583c8251-e0b7-4fce-b4cb-0adcd54e4a3aTrueNewShip64BerryAmazonLargeBooksreviewrank1408814090933280440http://www.amazon.com/Tree-Crops-Permanent-Agriculture-Conservation/dp/0933280440%3FSubscriptionId%3D05ERXYTS89KFGEPQR5G2%26tag%3Dthebookrevi0b-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D093328044073451http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41LKLWR3wWL._SL75_.jpg7546http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41LKLWR3wWL._SL160_.jpg16099http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41LKLWR3wWL.jpg500309John SmithPaperbackWendell BerryDevin-Adair Publishing Co.634.997809332804411200933280440Island PressEnglishEnglishEnglish8306000USD$60.00Island Press1422Book1987-12-01Island PressIsland Press1055304320USD$43.202867USD$28.671050011ATVPDKIKX0DERhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/help/seller/home.html?seller=ATVPDKIKX0DERNewnew%2BnDrGgHzJ8hfci934bSIZ7J0moLygyRzyA8S5Wn3j5pPRuKORlMDs3BIVbVFLSJHJB27BTbQpa1cgjdxBgaVOQ%3D%3D4320USD$43.204.52109332804405552004-03-17

A Visionary; A Vision and a Timeless Prescription

J. Russel Smith's book changed my life. It set me on a course to become an authority on solving world hunger on a local level and I have traveled to the third world with Smith's advice clearly in mind. This is not an easy read, and the photographs are black and white, not very clear and dated. But. This man writes in the 1950's (this is a reprint) that we need to stop the destruction of the rain forests of the world (! - now THAT was thinking ahead!). Agricultural planners in all countries need to give this book a look: Smith is right on and shows a way in the darkness towards universal food without shortages. This book should be on the shelf of any serious world agriculturalist and anyone who deems that world hunger can be overcome.09332804404891998-12-07

Tree crops offer potential solutions for a sustainable ag.

I don't have too much to say about Tree Crops---A Permanent Agriculture wrote by J. Russell Smith and the introduction by Wendell Berry. Its is a summary of tree choices for US lands and there potential roles as a food source for humans and livestock. I was most intriuged by the information on utilizing mulberry trees as an early season feed supply for pigs and chickens. I would recommend the book for any sustainable ag fans who are very willing to think outside the box.18901326081580085792818556931218901325270882667033713290011General AAS9History1000Subjects283155Books5306Shrubs5241Gardening & Horticulture48Home & Garden1000Subjects283155Books5313Trees5241Gardening & Horticulture48Home & Garden1000Subjects283155Books5276General5241Gardening & Horticulture48Home & Garden1000Subjects283155Books713580011General AAS227430Forestry227254Agricultural Sciences173510Professional Science173507Professional & Technical1000Subjects283155Books227255General227254Agricultural Sciences173510Professional Science173507Professional & Technical1000Subjects283155Books226682General226680Agricultural Sciences75Science1000Subjects283155Books14511Forests & Forestry14507Natural Resources14452Nature & Ecology75Science1000Subjects283155Books14637History of Technology14631Technology75Science1000Subjects283155Books13857General75Science1000Subjects283155Books400272011Paperback394184011Mass Market401237011Trade394174011Binding (binding)388186011Refinements283155Books618083011Printed Books618072011Format (feature_browse-bin)388186011Refinements283155BooksJCSZ8GR3Y0A4Natural Building & PermacultureB000F6Z98Chttp://www.amazon.com/Unauthorized-Guide-Sex-Church/dp/B000F6Z98C%3FSubscriptionId%3D05ERXYTS89KFGEPQR5G2%26tag%3Dthebookrevi0b-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3DB000F6Z98C2412381http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61ERJ9WK87L._SL75_.jpg7558http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61ERJ9WK87L._SL160_.jpg160124http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61ERJ9WK87L.jpg500388Carmen Renee BerryPaperbackBargain Price1008801799USD$17.991320Book2005-08-2385690299USD$2.99312USD$3.125400004.521B000F6Z98C4002006-10-31

The Unauthorized Guide to Carmen Renee Berry

After politics, the quickest way to start an argument along ideological lines is to bring up sexual standards. In an attempt to calm and forward the discussion, Berry wrote this book about sex and its relationship with the Christian faith. <br /> <br />Berry starts off with a history of sexual morality, going back to the Jewish roots of the faith. Her description of the changing attitudes to sexuality and their influence on the culture at large is fascinating. Having read a bit more of the history of the Protestant Reformation, though, I would encourage the reader to take her description of that conflict with a grain of salt. Yes, Luther was concerned with the church's demands for celibacy. No, that was not the main spur to the vast changes he initiated. <br /> <br />In the second section, Berry presents conflicting views on some major points of dissension in the church today, including abortion and homosexuality. I find myself a bit more on a conservative side than Berry, but I have to commend her fairness in presenting both sides equally. <br /> <br />While this book is no earth-shattering theological revelation, it is a useful place to start thinking about and (hopefully) talking about these issues. I suspect that's exactly what the author intended.B000F6Z98C5442005-10-01

