Society Books

The Oregon trail is really interesting, so I sought out a fiction book about the Oregon trail. This book was amazing, it was so cool to read about a family that made a difference in Oregon .

I didn't think I would enjoy this book as much as I had enjoyed Ms. Crew's other books but I was very surprised. This book really enlightened me about the life on the Oregon Trail, or any Pioneer Trek, for that matter. Ms. Crew has done a a very careful job of researching her subject and imagining the fictional aspects of the real life people who inhabit the pages of A Heart For Any Fate. I was in love with the King family, their dreams, their courage, their heartbreaking experiences on the Oregon Trail. I read the book and when I was finished I read it again because it was that good! The second read was even more enjoyable. Ms. Crew does a very good job of charting the growth of Lovisa King from young girl to woman during the course of her months on the trail and the sacrifices she made. While there was a lot of imagination involved in writing this account, the story convinced me that it was all possible. A very accurate and entertaining book.

I too am a descendent of the infamous lost wagon train that took the Meek's Cutoff of 1845. I have always imagined what my family was experiencing on their journey. Linda Crew has made this a 3 dimensional saga. Not only can I hear the voices but can smell the wildflowers and the axel grease, the blood sweat and tears and the alkaline dust to the scent of new calico and old leather. I hear the song "Shennandoah" with the women's tears and the fireside dances. I see the countless stars of a prarie sky and the sun on the golden locks of a doomed child. I feel the heat of the shadeless terrain and the breaking of hearts and the hope of new life. I taste the bitterness of unimaginal losses, the crunch of an apple after near starvation and the sweetness of a first kiss. This is a book not just for young adults or Oregonians, but for all that seek their dreams of what may come. Thank you Linda, for putting flesh to the bones of my imagination. It was as if I was carried back and met my ancestors face to face, heart to heart.

At dinner tonight, my wife Kay told me that she just couldn't put down the book "A Heart for Any Fate." She read a little of it out-loud to us in our car during last Saturday's journey to Eastern Oregon. That way we both could enjoy the story!

As a 1845 Meek Cut-off descendant and researcher, I found this story not only entirely captivating, but also highly faithful to the time and place when events on this disastrous new route actually occurred. This book is a real tear-jerker, and if you were grabbed by reading about the 1846 Donner Party, you MUST read this book. Linda Crew has a remarkable talent for fitting her romantic novel neatly into a historically accurate true-life tragedy, in which only the heartiest souls survived. You will be enthralled from the moment you start reading about the King family, for whom Benton County's King's Valley is named.

This is a classic book and important for any Zen Buddhist Library. I am very happy that it is still available.

To find your way home, you must leave the house.

Many have sought the path, as illustrated within this book.

In the west all roads lead to Rome, but not all paths lead to enlightenment...

To hear, we must listen - this book sets out to lend an Eastern voice to the Western ear and express the thoughts behind the words.

This is basically a collection of textx commonly used by Zen Monks in Japan, although not very comprehensive. The Dharanis are somewhat confusing, but the Gathas are nice and work well as liturgy. The Sutra excerpts are pretty run-of-the-mill, not worth comprehensive study, mainly liturgical. There is the Diamond, Heart, an excerpt from the Lotus, as well as some from the Lankavatara and some from the Surangama (more a paraphrase). Then there are numerous teachings from Chinese & Japanese masters. These are pretty good too. The Pictures are interesting as well, but perhaps more suited toward Deity Yoga. The Indian pics have a Tantric, Vajrayana feel to them. This book is not a "How-to" manual. I don't know if D.t. Suzuki actually ever wrote one. It is more of a daily recitation and/or devotional. The kind of thing you read in the morning & evening, or memorize. If you really want a good Zen Buddhist Manual, there are many to choose from, and if you want a good assortement of text, there are many more comprehensive and better organized than this. But, this book has alot of appeal to it and can be quite useful as a book for daily reflection.

MANUAL OF ZEN BUDDHISM by D. T. Suzuki. 192 pp. London : Rider and Company, 1974 (1950) and Reprinted.

