Berry Books

My mom bought this book for us. It is really great and I learned a lot. We guessed where the kids where from and looked up countries on a map. Every kid should read this book.

We read this book with my girl scout troup. We are learning about how to connect with other girls and kids around the world. Americans don't always learn about people in other countries. We want to be less ignorant and to learn about human rights!

Twelve year old Ruthie is a young carefree girl like any other who lives in a small town. Living for the moments of running in the fields with her sisters and friends, playing in the barn and doing chores that need to be done when her mother or father asks.

A drifter by the name of Ted Langford who has no ties to anyone or anywhere. He goes from town to town working just enough to meet his needs. He then moves on to the next town when he becomes bored or tired of the town he is in.

When Ruthie gets sick with Hodgkin's Disease and pain takes over her delicate body, fear drives her family to do everything they can to help their daughter. Nothing seems to be working and the heartbreaking choice of whether to give up or not is a glimpse in the horizon.

Ted had heard about the girl's sickness while working in the small town by the locals while he was there and when he is getting ready to move on to the next town, a flier that was hanging up as a last desperate attempt to save Ruthie stops Ted... Life forever changes for him and Ruthie as a miracle that was needed came to be.

Tears came to my eyes as I read this beautiful story. This author has done a great job.

Reviewed by Vickie (Tory Lynn)

When twelve year old Ruthie Conners is diagnosed with Hodgkins, the family is devastated, seeing their child in such pain. The chemo which could help has now turned to destroy the blood cells, leaving Ruthie on the verge of death.

The family has tried everything by registering with the National Registry for a bone marrow transplant donor, but feel they have to do more. Sam Conners, Ruthie's father, makes up fliers to put around hoping someone might see them and answer their prayers.

Ted Langhorn a drifter, who came to this small town, heard the story of the young girl. He spent the summer working at the grain elevator and with some money in his pocket, was ready to move on until he saw the poster. Remembering the story he'd heard earlier he reads the poster carefully.

Finding that his blood type, a rare one, matched hers, he called the family. With testing, he was a match, and the transplant was made.

Ruthie would survive due to the unselfish act of a donation from a stranger.

It was a miracle for Ruthie, and one has to ask if miracles happen or is fate the underlying factor. It was fate that brought Ted Langhorn to the small town where Ruthie so despartely needed a miracle.

Joshua Berry has written a very warm and moving story, full of emotions. I highly recommend A Miracle for Ruthie for anyone who believes in the goodness of people.

Barbara Foster, author of Brianna's Story-Living With ADHD, Evolution or Revolution, The Soddy, Diablo and the Rodeo Man, A Time for Change, The Lewis House Saga and Suicide or Murder

Brilliant sequel to 'Magus of Stonewylde'... I just couldn't put it down until I'd finished - that's another late night and no sleep thanks to the Stonewylde series, and now I've started on Book 3 I can't put it down either!!

Sylvie and Yul's destiny is magically intertwined and has been foretold by a prophecy, but prophecies can be beaten and Sylvie and Yul are up against some incredibly dark and powerful forces.

Magus has discovered Sylvie's secret of moongaziness, her unique ability to channel the magical powers of the moon, and he has now lost his source of Earth Magic, which has chosen Yul as its' new receiver. Magus wonders if he can make good use of this moongazy girl to help him strengthen his own resources of power...

Incredibly powerful stuff. A great book, but start with Book One, the 'Magus of Stonewylde'.

Hey, what a really great read. To be honest I'd lost interest in reading mainstream books over the last few years, even Booker prize winners have been cast aside after a few pages as I wasn't finding anything new or inspiring in them. Not so the first two books of the Stonewylde series. I don't believe in `dark forces' and magic but something deep within me is fed by the story-telling. The warmth, love and caring between hero and heroine, I find reflects the nature of our souls and who we really are. The Villagers and their way of life with their sense of community, respect for the land and their fellows, their willingness to work hard and the acknowledgement of the unseen energies that govern their lives, all created a yearning in me for something that appears to be missing and unrecognised in the way we are living out our lives. Balanced this against the Hallfolk and Magus who represent and epitomise our egocentric lifestyles, Yul and Sylvie seem to represent our soul yearnings, aching to be heard and to win over against the noise, emptiness and turmoil of our ego's. And like soul vs ego, is the winner in doubt? I guess I'll have to wait for the story to unfold!