A readable and entertaining look at the way Christians approach sexual issues

For all the talk about sexual issues with regard to the church --- abortion, homosexuality, pedophilia, and celibacy come immediately to mind --- you'd think sexuality was the church's major concern. If that's what you think, well, it turns out you're not entirely wrong. Carmen Renee Berry's survey of Christian thought on sex reveals an inordinate amount of emphasis on the subject throughout church history. <br /> <br />Berry's "unauthorized guide" is divided into three major sections. The first traces the history of Christian (and Jewish) attitudes toward sex, as well as historical thinking on which sexual practices were considered appropriate and, of course, which were not. Conservatives and liberals alike would do well to read this section in particular; many Christians, I'm sure, would be surprised at how ancient laws regarding property rights helped shape ideas on sexuality that have survived to this day, for instance, or how Luther's early opposition to celibacy helped shape the thinking that led to the Protestant Reformation. <br /> <br />The second section examines four specific issues that stand as obstacles to church unity in contemporary society: sexual purity, celibacy, abortion, and homosexuality. Berry offers insight into each issue by examining them from a variety of perspectives and, in some cases, a variety of denominational perspectives --- a particularly helpful bit of information for anyone who tends to lump all Christians together. The third major section looks at sex scandals in the church, providing some troubling statistics on the incidence of rape, pedophilia and other forms of sexual abuse, sex addiction, pornography, and the like within the church. <br /> <br />Throughout the book, Berry offers resources with regard to each specific issue and provides a separate listing of resources in an appendix. Other appendices offer statistics on sexual misconduct, most of which specifically cite behavior among Christians, and a list of questions readers can use to help discern where they stand on foundational beliefs such as Jesus and the authority of the Bible --- beliefs that go a long way toward predicting and understanding a person's attitude toward sex. <br /> <br />If you're familiar with Berry's other books, such as THE UNAUTHORIZED GUIDE TO CHOOSING A CHURCH and the New York Times bestseller GIRLFRIENDS, you'll be glad to know that she continues with her warm, conversational style of writing in this book. In Berry's hands, church history becomes a series of delightful, interconnected stories that shed light on the way Christian thinking on sexuality has developed. As usual, her wit is never far from the surface. <br /> <br />Berry's purpose in tackling such highly charged topics is commendable; she'd like to see Christians on both sides of, say, the abortion divide talking to each other rather than attacking each other. The same goes for all the other sexually related issues that create division in the church. Berry writes in a way that shows she genuinely wants each side of a given issue to understand how and why the other side has reached the conclusions it has. <br /> <br />One can only hope that her readers will take the hint. Berry has done the church a service by providing a highly readable and entertaining look at the way diverse Christians approach sexual issues; the church would be wise to return the favor by encouraging those diverse Christians to begin a conversation with each other that focuses on finding common ground as well as solutions to sex-related problems that plague the church and society.<p>Is it possible to be a Christian and a sexual being? At times it seems like the Church pits sexuality and spirituality against one another. Yet the cost in creating such a dichotomy has resulted in harmful implications on spiritual growth, sexual intimacy, and moral credibility. </p> <p><em>The Unauthorized Guide to Sex and the Church</em> traces sexual attitudes and practices in Hebrew culture as presented in the Old Testament through the current issues that confront the church today. It addresses questions such as "How has the church become so notorious for sex scandals amongst its leadership?" "Why is the church unable to present a united front on sexual issues such as marriage/divorce, premarital sex, homosexuality, and abortion?" and "How can I make wise and informed choices about these important issues in light of my beliefs?"</p> <p>Blending historical facts with practical wisdom, this lively exploration looks at how Christian views of sex have developed and changed based on doctrinal, cultural, medical, scriptural, and psychological understandings. </p>1000Subjects1Arts & Photography2Biographies & Memoirs3Business & Investing4Children's Books4366Comics & Graphic Novels5Computers & Internet6Cooking, Food & Wine86Entertainment301889Gay & Lesbian10Health, Mind & Body9History48Home & Garden10777Law17Literature & Fiction13996Medicine18Mystery & Thrillers53Nonfiction290060Outdoors & Nature20Parenting & Families173507Professional & Technical21Reference22Religion & Spirituality23Romance75Science25Science Fiction & Fantasy26Sports28Teens27Travel283155Books400272011Paperback394184011Mass Market401237011Trade394174011Binding (binding)388186011Refinements283155Books618083011Printed Books618072011Format (feature_browse-bin)388186011Refinements283155Books0516025678http://www.amazon.com/What-When-Your-Clean-Survival/dp/0516025678%3FSubscriptionId%3D05ERXYTS89KFGEPQR5G2%26tag%3Dthebookrevi0b-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D0516025678878200Joy Wilt BerrySchool & Library Binding648.597805160256740516025678Childrens PrEnglishEnglishEnglish1500USD$15.00Childrens Pr1Book1982-04Childrens PrChildrens Pr895USD$8.952500USD$25.000410004.52105160256785002008-11-11

Helpful for parent AND child

This book appeared in our church library at a time when I was frustrated with my children and they with me! "Clean your room!" was all I could think to say, and they didn't know where to start. But they couldn't express that, especially when we were all upset. This slim little volume had words of wisdom for all of us, and a simple plan that my 7-year-old could follow. I can't say that it worked equally well for all my children, but they each got something out of it. And for me, it showed that kids need a complex task broken down into simple steps. Very basic idea, but I didn't know! I couldn't remember learning how to clean. I just did it. My parents didn't have this book, but maybe they were wiser teachers than I thought. Anyway, I recommend this series of books, and "Clean Your Room" in particular.05160256784552001-02-26

My parent's said "clean your room" a lot!

This book didn't work as well as my parents wanted it to(my room gets messy), but it has been over 12 years since they gave it to me and I still use it for reference sometimes. The book and series do a great job of opening communication between you and adults. They give kids a place to start and a laugh (great pictures) at the same time. Every thing is friendly and lets you understand why your parents are upset about the dump your room is, encouraging you to keep it clean. It gave me a structure. I still start cleaning by making my bed. The book talks about doing laundry, too. Clearly laid out directions on what to do and where to go next keep you going.0849981395051602568605160257323049241General2752Baby-34Children's Books1000Subjects283155Books713097011General AAS2752Baby-34Children's Books1000Subjects283155Books5331Children's Rooms5328Remodeling & Renovation5319Home Design48Home & Garden1000Subjects283155Books394183011School & Library Binding394174011Binding (binding)388186011Refinements283155Books618083011Printed Books618072011Format (feature_browse-bin)388186011Refinements283155Books673421011Baby-3673420011Age Range (age_range)388186011Refinements283155Books0891099158http://www.amazon.com/WHOS-BLAME-RENEE-BERRY-CARMEN/dp/0891099158%3FSubscriptionId%3D05ERXYTS89KFGEPQR5G2%26tag%3Dthebookrevi0b-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D0891099158265077http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/712JJE043DL._SL75_.gif7546http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/712JJE043DL._SL160_.gif16099http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/712JJE043DL.gif475293RENEE BERRY CARMENW BAKER MARKPaperback158.29780891099154700891099158NavPressEnglishEnglishEnglish8301699USD$16.99NavPress1244Book1996-04-01NavPressNavPress65540500USD$5.002USD$0.021400USD$14.0021262011ATVPDKIKX0DERhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/help/seller/home.html?seller=ATVPDKIKX0DERNewnew8%2Batt5eqXxI45WpPYKPA55Mb5fiH9k4tF%2BhJ0SZFEBp3iJZneqcs%2FSEJ4MA94CME003eZ6PaXXyKsLv9eX4Yhg%3D%3D1155USD$11.55Usually ships in 24 hours4.52108910991585771999-04-05

This book will help YOU get CONTROL of your FEELINGS!

I have to say that this is one of my most treasured books. It's insight is direct, and very sensible. If you have a relationship that you have trouble understanding, I am sure this book will help you understand it. It has greatly helped my relationship with my wife. If you are seeing a marriage counselor, you must have this book (and a highlighter!) I still refer to parts of it after having it for two months. It is well written, It does not beat around the bush, it is not frilly, it is very meaty and will not leave you pondering about what the author is trying to tell you. I am in control of my feelings, and this book greatly helps me in maintaining that. Jade Clayton Author- McGraw-Hill Illustrated Telecom Dictionary08910991584991998-07-16

