Berry Books

And again, as I see from all previous reviews - "what do you believe?", which was also a line from the book. In this day and age of "fruits & nuts", I was kinda cautious about Lucy wanting to hook up with the physic hotline guy, but all that tied in with the "what do you believe?" part of the story. I admired Lucy's friend, Adel, talkig a stand in her profession, but going down the road of "preaching?"........ But this was a different read for a change, event though the twist @ the end kinda freaked me out!

Very good book. I could relate to both women at one point in my life. I know there are many women who relate to being in the middle of 2 men that they have deep emotions for, which satisfies different parts of their lives. However, they do not want to make a choice because they feel like they will be missing something if they choose one over the other. All in all, very good book, and fast read. I will definitely recommend this book to others.

Lucy Merriweather and Adel Kelly have been best friends since they met in college. Both women are in the stride of midlife, and are, on the surface, successful; but each is not as happy as she could be�

Lucy, single, is a fitness manager for a chain of Texas health clubs. Her current �steady� is Spencer, a down-home guy who�s well, boring. Their relationship is totally stable and secure, but not exciting for Lucy. On Adel�s dare, she calls one of those psychic hotlines, and meets Kuba, the �Sexy Soul Psychic.� On hearing his voice, Lucy feels immediately drawn to him. Kuba is mysterious, deeply spiritual and like the name says, sexy. But is Kuba all that she imagines? Who, in the end, holds the answer to the loneliness that gnaws inside of her� or does she alone hold the key? Can she choose between her two lovers?

Adel is married to second husband Thad. Thad is less than responsible, always working on the �next big thing� that never comes through, and Adel struggles with his immaturity. Frustrated at work and at home, Adel turns to her faith for answers. What will bring her the fulfillment she desires? And can Thad grow with her to fit into that picture?

This is just the kind of book to read with a girlfriend. It is Adel�s and Lucy�s friendship that pulls Colored Sugar Water together. Author Berry�s characters are real, and her plot involving� Although I questioned some of the choices the characters make, I found myself truly absorbed by the story and rooting for Lucy and Adel all the same. I liked the strong spiritual theme�a spirituality that doesn�t necessarily mean one religion, or point of view� though the book�s conclusion, it seems, does weigh one over the other. A twist at the end was a nice surprise�but I�m not breathing another word about it here; you�ll just have to read the book yourself!

My only criticism was that some of the plot resolution was a little too pat, a little too quick; it would have been more effective with some forewarning

Colored Sugar Water by Venise Berry is a real book about real relationships, and I recommend it for a good read�and for sharing with a good friend!

Charisse Sisou
R.E.A.L. Reviewers

When voodoo mingles with the search for spirituality, and faith is the defining factor in the lives of two women looking to maintain stability, it makes for a good story. Colored Sugar Water is award-winning novelist Vernise Berry's latest book where the aforementioned women face the challenge of trying to understand just what a meaningful relationship should be. We enter the lives of Lucy Merriweather and Adel Kelly, whose friendship spans 20 years as the brunt of their problems span from spiritual stress, professional ennui, and personal malfunctions within their lives. Borrowing an analogy that Lucy has heard from her grandmother, both women find that their lives are like the colored sugar water Lucy drinks every morning, contrasting being bland and routine, yet sweet and satisfying. Each woman makes a startling choice about what she wants from life and what she needs for spiritual health.

Finding whatever is missing in their lives, the midlife issues and troubling relationships brings on daring exploits as they try to straighten out their respective men. Lucy's problems stems from a sense of insecurity dealing with her emotional and spiritual dreams. Exasperating the situation is her boyfriend, Spencer, a mama's boy who doesn't measure up to her standards. Adel struggles with a husband who refuses to grow up, as he works a job where the money is great but the work is unrewarding. Both of these women are forced to reexamine the need for faith as it pertain to sustaining levels of spirituality to find the balance that is fleeting. Lucy decides to answer the call of a psychic by the name of Kuba, who claims to be all that is missing from her life. The mysterious Kuba, in the end, turn out to be much more than Lucy bargained for....and to Adel's chagrin it's the beginning of more trouble!

Filled with the usual drama that depicts familial relationships gone awry, and the antics that characters deploy to right wrong situations, this book plays into the type of storyline that tend to make the reader wish for more depth to the characters to match the scenarios given. However, the best thing about this novel is the way the author weaves imaginable passion to produce reasons for Lucy and Adel to discover the power of their unique spiritual gifts. It further establishes Venise Berry as one of our innovative storytellers on the scene today. Nevertheless, if you've enjoyed any of the author's earlier work, this one will not disappoint. Read it and discover the colored menagerie of her powerful words here.

