Berry Books

Excellent for self study. I was able to follow everything up to chapter 11 completely unaided.

This is a truly clear and thoughtful introduction to Bayesian statistics.Nothing is taken for granted as the author leads you through examples and concepts. This was my first introduction to Bayesian statistics, and Berry makes it seem so much more reasonable and closer to real research/real life than the artifice involved in other approaches.

This is an excellent introductory text designed for a first course in statistics. It covers all the topics that are typically in a first course. However, all other texts at this level take the frequentist approach to inference. A few may have sections that introduce Bayesian ideas but the Bayesian approach is a paradigm for statistical inference and as such the approach should be incorporated in all statistical topics. Berry shows that this can be done without the student having to know calculus. To understand Bayesian methods the student mainly has to know that posterior probability = likelihood x prior probability. Berry provides a good list of references for those who want to pursue more advanced topics.
This book is unique. It demonstrate that statistics can be taught from the Bayesian approach in the very beginnning. This is much like what Noether did when he wrote an introductory text in statistics taking a strict nonparametric approach.

The text is loaded with exercises and the exposition is very clear. There are many useful and entertaining diagrams. Many examples are taken from real medical problems. Medicine is an area in which Berry has done a great deal of consulting and his experience shows in his examples. This should be the text to turn to if you want an introduction to the subject. If you know the basics and want more advanced treatment go to the references mentioned in Berry's preface.

This book completely fulfills its goals, one of which is not to be a definitive reference book. It provides a friendly, entertaining introduction into statistics from a Bayesian perspective.

This is an excellent introductory text designed for a first course in statistics. It covers all the topics that are typically in a first course. However, all other texts at this level take the frequentist approach to inference. A few may have sections that introduce Bayesian ideas but the Bayesian approach is a paradigm for statistical inference and as such the approach should be incorporated in all statistical topics. Berry shows that this can be done without the student having to know calculus. To understand Bayesian methods the student mainly has to know that posterior probability = likelihood x prior probability. Berry provides a good list of references for those who want to pursue more advanced topics.

This book is unique. It demonstrate that statistics can be taught from the Bayesian approach in the very beginnning. This is much like what Noether did when he wrote an introductory text in statistics taking a strict nonparametric approach.

The text is loaded with exercises and the exposition is very clear. There are many useful and entertaining diagrams. Many examples are taken from real medical problems. Medicine is an area in which Berry has done a great deal of consulting and his experience shows in his examples. This should be the text to turn to if you want an introduction to the subject. If you know the basics and want more advanced treatment go to the references mentioned in Berry's preface.

This is a most beautiful book, with content by a mystic, gathered by a scholar and illustrated delicately by an artist. Our post-modern world is one where we, the human species, are beginning to realise the damage we have done to the natural world. This book draws us back to an appreciation of all we are missing in our daily lives.

My excpectations for this book may have been a little too high. Merton's work pepper my shelves, put this one I think will go up for resale. Other than a precious few noteable quotes, it read more like a nature walk than a spiritual path for enlightenment. Ah well, compilations of the works of others can be a very tricky business. Nice try though Ms. Deignan.

Kathleen Deignan's When the Trees Say Nothing
is a fresh rendition of Thomas Merton's writings evoked from creation. In times when chatter is normative and being alone is mistaken for loneliness we have a wonderful lectio book of quotes and context of 'seeing' from the inside.

This book will live beyond the writer but not without chanigng many readers into the vast beauty of 'silence'.

Very good read, with a 5 star being his The Seven Storey Mountain. This is a great collection for anyone looking to group Merton's works in to topics, seasons, or just short chapters. This is a definite "must get" for anyone into Merton or nature, even if they are not looking to use it for prayer and meditation. This is the book you sit and read as Merton walks you through the woods of beautiful landscape and little creatures, taking you away from the kids, city life and traffic.

Kathleen Deignan, a professor of religious studies at Iona College in New Rochelle, New York, really outdid herself here in compiling and editing some THREE HUNDRED works by Thomas Merton in this text. It's not a particularly long book, surprisingly, with only 190 some odd pages in it. With that being said, not much is left out here, either. It's by all means complete. There are chapters on the four seasons - on the mountains and the forests. Nature herself.