Create the Relationship You Want

This book enabled me to take a hard look at my relationship and identify the source of my unhappiness. I could start to see how I was partially responsible for the bad treatment I had been getting from my husband by not putting my foot down. As I woman, I think we all have a tendency to just hope our mate will understand why we're not happy. This helped to me to articulate the problems to my spouse and not be a particpant in my own victimization. Also it gave me a better undestanding of how relationships can suffer from mismanaged anger, fear, and power.YOU CAN GET OUT OF THE BLAME GAME. <P>If you're tired of being hurt by the hurting people in your life, Who's to Blame? will explain the dynamics of victimization, blame, and healing. You'll be given the tools you need to set appropriate boundaries for your relationships with these hurting people. Although no one is to blame in the victimization process, everyone is responsible. It's up to you to gain personal power in your relationships. <P>"This is an important book for anyone who wants to live as a powerful person. Clear, well-written, and offering useful advice, Who's to Blame? will help you live a more empowered and loving life."-Barbara DeAngelis, Ph.D., author of Real Moments <P>"Anyone who has ever felt like a victim-or has been called a 'victimizer'-will benefit enormously from this book. The authors unmask a highly complex and chronic set of dynamics and provide a clear way out. This book will be looked back upon as a watershed in our struggle to both understand and remediate the relationships that lead to victimization."-Neil Clark Warren, Ph.D., author of Make Your Anger Your Ally <P>"This book is helpful for therapists, as well as their clients. It provides fresh insight into the realization that we are all both victims and victimizers. This book will help us see beyond our pain to our potential for empowerment."-Ralph H. Earle, Ph.D., ABPP <P>"With penetrating insight and genuine compassion, Berry and Baker help readers move beyond personal victimization and avoid revictimization by those who won't. Must reading!"-Sandra D. Wilson, Ph.D., visiting professor, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and author of Released from Shame0962272809157174483514022065260824521080006137477611175General11119Psychology & Counseling10Health, Mind & Body1000Subjects283155Books713279011General AAS11119Psychology & Counseling10Health, Mind & Body1000Subjects283155Books4732Interpersonal Relations4729Relationships10Health, Mind & Body1000Subjects283155Books4738General4736Self-Help10Health, Mind & Body1000Subjects283155Books713286011General AAS4736Self-Help10Health, Mind & Body1000Subjects283155Books12444Self Help12404Protestantism12290Christianity22Religion & Spirituality1000Subjects283155Books400272011Paperback394184011Mass Market401237011Trade394174011Binding (binding)388186011Refinements283155Books618083011Printed Books618072011Format (feature_browse-bin)388186011Refinements283155BooksB0006DMKPEhttp://www.amazon.com/descendants-Hudson-1848-1925-Caroline-1853-1935/dp/B0006DMKPE%3FSubscriptionId%3D05ERXYTS89KFGEPQR5G2%26tag%3Dthebookrevi0b-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3DB0006DMKPEJones Ed HudsonUnknown BindingJ.E. HudsonEnglishEnglishJ.E. HudsonBook1991J.E. HudsonJ.E. Hudson0000004.012225B0006DMKPE3002008-11-11

Loved the website

I stumbled upon Save Karyn's website after reading about it somewhere. I loved the website. I got some good laughs off of some of the things she said or did. I got some good money saving ideas. I had to special order the book. The book wasn't what I had been expecting..Not quite as witty as the daily stuff I'd read. It may have been that the book was kindof a review... Although I think the book just wasn't as entertaining. However, I do plan on reading her other book it sounds cute. Just to make sure that the anticipation didn't ruin this book a little. It was good just not what I expected. B0006DMKPE5002008-09-24

Need a good laugh! Karen will cheer you up

This is an awomse book. I could not put it down. I caught myself laughing out loud. <br />I recommend this book to anyone! Don't listen to the 1-2-3 stras, they probly did not read it. If they did, they would have nothing to sayB0006DMKPE4002008-01-23

Better than I thought it would be...

Really! I bought this book thinking it would be nothing more than 'mindless chicklit', expecting it to serve its purpose as a time-waster on a cross-country flight, and nothing more... But guess what? I really liked it! And it really made me think about my own shopping habits and (gasp!) credit card debt... In fact, within 30 minutes of arriving home from my trip, I immediately began listing some of my own extravegant purchases on ebay, a'la Save Karyn... B0006DMKPE5002007-12-08

For what it is, it fabulous!

Let me start by saying I have a Masters Degree in English Literature. lol <br />I don't reread books much and when I do they are usually literary books... I'm not really a fan of Chick Lit, except for Bridget Jones because that was hilarious. <br />And yet this book.... It's just fun fun fun! I must have read it about 5 times. It's my relax book. It's just a fascinating story and Karyn is such a character. <br />For the first half of the book even the most sympathetic reader may feel like kicking Karyn at times because she does come across as vapid and so brainwashed by the media's idea of what women should look like but boy does she ever grow and change! Not completely, she remains a little on the shallow side, still thinking that she has to have blond hair etc... but she really does grow up and the fact that 9/11 happens in the middle of this book keeps it from being too light weight and boring. 9/11 in the midst of all this consumerism is a shocker! <br />I don't think people gave Karyn money because they felt sorry for her. They gave her money because she is entertaining, funny and such an unusually sunny personality without being annoying. I love this book. <br />B0006DMKPE4002007-09-18

Funny and entertaining

Karyn's antics are very amusing, and she keeps your interest througout. I thought the premise was ridiculous - she has the gumption to ask for money to pay off credit card debt, when there are so many more deserving causes out there. But once you read the book, you can't help but feel a little bad for her. The language is a little sophomoric ( saying "anyhoo" once is forgivable but several times is a bit much for a published book) and it has a very bloggish "I went here I did this" style but that was probably intentional. The shopping excursions are fun to read about. <p> <blockquote> Drowning in $20,000 of credit card debt, shopaholic Karyn Bosnak asked strangers for money online -- and it worked! </blockquote> </p> <p> What would you do if you owed $20,000? Would you: A) not tell your parents? B) start your own website that asked for money without apology? or C) stop coloring your hair, getting pedicures, and buying Gucci? If you were Karyn Bosnak, you'd do all three. </p> <p> Karyn started a funny yet honest website, www.savekaryn.com, on which she asked for donations to help her get out of debt. Karyn received e-mails from people all over the world, either confessing their own debt-ridden lives, or criticizing hers. But after four months of Internet panhandling and selling her prized possessions on eBay, her debt was gone! </p> <p> In <i>Save Karyn: One Shopaholic's Journey to Debt and Back,</i> Karyn details the bumpy road her financial -- and personal -- life has traveled to get her where she is today: happy, grateful, and completely debt-free. In this charming cautionary tale, Karyn chronicles her glamorous rise, her embarrassing fall, and how the kindness of strangers in cyberia really can make a difference. </p>00608283580679783571B000O17CZG0451223896B00164CNOA14273351North Carolina14273021United States11880Genealogy21Reference1000Subjects283155BooksB00113DNGIhttp://www.amazon.com/Venetian-Betrayal-Novel-Steve-Berry/dp/B00113DNGI%3FSubscriptionId%3D05ERXYTS89KFGEPQR5G2%26tag%3Dthebookrevi0b-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3DB00113DNGIhttp://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51VC9kTU6QL._SL75_.jpg7575http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51VC9kTU6QL._SL160_.jpg160160http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51VC9kTU6QL.jpg500500Steve BerryAudio Downloadaudible.com2995USD$29.95audible.comBookaudible.comaudible.com1573USD$15.73100011ATVPDKIKX0DERhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/help/seller/home.html?seller=ATVPDKIKX0DERNewnewI8X7MiSm47%2FMs%2F6jVsxI5sVkIS2e3RYJNr66lB1OBWV0Dz8ul5pDQhnIdranMqo0g61x72MNcjtbRbE83onvhQ%3D%3D1573USD$15.73Usually ships in 24 hours4.05311B00113DNGI1002008-11-09

Berry's worst book

I don't like to write negative reviews, but this book is terrible. I know Steve Berry doesn't produce great literature, but here the writing is so bad--short, clunky sentences; cartoonish, cardboard characters; and stilted dialogue--and the plot is so ridiculous that I had to force myself to finish the book. I ended up just skipping over the last 40 or so pages. There are some unbelievable lapses in editing. For example, Iran is described as "a harbinger of terrorists" and there is "an eloquent Chinese cabinet." I really enjoyed Mr. Berry's first three books, but his last three haven't done anything for me.B00113DNGI5002008-10-22

the best in the series!

the venetian betrayal is the best of the cotton malone series, so far! well, imo, that is! this one had it all, action, history, mystery, everything! <br />this is my favorite berry book, the amber room is now second! <br />i'm looking forward to reading the next in the series!B00113DNGI4112008-09-09

Entertaining but unbelievable in spots...