Daisetz Teitaro Suzuki was no ordinary man. A Buddhist scholar, and proficient not only in Chinese and Japanese, but also in Sanskrit, Pali, Tibetan, English, and other languages, after attaining his Enlightenment at the age of twenty-seven he imposed upon himself an extremely difficult task - that of bringing a knowledge of Zen Buddhism to the West, and of somehow trying to get over into English, a language which was quite unprepared to receive them, the ideas and insights of the great Zen Masters.

For over two thousand years, many of Asia's most brilliant intellects have been actively engaged in exploring the mysteries of mind, an exploration which Jung himself was to admit could hardly be said to have yet begun in the West.

Anyone who has looked, for example, in one of the huge collections of Buddhist Scriptures such as the Taisho Tripitaka, or in a comprehensive Sanskrit-Chinese-Japanese Dictionary of Buddhist technical and philosophic terms, will have realized that, Buddhism has developed tens of thousands of words, many of them expressing the finest shades of meaning, for which English has no real equivalents.

This fantastic profusion of ideas and vocabulary, a sort of higher mathematics of thought compared to simple arithmetic, has generated a literature of extraordinary subtlety and sophistication.

One of the fruits of Suzuki sensei's sixty-five years writing, translating, and teaching, is the present book, the object of which, as he states in his Preface, is "to inform the reader of the various literary materials relating to [Zen] monastery life" (page 11). We are, in a sense, being invited into a Zen Monastery, and granted the privilege of viewing a selection of its literary and artistic treasures.

In the case of an actual applicant for admission to a Zen Temple or monastery, no-one would think of simply breezing in and saying : "OK. I'm here. What can you guys offer me?" Applicants, as is well known, are kept waiting at the gate, often for many days, before being allowed the privilege of meeting with the Master.

It's a test, a test of the applicant's humility, respect, and determination. And when the applicant finally does get to see the Master, he is expected to show the same respect, not perhaps so much for the Master as a person as for what he stands for - for the state of enlightenment and for the vast ocean of Buddhist knowledge he represents.

Suzuki sensei, would, I feel sure, have hoped that we ourselves show a similar respect for the contents of the present book - for its Prayers and Invocations; for its selections from the Sutras and from the Zen Masters; and for its fifty interesting plates and illustrations which depict Chinese and Japanese statuary, scroll paintings, woodblocks, etc., of a kind one would find at any Zen Temple in Japan.

All of them are standard Zen and are standard Buddhist fare, but just as at a feast we are not expected to eat everything on the table, readers are free to select whatever most appeals to them, without necessarily being dismissive of items that don't happen to suit their taste.

The more devotionally inclined may be strongly drawn by some of the Prayers. Students of the sutras will be delighted to find one of the key sutras of Zen, the Prajnaparamitahrdaya or Heart Sutra, a sutra one could spend one's life studying (as did Edward Conze), along with extracts from the Lotus, Lankavatara, and the mind-boggling Diamond Sutra, and a useful resume of the Surangama. Those drawn to the early Masters won't be disappointed either.

Personally I was happy to discover Suzuki sensei's fine translation of Seng-ts'an's 'Hsin-hsin-ming' ('On Believing in Mind,' pages 76-82), the very first verse treatise on Zen - which in the original Chinese takes up just two thirds of a page in the more than 100,000 pages of 'Taisho' - a text which embodies the quintessence of Zen and that deserves to be far better known. Here is the first of its thirty-one verses, with my slash marks to indicate line breaks:

"The Perfect Way knows no difficulties / Except that it refuses to make preferences; / Only when freed from hate and love, / It reveals itself fully and without disguise" (page 76).

I don't know how long Suzuki sensei spent on his translations, but I do know that Peter Haskel spent ten years to give us his marvelous translation of Bankei, and I myself, inspired by the version in the present book, spent three years working on a translation of the Hsin-hsin-ming, a text which has yet to yield up its full lode of meaning.

There are many other deep and wonderful texts in this book, including two versions of 'The Ten Oxherding Pictures.' Some of these texts will appeal to one kind of person, others to another. But all will repay careful study by the serious student, and by one who approaches them in an attitude of humility and respect.

Many other Zen anthologies have appeared since Suzuki sensei's pioneering effort, some of them with more 'up-to-date' (though not necessarily superior) translations, but his 'Manual of Zen Buddhism' has always had a special importance for me. After three years spent studying just one of its texts, I wonder how long it will take me to assimilate the rest? And there must have been many in the past, in both China and Japan, who were happy to nibble on much less than the feast provided here.

