History Books

A must read for any one who is interested in what went on behind the scenes during the Delaration of Independence, the
Constitution the early founding of our country (United States). Every politician should read it, because history does repeat itself!
Vincent

After reading both David McCullough's biography of Adams and now this one, I have concluded that Ferling's is the better of the two. The main reason is that although McCullough's is slightly more extensive, Ferling's book has a much more realistic view of the man. As his book Almost a Miracle shows the many tactical mistakes that Washington made, this book does the same with Adams. It makes sure to reckognize Adam's flaws as well as his virtues. For example, his frequent hypocracy, his recurrent neglect of family, his indecision, his self doubt, and his many political misjudgements are all fully acknowledged. Yet even with these faults, its overall view of Adams is still that of a great man.

In addition, Ferling's writing is practically as good as McCullough's, so read this book.

I will echo what others have written. This book gives almost every detail of John Adams life. It is an outstanding biography that I would highly recommend to anyone who enjoys historical books.

By the last page of this book you'll feel like you personally know John Adams. You'll know what drove him to succeed, his stregths, his weaknesses, his personality and most everything that can be known about a person.

As a detailed and thorough look at the life of a man, this biography is superb.

This is an excellent biography, following Adams from birth to death in one volume, and detailing both the positive and the negative aspects of the man clearly and fairly. I've been fascinated by Adams ever since seeing the movie "1776", which gives a marvellous "based on fact" dramatization of the writing and signing of the Declaration of Independence, and this book gave me a more thorough, more strictly factual look at the man. I wasn't disappointed on that score; he's just as interesting without the dramatic liberties taken by the movie.

My only quibble with this book is that the editing, at least in the edition that I have, is rather poor. There are numerous errors in grammatical structure and word choice, the kind of errors that I have become accustomed to in mass market paperbacks but refuse to accept in a scholarly historical work. Things like "he requested that the Congress name his successor be named in his place" and "...the British ... was ready" and "the New England sates" (rather than "States") and "the House of Representative" (even back then, there was more than one representative in the House) and "the dreary weather proved not be a herald of the months ahead" and many others. I understand that mistakes happen, and don't demand perfection. But there are just too many of this kind of error in this book for me to say that it is well-written; probably two dozen, if I had to guess.

Overall, this is a worthwhile biography of a fascinating president. Hopefully, future editions will clean up the writing a bit more.

which book is better this one or life in the pit?

I wanted to do a book report on korn my favoret group but it curses to much wy do you havto do that micster37@hotmail.com

this book is realy good, it offers so much info on how the band started and little extras that you may, or may not have wanted to know. i wasnt expecting it to be this good

This book has a lot of great information about the band. If you ever wanted to know how they started out or just some tidbits about the guys just read this. I did notice that some of the pictures are backwards. Like the tatoo is on one arm in one picture and the other in a different picture.

This book is great for all the KoRn fans. It tells you the whole story behind KoRn and it also has many colorful photos to look at. This is my favorite book in the world and KoRn rules! ! !

William Manchester has written a classic description of the Wilderness Years of Winston Churchill.
His foray into the abyss of English politics is described at length. Mr. Manchester described the practice of the English government of ignoring Mr. Churchill and his many diatribes in the House of Commons. In fact what was happening in Germany with the formation of the Nazi Party alarmed Winston. During this period of the Gathering Storm Churchill indeed has intelligence contacts who reported to him of the real situation happening in Germany.
As a back bencher Winston continued to try to warn Baldwin and later Neville Chamberlain of the true Tectonic intentions. Some recent theories describe Churchill as an aggressive Patrician seeking glory. Sorry folks, you are indeed wrong. What Winston stood for was the right of people to have peace. I realize that Churchill was a Victorian Warrior. His stance today would be too extreme and unacceptable in our current political scheme. But in 1940 Mr. Churchill represented the last hope of a Democratic presence in the World willing to face the Nazi menace.
Manchester does this book well. He describes in detail how Churchill economically survives by writing. Winston utilizes an extensive staff to write his many articles and books during his Wilderness years. Manchester describes in detail how he does it. These journalistic efforts kept Winston one step ahead of his Creditors. He continued to live the life of aristocracy even though he was really poor.
His destiny awaits. Good for him! I rate it 5 Stars. To bad Manchester dies before old Winston does in trying to write the complete life of Chruchill!! Of course Manchester dies way after Winston, I'm just speaking metaphorically.