Steve Berry has a knack for taking a piece of history and weaving a fictional story around that history. Berry has used this formula to good effect in everything he has written, including the latest--The Venetian Betrayal. My husband and I listened to the unabridged CDs on a very long road trip, and it kept us entertained for 14 long hours, and then some. But comparing The Venetian Betrayal to his other works, it's not quite a strong. <br /> <br />The piece of history in The Venetian Betrayal is the search for the remains of Alexander the Great. Irina Zovastina is the supreme minister of the fictional Central Asian Federation (a group of former Soviet states). She has an obsession with Alexander the Great and she plans to conquer the same regions that her hero conquered centuries ago. One of the reasons she wants to find Alexander's remains is that she also believes they will lead her to a draft that will cure HIV/AIDS (a definite stretch). At first, it is rumored that the remains of Alexander are actually buried in St. Mark's crypt in Venice--thus the book's name. But Zovastina and her henchmen will leave no stone unturned in their quest for Alexander and in the supreme minister's master plan for world dominance. <br /> <br />In The Venetian Betrayal, Berry brings back the characters from The Alexander Link and The Templar Legacy. They include Copenhagen-bookseller and former US operative, Cotton Malone, Cassiopeia Vitt, Henrik Thorvaldsen, and Justice Department boss Stephanie Nell. They all bring their unique talents to The Venetian Betrayal as they try to stop the evil and diabolical Zovastina. They certainly provide action at break-neck speed. <br /> <br />As with all thrillers, The Venetian Betrayal was unbelievable in spots. But I love the historical aspects of all of Berry's works (in this case, Alexander the Great). Also, I enjoy any story that makes a long car trip seem much quicker. In this respect, The Venetian Betrayal proved to be good entertainment. <br />B00113DNGI5112008-08-25

Great Reading

This book was absolutely fantastic reading. This is the first time I read any of his books and it held my attention from beginning to end and it took me only three days to read and absorb it and this being during the olympics on TV also. Like I said it was a great book and I have a few others of his and I am going to start reading them now. I am awaiting to others that I have preordered.B00113DNGI5112008-08-18

Once again Berry is excellent

I am a fan of Berry so I am a little biased but I thought this book was right in line with the others with Cotton Malone as the central character. An enjoyable read for sure. I enjoy the way Berry continues to build his characters. This one is involves a fun look at history with a nice blend of conspiracy, action, and mystery! In 323 B.C.E, having conquered Persia, Alexander the Great set his sights on Arabia, then suddenly succumbed to a strange fever. Locating his final resting place–unknown to this day–remains a tantalizing goal for both archaeologists and treasure hunters. Now the quest for this coveted prize is about to heat up. And Cotton Malone–former U.S. Justice Department agent turned rare-book dealer–will be drawn into an intense geopolitical chess game. <br><br>After narrowly escaping incineration in a devastating fire that consumes a Danish museum, Cotton learns from his friend, the beguiling adventurer Cassiopeia Vitt, that the blaze was neither an accident nor an isolated incident. As part of campaign of arson intended to mask a far more diabolical design, buildings across Europe are being devoured by infernos of unnatural strength.<br><br>And from the ashes of the U.S.S.R., a new nation has arisen: Former Soviet republics have consolidated into the Central Asian Federation. At its helm is Supreme Minister Irina Zovastina, a cunning despot with a talent for politics, a taste for blood sport, and the single-minded desire to surpass Alexander the Great as history’s ultimate conqueror. <br>Backed by a secret cabal of powerbrokers, the Federation has amassed a harrowing arsenal of biological weapons. Equipped with the hellish power to decimate other nations at will, only one thing keeps Zovastina from setting in motion her death march of domination: a miraculous healing serum, kept secret by an ancient puzzle and buried with the mummified remains of Alexander the Great–in a tomb lost to the ages for more than 1,500 years.<br><br>Together, Cotton and Cassiopeia must outrun and outthink the forces allied against them. Their perilous quest will take them to the shores of Denmark, deep into the venerated monuments of Venice, and finally high inside the desolate Pamir mountains of Central Asia to unravel a riddle whose solution could destroy or save millions of people–depending on who finds the lost tomb first.034548576907653110540451223195034550438003455044021000Subjects1Arts & Photography2Biographies & Memoirs3Business & Investing4Children's Books4366Comics & Graphic Novels5Computers & Internet6Cooking, Food & Wine86Entertainment301889Gay & Lesbian10Health, Mind & Body9History48Home & Garden10777Law17Literature & Fiction13996Medicine18Mystery & Thrillers53Nonfiction290060Outdoors & Nature20Parenting & Families173507Professional & Technical21Reference22Religion & Spirituality23Romance75Science25Science Fiction & Fantasy26Sports28Teens27Travel283155Books1240885011Audiobook Downloads618075011Audiobooks618072011Format (feature_browse-bin)388186011Refinements283155Books052594463Xhttp://www.amazon.com/All-Me-Voluptuous-Venise-Berry/dp/052594463X%3FSubscriptionId%3D05ERXYTS89KFGEPQR5G2%26tag%3Dthebookrevi0b-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D052594463X1591786http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51KYZ3C2HQL._SL75_.jpg7547http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51KYZ3C2HQL._SL160_.jpg16099http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51KYZ3C2HQL.jpg475295Venise BerryHardcover813.549780525944638100052594463XDutton AdultEnglishEnglishEnglish8202395USD$23.95Dutton Adult1288Book2000-01-01Dutton Adult2000-01-03Dutton Adult85560225USD$2.251USD$0.012395USD$23.95135830004.04810052594463X4112003-07-24

Touching, powerful

Heroine: abundant<br> <br> Television news reporter Serpentine Williamson is making the arduous climb up the slippery slope to mental and emotional balance after a nervous breakdown and a suicide attempt.<p> Meetings with a psychiatrist lead her to begin keeping a journal, where she records her thoughts on the various influences on her life and her choice to embrace whatever messages they have sent to her, no matter how unhealthy or unkind those messages have been. <p> But with her eyes now opened wide to the patterns in her life, Serpentine begins to carve out a new identity for herself, one that belongs strictly to her, that owes nothing to no one: not society, her family, her job, or men.<p>What worked for me:<br> <br> The story gives readers an abundance of social issues to reflect upon: suicide, racism, sexism, and sizeism. Yet despite the gravity of these subjects, there was a lot of dark humor in this book, particularly in the journal entries which opened each chapter. In many cases, they were the brightest gems in this story. <p> Size-wise we saw Serpentine at different times in her life, and each time she was a different size: average, voluptuous, abundant; but no matter what number graced the tags in her clothes, she was struggling to love herself.<p>What didn't work for me:<br> <br> The jumping around in time could be a bit confusing, but the little vignettes of Serpentine's life over the years were fascinating and really helped to make her painfully real.<p> The novel felt a bit preachy in a few spots, but for the most part the messages were discreetly filtered into the book.<br> <br>Overall:<br> "All of Me" has a touching, powerful message wrapped up in an attractive package and is well worth searching out.<p>Warning: there are some coarse words and sexual scenarios in this book.<p>If you liked "All of Me" you might also enjoy "The High Price of a Good Man", "Good in Bed", "Jemima J.", "Commitments", or "Etta Mae's Little Theory".052594463X4002003-06-26

Serpentine Fire

This raises your self-esteem. This topic isn't really written about, thats why I picked this book to read. Serpentine was depressed to the point she tried to commit suicide. The man she truely loved and trusted (and it was hard to get that)cheated on her with an old flame of his. Society makes rail-thin women beautiful and large women ugly. Her job is also getting stressful because of her weight, and her mother keeps nagging her about diets to lose weight. Serpentine learned to love herself, learned to be happy, and learned to focus on all the good things in life and look forward in the future, instead of her weight.052594463X5002003-02-09

All of Me is All of Us!