This was fully intended to be an actual Zen manual, full of liturgy, ritual and explanations. D.T. Suzuki, the preimminent and enthusiastic ordained Japanese Zen Scholar, presents the subject matter as always with perfect confidence and numerous flying sparks.

Good book to have on hand if learning how to perform formal Japanese Zen liturgy or hosting your own sittings.

I cannot commend these two books highly enough. If you truly seek to know the heart of the Father, these will come as a direct and searching word to your heart.
What a privilege that Amy Carmichael's writings are still being re-printed. She loved her Lord, suffered with Him, and obeyed Him fully - and speaks to us today. Read also her biographies.

I cannot commend these two books highly enough. If you truly seek to know the heart of the Father, these will come as a direct and searching word to your heart.
What a privilege that Amy Carmichael's writings are still being re-printed. She loved her Lord, suffered with Him, and obeyed Him fully - and speaks to us today. Read also her biographies.

I cannot commend these two books highly enough. If you truly seek to know the heart of the Father, these will come as a direct and searching word to your heart.
What a privilege that Amy Carmichael's writings are still being re-printed. She loved her Lord, suffered with Him, and obeyed Him fully - and speaks to us today. Read also her other writings - and the biographies.

I have read this book almost as much as my Bible this year!
This is a devotional type book which presents questions that every child of God asks at some stage of their walk. The "questioner" grapples with issues of perseverence, rising above "the godless chatter of the world", salvation of friends, suffering, serving God despite physical limitations, patience, resting in God's will and death and heaven. The questions or "thoughts" are always met with God's sovereign and comforting reply.
The issues and questions are obviously Amy's own and she has written this book almost as a personal journal of how God has heard her ponderings and responded to them. I am grateful that Amy has shared these thoughts with us in this book.
I have read and reread this book so many times this year when I question the same issues in my mind. It is SO encouraging. It has blessed me so much. I would recommend this book to anyone who appreciates REAL LIFE answers to issues as opposed to theological comentaries.

This little gem of a book is perhaps one of the greatest kept secrets in Amy's books and is a trusty companion for any weary saint. Through her writing you can see what a true, deep relationship with Christ looks like, and it is obvious that Amy was like a cup filled to the brim with his love and presence. I can't recommend this book enough.

If you are truly serious about the Silent Film Era,then this book is a must for your Library.

The author (who has since died) is very thorough in his research, from start to finish. The B&W photos are also fun to look at.

You might,though, find some of the chapters a bit "dry"...but then, most comprehensive history books (on any big topic, as this one) can seem as such.

Note that this film history book was written in the 1970's, so possibly a few more films may have been discovered or have been restored by now. Still, this 1970 film history book holds up very well , even in 2007.
The actual silent film "facts" presented by the author have not changed all that much since the 1970's, since the silent film experiences from the 1900's to the 1920's have basically remained the same. Infact, the author lists a thorough time-line in the appendix of this book, listing most American silent films that have been found and restored in the last century! Quite a feat in itself, and so interesting!

This book is a classic. If you own only two or three film books, this should be one of them. Everson was the man. He saw everything, and what's more, he understood what he saw. There is no better introduction to the world of silent film.

This 1978 book from the late, great William Everson is , in my opinion, one of the five best books ever written on the subject.Any serious scholar of silent film should have a copy. Highly recommended!

I am so glad that Da Capo put this old Oxford University Press book back in print. I had read it back when I was a teenager in Chandler, Arizona and found its descriptions of these elusive films fascinating. For instance, this book was the first place I had heard of FW Murnau's excellent Sunrise, which is now a favorite of mine. Get this book for your private Silent Film Genre Reference Library.

This book, written by the late film expert William K. Everson, is one of the best that you will read on silent film. Everson covers the entire silent film era from its beginnings to the coming of sound. This book focuses on the artistic successes more than the business end of the topic. While he completely covers D.W. Griffith's career, he also champions other early directors like John Collins. He covers interesting topics like art direction (or the lack of) in many early films. While the scope of the book is American films, he devotes time to the influence of European films and filmmakers on American films.

This books is an excellent introduction to silent film, yet a person familiar with the topic will not be able to put it down either.