Merton even likens a mountain to sainthood, seeing God`s creative beauty and wonder all throughout nature. If you have ever been to the Abbey of Gethsemani, you may understand why that is, too. The monastery is surrounded by absolutely stunning and expanding landscape, the perfect spot for the kind of reflection and introspection Merton apparently did in this work. He urges us to be engaged with nature. That probably means for us modernists to get out there off of our sometimes lazy butts and take a walk; go ride our bike. Whatever it is feel your connection to nature in a very raw sense. It opens up the sunshine that is already within. Merton's helpful finger pointing us the way in this work on how wonderful nature really is, serves as truly a great inspiration to do just that.

We own all of this series! Started reading them when my daughter was 4 (she just turned 5 now), and they are age appropriate. Not too scary and always a happy ending. One book only takes us about 4-5 nights worth of reading together. The longer ones are good too "Fairy Dust and the Quest for the Egg" and "Fairy Haven and the Quest for the Wand", but they are a little bit scarrier than the short books (more appropriate for ages 5-7 I would think).

My girls (3 and 4) LOVE these fairy books - my 4 year old reads them over and over and both love for me to read them out loud!

Never Land is a magical island very far away from this planet. You probably have heard of it before. You probably have seen movies about it or read books about it or both. As you should know, in Never Land you never grow old. And you probably have heard something about fairies living there, or something of the sort. Well, now you can learn more about the mystical Never Fairies. Learn their talents, abilities and personalities in the Disney Fairies chapter book series!

So far this is the first and only Disney Fairies chapter book I've read. However, I plan on reading as many as I can! Usually books don't hold my attention span very long and after the first few chapters, I stop and forget it. However, this was very captivating! I read it in a single sitting! Lots of things happen in the plot. Speaking of plot, I think I'll summarize it.

Beck is an animal-talent fairy. She understands the twitters, chatters, squeaks, and wimpers of animals and recognizes them as a language. She is one of the best animal-talent fairies there is, in fact. One of her friends is a hummingbird named Twitter. Twitter has a frantic personality and often calls for Beck, saying it's an "emergency". Almost always it turns out to be nothing alarming. However, not this time. A nest disappears - and the birds suspect the chipmunks nabbed it. Soon, every time a chipmunk walks by a blackberry bush, hummingbirds are flinging juicy berries everywhere and splatting everyone (not just chipmunks!) with dark purple juice. Finally the chipmunks decide to fight back. A huge war broke out! Can Beck help them to be at peace once again?

Pretty exciting, huh? Well that's not even the half of it. Lots of other things happen - you'll just have to read it yourself! The illustrations are also quite splendid. The animal pictures are touching and the expressions are great! This book is really good and even if it's not selling for cheap, it's worth the price! Signed, StoryMaker. "Gotta trust the kid's review!"

I like animal stories. When I found out Beck was an "Animal Talent" fairy I wanted to skip straight to this book. I controlled myself instead and read the first 3 in the series. They were GREAT!
Then I read "Beck and the Great Berry Battle". I kept having to check the title to make sure I was reading the right book. This book should have been called "Beck is Around When Stuff Happens."
Beck is the weakest character so far. The artwork for this book is excellent, but it is wasted on a ho-hum story where everyone gets to be a hero or solve the puzzle or do cool stuff except Beck. Oh and by the way, "Animal Talent" is a secret Disney code for "Good With Children".
Go ahead and read the story, don't let me stop you. But I'm still hoping someone will write a story about Beck who actually WANTED to write a story about Beck.

I gave Fairy Dust 5 stars. SO far the book I have read in this series deserve at least 6 then. I LOVED the magic started in Fairy dust, but they have stepped it up and made a wonderful world of fairies most people will love. I found this book to have more personality and character then Fairy dust. They elaborate more on the characters, the talents and everything. The fairy world just got more magical!!