Finest biography on Churchill ever written. A pity Manchester died before completing the third book of the trilogy.

William Manchester informs and entertains in this excellent historical account of the critical years leading up to WWII, juxtaposing the appeasement practices of predecessors Baldwin and Chamberlain with the unwavering belief in the principles of freedom held by Churchill. The book (along with Manchester's first volume) gives terrific insight into the transition from the glory days of the British Empire to the Post WWI apathy that beset the British public. As well, the work provides delightful commentary on the characters surrounding Churhill's life including his colorful mother Jennie, his wife Clementine and his nemesis Adolf Hitler.

The Last Lion, Alone covers the history of Europe from the time Hitler first came to power in Germany to the time that Hitler invaded the Low Countries and World War II began. During this period Churchill, who continually fought against the appeasement policies of Chamberlain, rose from Back Bench irrelevance to become Brittan's Prime Minister.

The history of this period is a gripping saga of one man's malicious attempt to dominate Europe and another man's noble efforts to stop him - a classical case of good vs evil - told as an almost unbelievable story in the words of a master story teller.

After the fall of France in June 1940, Winston Churchill was begging USA President Roosevelt for military aid (in fact, all sorts of support was then needed) as no one knew what would the 'fate' of the French fleet was going to be.
Churchill kept reminding the American president that Britain would not surrender even if left alone.
Churchill was defiant despite the fact that the two 'key' American ambassadors, in France and Great Britain, were pro Hitler (or at least they were not anti-Nazi).
Joseph Kennedy (USA Ambassador to GB) openly cautioned his fellow Americans against entering the war because the 'allies' would soon be beaten.
However, I would have liked to see more comments about the position and reaction of the king - king George VI.
Was he indifferent?
We should remember that Hitler had been addressing the King as the man whom the British Government circles have loathed, and as the only 'hope' for a reconciliation between the Third Reich and GB.
In this context it is true that Churchill was indeed ALONE

This book is like watching the play of Romeo and Juliet with DVD commentary. This supposition of the origin of literature's most famous feud is well paced, well thought out, and gripping. Delightful characters abound. I'm looking forward to the next installment. Read it, read it, read it.

When I first began this book, I thought I may have trouble keeping the characters and locations straight. However, within the first few pages, I was completely engrossed in the story and the lives of those portrayed. Blixt cleverly includes maps and a "cheat sheet" which describes the characters' relationships to one another, as well as which ones appear in history and in Shakespeare. The book is well-researched and the attention to detail makes it all the more interesting. I can't wait to read more!

Rich, real characters to FANTASTICALLY-imagined landscapes to a true and heart-wrenching love story epic in its scope, and powerfully sound in its execution---- This book has got it ALL!!!

An eloquent, well-researched foray into a madness of medieval times. Dante has always been one of my favorites (when I use the correct side of my brain to read him), and his eldest is a sharply-drawn character here. Shades of Caesar and Shakespeare and even a little Chandler, I promise you. The classic family rivalry, the articulate nature of the storytelling, the sweeping background in Italy all provide a wonderful ride. This may sound a bit off-kilter to some, but I heartily believe the Bard would be proud. One of the most enjoyable reads I've had since the world was young.

It is said that the Hatfields and the McCoys had been fighting so long they forgot what the Sam Hill they were fighting about. The Montagues and Capulets finally get a memory jog (well, if only they could have read it) from David Blixt, who gives their story an injection of Italian history and a dose of Dante. It's a riveting imagining of what the cause of the warring families' conflict could have been.

