concluded that it is one thing to view a man from the outside, especially from a distance in time, recounting his every fault and failure, but it is quite another thing to view that same man from the inside looking out.

So, although much about Boyington is and will always remain a mystery, he certainly was an American hero and he certainly could tell an interesting, believable, and highly entertaining tale. And this is one of them. But don't stop reading too early. You certainly won't want to miss the chapters in which he recounts his nineteen months as a "captive" of the Japanese. To me, that's the best part of the book. Six stars anyone?

Another excellent book by my favorite writer of animal stories. Jon is doing things most of us only dream about doing. I admire him for following his dreams. I have found myself falling in love with his animals as I read about them. Orson (aka Devon) touched my heart in ways only Jon would undersdtand. I have a border collie, Little Buddy, who is beyond a doubt my "lifetime" dog. They are indeed a special breed as are their owners. I have already ordered Jon's newest book which will be out in a week. Jon, I just wish you could write faster.

Diane Van Cura

As a first-time dog owner, and the owner of a cattle dog myself, I thought I would love this book. Katz is living my dream of farm life surrounded by a menagerie of animals. Even my dream wasn't enough to keep me going through this book.

There's no real plot, just random observances from Katz on the nature of animals and ruminations on his, according to him, declining health. To say he sees animals as mere products, work partners but little else, is an understatement.

This quote pretty well sums up how he feels about his dogs: "I can't for example, subscribe to the notion that the acquisition of every dog represents a lifetime commitment, a bond that must never be altered or broken... I don't believe that dogs possess much self-awareness or consciousness, despite a growing belief to the contrary. They're probably more intelligent than cows, and far more attached to people than sheep, but, like the other animals on the farm, they live in the moment, largely by instinct. They won't spend much time feeling miserable if a new owner provides affection, recreation, health care -- and dinner...I don't believe in taking extraordinary measures to keep dogs alive beyond their natural spans, not in a world where few humans have basic healthcare."

He grumbles a lot about his health, how his back hurts constantly from the work, etc. even though he has several hired hands who provide his animals with the love he seems unable to give. He chides one for feeding treats to the animals, for assigning human meaning to their bland world as products.

He lauds his collie, Rose, but mostly admires her work ethic. He admits she's a loner and has little to do with him. Meanwhile he sends her out even when she's sick, under the guise that she loves to work.

He spends a great deal of time talking about people who say the farm is so well-run, the animals so cared for. He admits he quickly kills or gives away any animal that doesn't fulfill his notion of running a tight ship. He has what he calls a beloved dog put to sleep for biting. He has an ailing donkey shot and calls a man to haul off the carcass, seeming to thoroughly enjoy the "efficiency" of the task. He gives away a loving dog because he's found a new one.

He calls his dogs sluts and whores because they seek attention from visitors. He frequently says he's unwilling to spend too much money on health care because these are, after all, only farm animals. He says he sincerely doubts there's anything going on inside his dogs' heads. He chalks them up to being motivated by nothing grander than the basic instincts of food and sex.

Beyond all that though, the book plods along like life on the farm. He repeats himself, sometimes on the same page. There's no clear direction of where he's trying to go, he just mixes together events as they occur to him.

This is one of the first books I've ever had to force myself to keep reading, and I regret that. I was looking forward to it. I grew weary of his complaints about how his perfect life was less than perfect -- so far from perfect as to almost be an annoyance. For all his supposed hard work, he comes off as exactly what he is, a spoiled big city author trying to pretend he's just "regular folk" while he stands among real farmers and talks about his "hobby farm." He admits he has no real reason to herd the sheep other than to revel in the "training" of his dogs.

His treatment of his farm as a grand experiment reminds me of a kid with an ant farm, occasionally throwing new kinks into the stability just to see what will happen, dumping animals out like the disposable creatures he believes them to be when they require too much time, affection, or money.