Trust me. I have absolutely no artistic ability but this book was inspirational and fun to use. Lovely illustrations, very easy instructions. Fungi and small birds as well!

it is first book tat i bought on this topic as it did not overwhelm me as other books that i saw on the shelf. As i think it is supposed to be easy guide, it does not have alot of information on type of brushes to use, paints and brush techniques. however, the designs are simple and quick to do and appealing for me.

one of the best feature is that it gives you step by step paintings of how the flower is drawn and it shows arrows to indicate the directions of the brush strokes. The pictures are also shown close enough like it is painted on the pages of the book. i think that's how you are supposed to learn from the book

however, if you are looking for things like brush techniques or more detailed information / instructions, this may not be the book for you.

give it 3 stars becoz i feel it cld have been slightly more descriptive in instructions.

About the very first book I bought about decorative painting. This artist's style is very unique, natural and beautiful without being too loud. Try to paint on the closet, door, bowl, cup, even on the wall. My family liked them a lot.

bought this as first book on decorative painting becoz it is not too overwhelming. designs and brushstrokes taught are simply and easy to do, perfect for a beginner.

one of the features i like is that there are step by step paintings shown to see how the drawings are done. with arrows to indicate the directions of the brushstrokes. drawings look as if they are painted directly on the book and are not like photographs taken from a distance which makes viewing much easier.

but if you are looking for detailed information on types of paints, mixing etc then this is not the book for you.

The subject matter is complete. Easy steps to follow and understand. Shows the author is talented and a good teacher.

This is the second edition of a very good primer on fish carving by one of the world's best fish carvers. All of the necessary techniques to produce a convincingly life-like fish carving are illustrated. The paint schedules are easy to follow and the addition of the colour section on step by step trout painting is excellent. The book contains a number of projects that build on each other. It is profusely illustrated and the instructions are easy to follow.
Patterns (side view only) are provided for all of the projects in the book, plus several additional species. If the book has a major fault, it is that top view patterns are not included: a beginning carver will have difficulty in getting the top view proportions correct. Otherwise, this book is a good investment and I do, in fact, recommend it to my carving students.

I found Bob Berry's book informative, however, it assumes that the reader has had some experience or previous knowledge of carving and painting techniques.

Bob Berry has produced what is arguably the best fish carving book on the market. There are several good instructive books; but this one has very easy to read instructions. The book itself is not lengthy but packs a tremendous amount of information in it. The instructions are well witten and the pictures excellent. I still find this book, after reviewing most of the others available on this subject, the one I refer to the most.

Fish Carving: an introduction by Bob Berry is the best fish-carving book I have ever read.

This book is a how to book on carving fish out of wood. The book is neatly organized, so even a beginner wood carver could understand it. The book covers all the areas of carving fish out of wood. Easy to follow step by step pictures and explanations also make this a very user-friendly book, because of this it makes your carving experience that much more enjoyable. Berry walks you through the process of selecting wood, general carving and even painting and finishing the carving. There are lots of patterns and color pictures of his award winning woodcarvings to inspire you and help you along your way to becoming a fish carver.

I have found that this book is one of the best of its kind if you wish to learn to carve wooden fish. He is also very thorough when it comes to explaining difficult steps in your fish carving. This book has helped me greatly in expanding my carving knowledge and expertise. This book will not disappoint you. I would recommend this book to junior high students and older.

Bob Berry has produced what is arguably the best fish carving book on the market. There are several good instructive books; but this one has very easy to read instructions. The book itself is not lengthy but packs a tremendous amount of information in it. The instructions are well witten and the pictures excellent. I still find this book, after reviewing most of the others available on this subject, the one I refer to the most.

I enjoyed filling in the blanks, including pictures and giving it to my friend of 18 years. We decided to start a tradition and exchange it every Christmas. I cannot wait to read the memories that she has recalled.

i bought this book for my friend when she moved to kentucky. the girlfriends keepsake book really makes you reflect on friendship and it's genuine beauty. a great gift for a high school grad. beautiful inspirational quotes about friendship and heartwarming short stories.