I also liked the fact that here is a story with substance without the need for blatant, in-yer-face killing, blood, gore and sex that most books these days seem to require. Hoorah! And I really do think the books would make a great film series and put something on the big screen that Hollywood is looking for. Good enough to challenge Lord of the Rings methinks! Thank you so much, Kit.

Although renowned for his superb detective fantasies, Carr's masterpiece of history and detection (arguably the same philosophy) is his reconstruction of The Murder of Sir Edmund Godfrey. Despite an obvious anti-Whig bias and his adoration of Charles II, his historical method is excellent, drawing a most dramatically colourful picture of Restoration England and weighing up the odds impartially. The theories are brilliantly argued, and equally brilliantly demolished, and the final solution is quite convincing. Superb.

Carr is the greatest writer of classic detection fiction. He was also a hell of a history student and an unregenerate lover of derring do of the Robert Louis Stevenson/Alexander Dumas type (see some of his historical/detection/thrillers like The Bride of Newgate), and here he combines all sorts of history with the methods of classic detection in a thrilling tale. He writes this piece of history exactly as if it were a tale--which to him it of course was.

The story deals with the murder of a noted justice of the peace in the latter part of the 17th century in England, which is then used by the political enemies of Charles II as petext for a witch hunt against Catholics in general and to usurp Charles's power by forcing the nomination of Charles's illegitimate Protestant son as official heir, instead of his Catholic brother James. (Indeed, England is brought to the brink of Revolution again and only luck and Charle's saavy prevents it--Dryden, by the way, used these same events as the base of his great poem "Absalom and Architophel".)

The characters are vivid, especially Charles, Charles's enemies Buckingham and ? (been a while since I re-read it), Titus Oates, and the man who Carr believes actually committed the murder--just to mention a few. The reign of terror that the murder served as catalyst for is brought to life with frightening horror, and you'll cheer when Charles outwits and outmaneuvers his enemies in a masterpiece of political tactics.

Carr really makes you see and feel how fear makes people lose all reason and rationality, leading them to do terrible things. Very unfair things--after reading this book, you'll be more grateful than ever for the constitution. People were tortured, held incommunicado, scapegoated and sandbagged--you name it--in the most highhanded and blatant fashion.

Although Carr even incorporates extensively stuff from primary sources, especially from the transcripts of the trials of the many victims, ihis focus is always on telling a mystery/suspense story. As even Barzun and Taylor in their Catalogue of Crime had to admit (no great fans of Carr, they enthusiastically concede this book is a masterpiece), Carr can sum up evidence like no one else. He offers in conclusiton something like eight or ten likely culprits, then tells you who he thinks is the most likely villain.

My class really enjoyed this suspenseful tale, and the kids learned a lot about the Mayan civilization as well. This book is just as good as the others in the series.

I bought this and other books for my 9 year old grandson. He loved the book.

The Old Ones Told Me: American Indian Stories For Children is a fourth printing paperback edition of a lovely collection of eleven native American traditional tales for children. Drawing upon her own rich heritage, Berry Keeper chooses tales from the tribes of Cherokee, Haida, Coos, Siuslaw, Menomini, Quillayute, Chippewa, and Paiute to illustrate and record. The short tales often have a brief moral or lesson to be passed on to the next generation. Much sacred knowledge and understanding is preserved in the storytelling traditions. Perhaps my favorite tale is "The Love of Feather Cloud," a Paiute story that seems to teach that treachery and ambition can be cloaked by the devious, but a true and valiant heart can prevail against many obstacles if the motivation is pure. The beautiful black and white ink drawings add much to each tale and the teachings of the text.

The stories are easy to understand, beautifully illustrated and well written. My mom got this book for my birthday, and then my brother wanted one too. Then I got one for my best friend Jessica for her birthday, and she got one for her mom and one for her grandma. Jessica and I both love the story "The love of Feather Cloud" the most, because it's so romantic. My brother likes "The Oppossums Tail", because it's funny.

My daughter, who is 9-mos old absolutely loves this book. The flaps are big and really easy for her to lift on her own. She loves the last page, which hides a mirror. Always gets a smile out of her to see herself. I love reading the book to her. It is short and to the point and has great colors which make it fun for her and also me!! My 2-yo also loves the book and likes to pretend to read it to her sister. Great book - highly recommend for any baby or toddler girl.