Anyone who loves animals and enjoys reading about them should try the James Herriot series instead. I won't read another book by this author not just because of his philosophy, but because he's a poor writer, and no one enjoys having to slog through a book, even in the last 15 pages.

This is the second book I have read by Katz. His connection with animals and his insight and understanding of their lives makes remarkable reading material. Katz is a gifted writer with the talented ability to clearly express his stories. I am a dog lover (own three and foster rescue dogs) and appreciate reading such detailed stories about dogs and their lives.

I listened to the audio version of this book. The reader's voice had a bit of gravel in it which made for a believable autobiographical narrative. Jon Katz will entertain you with stories of his animals, the farm, and his expositional speaking on what it all means to him. Life is ironic because what he says he believes versus what he does are not always the same thing. This may grate some readers - that is why I give this book 4 stars. Also one chapter on how to talk farmer really was not necessary for the story. A plus is that you fall in love with the animals when reading this book.

While Jon Katz is controversial in some circles for non-professional dog management, his Bedlam Farm memoirs are captivating and gritty. They detail the activities of the farm's dogs, donkeys, sheep, cat, steer, chickens--and the man himself, who gets by with lots of support from more country-wise locals.

With his flight from urban professionalism well-documented in A Dog Year: Twelve Months, Four Dogs, and Me and Running to the Mountain: A Midlife Adventure, Katz continues the Bedlam Farm series with this book about his third year of "hobby farming" in upstate New York. He's been at it long enough to improve his lambing skills and to establish an Easter tradition (reading from St. Augustine to the dogs and then bringing the sheep down the meadow above the church).

Katz writes without undue sentiment about farm life. He counts himself as a newcomer whose animals are "somewhere between products and pets." (p 29) The sheep-herding border collie, Rose, and the affectionate Labs Clementine and Pearl (the "Love Twins") are his constant companions; when a second border collie joins the menage, things get complicated. His wife lives and works in the city but to Katz's satisfaction is learning to enjoy her visits to the farm.

I found this book more satisfying than the earlier The Dogs of Bedlam Farm: An Adventure with Sixteen Sheep, Three Dogs, Two Donkeys, and Me because Katz is so much more assured in farm matters. An entertaining read.

Linda Bulger, 2008

I love Keller's writings and Lessons From a Sheep Dog was no disappointment. With gentleness and transparency the author shares his lessons in life that only God can teach . . . through a dog. This easy read makes for the perfect morning devotion.


The Birth to Five Book: Confident Childrearing Right from the Start

Halfway through this book I flipped to the back cover to see whether the author's email was there... and was disappointed to find out that he's no longer around! I wanted to tell him what a wonderful book this was.

Being a dog lover, I've always learnt much from my own dogs. This book expresses what I feel in my heart - that dogs are a great example of how we can be good followers of Christ and please Him in the things that we do. The author talks about discovering the sheep dog in shackles when he first sets eyes on him, just like how we are when God comes to rescue us.

Very simple yet powerful. These days we are very busy doing big things for God, and this book reminds us that our faithfulness in the small things is often more important.

Reading this book helps you to understand about our caring Master thru' the eyes of a shepherd and his sheep dog. We sometimes have the perspective that God made a bunch of rules to make our lives miserable, when really He is a loving God who desires only the best for us, just as the shepherd did for his sheep dog. He sets guidelines for our safety, our happiness, our ability to serve others in a better way, to have a close relationship to our creator, etc. This perspective of a loving shepherd, while viewing and guiding his dog, can be compared to our Shepherd caring for us. I highly recommend this book! We had great discussions while reading this book together. (w/ my teens)

I've read this book, and found it delightful. I've given it, along with the "Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23" to pastors for their ordinations. This particular book is a great analogy to our growth learning to trust, listen and obey Christ, and let go of the distractions of the world. It was deeply and practically insightful, yet simple enough I could read it for worship with children and they enjoy it as well as understand the deeper lessons as well. Very well done. Highly recommended.