This was the perfect gift for my best friend. I wanted to give her something special for being my maid of honor at my wedding, and this was perfect. She loved it, as much as I loved preparing it for her. It truly was a great way to show her how much I appreciate her and love our friendship.

I purchased this book for my best friend. She loved it. Every year we celebrate our first day meeting and take it out on our anniversary to reflect on our lives together!

This book is a wonderful gift for your best girlfriend at any age! My girlfriend of 15 years gave me this book as a gift two months ago, and she and I are still having fun collecting old pictures and recalling fond memories of our friendship. I love it!

Want to grow fruit trees but don't think you have the space? Like to try new vegetable varieties but never remember where you planted them? Kids want to start a garden of their own but you don't want to give up the space? Movable Harvests has your answers to all these dilemmas. There are tips on creating the perfect potting mix and picking the right container as well as basic crop growing instructions. Pest control is addressed on a by-vegetable basis and is split between cultural and chemical controls. Movable Harvests has good ideas for all sorts of crops from fruits and berries to salad greens and root vegetables. You can grow ANYTHING in a container. A final, although short, chapter provides instructions on indoor farming including how to grow your own dwarf banana tree.

I have found this book a wonderful starting point for vegetable gardening in containers. It has chapters on proper containers, soil mixes, all natural ways to deal with pests, fertilizing options, and many helpful suggestions, even has a section for growing indoors. I originally checked it out at the library, and have found it so helpful that I am ordering my own copy!

I am a Gardening Idiot. I like growing things, but I have no idea why some of my plants thrive and some of them drop dead. I decided it would be easier to isolate some of the variables (I play a scientician during the work week) if I grew more things in containers, particularly since I am now getting into more exotic fruits and berries that actually cost real money. The trouble, of course, is that there is a bewildering array of containers and conditions for people like me to choose from.

This book was recommended by someone on the Internet as a great source of information on soil, placement, containers, and cultivars (varieties of a given plant -- don't laugh, I didn't know what it meant) that are best suited for container gardens. For example -- dwarf fig trees are fiction. You can, however, restrain a fig tree's growth. You just don't feed and water it as much, and you put it in a big pot. (Eventually I suspect that you will have to either kill it or move it outside, but I'm not there yet)

My biggest relief is that the book showed me how to meet the somewhat stringent preferences of the Mara des Bois strawberries that I'm growing this season. I didn't realize that strawberry planters are shaped the way they are so that the plants can share the soil (which you feed from the top with organic matter, i.e. compost). The net benefit (which I assume people have known for decades) is that you can manage the soil for a dozen or so plants at once, since their roots are close together and the pH/moisture is pretty much the same for all of them. There are more complicated ways to achieve this (eg. the Earthbox design), but they don't seem to work any better for what I am doing. So the book saved me some needless spend, too.

I paid $3 for this book. If I got as much value out of every $3 I spent, I would be an incredibly happy guy. Even after perusing all the books at the local library (and the Los Angeles Public Library is *immense*), I still think this book delivered for me. I would have paid 5 times as much if I'd seen it in a bookstore, and I would not have regretted it for a second.

Great information and extremely clear guidance for a very reasonable price.

This is the only book I have found that covers growing vegetables in containers. It is a good start. It provides just enough information about the all important-soil recipes, companion plants, container sizes & types, watering, pests, fertilizers and suitable crops. It's not a big book, which is why I can't give it my highest rating. I am still looking for something more in depth and with more personal experiences, ergo the reason for my web site LinLu's Container Gardening -

This book is short, but it packs quite a punch. It contains many photos which are useful in diagnosing diseases, etc. This is a great starting point for the beginning urban gardener (like me) who is attempting to make the most of limited space. The authors keep keep things short, sweet, and to the point. If you're wondering what sorts of containers to use, how deep you should plant various seeds, what varieties thrive best in containers, etc., this is a great place to start. At the very least, it's a nice reference book to have on hand for for the urban gardener.

In cubicles everywhere, thousands of us daydream about leaving it all behind to do something that will make a real difference. Marketing executive and mother Cindi Brown went out and did it.