Had it not been for the name I never would've touched this book. Colored sugar waters sounds tasty, but this book left a bitterness in my brain.
First off let me say I couldn't bring myself to finishing this novel. I think I got half way through, wanted to poke my eyes out. Talk about BORING. This is really ridiculous. There is absolutely nothing interesting in this book. I was almost afraid to turn the page for fear that I'd stumble upon something even more boring and slip into a state of unconciousness. No description, no character developement, no good. It's written like a third grader wrote it and the Voodoo concept is not creative, different, or sexy, it's simply weird. Then it had the nerve to be placed in my home town. OH,NO.Venise outta be ashamed for this one yall. I have nothing more to say.

With the wealth of works statistically portraying the growing threats of climate change, it's almost refreshing to encounter someone seeking a "soft" approach. Berry recognises the obstructions in transforming a polluting and morally corrupting economy to a less harmful path. He points to a change in attitude we must all make to prevent catastrophe. Yet, it's not difficult, he argues, to reassert a more direct tie with Nature such as we enjoyed in our ancient past. What was once there, but lost, can be recovered. It merely takes some will.

In Berry's view, the Cenozoic Era, used by geologists to encompass modern times, is coming to a close. Technology and the spread of humanity into nearly every environmental niche have changed conditions too drastically for the older appellation to continue. The burning of fossil fuels, deforestation over vast areas, huge fishing nets scooping up masses of sea life, and blindly occupying or modifying habitats has led to the extinction of countless species. What aspects of life characterised the Cenozoic are no longer there to give it definition. And there's worse to follow if we fail to heed his advice. Learn to do better, he cautions.

Berry restrains his religious background and spiritual leanings to address the larger crisis of the Earth's survival. There are no lofty appeals to a "spiritual" aspect of the planet, but he's sharply critical of the materialist outlook that's destroying it. He insists we consider the Earth as an integrated system, which is a realistic view, given our current piecemeal exploitation practices. He urges a broader outlook from his readers. This requires entertaining some novel ideas and encounters with unexpected people. Indigenous peoples are a good source of wisdom in Berry's view. However, it's their knowledge he seeks, not the return to an aboriginal lifestyle.

The application of knowledge to solve problems in our society is generally conceded to the universities. From this, Berry concludes that appeals to government or business are essentially wasted effort, unless they understand the impact of their policies. He suggests that instead of radical environmental protest to save species and habitat, it is the universities who must be enlisted in the cause. For one thing, the academic arena provides the means of acting as a feedback loop with each cycle increasing the information dividend. The new findings make their way to the public to support changes in policies. Although this is obviously not a rapid means of change, Berry finds it the most self-sustaining one. Once the process begins to unfold, we will be entering the Ecozoic Era with a firmer grasp of our impact on the planet. "The Great Work" is thus learning how to move from a human-centred to an Earth-centred set of values. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]

This review is long, and my apologies, but this book is potent and spells-out what is one of the most important subjects of the 21st century- our drifting from physical reality and responsibilities and the need to wake-up and realize this dilemma and how we can accomplish that possible , but daunting task. Thomas Berry does this with eloquence and wisdom here and this is truly, a "Great Work"! Thank you, Mr. Berry!

In his earlier book, "The Dream of the Earth", Thomas Berry so eloquently stated the need for humanity to realize what a beautiful foundational life-support gift we have in planet Earth and the need to treat it with the profound sense of respect and good stewardship it deserves and needs in to order to provide a healthy life-sustaining platform.

An understanding of the dynamics of Earth's resource cycles and regulatory systems can teach us how to live sustainably and regeneratively- most importantly, carrying that understanding into the formation and dissemination of religion, politics and economy.

We see God's handy-work, i.e., the blue prints and operating system for Earth through the dynamics of Nature's regenerative, life providing bounty and we then see what is required to maintain this perfect system. Indeed, we are entering the "Eco-zoic" faze of our existence- the realization and implementation of an ecologically sustainable reality.

So how could Berry top that beautiful piece of work? Almost ten years after "The Dream", he comes out with "The Great Work", a powerful and compelling continuation of the earlier theme of a beautiful Earth with attentive humans at the helm and with proper stewardship, only now with an exacting historical dialogue of how the Earth formed, settled and eventually became a biological life-support system and where we, as humans have lost our original awe and respect of God's creation through the many distractions of living in a human only, "civilized" and complex material world, forgetting our interconnectedness to all life.

This separation has culminated in an insane, parasitic and cancerous existence not only for us humans, but for all life on this planet. Isn't it curious that cancer of our bodies is one of our biggest worries and nemesis? Mass over-population, pollution, unsustainable resource use and habitat destruction have left us in a burn-out, dire mess. Our sense of economy is no "economy" at all, rather a predatory take all shark frenzy fully supported by governments through corporate purchase and manipulation and misguided `human only' pseudo-religious zealotry.