My Father's Paradise: A Son's Search for His Jewish Past in Kurdish Iraq by Ariel Sabar is one of the best books that I have ever read. The story is incredibly appealing and can be enjoyed by anyone who grew up with parents and grandparents that just "didn't get it". Of course, as we get older, we realize that our parents faced challenges and issues that, at the time, we could not understand.

Mr. Sabar tells us something of Kurdistan and the Jewish population that once lived in Kurdistan. Both the history of the Kurdish people and the Jews of Kurdistan are very topical as the war in Iraq goes on. The Kurds after some very rough times in the 1990's, seem to be the center of prosperity and stability in modern Iraq. Perhaps this book might have some hints as to why that might be.

The prose - and I know of no other word to capture its beauty - in the book is so breathtakingly powerful that at time I was moved to tears. Of course, at my age, a good coffee commercial can move me to tears. However, this book is well written and one can certainly tell that the aptitude for and love of language is a common bond between Mr. Sabar and his father.

Based on the reviews and on some of Mr. Sabar's speaking engagements, this book is really being marketed as a Jewish story and, to a lesser extent, an immigrant family's story. Yet, it is a universal story of fathers and son, of generational change, and the eternal consistency of family, culture, and interaction with the outside world.

There were two errors in the book that annoyed me because they were so minor and needless. First, Disraeli was not England's first Jewish Prime Minister. At the time, England took its state religion pretty seriously and only Anglican's could hold public office. Disraeli converted long before he was Prime Minister. Second, the author asks one to imagine what English would be like if it was only spoken by some isolated hill people in the middle of nowhere. Of course, with Shakespearian English that is exactly what happened. After 1680, as England became a world power the language mutated wildly. Only small isolated parts of what later became western Arkansas spoke Shakespearian English. These areas were so isolated that they did not speak "standardized" English until the 1880's.

It isn't clear what type of book this is. It isn't a biography, it isn't a history, and there is enough fact that it isn't a novel. The genre of this book defies easy definition.

Overall, this is a good book. Strongly recommended. It is hard to imagine anyone not enjoying this beautifully written story. It is fun to think that someday this book might get picked up for a movie, thus uniting Mr. Sabar's childhood fascination with pop culture and his father's love of language.

As recently as 60 years ago, Aramaic-speaking Jews were living in remote Kurdish villages, just as they had for thousands of years. Who knew? Their culture might have been lost forever when they were forced to leave Arab lands were it not for one of their number, Yona Sabar, who went on to become a world-renowned professor. While most other Kurdish Jews and their children assimilated into other societies, Sabar worked to preserve his native tongue in the halls of academia even as he watched the end of its 3000-year run as a living language. Now his son, Ariel, has brought his story to a mainstream audience.

My Father's Paradise is a tale of change and loss, but also of discovery. It offers a fascinating look at the Jews of Zahko, an isolated village in Iraqi Kurdistan where time appeared to stand still for centuries. Yona Sabar lived there until the age of 12, when his family left for Israel. The story follows his journey to the immigrant slums of Jerusalem, then on to Yale University, and eventually to a professorship in Los Angeles -- an adventure unimaginable to his parents' generation. Eventually, he returns to a very different Zakho from the one he remembers. When his entirely American son, the author, becomes a father himself, he develops an interest in his family history. This leads him to Kurdistan as well, and to write this book.

Most of My Father's Paradise is pretty riveting in its tales of old Zakho, immigrant life in Israel, and the Sabars' recent travels to their ancestral land. On the other hand, the less exotic chapters detailing the Sabars' life in America and Yona's academic career didn't hold my attention quite as much. Yona's linguistic work and Ariel's awakening, while somewhat inspiring, simply weren't that interesting. But they make up less than a third of the text. Overall, this is a very unique work that will appeal to history buffs as well as folks interested in immigrant stories.

Is there anyone out there who hasn't questioned their roots? Their faith? Their place in the world? Their own legacy?