The chapter on The Dialogue Of Prayer And Action is what made me love this book. Especially how Douglas V. Steere writes that the piece shows the ecumenical nature of Quakerism, believing that God's truth is revealed where God chooses to be revealed. And how its near impossible to have a serious prayer life without actions. That one would have to ask, whats the purpose of prayer if not to ask that one be changed, for the better.

Am always intrigued when I encounter someone who doesn't know what a Quaker is, aside from the occasional mention of the old man on the oatmeal box. This books will whet ones interest in learning more of the Quakers and the Friends, and their rich literature and history here in the states and abroad.

In Spirit and Imagination, Brent Bill assembles a wide variety of contemporary Quaker writing, and does so superbly. Though his selections cover the gamut, from fiction to non-fiction, each convey God's active and gracious presence in our world. What a hopeful, helpful book.

This book is a perfect gift for anyone who loves good writing and memorable stories. The diversity of authors insures there is "something for everyone" here. The common thread, however, are essays and stories that celebrate the human spirit and call all of us to deeper reflection about our creative selves.

Generally speaking, anthologies promise more than they can deliver. They are like "greatest hits" albums, that often don't contain an artist's best songs. This book, however, captures the width and breadth of Quaker literature. Just as the Catholic tradition has wonderful liturgy (at its best) and Baptists contribute moving gospel hymns, the Quakers have a literary profile second to none. Editor Brent Bill captures the excellence of Quaker literature with a wide variety of authors. The pieces included are diverse, sometimes funny, often moving. And Bill provides introductions that are clear, precise and organized to highlight what the reader should notice in the works. Literature teachers should include this volume in their curriculums. Faith communities should pick this one up and read, discuss, and enjoy. The book is a delight.

Imagination & Spirit is a great read and a wonderful education. I thought that I knew something about Quakerism and the Society of Friends. After reading Imagination & Spirit I have discovered that what I knew was only the surface of the wonderful traditions, practice and customs of Quakers.

Do not get the impression that this is a textbook on Quaker traditions; it is far from that. The educational component is presented stealthily, through Bill's accomplished selection of writings and his wonderful introductions to each author and each story. The book includes selections from a wide historical and style range of Quaker authors including D. Elton Trueblood, Jessamyn West, James A. Michener, Scott Russell Sanders, and Philip Gulley. The selections are marvelous, but it is Bill's introductions and explanations that really make this book shine.

Before each selection Bill gives a brief biography of the author with emphasis on his or her relationship to Quaker tradition. He also sets up each piece with its relevance to some aspect of Quaker life, such as wrestling with the issue of music or the particularities of a Quaker wedding. I came away from each piece feeling like a masterful teacher had just hoodwinked me into learning something about Quakers. Congratulations to Brent Bill for masterfully weaving together a collection of literature from the prolific Quaker tradition.

If you want to read a boook which is, at once, intelligent, lyrical and scientific, this collection of the writings of J. Henri Fabre should not be missed. He not only walks you through his many thought-provoking studies of the insect world, but also challenges you to consider from whence came the many wonders described therein. Contrary to what other reviewers have said, Fabre's education was not a hindrance to his observations. Indeed, true science (which means, after all "knowledge") is concerned with objective reality, not theoretical flights of fancy. We in the modern world have been lulled into believing that the world is composed of random collections of atoms, that all life is derived - has evolved - from some lower form of life, that all is in flux, and, ultimately, that there is no God. Read Fabre's writings - read them carefully - and dare to think otherwise. He shows, in experiment after experiment, that the insect world is not random and that "Nature acts for an end". More to the point, the results of Fabre's experiments show us that while insects act REASONABLY, they do so without the use of REASON itself (in particular, read chapter six, "The Ignorance of Instinct"). In other words, they act upon the impulse of instinct, which, is itself entirely logical and rational. Such rational ends, it becomes manifestly clear, cannot be the result of a random process of evolution, but must arise from the unseen hand of an intelligent creator. So much for Darwin. But don't believe me - read the book, and then try taking a look at DARWIN ON TRIAL and DARWIN'S BLACK BOX as well (both are excellent books which make the larger case, beyond the insect world, that Darwin was wrong).