A beautiful allegory that clearly illustrates our growth as Christians. We start as lost and disobedient, then through the gift of the Holy Spirit and the process of sanctification we become eager obedient servants of our God. I want to be the sheepdog.

I've read about a dozen or so ID books lately, from the fairly scientific kind to the more philosophical kind, and have taken to them more than I thought I would. This one is somewhere in the middle, but to me was a far weaker effort than that coming from Johnson or Behe or some of the other authors.

For starters the book is in your elderly aunt font- it would be more of a pamphlet than a book if it were printed in any kind of normal manner. The lines are about triple-spaced as well, so it has the feel of a term paper set up to meet the professor's minimum page count. Granted quality counts more than quantity, but I thought I was buying a book and not just a wordy article.

That aside, I also had some quibbles with even some of the more basic observations. The premise of the book, to be succinct, is that not only are we not evolving, we're devolving. I give him credit, amply, for tackling the issue and actually analyzing what it would entail for natural selection to pick enough mutants to get humans out of some chimp-like ancestors. The difficulties are overwhelming, and while we just hear one side of the story he often uses the statistics and observations of neo-Darwinists themselves to give credibility. It is amazing how much we are asked to take on faith, and how few attempts have been made to flesh out exactly what would be involved in accomplishing evolution. He also does a pretty decent job with Behe's argument about irreducible complexity, and views it from his background as a plant-breeder.

On the downside, his overall observation that we are devolving and actually headed for extinction seems a stretch. He quotes a book titled something along the lines of "Why aren't we dead 100 times over?", and that would seem a good question. If half of his points are valid we should be a band of drooling cyclops by now, at best. That they can't all be valid, and often cancel one another out seems clear. For example he says if we really started as chimp-like creatures six million years ago, not only would we not have evolved to become humans, we would actually be dead by now. Well then why hasn't that happened to the chimps themselves? They seem to still be around. He also points out how much genetic mutation is going on, but then he casually mentions that much of this mutation isn't actually herediteray. He points out we have 3 kids for every 2 adults, but then says this number is actually much lower due to a variety of fertility related reasons. What? Shouldn't the 3 for 2 number have taken that into account already?

But again, I give him credit for opening up the hood and seeing if the Darwinian engine is capable of moving the car or not. Most scientists get very nervous if you even kick the tires, much less try to see if it will run. He may have overstated the case, and he certainly would've been helped by a rewrite or two and some more aggressive editing, but the perception he brings as a plant-breeder and geneticist himself gives him some insights that still make the book a worthwhile read. It came across more as rough draft than finished product to me, and I was a bit surprised to see that it was actually even on its second printing. That said I'd still add it to the ID library, but I'd like to see a version 2.0 one of these days because I think the overall premise is intriguing.

Here's an example of how easy it is to dispose of the arguments Sandford presents in his book:

Sandford says that the problem is not survival of the fittest but arrival of the fittest, since information theory proves noise (mutation) can only degrade, not improve a signal. Sounds fair enough?

However, 'degrade' and 'improve' in information theory only refer to the accuracy with which a transmitted message is received. Of course, noise cannot make a signal a MORE accurate version of what was sent. But information theory says nothing at all about the value of the modified message to the recipient.

Easy to follow example: say a bank transfer for £100 is accidentally corrupted, and becomes a transfer of £1000. Good, or bad? Depends on whether you're paying or being paid! Same goes for if it is corrupted to £10 - its value to you depends upon context. Either change represents a degradation of the original signal - it's not what it SHOULD have been - but that's irrelevant when considering whether or not the modified signal is of greater or lesser value to the recipient.

Now, if you think an author who can miss something as obvious as that is worth listening to on a subject as complex as evolution, by all means buy his book.

This book is one the best books on the Human Genome on the market. Dr. Sanford, of Cornell University, was one of the top 5 geneticists in the country and the book is replete with data and solid research. He provides overwhelming evidence why natural selection possesses no sustaining power to save the genome, let alone the creative power to develop it. He shows, in detailed, yet easy to understand, language how mutations produce far more damage than the human genome can sustain and why it continues to deteriorate over time. I could not recommend this book more strongly to anyone who is serious about genetic study and the future of mankind.