An un-Godly, reckless "Manifest Destiny" attitude of anthropocentric endeavors has been prevailing since the industrialization of our societies exploded on the human scene, blinding us with delusions of superiority, yet to the detriment of our shared and threatened environment.

Exactly in the middle of this fine book, is a chapter called
"Ethics and Ecology". Here, Berry relates our combined human sense of making like nothing is wrong on spaceship Earth (a closed-loop eco-system) with a parallel to the tragedy of the sinking of the Titanic in 1912. A course was set and could not be deviated from, regardless of the warnings of known dangerous icebergs ahead. An attitude that the Titanic was a perfect, fool-proof and unsinkable human manifestation prevailed.

The Titanic parallel underscores our misguided human notions that we can control Nature and that we are on a safe course in our activities on Earth. We see our creation of the Titanic (the micro), but not the big picture (the macro), i.e., Nature along with it's icebergs, etc., but especially, the need for our attention to it's requirements for a safe, healthy existence.

As Berry states, our "extractive" (exploitive, parasitic) economies have become "terminal" economies (dead-end) and need to be reformulated to sustainable/regenerative economies for the continuation and enjoyment of life- only in a more sane and quality existence.

For those that don't think it can be done, it would be educational to look at the turn-around of attitudes and subsequent successes of corporations that have been able to wake-up to what sustainable/regenerative/eco-friendly formats offer in terms of long lasting, profitable returns, let alone peace of mind. A good outline of that can be seen in the book, "Natural Capitalism" by Hawken and Lovins.

Further, religions need to continue with their return to the inclusion of all Creation and away from the current deviation of anthropomorphism. Understanding the dynamics and importance of interconnectedness with all of God's Creation is a matter of survival now and should not be interpreted as "Nature Love" vs. "Biblical Dogma". It's all one reality. Berry gently opens our eyes to this!

The consideration of an all-inclusive creation- man and nature in harmony instead of man vs. nature- both created by God to coexist, is also touched upon in the 'great work' of Chet Raymo's books "Skeptics and True Believers", sequealed by his "Climbing Brandon"- in a sermon by Saint Columbanus, there is in part: [Those who wish to know God, he says, "must first review the natural world."]. Indeed, a good place to start!

There is a good bibliography in "The Great Work" that provides a multitude of resources for further research and education on sustainable awareness and consciousness.

Tom Berry has been called the "Bard of the New Cosmology" and so he is! His thoughts challenge those rooted in authoritarian structures and flatland awareness. His views challenge those who find extreme security in their myths and dogmatic positions. These people have made a career of striking back with an authoritarian thunder when challenged with a more comprehensive unfolding of the Cosmos. Berry's explication brings science and religion together without authoritative fiat rooted in dogma--what Ken Wilbur calls "Deep Religion." Deep religion honors the developmental spirial of conciousness and the EXPERIENTIAL awareness that mystics are privy to and speak of so eloquently and forcefully. Berry's book brings the enviornmental crisis in focus and calls for human transformation of every aspect of human unfolding: political, educational, corporate, sociological, and religious. It is no wonder those who remain rooted in the systems of the Earth's demise so forcefully attack this Great and surely Prophetic Man.

This book was recommended to me by a fellow Montessori teacher. Each one of us is created for greatness. This book is a great outline of how each one of us can work to truly contribute to the greater good of the whole. It is like a companion to "The Purpose Driven Life". I recommend all the 5 stars reviews listed here.

I am a strong supporter of environmentalism which is why I strongly object to this book. This book only reinforces the impression that environmentalists are self-righteous and out of touch with other humans as well as reality. Instead of referencing current events, or any statistics to support his sermonizing,Berry spends his space name dropping. It is painfully apparant that he is more interested in sounding erudite than remaining coherent. His attempts to sound erudite are undermined by his tendency to reuse words with inappropriate frequency. The book would have been far more effective as a one or two page pamphlet but unfortuantely it was drawn out to be 102 pages of repetition. It is not even on recycled paper.

I wish there were more books like this: an accessible, mostly nonjudgmental approach to the differences between the Christian denominations in America today. In a style similar to the For Dummies and Complete Idiots series, Berry provides the history of each denomination and various offshoots, plus principle beliefs, worship styles, and what to expect if you visit. However the book needed more careful editing and fact-checking (the last section is particularly sloppy), and it seems odd to completely leave out Quakers, Mormons, and Unitarians. I understand her point in excluding the Unitarians (and can guess why she never once mentions the Mormons), but you'd think she'd want to add a few more details for the sake of contrast and completeness. Otherwise, this is a great starting point for the curious church-seeker, or anyone like me who is fascinated by the shades of belief and interpretation among Christians.