Sometime during the 1950s I got this book out of the local library. It took me only a little while to literally devour it! I had been primed by a natural curiosity about insects, the acquisition of the 1952 Yearbook of Agriculture on Insects and the "Golden Guide to Insects" by Herbert Zim. When I read Fabre's writings excerpted in "The Insect World of J. Henri Fabre" I was hooked. Here was no dry account of very obscure facts, but instead a vibrant exposition of the actual lives of insects! And what subjects for study- pine processionary caterpillars, giant peacock moths, sacred scarabs, solitary wasps, mason bees, grasshoppers, cicadas, spittle bugs and on and on. Fabre had his blind spots (he never figured out how scorpions actually mate, disavowed Darwin and often made mistakes in identification.) However he was a great writer and you have to be totally uninterested not to be captivated by his prose.

Soon I was catching, observing and collecting insects. While I had other interests from time to time, these and the related spiders (I became a specialist in the latter) had caught my imagination and my fate was sealed.

This is perhaps the best anthology of excerpts from Fabre's works and I recommend it to anyone who wants to learn something of the usually unnoticed activities in every yard, garden, woods or desert.

This book tells the secrets of insect behavior. The author observes very closely the lives of the many species he studied. This is nature at her smartest and her blindest; beauty, horror and science. Highly recommended by me.

Exquisitely written, my imagination was immediately captured by Fabre's patient observations and his poetic retelling of each adventure. Once called an "incomparable observer" by Charles Darwin, Fabre's unsurpassed enthusiasm springs to life on every page. Since reading it a few short years ago I have ever since felt inspired to sit longer in the fields and to spend more time just observing. Admittedly, Fabre was self taught and isolated. He stubbornly disagreed with the theory of evolution. Looking back on his work it is easy to see the mistakes he made, blind spots in his approach to the larger aspects of biological research. Still, if you decide to read this book I'm sure you will be inspired to be with insects. What better thing to do?

In this book Fabre is not only a taxonomist but a behaviorist and he describes insect behavior in a charming and almost poetic way. This book is in no way dry in the way some find books on science to be and as much as it teaches us about insects and other classes of invertebrates it also teaches us about observation. And though I am vehemently opposed to mixing science with mysticism this book would probably be enjoyed by those seeking self improvement and spirituality as much as it would be enjoyed by the scientist.
When I was a child I had an aunt (God bless you Aunt Alberta) who lived on the West coast. She was a Biology teacher. Every once and awhile care packages of books would come from California. One of those books was "The Insect World of J. Henri Fabre". My mother would sometimes read to me from the book when our family when for a drive. I used to hang on every word.
In a way that book changed my life as I am now a scientist.
I think it can change yours as well. In this loud brash world let Fabre guide you into the gentle world of observation.
Highly recommended.

I couldn't have said it better! Everything you need to start a magical group is right here for the taking. Pick it up. Even if you are not considering joining or creating a lodge, you never know...this could come in handy one day. Also has an interesting ritual for invisibility within it.

Have you ever wanted to start your own or join a magical lodge? If so, this is the book to start with. Mr. Greer, has a magical ability of being able to simplify a rather complex topic so that anyone can understand. Whether you're a neophyte or an adept, inside a magical lodge will guide you through from conception of the lodge system to the very creation of your own working lodge. This book is a must have if you are interested in the Golden Dawn tradition or variations of. As a companion book to this, I highly recommend Nick Farrell's "Gathering the Magic: Creating 21st Century Esoteric Groups".

This is an excellent book. Instead of rehashing other people's material, the author has focused on a much ignored topic - the framework of the magical lodge. The book goes through the structure, purpose and workings of a magical lodge in a concise and down-to-earth manner.
The author also goes step by step through the work needed to set up and maintain a magical lodge, from identity and requirements to aims and practices. All in all this book is well worth investing in if you have an interest in ritual magick and in the dynamics of a working magickal group.
I would recommend this book to anyone thinking of starting a magickal group, regardless of tradition - be it Thelema, Grimoires, or even Wiccan Covens!

Finally a decent book on forming a group in a modern, esoteric, manner. Prior to this book, there hasn't been much on the structuring of a formal magical lodge/order outside of a few Wiccan Circle types of books. The closest I've come across is the late William G. Gray's "Inner Temple Magic" and that had more to do with WHAT to do while in a magical order than it did about forming one.