Ariel Sabar has written one of the most interesting historical/biographical/spiritual books that I have read in a long time. He weaves historical content with the more personal memories of his father and his extended family and friends. I was fascinated by this tale of a man who, having scorned his father for so long, wakes up to find that he himself has become a father, and then moves on to try to connect himself and his son to their ancestry. This is a touching, humorous, soul-searching look at family, identity, place, and interconnectedness.

I was so taken in by the descriptions of Yona's childhood home and of his journey to new lands and new experiences with a family standing with one foot firmly in the past and another tentatively stepping into an uncertain future. I was also captivated by the history of Kurdish Iraq and the place that Jews held in that culture for so long. Sabar introduces a good deal of information about the history and linguistics of the region, and it was so moving to be able to read this and see how geography figures so prominently in anyone's culture by way of stories passed from one generation to another. It truly was like stepping back into another world.

Bravo for Arial Sabar and this fascinating book. I have raved about this book to so many people!

I did not want this book to end. I felt as though I was a member of the Sabar family travelling with them through their rich personal history.

In My Father's Paradise, Ariel Sabar tries to find himself by finding his past. He paints hauntingly beautiful images of his family's roots by creating a deeply personal and three dimensional Kurdistan. He shows it as it was and as it must have been for centuries. A region that was inevitably lost to history but that stood solid against the river of time.

He depicts the people and events that shaped this hardscrabble environment in a way that could only be done by a man who had been shaped by this place in the deepest and most personal ways.

As he moves on to describe the family's time in Israel, one can only ache with the family as one sees its dreams change. One cries when the family sheds tears and laughs when they triumph.

The book is a tale of redemption, of identity, of history, of a family and of a people. It is a story of community and of rugged individuality. It is a story of successes and failures and it is very much a story of a language. Aramaic. It is a story of how this language shaped empires and individuals. It shows how a language can sculpt an individual's soul and how one soul, the author's father, can save a language for his progeny and for the world.

I cannot recommend this book highly enough. With Kurdistan playing such an active role in shaping world affairs, one MUST read this book. One cannot grasp what is going on or what is at stake without understanding the personalities and the forces that have shaped the region, or the world views that have been held in that region. One can also gain an understanding of the early state of Israel and also hear the voice of an American immigrant.

I can guarantee one thing. You will never regret reading this book.

As many reviewers have stressed out, there are many good dictionary that one can benefit from. But the OED is the only one that in addition to its definitions exhaustibly explains etymological information of its words as well as it shows quotations. The latter is the zenith of this dictionary. I can spend hours reading those quotations that may date back from the 12 century up to now. One may not find such a rich citation bank in any other source. So it is a real pleasure to browse through these twenty volumes and finding so much information.

I study several languages and I'm unaware of a dictionary in any language that provides such an abundance of information such as the OED. If I had to choose any book from my library to take with me to a desert island I'd certainly not hesitate in taking the OED.

In addition to its phenomenon lexicographical content it is an extremely well-bound dictionary that stands beautifully in my bookshelf. Luckily, I've purchased from Amazon for a real bargain ($398.00). For this reason, I suggest those interested in purchasing this multi-volume set to constantly keep an eye on its price fluctuation from Amazon, as another reviewer has stressed out.

Acquiring this book is like a long-cherished dream come true! You cannot but marvel at this awe-inspiring compendium of English words.

I am still reading the rather elaborate introductory pages so that I can appreciate this awesome book better and also make the fullest possible use of it.

If you are an ambitious writer, a journalist, a voracious reader or simply a lover of English words, you just cannot do without this book!

The only complaint is that the shipping was delayed a little (though I had opted for the expedited option); it took about 15 days to receive the 20-volume set. (I had also asked for the 3-volume Additions Series which I received in exactly 3 days and in excellent condition too.)

But I must say that Amazon compensated me and also promptly responded to all my queries. Also the books were in such excellent condition. Here in India, even if I purchase new books from the biggest bookshops, I rarely receive books that are in such excellent condition. The books were also packed with meticulous care and still retained the fresh crisp smell of new pages and printing ink! What more can a bibliophile ask for?!