Poverty and Promise, One Volunteer's Experience of Kenya (Just One Voice, 2008) is a refreshingly honest read with plenty of spirit, humor, and heart. Cindi Brown is a lively narrator who takes a curious and open-hearted approach to her new life in Kenya, where she goes to work for TICH, the Tropical Institute of Community Health. Her stay transpires in a way that takes her from elation to desperation, sometimes in the course of one sweltering, cacophonous afternoon.

There are plenty of great travel tales here, from her nail-biting solo drive through Rwanda to her attendance at a Sikh wedding and a slum funeral, trips to the Kenyan countryside and Zanzibar, but there's something more: a real look at how you can really help Africa, or help anyone, in a way that will have lasting effects. Poverty and Promise itself is part of Brown's solution; all proceeds fund the non-profit she founded to support TICH's effort to build the new Great Lakes University of Kisumu.

For those of us living in relative western comfort, it is difficult to fully comprehend the daily struggle that many face. We take for granted the provision of basic needs and support structures, not able to fathom the scourge of disease and poverty on this level. However, Cindi Brown's book masterfully captures that plight and vividly depicts the humanity of Kenyans and groups like TICH to advance the lives of those affected.

It takes a person of incredible compassion and sacrifice to give up a home and career in the U.S. to face challenges of this magnitude in a foreign land. I am truly touched and profoundly moved by Cindi's response to this calling and the passion with which she works to improve the lives of her fellow man. This book should be required reading in our schools.

I thought this book did a nice job of covering some of the day to day interactions of working in Kenya in a way you rarely see in "guide" books but I also felt the voice of the writer was judgmental of other aid workers and oddly both pessimistic and naive at the same time. Sadly I left this book left with primarily the feeling of fear the author expressed and little of the "promise". I have passed this book on to see if my thoughts were unique and they were not. So for now this book is off the list of books that I think are useful to those planning on spending any serious time volunteering in Kenya - which is really too bad because there is so little out there in the way of modern personal accounts.

Most Europeans and Americans rarely get to see the real Kenya. We stay at comfortable and secure hotels, ride in cars with drivers that are trained to keep foreigners away from trouble, eat in restaurants where the food is plentiful, shop in tourist-friendly areas and never walk anywhere unescorted. Cindi Brown, however, chose the non-pampered route. In "Poverty and Promise," she tells of her experiences as a volunteer living and working in Kenya among regular citizens, far away from the comforts of her U.S. home. She writes with great insight and compassion about the multi-faceted environment she discovered there - the humor and tenderness of the Kenyan people; the dedication and tenacity of her co-workers at a well-developed NGO; the dismal truth about poverty and the lives it affects; the burden that corruption places on a society; and, the powerful role that hope plays when people are suffering. After reading her story, I felt like I had met a woman in Cindi Brown who probably brings out the best in people. She occasionally loses her cool but long after most of us would. And, boy, is her patience put to the test! In one chapter, Cindi describes being responsible for driving a van-load of fellow volunteers across Uganda and that story alone would be a great basis for a nail-biting, edge-of-your-seat movie. The dear Ms. Brown somewhat apologizes as she reports that toward the end of this harrowing journey, frustration finally got the best of her. Stopping the car like an experienced soccer mom, she had to yell at her whining passengers.

Having done some work in Kenya myself, I thought I had a sophisticated understanding of the country, its tribal cultures and the nature of a developing society. Ms. Brown's book, however, taught me so much more - all of it fascinating and useful. The chance to learn all this through the eyes of a humanitarian left me grateful.

It takes a special type of person to volunteer - to do something for another with no compensation. "Poverty and Promise: One Volunteer's Experience of Kenya" follows Cindi Brown as she speaks about her days as a volunteer in rural Kenya, where many of the luxuries taken for granted by Americans are simply unheard of. A touching story filled with little triumphs over great adversity, "Poverty and Promise: One Volunteer's Experience of Kenya" is highly recommended for community library memoir and biography collections.