"Peek-A-Boo in the Berry Patch" is another small, cute "Baby Strawberry" board-book. In this book, the readers play a game of peek-a-boo with Baby Strawberry. Each page features the phrase "Someone's in the berry patch. Can you guess who?" As readers lift the flaps, they'll discover Pupcake, a ladybug, Custard and more. There's a special surprise at the end.

These Baby Strawberry books are wonderful. The text is simple but berry sweet and the baby versions of the characters are even cuter than the original.

This textbook is one of the best text in Physical Chemistry in the modern time. Although not a classic, it is well organized and pulls all the important information and problems from a variety of sources. The writing is clear and logical for both undergraduate and graduate students alike.

This book puts a high value on clarity and logic. Time invested with this book is repaid with UNDERSTANDING.

While there are probably very few people who think justice is truly blind to race, gender, class and sexual orientation, this look at the courts from Restoration until today is still shocking. The systemic protection of 'white male privilege' has made it impossible for just about anyone and everyone to get a fair trial. And throughout this book Berry argues convincingly, logically, simply and clearly why this has been the case.

Berry's thesis is that the court - through judges' decisions and verdicts - uphold the prevailing 'stories' of the day, explaining why some black men - under the protection of white male privilege - were punished less harshly than others. Or why black men were so quickly and easily convicted of raping white women, or why it was considered pretty much impossible to rape a black woman or a poor white one. And on and on and on... According to Berry, judges would twist the understanding of statutes and laws to conform to and support the stories. When, after WWII, stories began to change, the different attitudes and ideas were reflected in court decisions, and Brown vs. the Board of Education, Roe vs. Wade, and other cases were possible.

Berry certainly creates a very compelling case, showing the effects of these 'stories,' the efforts to change them and the ensuing results. Although I do believe that other elements - even, as the Supreme Court illustrated so clearly during the election fiasco, personal ideology - play a role, I still think that Berry is describing a very powerful phenonmenon. And Berry's evidence of a strong bias in the courts is something every American should know about. In fact, I think this should be mandatory reading for pretty much everybody.

The "Pig Farmer's Daughter" is a stalwart exposition describing the fault line of bigotry, and bias that runs through the historical bedrock of the American judicial system. Berry offers a seamless narrative, written eloquently and without malice. Her book is an irrefutable unveiling of the ignorance that so often poses as the truth of popular culture. What is so ironic is that the players she exposes were and are supposed to be the very people who are without bias. Everyone and anyone who has a desire to understand racism and sexism in this country needs to read this book. No lawyer or judge serious about racial justice should enter a courtroom without having read it.

In American Literature courses (of the high school variety) the "American Dream" too often ends up sounding like the "American Nightmare." Jay Gatsby, Willy Loman, Roy Hobbs (The Natural) -- they all come to disastrous ends because they all follow the wrong dream. This year, I ended my 11th grade American Literature course with Wendell Berry's short novel "Remembering." I taught it along with Bill Forsythe's brilliant film comedy "Local Hero." Together, they offer an effective and credible response to the American dream-as-nightmare despair of most serious American literature. "Remembering" is a small, quiet story of Andy Catlett, who, like Dante in "The Divine Comedy" (the model for the story), is experiencing a profound mid-life crisis, triggered by the loss of a hand (a "dis-membering) in a farming accident. Through a series of reminiscences, or re-memberings (of family members and members of his rural community), Andy is reunited with his past and his present life, and recommits himself to his local community, his farm, and his family. He returns East (reversing the westward movement of Americans from the days of Lewis and Clark), literally running his car into his land and disabling it in the process. Berry is a fine writer -- among the best now working in English. He uses words with great care, and sees late 20th century America more clearly than anyone I know. And his is a comic vision -- as Dante's is. He sees a difficult hope for us -- difficult but possible. I highly recommend this novel, and hope that readers use it as a springboard to his other novels, essays, and poems.

This short novel is the best use of the English language among contemporary authors which I've encountered in a very long time. This story of a farmer and his passions redeemed and his worldview re-oriented is not only a tribute to the best of rural life, but is a testimony to the triumph of the human spirit which seeks ever to soar above the misfortunes and tragedies which we otherwise too often accomodate in life. I'm horrified to discover on this site that it is fast out of print. This is a great loss to story tellers and lovers of stories. This is one of the finest - even if unsung - to be sure.