I am looking for a church home. I stumbled across this book at my local public library after going to several Christian bookstores who didn't have a clue as to what to recommend to me in my spiritual journey.
I enjoyed Berry's tips on church politics, warning signs (how to tell if the pastor is a control freak), and spiritual abuse. My only problem was that she left out denominations such as Unity, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and Christian Science.

The Idiot's Guide to Choosing the Right Church?

Beware! Most churches only have a limited knowledge about the concept of God and how to earn the best reward in Heaven.
The very best church for you to join is the one that a) knows the most about God and b) has the most "resources" to help you and your family
grow closer to God and c) sets the highest standards to prepare you to excel at this important test of faith called mortal life by
encouraging you to do your best to stay physically strong, mentally awake and morally straight.

When we stand before God at the final judgement bar, what question will we ask us? You can bet that the first question will sound
like this - did you love Me with all your heart, might, mind and strength? And did you love your neighbor as thyself?
Please remember this tidbit of divine wisdom, none of us mortal men/women are perfect, however,
the more you strive to better fulfill these two key commandments, the greater will be your joy when you enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.

Now wouldn't you want to join that church which has the most answers and resources about how to excel in life and to take you the farthest along
to path to prepare you for the greatest reward with God? One sign of a true church is its capacity to open up the blessings of God to significantly bless and improve
the quality of life for its followers here in mortality. Also, when we die we cannot take with us any earthly treasures, But we will retain with us
the knowledge, good works and relationships that we have cultivated here on earth. And while most churches are based on the dogmas of men
who wrestle and debate the interpretation of an old book called scripture, the best church is the one that holds the keys to all of the knowledge
and wisdom of God that ever been revealed, that is now being revealed and prepares you for even greater things that have yet to be revealed.

I feel that this book is what is needed for anyone searching for a church for the first-time or because of issues with your current church. One thing to remember is that NO church or denomination knows everything about God, and the purpose of this book is to point the reader in the direction of a church or denomination that suits them. I am researching different denominations and this is one of the main books I am using in my research, because it is so well written and easy to understand. Do not let those that think they know everything mislead you, this book is a blessing! God Bless

Although this has much info on various Christian confessional bodies, the author's consistent take on finding the "truth" is always made to be a minor issue, and the seeker's tastes and "felt needs" become the major issue, thus only the two stars.

I urge people first to find the church where 100% of God's Word is taught and preached truthfully, then when they find such there can be a search for the other things. Thus, following Biblical admonition in this as Jesus states in Matthew 6:33: "Seek you first the kingdom of God and His righteousness".

Know that this irritates and frustrates and even angers postmodern types, but this will only place them in confessional groupings where they only think they are getting it right.

It is confusing and troubling to have to search so many alternatives that say that "speak the truth for God." Discernment here is what is called for, cf. Hebrews 5:11-14 and Acts 17:11.

Included are some nice outlines of confessional beliefs including my own, LCMS. However, the recommended resources for followup are not that good. I would recommend others as starting point.

What are all these comments about not including "non-Christian" groups, e.g. Mormons, Islam, etc. The author clearly states this is not the scope of this book.

Mediocre and dangerous guide if one is seeking to affiliate with God's truth.

I am a retired nurse educator; maternal/child nursing was my masters-level major, neonatal intensive care was my clinical specialty. Brazelton is my decades-long idol for helping me to read infant behavioral cues and to respond to them, as well as to transmit same to parents. I bought Brazelton's original "Touchpoints: The Essential Reference" as soon as it was published in 1992; I still treasure that well-worn copy. I give to new parent and grandparent friends the revised version, which I believe now has a title that indicates it is for newborns to age three. I have not read it, but it seems to fit the "essential reference" theme. For "Touchpoints 3 to 6", Brazelton uses a case study approach that builds on the premises established in the reference. I like case studies, so I would give this book five stars if I didn't know that not all readers can use case studies. Readers who have internalized the premises established in the first book may find it more useful than those who have not.

Between Brazelton & Sears...I have all the child development advice a parent needs. I like the way Brazelton speaks to PARENTS and not child development experts...it's a very easy to read book with LOADS of great info!!! Very practical and yet has a loving approach.

I found my child over and over again on these beautifully written pages. Not in one of the four different children that the reader watches as they grow fduring the preschoo years, but in bits and pieces of all of them. I also loved the last chapter with all the different sections on challenges children have to deal with, especially since myh mother died and i was struggling with how to help my five year old son with this. This book really helped me and my son.