Part of the problem with such books is that little is offered as guidance on dealing with the people within such a group. The group dynamics is usually overlooked so the seeker looking to gain some knowledge running a group and not just forming one is often left to his/her own devices on dealing with people. This makes for a blind leading the blind type of situation - at least emotionally - and usually what occurs is that the rest of the group is leaderless.

In the Satanic oriented groups, the leader is often encouraged to lead with an "iron fist" or "it's MY way or the highway" as pointed out by Rev. Yaj Nomolos in his book "The Magic Circle". Whereas in the Ritual & Ceremonial Magical traditions, the heavy handedness is not always conducive to a smooth running operation. Fortunately this book offers some simplistic thoughts on dealing with people within the lodge and mainly that is covered in Chapter 2.

What this book does offer is pretty solid material on WHY one should want to formulate a lodge and WHAT kind of structure the group should have.

The book starts out with pretty basic historical information on who the Freemasons were and why they came to be. This was based on the Medeival Guilds that were formed around trades and craftsmen. What follows next is the jump from the Freemasons to the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn and it's not like we haven't heard of that particular order before.

Greer also points out the foundation of what a Magical Lodge really is and offers to the interested party: structure, symbolism, magic and secrecy. In chatper 2, he nails it on the head when he writes "A magical lodge can take many forms and be many things. If it's going to function at all, though, there's at least one thing it has to be: a group of people who are able to put together the resources of space, time, and material needed for the lodge's work and who can do so with a minimum of bickering, confusion, and hurt feelings....A group that can't manage at least this much isn't going to likely to last long or get far." This fact has caused many lodges (and covens) to peter out long before they really could begin all over this very fact.

When we get thru the next three chapters on each of the foundations of symbolism, magic and secrecy, Greer has done a pretty decent job of offering more than mere platitudes in which to live by. He has explored very real concepts such as the group's egregore which helps to keep the nucleus of the group together. Then he tackles initiation and why this should be an important step to getting into a lodge. Finally he discusses the practical uses of secrecy and how this can benefit the group's continued focus as it progresses along.

The next part of the book covers the forming of a magical lodge. Greer uses a mythical group of personalities who opt to form their own lodge using alchemy as a framework. This is a useful teaching method and it allows Greer to give a better explanation of the various intricacies of sorting thru the mess of trying to form a core lodge group. He calls this group "The Order of the Athanor" and as we follow the formation of this group, we see some of the pitfalls and highpoints of forming and operating this group.

One of the pitfalls of lodges has always been the monetary dues contributions from its members. This is a sore point for many would-be lodge members because of their current financial situation which most deem financially strapped. Unfortunately, unless one has an ideal temple in their home, it takes the combined efforts of an entire group contributing money to rent a hall big enough to support a group. For example, if say you or I were to invest in building a comfortable working space such as an insulated and climate controlled pole barn, there is not only the initial cost of such a building and land to worry about but also the ongoing day-to-day maintenance to deal with. Utilities and upkeep usually are a drain on one person and without the group kicking in some sort of monetary support, the person in question will more than likely come to resent the fact that she or he has to foot the bill. And if one tries to keep meetings in their home, the same sort of thing eventually happens.

Greer also discusses some of the more esoteric rites that are available outside of just initiation and one of them is the working of Invisibility. This subject has been covered in Greer's prior work "Circles of Power". He takes this subject and lucidly explains the concept and how to do it sort of approach that many aspiring magicians drool to be able to accomplish.

All in all, this book is highly recommended with five stars because the author has chosen to tackle a very neglected subject and offers some very practical advice on forming a group. So much so that even Wiccans wishing to form a coven would be well to research from this book.

Greer does a great service to the occult community with this book. Some of the best parts of this book deal with the drudgework and mundane aspects of lodge management -- creating the ritual, handling the legal aspects of creating a lodge, and maintaining the lodge on the administrative end. However, when he starts getting into the inner parts of lodgework, he tends to pass off his own personal (or his tradition's) theories and ideas as fact. It's a great deal of good information to ponder, but shouldn't necessarily be taken literally.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this book to those interested in both occult and non-occult Fraternal-type orders.