Most of the book involves biographies of officers rather than the enlisted grunts. There was a lot of information on who commanded what unit, other officers they knew, and higher command info that was extremely boring. It seems like the majority of the writing is about the pre-war homelife of the individuals, including where they went to school, their marriages, where they worked, etc. I was hoping for detailed combat information about the Pacific war, but the majority of this book will keep you looking someplace else.

My father served in the 1st marine division in WWII in the Pacific but would never talk about it. So for me reading these recollections enabled me to hear what he experienced....incredible stuff.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to get a flavor of the real guys who fought and what they experienced.

Henry Berry's 'Semper Fi, Mac" is an oral history of the Marine Corps in the Pacific in World War II. Berry interviewed about 75 Marines who had fought in some of the toughest battles and places in the Pacific. There is a rough chronological order to the interviews but most of the stories start on or about Dec. 7, 1941. The stories most of the men tell start with either this date or shortly before, coupled with with some background material, their training, the trip to the Pacific, and then their personal experiences in combat. There is misery and death, heroism and tragedy, but overall a sense of comradeship comes from every story. Berry sprinkles his work with humorous tidbits of Marine history and stories about famous Marines, such as Chesty Puller, the only Marine to win five Navy Crosses. Also there are sections on Marine lingo and a brief historical synopsis of the Marines' Pacific battles. Berry himself was in the Marines near the end of the war and gives a proper perspective of all events and personalities. But this book is about the men who fought and died on such places as Guadalcanal, Tarawa, Saipan, Guam, Iwo Jima and Okinawa. Its their book, their story, their history, and it should never be forgotten.

I really liked it's snapshot format of battles all across the Pacific. I even found out that the Confederate flag was used by several Marine units instead of Ol Glory; as a Southerner that made me even happier.

This books title sums up the story inside. Every Marine's story in this book carries a similar thread. They were scared as hell in combat but never regretted joining the core. Mr. Berry, (a WWII Marine himself, which is probaly the reason they opened up so much to him) brings a personnal story from every Marine battle during the war. The confusion and deprivation of Guadalcanal, the bloodbath of Tarawa, the Japanese suicidal frenzy of Saipan, the slaughter of Peleliu and Iwo Jima up to the conclusion at Okinawa. It is all here: death, disease, and destruction; all first hand accounts told by tough Marines. It is amazing any of them survived, yet 75 of them share there memories here in short personnal histories. These men are remembered here for their supreme sacrifice so many years ago.

I can't recall the number of copies of this book that I have purchased. My own autographed copy remains a constant on my bedside table, doggeared, starred, and underlined. It is filled with the lovely, quiet poems of Wendell Berry, a true genius in the crafting of words. These poems, compiled over many years of Sunday walks (thus the Sabbath Poems), harken to the quieter side of life. The inevitable changing of seasons, places, and people. We all need a little space for thinking. Berry reminds us of who we are and why we're here. In a quiet way. Buy this book for yourself. Then order more copies for your friends.

Of himself, Wendell Berry says, "I am an amateur poet, working for the love of the work." My own reading tends not to poetry but to philosophy, physics, exegesis, and related works in which language serves quite differently. And yet, whether reading Aristotle or Wendell Berry, it is inescapable that words are ultimately only allegories for much larger ideas. Perhaps in poetry this fact is embraced and romanced while in philosophic and scientific work it is ever a 'problem' to be rather embroiled in. Well, I am an amateur critic, but if the poetry in this volume is the work of an "amateur poet" I say why bother with "professional" poetry? If in fact there is such a thing, what more could it offer?
Berry is a farmer, a tender of fields and flocks and fences. Of course he is also a highly regarded poet; a man of soil and art and meditation. In this collection his recurring themes include: The importance of honest labor and the importance of rest and contemplation, "the standing Sabbath of the woods" as he calls it; the nature and passing of time, the connectedness of ourselves to our histories and of matter to spirit. Recurring metaphors of light falling into darkness and light arising from darkness, of life fading into death and of life arising from death, have both material and spiritual meanings. . .