I'd wanted to get my hands on the OED for years, and I'm glad I finally did. This dictionary is all about fun while learning. Following the etymologies of words, checking cross references, and looking up words in sample sentences leads not only to a greater understanding of a particular word, but of the English language itself. As far as I know, the OED is the only dictionary that really does that, and the OED can truly be considered "complete" in that aspect. It looks wonderful on a bookshelf, makes me want to look up things that I normally wouldn't take the time to, and makes me feel satisfied as I build my language skills. Yes, it is expensive, but you really get what you pay for, and a whole lot more.

I just got my set today, so I can't really say anything more about it other than what has been said. Of course this is "the" big one. So if you want the best get this. I have seen other reviews compare getting the two volume set that has 1/3 the words for 1 tenth the price. blah, blah, blah. However it does not have 1/3 the content, just words. I got this set for 382 shipped from amazon brand new. That is right 19 bucks per volume right at 2 pennies per page. AS of right now I am writing this review and the price has already increased back up to 756. Nearly double. I should have bought two and sold one.

This is THE dictionary, or more appropriately, this is the most complete ENCYCLOPEDIA of the English language ever created. With over 600,000 words in its twenty volumes and addenda, the Oxford provides not just exhaustive definitions, but pronounciations, a glossary of quotations, a complete etymology, cognates in virtually all languages, and variants, of each word.

Since its birth in Victorian England under the stewardship of James Murray, the Oxford has been considered definitive. Working with a small staff (including J.R.R. Tolkien in his younger days), Murray's original plan was for a three volume reference. Today, hundreds of lexicographers, philologists, and technicians contribute to the Oxford.

The sensual joy of browsing the hardcover edition is still unmatched, though with the rise of the Internet OED and its virtually instantaneous updates, the hardback edition is relegated to the same status as legal Case Reporters---attractive on the shelf, but less practical than online researching. (Legal publishers now often include a set of Case Reporters free with online subscriptions, knowing that clients like to see books on the shelves.)

The OED books (with the addenda) work out to about a $1,000.00 investment. Updates are additional. The Online OED is about $300 a year for individuals. Updates are included. So, in terms of price, the difference between the two seems to be a wash.

If you're a bibliophile, buy the hardback, but if the OED is going to be a working tool, go online. In the best of all possible worlds, buy both.

A good film comes at you slowly, like a work of art, creeping into your soul through metaphors and meditation. That is how Suber's THE POWER OF FILM comes at you. Start anywhere and read a little or as much as you want, in small bites. Then stop and meditate on what you just read. Better yet, think of the film you're working on or just watched, and note in the wide margins what you now understand anew. A good scene in a good film should be watched time and again. Each page of this book is like a good scene. Underline it, mark it up -- and then, later, read it again, and add to your discovery of why film is so powerful.

Howard Suber is a legendary film educator at UCLA, and has taught dozens of courses on every aspect of filmmaking (except for animation). In The Power of Film, he commits his wisdom to paper, gathered over many decades of teaching.
The Power of Film is not a how-to book or theoretical treatise, however. Rather, it is a lexicon of movie storytelling concepts. The topics range from Accidents to Writing What You Know, and cover such things as the most important word in storytelling (it's `but'), the `real' American religion (individualism), the characteristics of the Hero (someone outside of society who sacrifices personal happiness and contentment for the greater good or goal) and whether happy endings are really mandatory. Suber also talks about genres (the essential characteristics of each), dramatic structure (some), and specific narrative tools such as the Macguffin. Throughout the book the emphasis is squarely on the mainstream American film, so you will be able to find many exceptions to the `rules' Suber mentions here, though `rules' isn't the right word. Rather, they are `insights' or concepts which work and have done so for ages, but which are just some of the possible narrative solutions to the problems cinematic storytelling poses.
This is a book to dip into, and which is intended to spark the imagination of the reader. Not all of the topics are equally enlightening, and I disagreed with the definition of the Crisis Point, but as an encyclopaedia of Hollywood storytelling it is currently without equal.