How many times have we been told to love ourselves? How often do we pay attention? As readers we get a chance to travel with Ms. Berry's character Serpentine, as she moves through life. Her journey is not uncommon: family, career, love, joy, despair and ...can I still wear these pants? All things we can relate to. Serpentine reminds us that we all have the "fire" to enjoy life. We've just got to remember to add "new logs" to our souls to make sure it is going strong. Thank you, Ms. Berry! I am paying attention!052594463X5112002-02-26

Learning to Love Your Self

Hats off to Vanise T. Berry. My girlfriend called me long distance at work to get me to order the book and I'm so glad that she did.<p>I liked the fact that the author dealt with a very painful issue that a whole lot of people deal with: weight. I thought it was interesting that the book dealth with the real issue that even though this woman had accomplished so much in her career and life, she still couldn't recognize her her self for her accomplishments outside of having a relationship or her size, like so many women do. This book had a very real message (not done it an overly preachy style). It was simple, LOVE YOUSELF!052594463X5002002-01-30

TRUTHFUL / DEEP

VENISE BERRY CAPTURED MY LIFE IN THE WORDS IN THIS BOOK. I HAD TO ASK THE AUTHOR IF SOMEONE HAD SHARED MY LIFE STORY WITH HER. <p>THIS BOOK IS DEEP! GUT RENCHING AND PAINFUL. YET SERPENTINE STYLES AND SHINE IN BY EVOLVING OUT OF THE SHELL OF HER INSECURITY AND STANDS CONFIDENT WITH SELF LOVE. THIS IS A MUST READ FOR ANY WOMAN STRUGGLING WITH WEIGHT PROBLEMS AND MORE SO ESTEEM AND IDENTITY STRUGGLES."Wise and funny. Venise Berry is a welcome addition to the literature of African-American women."-Charlotte Watson Sherman, author of <i>Touch</i> (on <i>So Good</i>)<br><br><i>So Good</i>, Venise Berry's first novel, spent six months on <i>Essence</i> magazine's Blackboard bestseller list and was an Alternate Selection of the Literary Guild(r). With <i>All of Me</i>, Berry again delivers a compelling, humorous, and poignant story on a subject that plagues half the women in America-weight. Serpentine Williamson has a good life: an exciting career as a television reporter in Chicago, a sexy boyfriend, membership in a popular gospel choir, and a family who loves her. But in the midst of her positives lies a powerful negative-her lifelong struggle with weight. <br><br>After years of buying into fads and labels, Serpentine finds her world crumbling. And, finally losing the battle to uphold her plummeting self-esteem, she breaks down and needs to be hospitalized. All of Me is a heartwarming, inspiring, and often funny chronicle of Serpentine's fight for recovery. As she learns to meet her challenges with dignity and strength she also learns to love herself, for the first time, just the way she is. All of Me will resonate with women of all shapes and sizes and will once again affirm Venise Berry as a fresh voice in African-American women's fiction, whose snappy characters, according to Rosalyn McMillan, "double-dare you to put the book down."At the opening of Venise Berry's absorbing second novel, TV reporter Serpentine Williamson is jotting a few dispirited lines into a journal that her psychiatrist has insisted she keep. She has tried to kill herself. Yes, she tells Dr. Greeley, a man was involved, "but a lot more was going on in my head." What really drove her to attempt suicide was her own damaged self-image as a full-figured black woman and her constant, discouraging attempts to drop the pounds, find a good man, and make her mark in television. Since childhood, Serpentine has embraced every fad diet and weight-loss technique as it emerged, even submitting herself to a humiliating seaweed wrap that required her to stand for two hours in an empty bathtub draped in strips of wet plastic, looking, as her sister pointed out, "like a piece of Mama's day-old fried chicken when it's wrapped in the 'frigerator." Nothing made much of a difference. As it turns out, her recovery focuses not on her weight--or any single issue--but on Serpentine's expanded view of herself and her own possibilities. Near the end of the novel, Dr. Greeley tells her that it's clear, finally, that she loves herself. The question is how much. Leaving her doctor's office, Serpentine sees a shop sign advertising spa getaways, an indulgence she has never permitted herself. <blockquote> In that moment, Serpentine knew her guiding fire was at work. Sometimes it was a vivid blaze lighting her way. Other times it was a smoldering ember that allowed her to choose her own path. She followed the fire inside the double glass doors. </blockquote> Eventually, as her newfound assurance leads her out of her depression, she can describe her much-loved aunt in terms that might apply to herself, as well: "Her wide shoulders over ample hips are attached to big, pretty legs. It's a body that serves as an appropriate container for her exuberant spirit." <I>--Regina Marler</I>05259447100525938850037550650016004301120758208723502876General265046Journals265040Accessories504358Formats251254011Custom Stores44258011Specialty Stores283155Books16004691General9822United States10311World Literature17Literature & Fiction1000Subjects283155Books713411011General AAS9822United States10311World Literature17Literature & Fiction1000Subjects283155Books10129Contemporary17Literature & Fiction1000Subjects283155Books713365011General AAS17Literature & Fiction1000Subjects283155Books394181011Hardcover394174011Binding (binding)388186011Refinements283155Books618083011Printed Books618072011Format (feature_browse-bin)388186011Refinements283155Books1RCGNGZRTVXCKRealistically-proportioned Heroines, list 33VKOTXQXLUPCEMore size positive books30FYENGVAB0ZISensuous Sistas' Sightings493HDWQRGTBSBooks to Make You Laugh, Make You Cry and Make you THINK22HV8L20N4XSSThe G.R.I.T.S. Online Reading Club Reading List for 2000!193399357Xhttp://www.amazon.com/Foxes-Book-Martyrs-John-Foxe/dp/193399357X%3FSubscriptionId%3D05ERXYTS89KFGEPQR5G2%26tag%3Dthebookrevi0b-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D193399357X579506http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/515uiS-ONGL._SL75_.jpg7548http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/515uiS-ONGL._SL160_.jpg160103http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/515uiS-ONGL.jpg500323John FoxePaperbackW., Grinton Berry2709781933993577100193399357XApocryphile PressEnglishEnglishEnglish8501895USD$18.95Apocryphile Press1428Book2007-11-01Apocryphile PressApocryphile Press1155301824USD$18.242284USD$22.841270011ATVPDKIKX0DERhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/help/seller/home.html?seller=ATVPDKIKX0DERNewnewNxMkkUCpyI64FkABnIQDe97IOztXCls41xw3q727SEvpbnlp70NJEIHGm8kaOxelvHFAMFl%2FEGzbB4019ZsbVA%3D%3D1895USD$18.95Usually ships in 24 hours4.0408193399357X1112008-10-26