Dr. Gilsdorf is a renaissance woman, known for many things, among them her knitting. I consider this book her personal tapestry, beautifully and carefully woven. She relates the story of her breast cancer and treatment with insights that very few others could convey, and she is honest about all the details - her caregivers, her treatment, the toll it takes, her reactions, her anger, her sometimes petty and sometimes magnanimous reactions, her fear, her courage. Disclosure: I know the author, and if she is tough on anyone in this book, it's on herself. But peeking through the story, in little moments that seem written only to place the cancer treatment and recovery in the context of her regular life, one gets a glimpse of a person who never, ever takes the easy way out. Her sense of loyalty and devotion, to her family, her patients, her fellow physicians, her students, her lab, is there on every page, and the depth of her integrity is tremendously inspiring. It's always a danger to call something inspiring, so let me add - the book is funny, witty and tremendously enjoyable to read, even though the ordeal of breast cancer was anything but enjoyable. I found the insights into the academic medical life and Dr. Gilsdorf's life as a pioneering woman physician particularly interesting, and watching such a fine and generous mind at work was one of the best things about reading the book. I couldn't put it book down. I read it most of the night, and took it in to work with me the next day, read it over lunch, finished it up the next evening - and then re-read favorite passages over and over again.

This book is a wonderfully written, deeply personal account of how Dr. Gilsdorf made the transition from successful researcher and physician to patient and then back again. The book is full of vivid imagery that will make you want to read it all in one sitting, yet will keep haunting you for weeks after you put it down. This book moved me so deeply that I have purchased a copy for every female member of my family for Christmas. It really is a must have for anyone who has ever been affected by breast cancer.

Gilsdorf's book is a must-read for anyone who has, is now, or may someday face a serious illness. Ditto for every doctor and health care provider. Her writing is clear, gentle, almost poetic at times, and always comfortable -- that's good, because she writes about very uncomfortable things, the harsh, confusing, frightening world of cancer. Gilsdorf lays open her life during this difficult journey. An accomplished academic physician and scientist, she shares with brutal honesty her inner, intimate world. The boss who's used to being in control is not. An always healthy woman is not. An elite doctor sees her world from the scruffy perspective of a patient. You will savor some passages, yet read the book quickly. You'll be bothered by the story but won't want the book to end.

This is an amazing book, and one that I would not hesitate to read over and over again; nor would I hesitate to recommend it to the best of friends.
With tidbits about her fulfilling and extremely accomplished life intertwined with education and insight about a very popular and unfortunate disease, from the prospective of patient AND doctor. I laughed and cried, and better yet, learned.
She discusses everything from the riddles we used to chant as children to preparing a speach on scientific ethics in Kazakhstan and the cultural experiences while living there. From grant writing to fund research projects to the way a rainbow arrives at the proverbial pot of gold. She is frank and tells it like it is, but with the most beautifully descriptive words and analogies.
We typically see cancer as a death sentence. Dr. Gilsdorf, somehow, made it improve her life and happiness ten-fold.
This book is beautifully written, and I'm am a better person for having had the joy of reading it. A must read for all who can.
I'll leave you with the following: "The person who doesn't read has no advantage over the person who can't read." So read and enjoy!

This is a beautiful story of a very hard reality in this author's very active and successful life. She shares her private fears and medical knowledge with us. This is a must read for those that had, are having cancer or know a loved one struggling with this reality and terrible desease.

A comprehensive view of Jewish women throughout history. I just completed a somewhat detailed course The History of Islam, and found the chapters - The Jewish Women Under Islam: The Near East, North Africa, and Spain; and A Different Voice: Jewish Women in the Lands of Islam particlarly informative. They covered aspects not covered in my course.
The entire book is scholarly, yet easy to read. I enjoyed it and would recommend it highly.

This wonderful new book fills a gap. It enables readers to put themselves into the many different worlds Jewish women occupied over time and compare our lives today to those lived in times past. I highly recommend it as a good read and a fabulous reference book.

This book is perfect for anyone curious about how Jewish women lived in the centuries before the 20th century. It would also be wonderful for a Bat Mitzvah gift or a gift for a college student. While it is encyclopedic in format and content, the fascinating letters, memoirs, stories and photographs of famous, as well as unknown, women bring their successes, trials, and religious life to the reader with great impact. The excellent index lets you follow any topic over the centuries, and the copious notes answer the ever-present question: where did the authors discover that gem? It is a fantastic value.