Howard Suber delivered a lecture to a large gathering in a theater in Kansas City this spring. What was striking about the experience was how Professor Suber turned this theater into a classroom and, by asking questions, made us active participants in a search for answers to the question: "What makes a film great?".

Suber's book, "The Power of Film", uses this same Socratic Method but the technique is necessarily different. Instead of asking questions, a writer can only pose riddles, and to this end Suber employees wit and irony to provoke careful and thoughtful reading of his concise dictionary like definitions.

The films Suber examines are American films. Without being jingoistic, he says that over the decades American films have been the most popular not only in the U.S. but all over the world. The American films he focuses on are those that have maintained their appeal ten years after they were released those, in other words, which have stood the test of time and remain perennial favorites.

The question he asks is: "What makes these films classics?"

Some of the answers are surprising. The notion, for example, that Hollywood films, to be popular, have to have a happy ending, Suber demonstrates is not true. Think of the Godfather films, Lawrence of Arabia, Chinatown. Even "It's a Wonderful Life" journeys through some very dark regions before emerging with a comic ending.

So why do people go to see these films? Suber suggests that going to the movies is akin to going to church, that what people need and want is to experience time honored rituals that put us in touch with our humanity.

As a practicing filmmaker, I have spent many hours over the years thinking about how to use the power of film to move an audience and I am always looking for help. Of the many available, I have culled a few "essential" books on film theory and aesthetics. Eisenstein's "Film Sense" and "Film Form" are two, Pudovkin's 'Film Technique and Film Acting", Mascelli's "Five C's of Cinematography" and a few others. Suber's "The Power of Film" has already taken its place with these.

Why? Because first of all, the book is packed with information and insight covering every subject about American film, literally from A to Z. Second, the insights are uncannily precise. A brief example: I don't like using flashbacks because I feel they are too easy but I find I must at times because they are sometimes necessary and I haven't been able to think of anything better. This is in Suber's definition of "Flasbacks":

"The reason flashbacks came back is that they are not merely
stylistic flourishes, like iris shots; they are necessary tools
that, so far, cannot be replaced by others."

The authority of this statement is reassuring, but notice the two words: "so far"; this tiny insertion leaves open the possibility and, indeed, ecourages the search for other ways.

How to transition to a flashback?

"The camera moves to a tight close up of a character's eyes, they
glaze over and we hear an echo chamber voice..."

I fear that every time I use this device that someone in the audience is going to yell out: "Visual cliche!". It never happens and I continue to use it because, as Professor Suber says: "no one has come up with anything substantially better.".

This is a sampling of some of what can be considered Suber's practical advise; but this book is very rich and has a broad range and covers everything from the technical to the philosophical.

The entry for "Tragedy" is three pages long but delivers a store of wisdom. One paragraph in this concise definition is about "impulsivity", and the final line reads:

"Impulsivity we see over and over again leads to tragedy."

The philosopher Martin Buber in his book "Good and Evil" devotes pages of discussion to the tendancy to impulsivity and how it is an aspect of evil. Suber's book is obviously a distillation of years of thinking and study not only about film but also about human nature.

The entries that make up this book are cross referenced. This cross referencing, like the use of wit and irony, is not only an practical aid, but also an encouragement to explore the connection of ideas.

Suber has carefully culled the essential ideas of what makes a film "great" and this selection reveals that the subject in Suber's mind has a unity, that it constitutes an aesthetic, an interlocking system of ideas. It is an indication of Howard Suber's wisdom as a teacher that he does not expound this system but only indicates it; and because this system must be discovered and recreated by every reader, it will always be new.

I found The Power of Film truly refreshing and unusually spiritual. Suber compiles years of teaching experience into a few hundred pages loaded with wisdom and wit. While not a believing man himself, his reverence for world scriptures and figures of faith who have changed the world, from Moses to Jesus to Gandhi, is rare in books on film.