Utterly useless for anyone with a mind to real scholarship

I could not agree more with the negative reviews of this product in general, or with Papa_gresh in particular. <br /> <br />As a student of this period in history, I was appalled to discover that a significant portion of book is mostly a catalogue of "modern" martyrs, accompanied by NOT a full (or even close to scholarly) version of Foxe's original text. Even more shockingly, the editorial comments in the beginning include notes like "Foxe wrote his book in Middle-English, the language of his day" (xvi). This is a ridiculous statement at best, considering the fact that Middle English (the language, most familiarly, of Chaucer) fell out of use around 1470, when it was replaced by Early Modern English; in fact, Foxe's language in Acts and Monuments (the Book of Martyrs) is the language of Shakespeare's plays, which are CLEARLY not the same as Chaucer's works--even to someone unfamiliar with either period. <br /> <br />The editor compounds this glaring error with the somewhat patronizing note that he has replaced much of the "difficult to understand" "Middle-English" words "we no longer use"....the first example of which is "abscond." Though this is perhaps not a "Joe Six-Pack" word, it is certainly one with which most reasonably educated people are, indeed, still familiar. Calling this "Modern American English" is yet another upsetting pander to the lowest common denominator--a purpose to which one of the more significant Early Modern texts should under no circumstances be subjected. <br /> <br />Even with these errors in scholastic presentation aside, I was again quite irritated to discover how significant a portion of this book entitled "Foxe's Book of Martyrs" did not, in fact, consist of said book, but rather the editor's additional catologue of "modern day" martyrs of his choosing. <br /> <br />N.B.: If the book were RETITLED effectively, it would perhaps satisfy those who still chose to purchase it; however, the prominent use of Foxe's name and original title made the book I received a disappointment at best, and at worst, a poorly written vehicle of Christian propaganda, outrageously and misleadingly disguised as an historical text. I would vehemently discourage anyone the least bit interested in Foxe's historical text Acts and Monuments (The Book of Martyrs) from purchasing this "version." <br /> <br />Represented as it is, I would prefer not even to give it the single star Amazon requires.193399357X5002008-06-20

Foxe's Book Of Martyrs: An Edition for the People (Ambassador Classics)

The whole truth that will be visited upon us again. Foxe's Book Of Martyrs: An Edition for the People (Ambassador Classics) 193399357X5002008-06-11

Everyone house should have one

Foxe's Book of Martyrs was often read from as a family after reading the Bible. It reminds us that living the Christian life always costs something. I also remind my own children that there have been more Christian Martyrs in the past century than any other century. Christians around the world are dying for Christ everyday. <br /> <br />I gave this version of the book as graduation presents with gift cards inside. The book is hardcover and is in readable English, unlike some older translations. I highly recommend this copy for gifts. <br /> <br />193399357X4002007-12-29

Easy to Read

I bought two versions of this book, the other being in the original English of Foxe. I would recommend this version over the other since it is a lot easier to read, follow and understand. I wish it were hardcover, but it is a good choice otherwise.193399357X5112007-12-01

S.C. Jyles

This is such a moving about how and why we should be able to suffer for our faith in our God. If this book does not inspire you to be a christian on your faith in God alone well I just don't know how you could call yourself a christian and hold your head up. This book has inspired me by the faith of others gone on before me to be able to withstand anyone or anything for who and what I believe in. To read in the Bible what some christian went through and it doesn't really go into full detail (the Bible) and then to have the Spirit to lead you to this book well it made me feel ashame of the way I have acted about people making fun of me because I am a disciple of Christ. I am a student in the word of God. I would highly recommend this book to weak christians or those being persecuted because of your faith in our Saviour. Persecution and torture, faith and devotion, a timeless classic of the history of Christian martyrdom. One of the most-read books in the English language, Foxe's Book of Martyrs has testified to the faith and courage of those whose would not-could not-betray their convictions about the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, even at pain of death. From the martyrs of the early church to the horrors faced by the Protestant reformers, this book has been a source of inspiration for nearly five hundred years.0310243912091357386808827075740882703307084993861912354General12350Church History12290Christianity22Religion & Spirituality1000Subjects283155Books713626011General AAS12290Christianity22Religion & Spirituality1000Subjects283155Books12817Inspirational12809Spirituality22Religion & Spirituality1000Subjects283155Books12504General22Religion & Spirituality1000Subjects283155Books400272011Paperback394184011Mass Market401237011Trade394174011Binding (binding)388186011Refinements283155Books618083011Printed Books618072011Format (feature_browse-bin)388186011Refinements283155Books1580087965http://www.amazon.com/Vegetables-Berries-Thought-Possible-Imagine/dp/1580087965%3FSubscriptionId%3D05ERXYTS89KFGEPQR5G2%26tag%3Dthebookrevi0b-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D15800879656969http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51Lk71BV-DL._SL75_.jpg7558http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51Lk71BV-DL._SL160_.jpg160124http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51Lk71BV-DL.jpg500386John JeavonsPaperback6359781580087964551580087965Ten Speed PressEnglishEnglishEnglish10791995USD$19.95Ten Speed Press1268Book2006-10-31Ten Speed PressTen Speed Press1308351256USD$12.56857USD$8.573990011ATVPDKIKX0DERhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/help/seller/home.html?seller=ATVPDKIKX0DERNewnew5TqlaMyyZ5vk7SEEk9b7exgRTI%2BDKPbVYt3Tmi7K3SisERu1CYRzVtnh7WSH3NffCEGZoBU0I%2BYVSwKLQSFjWw%3D%3D1357USD$13.57Usually ships in 24 hours4.029615800879655112008-10-14

Practically Perfect in Every Way!

<br />This is the sort of book you search for. You can now recycle your other garden books. This book along with a good seed catalogue is all you'll ever need. It is packed to overflowing with detailed information about the hows and why's plantings in your garden will or will not work. Inside it has lists of companion plantings, and plants that would be detriment to each other. It is science with practical field experience. It also contains detailed charts and guides to truly make the most of your garden. The author has given you exactly how many seedlings you need to plant to provide for a family of one to four. Brilliant! They've taken the guess work out of the adventure! And that is a huge relief!! 15800879655232008-07-02

the best gardening book

In my honest opinion, this is the best how to garden book out there. Probably not for beginners, but for those who want more. It debunks the normal vegetable spacing on the seed packets, so you can get more that you can imagine...... <br />15800879652452008-06-22

there are better books out there

while the idea of growing more vegetables is a noble (and highly marketable) title, the actual book didn't have much information that i didn't already read in 'square foot gardening' or 'four-season harvest'. a key difference is that an artificial soil mix isn't used, but rather using organic methods to improve existing soil - is that a new concept? while both books do a comparison of intensive methods, Jeavons recommends a hexagonal inter-planting pattern (similar to the spacing in chicken wire) to plant intensively, vs. the square foot method of rigidly planting only one kind of vegetable in each square. Jeavons also advocates the use companion plants whereever possible to increase yields and reduce pests. however, the sections devoted to double-digging and composting seem to make up a disproportionately large section of the book, and relatively little is said about what exactly increases yields except for treating the soil well (e.g., use good compost, raised beds, add organic matter, etc). for anyone interested in organic gardening, there isn't a lot of unique information in this book that couldn't be found on a good website.15800879652032008-05-27