I was eager to receive this book, since I found his first book essential to my understanding my daughter. He abandoned his style, which is detailed and explanatory, but applicable to every parent who reads. This book unfortunately follows four children to the exclusion of many other styles of child. I couldn't extrapolate any of the kids' personalities to my child, so it rendered the book useless for me.

I highly recommend this book to every parent of children ages 3 to 6, and their teachers too. It is so much more respectful -of parents and children- then all those books that just tell parents what to do and talk about children as if they were simply meant to be programmed or controlled. I have found that with the help of this book, the new understanding I have of my four-year-old has led me to new ways of responding to her difficult behaviors. As a result, she is thriving, maturing before our eyes, and we're all happier for it.

This is a necessary read for any therapist working with couples in crisis. Understanding the criminal nature of battering, the state laws governing the offense, and the denial and minimizing of the act of violence by the victim is important for appropriate intervention and safety of the patient.

There is a crucial differences between male and female domestic violence. If a man isn't afraid of a woman's violence, it's not abuse. Fear is a defining factor.

Abuse is systematically controlling another person through intimidation and control in a sadly self-defeating attempt to get needs met. An abuser believe violence is justified in achieving this. Non-abusers may flip out sometimes, but they genuinely believe that violence is only justified in self-defense, and only in enough measure to protect ourselves or others.

Ironically, when a woman is continually abused, she become nervous, volatile, exhausted, and may even respond with verbal abuse and, rarely, physical violence (rarely because the male is usually more powerful.) Think: cornered animal.

When a man begins to change or behaves less violently, the deep anger women have been feeling but suppressing out of fear may finally come out, and not always in the nicest way. However, this is categorically different from abuse: punishing, strategic, intentional violence.

Sadly, men who are violent will use any excuse to defend their behavior. Hence, accusing their female targets of being abusers. That might be where the court statistics listed below come from (if they are even accurate). Ironically, many women don't prosecute their male abusers out of a misguided hope of helping them through nurture and communication instead. (In fact, it appears that real painful consequences are much more likely to motivate an abuser to change.)

Women aren't "better" than men for being statistically much less likely to be abusers. They simply don't have that option due to the reality of the comparable strength of their bodies and society's conditioning.

Think about this: How many women buy a gun and routinely wave it around to intimidate their husband to control his behavior? It seems absurd, doesn't it? What might the man do in response? Run away? Try to overpower her anyway? Yet men easily intimidate women in this way without that gun, simply because they are physically (and often financially) stronger.

Ironically, women who actually are abusive are said to be the hardest to rehabilitate. This is because a woman who goes against all of society's training to use brute force to try to get her needs met is usually severely mentally ill.

So... To the man who feels a need to bring up women's abuse in a review of a book designed to help men stop abusing and help women escape their abuse... What need does this fulfill in you? Why not stop denying and blaming others for your behavior and get help? Or recommend a good book that specifically targets helping women abusers to change and their male targets to free themselves from women's abuse? After all, isn't the purpose of these books to help both men and women...and their children?

Ladies, if you're a victim, read this book. (And I say "Ladies" because--despite what the woefully misinformed individual below tells his "clients"--women DO make up the HUGE majority of victims.)

Just in response to a previous reviewer- As a domestic violence education professional, I assure you that all reputable sources on domestic violence agree that women make up the overwhelming majority of victims of DV (these statistics vary from the 80s to the high 90s in terms of percentages).

Unfortunately, rather than taking on a very important social issue with objectivity and truth, the book simply repeates completely unfounded propoganda that women are the victim in "85%+" of cases. Anyone interested, do what I did (/do) as part of my employment -- go to your local family court and watch on domestic violence day(s). No one will be able to pull the anti-male wool over your eyes after that. Men are the plaintiff in about 35% of the cases -- and we need to keep in mind that men are far less likely to step forward and are far more likely to be ridiculed, harassed, and treated dismissively at every step in the process (for example - 90%+ of all domestic violence shelters have "women" somewhere in their title...not exactly an invitation to a male who desperately needs help).

Sadly, this kind of "book" (with dubious sources when they bother to give a source at all) perpetuates the myths and does great harm by keeping the +/- 40% of victims who need help oppressed.

I own the book and the CD. This book takes you right down the streets. Roy Blount Jr. makes you feel like you are right there with him. This really makes you smile. I love driving and listening to his book.