Also, Suber's coinage of "Aristolatry" sure could have come in handy in film school (I went to USC, grad level), along with many of his paradigm-shattering concepts. I only had one professor who dared say that some films may have four acts -- I think he got fired!

The Power of Film is a great book that will take a prized place at the top of my list of books about filmmaking.

Getting the book and reading all of the blurbs on the cover written by film experts like Coppola and several successful Hollywood screenwriters, I was a bit concerned that perhaps I had purchased an insiders handbook, which might prove too esoteric for the casual reader. The 'power of the book' Prof. Suber has written, is his ability to take substantive information and make it enjoyable reading. The book is written in bite size stories, alphabetized by topic, each insightful and entertaining. I often sat down with the intent of a quick read of one or two articles and discovered I had read seven or eight. The topics are easy to digest, yet informative enough to go back and read several times.
Certainly as Bill Cosby used to say, "Be careful or you just might learn something". Film students and pros, no doubt already know about(and swear by)this book, this review is for the rest of us, those who just like films. The Power of Film would make a terrific gift for lovers of films of all ages and is certainly a must read for anyone with film career aspirations.

Before I started reading this book, I was able to take part of a 24 hour prayer room. This book was in the prayer room, and I started reading just a little. Greig captured me within the first page. When I bought the book, I expected it to be a how-to kind of book, and I was very pleasantly surprised. Greig recounts how he started his prayer room, and how that kickstarted the prayer movement throughout Europe. He is very careful to give every bit of credit to God and people's capacity for God. It is a compelling story...not a how-to. Again, I was very pleasantly surprised, and I would recommend this book to anyone who has a heart for prayer or a desire to pray fiercefully.

This book is truly a testimony of God and how prayer is a way to meet with Him. It shows how prayer provides a way to get close enough to Him to touch His cloak. This book is not for someone who is wanting to know how to start a 24-7 prayer room, although there are ideas that are talked about throughout the book, and about how some were started. I was greatly encouraged while reading this book and it reminded me that God is big and loving; not always safe... but good.

Red Moon Rising is the story of Peter Greig's work in Christian ministry in England and how that work led to founding and growth of the 24-7 Prayer movement. The book begins with the story of Greig's vision of a rising army while camping on the coast of Portugal and works through the first 24-7 prayer room in England, the strong and deep connection of the movement with the 1727 Moravian prayer community, the expansion of the movement into Germany and throughout Europe, onto the party Island of Iziba and finally to the founding of an intentional prayer community known as a Boiler Room.

This book isn't really a "how-to" book but rather a narrative that describes the work of the Holy Spirit and the journey of a group of friends that follow the Spirit's lead to create opportunities of young Christians throughout Europe (and older Christians as well) to reconnect to Christianity's ancient tradition of prayer expressed in ways that are both true to the tradition and relevant to the culture. Title of the book comes from Greig's continued drawing of inspiration from the prophetic passage of the second chapter of Joel that is repeated by Peter on the morning of Pentecost in the book of Acts. It is clear throughout the book that Greig sees this movement as a continued fulfillment of that prophecy and the stories he shares with his readers bear that out.

For me, the power of this book was found in it's ability to encourage me consider a life of radical prayer both personally and within my community. The stories of God's working through the people of this movement are truly stunning and humility of the leaders of the movement in their willingness to be faithful to the calling of the Spirit and to not usurp It's power for their own benefit is refreshing in a day when it seems that too many church leaders have lost sight that they act in God's providence rather than the other way around. Those looking for a "how-to" guide will need to get ahold of the 24-7 Manual as this text is light on details. However, this book provides the inspiration and the encouragement to do so. As I read each chapter, I found myself called to stop thinking about how to serve God and to start praying and calling others together in prayer.

I highly recommend this book to all Christians wondering if the Spirit still moves in our world and, if It does, how they can connect with It.