Very disappointing

I found this book a bore to read at best. It is full of omissions and confusing charts that don't explain what they are showing. I also found it constantly trying to convince you of this political dogma and to join the society that supports this. There are much better books on intensive planting that actually explain a syetem to do it that this.15800879654232008-03-28

Planned my Fall/Winter Garden With It

I am fairly new to vegetable gardening and had no clue how much to plant for my wife and I in a Fall/Winter Garden. The book contains many charts and diagrams, which show how many square feet of space to alot for each vegetable. I currently use a hybrid method with 4x4 square foot gardening instead of the large rectangles as suggested in the book since my garden is in my backyard and I do like to have some lawn. A square foot is a square foot, so it really doesn't matter shape/size. There is also some good general gardening advice in the first few chapters. It is a good reference book for the library. For over 30 years, this pioneering work has continued to revolutionize food production around the world. While many people tend to look for big solutions to global concerns such as malnutrition, environmental researcher John Jeavons proves that the answers are often found in our backyards -- that is, in how we grow our food. Written for the individual gardener, "How to Grow More Vegetables" is the bible on Grow Biointensive "RM" mini-farming, a method that produces high yields of food crops in very small spaces while nourishing the soil and reducing the use of chemicals. This newly revised and significantly expanded edition incorporates the latest techniques and methods developed by Jeavons and many others around the world who have adopted this increasingly necessary method of small-scale food production.158008016218901322761882424581088266703315918620275269Fruit5241Gardening & Horticulture48Home & Garden1000Subjects283155Books5295Organic5310Techniques5241Gardening & Horticulture48Home & Garden1000Subjects283155Books10828091General5310Techniques5241Gardening & Horticulture48Home & Garden1000Subjects283155Books5315Vegetables5241Gardening & Horticulture48Home & Garden1000Subjects283155Books5276General5241Gardening & Horticulture48Home & Garden1000Subjects283155Books713339011General AAS5241Gardening & Horticulture48Home & Garden1000Subjects283155Books14463Ecology14459Environment290060Outdoors & Nature1000Subjects283155Books400272011Paperback394184011Mass Market401237011Trade394174011Binding (binding)388186011Refinements283155Books618083011Printed Books618072011Format (feature_browse-bin)388186011Refinements283155BooksR3OVC4KKD3PU0XGuides to Country and Urban HomesteadingR23CV45HNNHSCQkudzuR13GZJZSR0KTX3Farm and Garden ResourcesR3UVLUK6P1YJE9Sustainable Victory Gardens for EverybodyR21M40HFZQPKMSGardening Bestsellers,R32AGQUJHDHSKFHorticulture, Gardens and LandscapeR3AJ3QGF2UBTFKThe Farmer's & Market Gardener's BookshelfR2M4NSDKVPGB54Building A Sustainable Food SystemRLX8DEE6JKQTGUseful Gardening StuffR1XLGPS9ACNVUVhomesteading have-reads1582431418http://www.amazon.com/Life-Miracle-Against-Modern-Superstition/dp/1582431418%3FSubscriptionId%3D05ERXYTS89KFGEPQR5G2%26tag%3Dthebookrevi0b-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D158243141851736http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51H5FB4EQSL._SL75_.jpg7548http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51H5FB4EQSL._SL160_.jpg160103http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51H5FB4EQSL.jpg475305Wendell BerryPaperback5019781582431413521582431418CounterpointEnglishEnglishEnglish8101495USD$14.95Counterpoint1176Book2001-05Counterpoint2001-05-15Counterpoint47502877USD$8.77569USD$5.6931180011ATVPDKIKX0DERhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/help/seller/home.html?seller=ATVPDKIKX0DERNewnewfmhUXf67boqGZlea3oW4ttBD%2BKetU0bV45tzHqfiseogbnM0%2FYIevLvZ3JpZAncTqVrtw2rb35CVYv8EIo2z7A%3D%3D1017USD$10.17Usually ships in 24 hours4.025515824314183112007-09-13

I'm on the fence

This book certainly creates controversy as the disparate ratings from one to five stars illustrates. If nothing else, that says something very good about it as a book. Indeed the ratings seem to be more along the lines of agreeing or disagreeing with Berry's ideas, rather than the usual standard I apply: how much of my short allotment of time and restricted stack of cash should be spent on a book. I think of most of my reviews along those lines, instead of engaging in a dialect with the author. Now, that being said, I really need to say I am deviating from that practice because although I think this is a five star should read (agree with Berry's updated C.P. Snow Two Cultures or not, spiritualism vs techno-engineeering or not) as a discussion centre, I think there are some writerly considerations: Berry is a poet, a much greater poet than many realize. Like other definers of an age - unacknowledged legislators true but subsequently recognized - his audience does not always realize the way his mind works words around. In his poetry a sort of slow dawning comes on the reader who does not force things along. Brisk walks in his woods will not do, instead the multiple shades of green, the distinct notes of each birdsong, the subtle shifts of a breeze on the face constitute an experience, a miracle of life. That goes on in this prose arguement as well. Reading him for a concise debate just will not work. I guess what I am saying is that the underlying premise is the undeniable point that for all of sciencethere is no such substance as life. But it's still there and that's the miracle and that's the poetry and the rational, logical, orderly prose of an essay does not manifest the miracle that is poetry. But I am thankful there is a Wendell Berry writing such books to make me think. Spend a few bucks, do some pondering, but in the end go to his poems.15824314184112007-09-10

a rebuttal to rebuttals

I am writing in response to the reviews listed here on Life is a miracle. My objection to those who would dismiss Berry as a spiritualist, is that they didn't read his work carefully enough. Berry knows how to prove a point logically and with sufficient evidence. In Berry's case he achieves both the practical, intellectual language of a critical essay and the eye opening prose of cherished thought in literature. It is not a personal book on dreaming about how life should be but a rather original look at the reality and possible extent of collaboration and conversation between science and art. He never attacked science, he proposed limits on it, not for data, not for obtaining knowledge, but limits on how it can solve our human problems. He suggests we be responsible with our knowledge, not simply by eating up more knowledge to be merely original and meeting some professional standard, but by implementing our knowledge in a useful way, that helps in our communities. Why it would be hard to understand Berry's position seems impossibly self-centered given the fact we all now bear the cost of our industry.15824314184552006-10-14

Changing course

I just returned from The Prairie Festival at the Land Institute in Salina, <br />Kansas where I heard Wendell Berry speak. At least two speakers at the <br />Festival said they had changed the course of their lives after reading words <br />written by Wendell Berry. <br /> <br />In this book, I found such life changing words in sections 6 - 8. I got <br />bogged down however in the first sections discussing E.O. Wilson's work <br />"Consilience". I slowly made my way through sections 1-4 and found much <br />to think about but decided to skip section 5. I was then delighted to find <br />the style of writing Berry has used in many of his other books (and in his <br />talk). <br /> <br />"We should give up the frontier and its boomer "ethics" of greed, cunning, <br />and violence, and, so near too late, accept settlement as our goal. Wes <br />Jackson says that our schools now have only one major,upward mobility, <br />and that we need to offer a major in homecoming. I agree, and would only <br />add that a part of the sense of 'homecoming' must be homeMAKING, for we <br />now must begin sometimes with remnants, sometimes with ruins." <br /> <br />"The time is past, if ever there was such a time, when you can just <br />discover knowledge and turn it loose into the world and assume that <br />you have done good. <br />This, to me, is a sign of the incompleteness of science in itself-which <br />is a sign of the need for a strenuous conversation among all the branches <br />of learning. This is a conversation that the universities have failed <br />to produce, and in fact have obstructed." <br /> <br /> <br /> 158243141825122006-07-22

When you believe in things that you don't understand..