Sanford proves definitively that natural selection has never been up to the job of weeding out the overwhelming number of slightly harmful mutations and therefore the human genome and other animal and plant genomes have been deteriorating for a long time. Also he shows that natural selection has never been able to detect and accumulate any slightly favorable mutations. Evolution desperately needs a new paradigm. The present paradigm of mutation - selection has been a big joke ever since it was introduced 70 years ago.

Prof. John Sanford's population genetics points are also directly relevant to prebiotic molecular evolution models. Although written for laymen, the book contains solid academic content. The unavoidable conclusions will have far-reaching impact, and are of great significance to macroevolutionary thought. This book is a must read for academics and lay readers alike.

I'm not sure why Bruce Gamble chose to write a biography about Major Boyington as his disdain for the man is apparent throughout the book. When he actually writes something positive about Boyington, it comes as a complete surprise and out of nowhere. The book is well-written and fairly well researched. However, it is boring and too long. He also gives too many details at times. The author's irritating habit of taking the word of the enemy as Gospel while continuously discounting nearly everything our own pilots said and did is incredible. Personally, since he wasn't there, I feel that he has no right to publicly discredit those who were.

He cannot accept anything at all at face value. And, I'm not sure why he gave people names of his own that they didn't go by themselves. For instance, he kept referring to Boyington's son as "Greg Junior" when that wasn't his name. Although his first name was Gregory, he wasn't a junior, and he went by Bobby.

I had to force myself to finish the book. I do not recommend it.

Being a military history buff and a Boyington fan, this book was a "must read" for me. This book shows the human side of Boyington. While Boyington may have seemed a larger-than-life war hero (which in many ways he was) he was an ordinary man with his own demons. His worst enemy was himself.. and his addiction to alcohol...an addiction he never totally defeated. One wonders what Boyington may have accomplished had he not have been an alcoholic. His alcohalism cost him a lot.. several divorces, alienation from his family, and quite possibly a polital career.

Boyington was way ahead of his time in the area of air combat tactics. Sometimes his propensity to deviate from regulation got him into trouble with superiors, but no one can deny the combat victories the Blacksheep attained under his leadership. No Marine Squadron has ever attained the success VMF 214 had in those two combat tours then or since. His military combat record speaks for itself. Boyington's tactics were unconventional, in the sense he never employed the same tactics for long. He was constantly evolving, a theory that never allowed the Japanese to catch on to his tactics.

This is an excellent book to learn about Boyington the man, how he thought, and what made him tick. In spite of his faults, he will forever be remembered as the greatest Marine Ace of all time. This book does him justice. I highly recommend it.

I hate biographies with their authoritarian tones, time lines, dates and obscure facts, and get bored before finishing them. I do, however, prefer to be historically accurate rather than politically correct, so when my children started watching Black Sheep Squadron on the History Channel, I figured I had better learn more about Greg Boyington.

Having seen Mr. Gamble's commentaries during breaks from the show, I expected the typical pompous biography with a military cadence to match the author and subject. When I began to read it, I was floored: I couldn't put it down and I finished it. Mr. Gamble's prose was lyrical, and his treatment of Boyington was fair and meticulously researched.

Heroes aren't necessarily bums, and biographies aren't necessarily dull, boring and omnipresent.