"His passing now has brought him up
Into a place not reached by road,

Beyond all history that he knows,
Where trees like great saints stand in time,
Eternal in their patience. Loss
Has rectified the songs that come

Into this columned room, and he
Only in silence, nothing in hand,
Comes here. A generosity
Is here by which the fallen stand." (1984, p65)

The author invites the reader to consider the verses here a few at a time, in moments of quiet and solitude, of "Sabbath rest," in the same manner in which the verses were created.

This book is a rarity of rarities -- quality poetry from a Christian perspective that any and all can enjoy. Though Berry's faith is evident, it is far from oppressive, and simply adds to the peace and quiet of the poems.

Peace and quiet describe them best. Called "Sabbath Poems", they are often the result of a restful walk through the woods, a time of reflection and enjoyment of "the given world". Themes through the book are love of nature (and God through nature), a growing disgust with the modern world, the presence and comfort of death and life, and his love for his wife.

Metrically, Berry's poetry is marked by the strength of his individual lines. Sometimes he rhymes; almost always there is an internal, even organic rhythm.

As this book spans 1979 -- 1997, it is also interesting to trace the progression of his poetry. His lines grow stronger as his poems grow simpler. And he is less afraid to venture out a bit -- while most of his poems are 15-20 lines unrhymed with internal rhythm, he tries on rhyming patterns, writes one or two line works, and even writes a 13 page praise of the pastoral life.

215 pages long is a good deal longer than most books of poetry that aren't "collections". My favorite poems are towards the end, if you're only going to read a few, read the ones from 1992 on.

Poems to quite your soul and spirit. Highly recommended.

A sample poem:

I go among the trees and sit still.

All my stirring becomes quiet

around me like circles on water.

My tasks lie in their places where I left them, asleep like cattle.

Then what is afraid of me comes

and lives a while in my sight.

What it fears in me leaves me,

and the fear of me leaves it.

It sings, and I hear its song.

Then what I am afraid of comes.

I live for a while in its sight.

What I fear in it leaves it,

And the fear of it leaves me.

It sings and I hear its song.

After days of labor,

mute in my costernations,

I hear my song at last,

and I sing it. As we sing,

The day turns, the trees move.

(if you'd like to discuss Berry's poetry, to disagree or agree with me, to recommend a poet I might enjoy, my e-mail is krischwe@whitman.edu)

This collection of poems connects Christianity to Nature. It is Berry's answer in Western traditions to the more ecocritical values of Eastern religion and philosophy. Berry's weekly journeys mediate on the mystical journey one embarks on in finding his or her community within the larger web of life on Earth as seasons unfold. With clarity and wisom, this work professes the beauty and reverence for Nature essential to ecology and community which is neglected at the brink of the twenty-first century. Berry's words, his imagery and description, come alive and touch the heart... and impart on us through each poem to beginning healing, and then to act...

"I go among trees and sit still" (p. 5) Wendell Berry writes in the first of his 124 "Sabbath Poems" collected here. Berry is a Kentucky farmer, a poet and novelist. For twenty years, while the church bell "calls in the town" (p. 9), he has instead spent his Sunday mornings walking "into the woods" (p. 9), meditating upon the world through his poetry. In the woods, "the dead leaves rotting on the ground,/ The live leaves in the air/ Are gathered in a single dance/ That turns them round and round" (p. 11). Amidst "a timbered choir" of "Great trees, outspreading and upright,/ Apostles of the living light," Berry walks "on radiance, amazed" (p. 83). "But a man/ is small before those who have stood so long," he writes. "He stands under them, looks up, sees, knows,/ and knows he does not know" (p. 89).

"The best reward in going to the woods," Berry writes in another poem, "Is being lost to other people, and/ Lost sometimes to myself" (p. 188). "These poems were written in silence, in solitude, mainly out of doors," Berry writes in the Preface to this book. "A reader will like them best, I think, who reads them in similar circumstances--at least in a quiet room" (p. xvii). "The poems," he explains, "are about moments when heart and mind are open and aware" (p. xviii). They are connected with themes of earth, family, peace and death.

G. Merritt