The use of the word "superstition" in the title is a mistake, and one that captures the problem with the whole argument. The book is meant as a rebuttal to E.O. Wilson's book Consilience, which argues for an expansion of the use of the scientific method into the realm of the Humanities. <br /> <br />A superstition is a belief that one holds without any supporting evidence or in spite of evidence to the contrary. Some examples would include believing that bad things are more likely to happen on Friday the 13th, that the Earth is 6000 years old, or that water can be located with a bent twig. The human mind is so susceptible to superstition that people had to devise a method of constantly checking their beliefs against observations. That's science -- the thing that rescues you from superstition. <br /> <br />I have to believe that anyone who thought seriously about the scientific method would be OK with it. After all it's just away of keeping oneself honest. In this book Wendell Berry seems particularly angry about something called "scientism," a silly word meant to criticize those who place undue faith in the scientific method. Berry's argument is that there are aspects of human existence that are outside the realm of science, and to think otherwise is to engage in superstition. But he's wrong. Science is a tool for figuring out how things work, and people use it because it has time and again proven successful in solving mysteries that seemed impenetrable, even deeply spiritual. In other words people use science to solve problems because centuries of evidence have shown it to be the best way to solve problems. One might as well use the word "carpentism" to describe the belief that patios can be made out of wood and nails. <br /> <br />Beyond carping about what can be studied, Berry really wants to limit the things that should be studied. I have to say I find this kind of creepy. He talks a lot about his sense of wonder at the beauty of his Kentucky farm, but what about people who derive a sense of wonder from the mathematical structure of music or the brain circuitry that gives rise to religious experience? I can think of no objective reason why farms are more beautiful than equations, or poetry more beautiful than synapses. And suppose our knowledge of synapses could improve people's lives. Suppose we could use a rigorous understanding of the biological basis of thoughts and emotions to treat schizophrenia (one of the world's leading causes of human misery). I know of no other way to investigate the way the brain works, and no reason why such suffering is not worth alleviating. <br /> <br />The book also complains a great deal about the abuses of science by politicians and corporations. As several other reviewers have pointed out, his legitimate beef here is with the government, not science. Governments were abusing their subjects long before there was any such thing as science, and they will continue to do so as long as their corruption is unchecked. The U.S. is (for the moment) a democracy that is responsive to the will of the people, and the laws regulating industry can be changed far more easily than the laws of physics.15824314185582006-05-23

One beautiful essay

Life is a Miracle is one beautiful essay on the folly and pretensions of scientism. If this is your kind of book, you'll get a good laugh reading the venomous review (number 17) by a Dr. Strickland. He calls himself "davexray", so we know how clever he is, but apparently this defender of the scientific method isn't any kind of scientist at all, but merely the practitioner of an interpretive skill, namely, radiology. I hope that you'll see in this review, too, confirmation of Berry's point that such inept thinkers dressed in lab coats are a real threat to our freedom. <br /> <br />You may note that this spokesman for science is a little light on his logic. In the third paragraph, Dr. Strickland, confounding contradiction with contrariety, suggests that for Berry to argue that the Industrial Revolution initiated rampant destruction of the environment and communities, Berry would have to argue that there was no exploitation, suffering, or early death--absolutely none, in fact--in earlier times. <br /> <br />Berry wishes to point out that many of the assertions made in the name of science are not scientific at all, but metaphysical propositions stemming from philosophical materialism and that, furthermore, scientism asserts its right to decide all truth not, as Dr. Strickland would have it, based upon evidence, but as a matter of faith. I would highly recommend reading also "Uncommon Dissent: Intellectuals Who Find Darwinism Unconvincing," to get a feel for just how vicious people like Dr. Strickland and other intellectual pygmies get when their pretentious nonsense is exposed to critical examination by great thinkers. One of America's most respected and celebrated writers provides a thought-provoking analysis of, and a concise rebuttal of, E. O. Wilson's Consilience <P>"[A] scathing assessment...Berry shows that Wilson's much-celebrated, controversial pleas in Consilience to unify all branches of knowledge is nothing more than a fatuous subordination of religion, art, and everything else that is good to science...Berry is one of the most perceptive critics of American society writing today."-Lauren F. Winner, Washington Post Book World <P>"I am tempted to say he understands [Consilience] better than Wilson himself...A new emancipation proclamation in which he speaks again and again about how to defy the tyranny of scientific materialism."-Colin C. Campbell, Christian Science Monitor <P>"Berry takes a wrecking ball to E. O. Wilson's Consilience, reducing its smug assumptions regarding the fusion of science, art, and religion to so much rubble."-Kirkus Reviews <P>In Life Is a Miracle, the devotion of science to the quantitative and reductionist world is measured against the mysterious, qualitative suggestions of religion and art. Berry sees life as the collision of these separate forces, but without all three in the mix we are left at sea in the world.As a poet, novelist, and farmer, Wendell Berry has worked and written in favor of tried and tested ways, rejecting the notion that the modern is always to be preferred over the old. Technology may have its uses, he has insisted in books like <I>The Gift of Good Land</I>, but what matters more is the crafting of sound human communities and of self-reliant living. Religious faith lies at the heart of Berry's unapologetically old-fashioned program. Faith, which supposes that life is full of unpredictable mysteries, stands against much of modern science, an opposition that Berry explores in <I>Life Is a Miracle</I>. Taking particular issue with entomologist E.O. Wilson's recent book, <I>Consilience</I>, which maintains the supremacy of scientific explanation over religious conjecture and supposes that science will one day be able to answer every question about the hows and whys of life, Berry revisits C.P. Snow's "two cultures" thesis to observe that science and religion address different kinds of necessary questions. "Science cannot replace art or religion," he writes, "for the same reason that you cannot loosen a nut with a saw or cut a board in two with a wrench." Against science's "false specification and pretentious exactitude," Berry notes quietly that the more he observes his own little corner of the planet, a small Kentucky farm, the less patient he is with reductionist, materialist explanations of the way things work--for here, and everywhere, "life ... is unique, given to the world minute by minute, only once, never to be repeated."<p> Berry's slender essay offers a thoughtful repudiation of an increasingly technological--and, some would say, soulless--culture. <I>--Gregory McNamee</I> 08654743701593761198067975651508715687720865472750712990011General AAS468236Literature468206Humanities465600New & Used Textbooks251254011Custom Stores44258011Specialty Stores283155Books684279011Epistemology468232Philosophy468206Humanities465600New & Used Textbooks251254011Custom Stores44258011Specialty Stores283155Books712993011General AAS468232Philosophy468206Humanities465600New & Used Textbooks251254011Custom Stores44258011Specialty Stores283155Books712994011General AAS468234Religious Studies468206Humanities465600New & Used Textbooks251254011Custom Stores44258011Specialty Stores283155Books713008011General AAS468216Science & Mathematics465600New & Used Textbooks251254011Custom Stores44258011Specialty Stores283155Books712982011General AAS465600New & Used Textbooks251254011Custom Stores44258011Specialty Stores283155Books713014011General AAS319654011Qualifying Textbooks251254011Custom Stores44258011Specialty Stores283155Books<