First off let me say that I really enjoyed reading this book. Pappy has always been a child hood hero of mine. Having grown up watching "Baa Baa Black Sheep" and reading the autobiography of the same title. It was a very well researched and well-written biography. That opened this reader's eyes to the real story behind LtCol Gregory "Pappy" Boyington. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Bruce Gamble deserves great credit for dealing with a mythic and controversial hero who laid claim to be the leading USMC ace in World War II and won the highest award in the country. His introduction to combat and first claims came from his stint as a member of the famed American Volunteer Group (AVG) known to most as the "Flying Tigers". He was summarily dismissed from the AVG for his abuse of alcohol and disrepect for authority (both of had which led him to abandon his USMC flying career to join the AVG along with chronic financial woes). World War II offered him an opportunity for another chance to fly and serve his country that he might not have gotten in peacetime. Arriving in the Solomon Islands, he continued to abuse alcohol and raise a ruckus, but he eventually got his own squadron, the "Black Sheep" which he led to great success against the Japanese. There is no doubt that he was a gifted aviator despite flying under the influence or at least hung over. Some of the aerial victory claims may be disputed (certainly his AVG claims are), but these type claims have been controversial by antagonists in all conflicts since aerial combat began. Gamble deals with all of this in great detail particularly the virtual clinical examination of Boyington's alcoholism so many years after the event. Gamble's research could have yielded a good book, among the best written, on the Black Sheep and Boyington, but he superbly wrote the Black Sheep story as its own subject and then dealt with Boyington as a biography andproduced a truly unique study of a tragic hero, flawed on several levels, but just as laudable on others. The author deserves great credit for deep research, sensitive and accurate writing and weaving a very readable treatment of Boyington, truly the best on any shelf.

This series is full of easy rhymes. It makes a great early reader, as well as a great read-aloud for a younger preschooler or toddler.

In this one, the hapless sheep decide to go sailing like pirates! Cool, right?

Unfortunately, they're trapped in a sudden storm. It's all very exciting (and rhyme-y), but they get through it safely in the end.

Great series for early childhood. Good basic rhyming vocabulary clearly illustrated with humorous characters. Good to read to now and read alone later.

Wish you knew the "fail safe classics"? The sheep books are IT!

I have loved the book Sheep Out Eat by Nancy Shaw since I was little and my Mom read it to me, so a few years ago when I found this book in a store I was very exicited. This book is cute and funny and even though I am 14 I still love to read it!

The book "Sheep on a ship" is about some sheep that try to sail. The book shows you what happens when sheep try to sail. The sheep have a rough ride but in the end everything looks up for them. The story really doesn't have a lesson except that you shouldn't let your sheep try to sail. I don't think everybody could read this story; it should be read to kids the age of one to two.

We orginally purchased this book for our daughter, then two, and she loved it. The illustrations are fun, the book is sturdy, the writing is cute, and who doesn't love glow-in-the-dark stars? Two years later, my son (who is now two) loves to read about the sheep and their wishes. My four year old still enjoys it after two years as well! A wonderful bedtime story with imagination.

I got this book for my son (who is almost 2) since he really likes stars and counting. He doesn't seem to be that interested in it though, maybe there are too many pages or words, but he doesn't sit still for all of it. I'm not too fond of reading it either because it just doesn't seem to have any flow. The pictures are cute, but that's about it.

My daughter & I love to read these 3D counting books.

My daughter has enjoyed this book very much. She is quite the book fiend at 14 months! She loves stories that are rhythmical and with bright pictures.

I purchased this because we loved Ten Little Ladybugs, and thought this might be a good bedtime book. The pictures are fun and nice to look at, but the rhyming in the text is a bit forced and doesn't have the rhythmic flow that Ladybugs does. There is also a grammatical error that bugs me- "Eight wishing stars and this sheep's in heaven he wished for chocolate cake, and now there's..." and the next page says seven. Now "there's" is the equivalent of "there is," and it should be "there are." It may be insignificant, but it bothers me. I have to say I was a bit disappointed. You can probably find a better bedtime book. I really like "Time for Bed" by Mem Fox.

I had expected this book to have a little more advice about succeeding as a 'square peg'/struggling artist, rather than just surviving... and hadn't quite expected so much information on "Why you shouldn't kill yourself" or "Why anti-depressants are OK".