I was willing to ignore glaring errors in this book such as Voodoo not being capitalized as with any religion, the statement that Marie Laveau the second was the famous Voodoo queen (when it was actually the first, her mother), calling a sno-ball a snow-cone... so many details. I was willing to ignore all of these pretty huge mistakes until I read what he had to say about my former employer and place of employment on pages 80 and 140.
If he'd bother to ask a few questions, he may have discovered that these highschool band kids often run into "cheesy clubs" such as the Tropical Isle and steal money off the bar. He may have discovered that the "fat white man" who ran out of the bar to "shoo" (trust me when I say Mr. Earl does not shoo anyone) these poor unfortunates away is a champion of local music and culture. That when he found out that the Chicken Man's (local character who used to sell incense to the bartenders and tourists and who earned his moniker by biting the heads off live chickens in a 1950's nightclub act) ashes were sitting on a shelf in a local funeral home because his daughter couldn't afford to pay for the cremation, he paid not only for the ashes, but a full funeral complete with a second line that had Bourbon street immobilized for the entire day. That the Handgrenade man is usually someone that he's rescued from homelessness by giving him a job that pays well, the opportunity for promotion and often an apartment. That his employees stay with him for years and not only because of the high pay, medical, dental, 401k and life insurance he pays a great deal of money for. That the Tropical Isle has hosted as regular performers the likes of Timothea, Jon Gros and Al Miller.
Instead, he chose to imagine a sterotypical greedy white Southern man victimizing the downtrodden youth of color.
Oh and the Handgrenade is not "an icky concoction of rum and sweet syrups." It is quite tasty and hasn't a drop of rum in it.

I love New Orleans, but only know it as an infrequent visitor. I love to read books about New Orleans for more in depth, inside information. That is just what the author offers in this compact book. He offers up the flavor, the mixed history, the impressions you'd get walking down street of one of the most well-known, least understood cities. The author doesn't offer justification or explanation, he just tells it like he has experienced it. I like it that way.

This book, a walking tour of the Big Easy, is another installment in the publishers' Crown Journeys. For me, it was a trip back to a city that I love and that means so much to me.

It's all here, from beignets at Cafe du Monde to the street kid who approaches the obvious out-of-towner with this line: "Betcha' I can tell you where you got your shoes?" In between we stroll through the sex and sin of Bourbon Street and the verdant splendor of Audubon Park and the Garden District.

This book will suffer, of course, due to some unbelievably bad timing for the author and the publisher. Still, I found this read to be like visiting with an old friend. The New Orleans depicted in this slim volume is the one I remember and love, the one I believe will soon be again. In spite of the destruction and death of Hurricane Katrina there is fresh hope: Cafe du Monde began serving coffee and chickory again after the longest delay of business in their 150 history. Also, the American Library Association announced days ago that they will go ahead with plans to shop the Crescent City for their annual meeting.

The opening and ending of the book, with its ominous foretelling of the Big One and what it would do to the city wasn't enough to chase me away from the laughs to be found within. I'd tell most anyone to pick this book up.

Rambling more describes how this book is written! Very little about New Orleans and mostly about the author and people he knows, not even those that live in New Orleans. I found myself skipping whole pages as the author rambled on about some part of his life. Not sure who would find this book interesting but no point in buying it if you think you are going to learn anything about New Orleans. At least it's short!

I required this book for a class i was taking. Overall this is one of the worst text books i have ever used. The book is filled with somewhat technical and complex information regarding MPC, yet fails to provide topical examples illustrating the principles and theories behind the information. The only reason to ever buy a book this overpriced and disobliging is for a class.

This book is terrible and most of my classmates concur. For example chapter 5 alludes to certain statistical methods and in essence completely butchers them. As a student I had to use several other resources to pass my classes as this text is useless. If you are an instructor select something else.

Great book for all Industrial engineers. It does not get completely complicated and relates directly to common day industry practices.

This is a must have in any business library. The material is applicable in many useful areas throughout the supply chain. It's enjoyable to read b/c you keep thinking of how to apply the theories introduced in the book in your work. This is absolutely a treasure in your library.

Even if it is taken as the popular textbook for MPC, I'd rather read the another one: "Introduction to the materials management" by Arnold and Chapman. I can not easily catch the points and feel muddled after reading long sections and words in this book. However, the examples and case studies here are worthy to have a big picture for those who are new in this field.

When I was very young, I didn't see why a child needed a parent or guardian to tell him/her what to do. I eventually found out that when you disobey a grown up (i.e., if you're a child), you would need a punishment. In this book, Heidi disobeyed her father by eating candy before dinner. Her father didn't want her to eat candy before dinner because he thought it would steal her appetite. The third to last page said you mustn't lie when you disobey because you would get into even bigger trouble. I think when Heidi disobeyed her father about the candy, she felt it was bad enough that she disobeyed and therefore told the truth. Because Heidi disobeyed about the candy, she didn't get to eat the rest of it. In the very end, both her mother and father felt proud of her for understanding why anybody should listen to others that don't want them to do a bad thing or avoid something helpful.

My 6 year old daughter loves these books and has asked me to reread them all the time! I think kids kinda like to see other kids be bad.