THIS book is life-changing and one of the most impacting books I've ever read. After reading that book, I was so fired up about prayer and especially 24/7 prayer that I got a lot of different visions for prayer rooms. We are right now in the process of planning a prayer room and for having an awesome time with the Lord!!!! Everybody should read it who needs to get fired up about prayer!
It shows you how God still changes the World in an freakin awesome way!!!

If you have a heart for the lost, this book is a must read. This book, if implemented could change the heart of any nation. All pastors and certainly interecessors should read it for sure. It gets top rateing from me and was recommended by Bill Johnson's school in Redding.

I have purchased and read lmost all one person can on Erwin Rommel and really feel ashamed that I never purchesed this book, it is excellent .
I encourage any one going into the armed forces ,espeicially a combined arms branch to read this book.

This is a fantastic book. The number of pages at first daunted me, but (after the first few which are kind of so-so), the book just takes off! He not only talks about the campaigns that he fought in, but he also breaks down what he learned and what should and should not have been in each one. What should have been done from those up above and how his enemy either defeated him (I agree fully on his conclusions about Montgomery's victories over him) or lost to him.

He goes on (around the end of certain chapters) to go on about what a commander should and SHOULD NOT be to his men and to himself--EXCELLENT stuff!.

What I found most interesting though, was that (unlike many other works I have read) Rommel really was ONE HELL OF A WRITER. His words are enticing and chapter after chapter I'm just compelled to go on.

I've read 'Panzer Leader', 'Lost Victories', 'Panzer Commander' and a host of other books from former Wehrmacht officers and none of them really NAIL it all like this one does (though, I HIGHLY recommend Erhard Raus' 'Panzer Operations' as it does for the Ostfront as this does for Africa and French theaters--'41 and '44).

If you want a great book on the tachtical methods of the German army in World War II--this is for you.
If you're a military man or buff who's looking for (what I believe) is a blueprint fror any 'commander' to follow--this is for you.
If you're just a regulatr Joe--or Jane--who's just looking for a great read about what it's like behind the lines, in the front with your men and all places in-between--then this is for you, too.

Like my review title says, I HIGHLY recommend this book. Get it! You won't be disappointed.

A well written book about Rommels experiences in WW2 taken from his notes made during his campaigns and from letters written to his wife with additional narration or corrections by the author. If you have read ATTACKS by Rommel you will like this book.

great book written from the surviving papers after his death there would have been more but a lot of his stuff was taken by the Nazis, and much more was lost to the US Army but his wife and son saved some and from this B.H. LIDDELL-HART was with the help of the wife and son to put his great skill as a battlefield commander in a new light A must read for any student of WWII also checkout ATTACKS by Rommel this book is about his time as a young lieutenant in WW I

This is one of those books that made the shivers run down my spine while reading it. It felt like being right there in the thick of it with this amazing field commander. This man is a born leader and has the audacity and knighthood to fight an honest fight. He did what he believed was right and he is portrayed as human as possible in this text. War is a terrible thing, but it still is a part of our way of life. This cannot be denied! These memoirs are of the highest value and a must-read for anyone interested in the war in Northern Africa.

If you have any interest in Smith & Wesson firearms, this is a must have. Tons of information on pistols, rifles, shotguns and other items made by S&W.

Excellent resource for the S&W collector. Very comprehensive, quality pictures, great read. The type of book you get lost in for a few hours!

This is a great book to get familiar with all the different models of S&W revolvers. I needed a book that would help me identify different revolvers and this book is the one. I believe this book will help anyone looking to broaden their knowledge of S&W firearms. What I like about this book is the color photos and detailed descriptions of each model. This book should be in every gun enthusiast's library.

As a firearms dealer there is a need for referenca materials that I can use & depend on, both for my business & as a service to my customers. This is the BEST S&W book I have come across.

Best, most useful reference text I've seen on the subject. A very valuable reference for the collector. Very well done. Couldn't be more pleased.