This book was expeertly researched and beautifully written. The introduction to each era was especially informative. Though conceived as a reference book, it was so interesting that it was hard to put down.

The JPS Guide to Jewish Women is a welcome addition to the study of women in Judaism. It is a well-researched and scholarly book. The information is arranged chronologically and geographically and is easily accessed. This book is very readable and would be an excellent text for senior high-school or university.

That's right, you can forget what the editorial review says about this collection. Contrary to that writer's opinions (and let's keep in mind they are just opinions) many comic book readers, especially those of the 70's when these stories were originally published, don't want to be empathetic with the characters and do want them to be super all of the time. That writer obsiously did not grow up in this time period when people read comics because they were fun, not because the characters had emotional depth because they were fighting drug addictions, sexual confusion, or childhood abuse issues while trying to be superheroes. Also, there were a lot of readers then, just as now, who got sick of DC's big name characters like Superman and Batman. They were both featutred in so many titles you couldn't swing a stick in a drug store (there were no comic shops back then) and not hit one of their books. Lots of readers loved titles like the revived All Star Comics that gave us less popular heroes. This book did feature the Golden Age Superman in several issues and Batman, now Police Commissioner Bruce Wayne. These stories were not great but for the most part they were a good read. They also offer important insight into the transition between the original Golden Age Justice Society of America and the team we have today that bears that name. Don't buy this collection if you are expecting stories written just like today's comics but if you want some solid tales from the 70's you will like these.

As most of us I read some of these stories like 30 years ago, but now I discovered some others I couldn't read then, and these ones are wonderfully written. You will not find the nonsense reach-as-large-a-market-as-you-can, which cuts any soul from today's graphic novels, but these stories have emotion and consistency, of course only inside the province of fantasy and imagination. The stories are really good, and you will love them, if you had the good luck to know those wonderful characters at least before the unfortunate event known as the crisis on infinite earths.

The Justice Society has always been a favorit of mine and when All-Star was revived in the 70's I relished every issue. Although I enjoy this collection, I wish DC would have just published them as part of the All-Star Archives line, if only so that the books would look uniform on my bookcase.

I've always been a fan of the JLA and JSA.The 70's stories are the ones I like the best bacause the plots were written so you could read an entire storyline in 2-3 issues instead of today where it seems you have to wait for an entire storyto be published as graphic novels thanks dc for publishin these books

If you're a fan of DC's JSA, you owe it to yourself to read THE JUSTICE SOCIETY VOLUME 1 trade paperback. Collecting ALL-STAR COMICS #58-67, plus the origin of the JSA from DC SPECIAL #29, this book presents the "modern" pre-Crisis adventures of the Earth-2 Justice Society, with the original members (Flash, Green Lantern, Hawkman, Dr. Fate, Wildcat, Batman, and Superman) growing old and gray, and new heroes (Star-Spangled Kid and Power Girl) joining the team. Truthfully, I wasn't expecting much in terms of the writing, but Paul Levitz and Gerry Conway crafted some amazingly tight, fast-paced stories, and the narration is excellent. It's interesting to see how these heroes developed in "real-time" on Earth-2, with Clark Kent becoming editor of the Daily Star, and Bruce Wayne becoming police commissioner of Gotham City, and Dick Grayson now the US ambassador to a more politically-representative 1970s South Africa. These classic characters deal with threats to their personal lives, as well as threats from Brainwave, the Injustice Gang, Vandal Savage, Vulcan, and others.

As for the art... wow! This is a Wally Wood extravaganza. Actually, pencils are primarily provided by Ric Estrada and Keith Giffen, but Wood inks all of the All-Star Comics stories, and his style really comes through. It's amazingly consistent between the different pencilers and looks beautiful. As for the cover by Brian Bolland, well, what more needs to be said? I'm happy to see that DC has a second volume in the works that will collect the rest of the issues in the series. That, along with a reprint of INFINITY INCORPORATED (please, DC?), would be a heaping helping of Earth-2 goodness!

(One more thing: All-Star Comics #58 contains one of the most unintentionally humorous panels I have ever seen, as the Star-Spangled Kid attacks a criminal in his own inimitable fashion. "Chomp", indeed!)