We discuss what practical situations count as "disobeying" and if I say, "You're disobeying me because I asked you not to do that" -- disobey is a trigger word and she realizes.

Children should be over 5 at least to understand the concepts. Reading these books to a 2 or 3 year old doesn't make sense.

This book is all about shame and doesn't help children learn any skills whatsoever. It was uncomfortable and distasteful to read. It seems that the goal here is to produce compliant children who take no responsibility for their own actions. Keep looking for a more positive take on forming relationships.

As a child I had the complete 1980's collection of Let's Talk About books. Aside from my Dr. Seuss books these were my favorites and I'm sure they helped mold me into the kind, caring, honest, patient, obediant, human I am today. A few years ago my mother held a yard sale and didn't tell me about it ahead of time. I arrived to find a couple buying ALL of my Dr. Seuss books, and many of my Let's Talk About books were already gone. I actually kind of stood off to the side with a look of horror on my face. I had planned on giving the books that had been in storage for years to my daughter.

I was SO excited when I found the series on one of her scholastic book order forms from Pre-school. Of course I am now a proud owner of the new collection. Still, I'm sad that I don't have the originals. These books are still great books and my daughter loves them as much as I love them!

This children's book by Joy Berry is short, to the point and has excellent comic book type illustrations that will catch any toddler's eye. The topic here is whining and why it's a bad thing to do.

In this story you and your toddler will read about Annie and her stuffed rabbit, who can think, but not talk. Annie and her Bunny start learning right from the get go that disobeying is not a good thing. For one thing, it'll make Mom (and/or Dad) mad, for another there are very good reasons why your parents tell you not to do things. The want you to grow up learning how to be both fair and careful. Annie learns that her parents are not bossing her around just because they are bigger, but because they have lived longer and are wiser. When they tell her do do something, it's for her own good. There are valuble lessons here for your toddler and as usual, Ms. Berry tells her story in a way that will keep any child interested.

Ms. Berry's books are all delightful and it's a puzzle to me why they are so hard to get. One would think that this is the kind of book every toddler should grow up with. I'm glad I have them and my son Devon is too.

Jack Priest, Dad in Training

I love Peanuts. This is a brief collection of one-frame wisdoms. Thought-provoking. Don't have too high expectations, but it is still enjoyable.

Title pretty much says it. I thought it was a little pricey for what we got (would have preferred paperback for lower price), but I did enjoy reading it. I recommend it. ach set of two facing pages has a quote and a one-scene cartoon. Forward is by Bill Cosby. Groupings of quotes are Life Philosophy, Confidence, Self Care, Self Reliance, People Shills, Prudence, Wisdom, Effort, Love and Little Quirks.

I love this book. I still smile even at my age when I go through the pages.

small book, can finish reading it in 5 minutes, even though it is over 100+ pages.
Since I paid 1 cent for the book, I can't complain.
S/H was a fixed $3.99

This is not a book of Strips. It is really a book of quotes sorted by subject matter... this could almost be made into Hallmark cards
For example the subject is Effort and the quote is Some of my best school papers have been written before breakfast.......Sally Brown
and on the opposing page is her examining her written work
The book is 128 pages
Probably one thing I was able to enjoy a little more in this book is Charles Schulz's artwork Like a close-up of Charlie Brown looking into an empty mailbox
And Charlie Brown laying flat on his back with circles around his head
Just little things like that.....
I did enjoy this book I gave it three stars cause I was disappointed it wasn't a book of strips, I like the new way they have of sorting the strips for us Baseball, other sports, School and of course Love and I thought this was another one.....
Maybe it didn't get four stars cause it was done too soon One quote a page You feel like a speed reader.

Once you start reading the lyric prose, you won't be able to put this book down. It is a magical adventure of the Oregon coast a long time ago, but the story is timeless and uplifting. All Westerners should read it.

Looking to read some Oregonian authors (other than the venerable Ken Kesey), Don Barry's _Trask_ was mentioned as a largely unsung native son. Set along the Oregon coast in the winter of 1847 - spring 1848 (just before the Oregon trail opened and thousands settled here), _Trask_ is the story of a former mountain man, Elbridge Trask, and his relationship with both the Natives (Chinook and Killamook) and the land.

I was impressed with Berry's weaving of historical figures (Elbridge Trask) and (apparently, as I am no expert) Chinook language and culture into the narrative. What I was most impressed with, however, was the way in which Berry captured the beauty of the coastal mountain range and the Oregon coast. To be sure, it is not to everyone's tastes (it is frequently windy, almost always rainy, and the bars into Oregon's bays are notoriously trecherous), but no one can doubt the natural magnificence of the area. It is rare that an author so completely articulates what a place *is*. Berry has done this. In particular Barry's description of attempting to start a fire in the midst of a storm was reminiscent of Dostoevsky in its telling.