As a previous reviewer noted, a struggling artist isn't necessarily suicidal. Perhaps the flaw with the book is the inclusion of too many 'types' of people in the title. Indeed, the advice you'd give to a 'black sheep' would not really be the same as the advice you'd offer to an artist who hasn't 'made it' yet. The author ends up talking a lot about general hopelessness, when it isn't all that relevant to many of the people she's addressing; particularly 'free spirits' who, by the sounds of them, are possibly quite carefree and, well, free-spirited.

I suppose the word "comfort" in the title is a major hint towards all of this, but I felt it was all a bit extreme. I will give credit to the author for having an accessible, warm style of writing though. It keeps the book fairly likeable.

I bought this book because the title really appealed to me. I am a square peg, free spirit, struggling artist, all of the above, but I am and never have been suicidal.

What I thought would be a funny, uplifiting book, turned out to be a survival guide for those considering suicide.

I am sure that this book is helpful to many people who do feel lost and feel there is no other way out, but not all free spirits feel so helpless. We could use some guidance and humor but not a list of "100 things to do instead of committing suicide."

Somehow I never can get enough of little books by artists who have managed to find their niche in the world while relating to all of us who still struggle. Like SARK, Susan has obviously opened up her heart for us to see that we are not alone and that the world is only as good or bad as we make it for ourselves.

Thanks, Susan, for inspiring other stuck artists and for sharing your stories.

I stumbled across this great little book and loved every minute of reading it! For anyone struggling to live their life more creatively, be it music, art,writing, etc, this book is for you. It can be difficult to get where you want to be in these fields, but there is hope and helpful suggestions here!

I am both weary and wary of warm-fuzzy, pet-your-inner-artist books. Only rarely do I feel like a "lost soul." However, I found The Lost Soul Companion to be quite refreshing! Kudos to Brackney for offering practical advice and sharing her own experiences so matter-of-factly. I recommend reading this book if only to be reminded that there are others in the world like yourself, and that they are doing Just Fine.

As others have said, this book IS a bit off the wall, but it is also clever. My kids (4 and 6) enjoyed looking for what was coming up next in the illustrations. Not your typical bedtime book, but not scary or disturbing for my kids by any means. In fact, they caught on to the irony that Wooly ends up thinking about his family members...which, of course, happen to be sheep ;-)

If you like this book, check out Kitamura's "In the Attic" for another clever/odd book that my kids found to be a bit silly, too.

This book was a bit out of the ordinary but well worth it. My daughter is 2 now and we have had this book since she was 16 mon. She loves the pictures and trying to count and find all of the items. I just wish it would put her to sleep. ; )

This is a book about a sheep named Wooly who can't get to sleep one night, so he goes for a walk. As he walks he counts the different things he sees, so besides a great story it is a counting book. In the end, he falls asleep while thinking about his family... counting sheep. The story is sweet, and the watercolor pictures are full of lovely details. This is the gift I buy for every baby shower that I go to.

This is a beautiful but creepy book: a lost sheep all alone, terrified by UFOs no less into fleeing into a strange, deserted home, is not my ideal bedtime reading for a sensitive child. The strong colors are beautiful and a nice change from baby-pastel, but they are also ominous and deterring. His utter solitude, in exploring the house (creepy corridor with blood-colored doors), eating, and finally sleeping, is horrifying to a child with imagination, whose most overriding terror is abandonment. I give it points for beauty and originality, none for sensitivity to the needs of its target audience, and cannot recommend it.

Woolly the sheep cannot sleep and wanders out of doors. He forgets what his house looks like, where he lives, and what's inside. He is accidentally scared into his house (and I'm not making this up) by UFOs; sleeps in a random bed (his own); and manages to lull himself to sleep, which is what he wanted to do all along.

An inability to create long-term memories? Or the affairs of a not-too-bright sheep?

I actually like this book (honestly) for three reasons -- the somewhat bizarre storyline, which manages to keep my attention; the great watercolors, which keeps my daughter engaged, and the fact that it's a counting book but not obviously so. Counting is not part of the storyline, but incidental.