Berry also showed the cultural gulf that existed between white settlers and Natives that often led to misunderstandings and violence, highlighting the arrogance and disrespect of whites as they forced Christianity on indigenous peoples and introduced whiskey. Yet I give the book three stars.

I was not particularly impressed with the characters themselves, the dialogue (which to me seemed a bit cliched in places), and the overall story arc - I won't go into too much detail for fear of runing the plot, suffice it to say that the idea of respecting and valuing cultural differences between whites and Natives may have been unique and new in the early 1960's when the book first came out, but it is well trod ground by now. The recognition by the Killamooks that inevitable change was coming, and that they needed to salvage as much as possible of their culture and heiritage before it was too late rang hollow.

There are a number of surprises and plot twists that kept me interested, as well as references to historical events and personalities that I enjoyed (those not familiar with the history of the Northwest may miss these: Ft. Vancouver, Dr. McLoughlin, the Whitman massacre for example), and certainly are testament to the research and familiarity Berry had with this time and place.

Is it good? Yes, particularly for the reasons cited above, although I wouldn't recommend it above Ken Kesey's _Sometimes a Great Notion_, which in this review's mind remains the seminal work of Oregon fiction.

I bought the book because it was supposed to be based on my ancestor, Elbridge Trask. It was a big disappointment because I felt the author blew it when it came to good history and the dependence of the early pioneers on God. Really way out there with the spiritual thing--men and women back then believed and relied on God, not some out of body, out of mind experience. Too bad.

I WAS A PERSONAL FRIEND OF DON BERRY AT THE TIME HE WAS PUBLISHED. HE WAS, IN FACT, MY SON'S GODFATHER.

DON WAS ONE OF THE MOST INTELLIGENT AND SCIENTIFICALLY DEDICATED MEN I'VE EVER KNOWN, AND WAS BLESSED WITH A GREAT SENSE OF HUMOR, (AND GREAT PATIENCE WITH MY OWN "GROANER" PUNS AND TURNS OF PHRASES!).

"TRASK" WAS ONE OF THE FIRST WELL-RESEARCHED WORKS OF HISTORICAL FICTION TO BE USED AS TEXTBOOK MATERIAL FOR THE OREGON PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM IN THE SEVENTIES. BERRY'S WORK ON THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN FUR TRADE ("ALL OF THEM SCOUNDRELS")WAS EXCELLENT AND COMPREHENSIVE. HIS GREAT WESTERN TALE "MOONTRAP" WAS OUTRIGHT STOLEN AND PRODUCED UNDER THE SAME TITLE IN AN EPISODE OF THE OLD WESTERN TV SHOW "RAWHIDE"

DON AND HIS FAMILY LIVED ON THE OREGON AND WASHINGTON COAST FOR YEARS, OFTEN SUMMERING (YES, THE WHOLE SUMMER, RAIN AND ALL!)IN A TENT IN PRIMITIVE, BUT BEAUTIFUL SETTINGS. HE WAS A MAN WHO KNEW WHAT HE WROTE ABOUT, AND OFTEN EXPERIENCED THE PHYSICAL LIVING SITUATIONS PORTRAYED IN HIS BOOKS (YES, HE WAS THE KIND TO LIVE IN A TREE JUST TO SEE WHAT IT WAS LIKE!). IF THERE WERE, FOR EXAMPLE, SOMEONE WHO KNEW ABOUT DRYING A WOOL BLANKET OVERNIGHT UNDER WET CONDITIONS, HE WOULD HAVE KNOWN. MY OWN READINGS RE. THE ETHNOBOTANY OF THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST FOUND NO GREAT DISPARITIES IN THE NAMES AND OLDTIME USES OF LOCAL PLANTS THAT WERE INCLUDED IN BERRY'S BOOKS.

I've been hearing about "Trask" for years, mostly from people who had never read it. If you love adventure stories this is probably a good choice. The novel moves right along and I finished it. But it isn't beautifully written and it isn't entirely accurate and (since I live in the area in which it's set) I can guarantee you that Don Berry hadn't actually been many of the places he claims Elbridge Trask goes. Wrong tree species, total ignorance of tides and seasonal changes in beaches, no mention of wet feet. Dry a soaked wool blanket overnight--outdoors in April on the Oregon Coast? Please! With all his details about rocky ground and salal, sleeping under a muddy bank and spirit quests, he won't convince anyone who has actually lived in a place where rainfall runs 65-180 inches a year.

If such mistakes don't bother you... and you like Trask, maybe it will be a wonderful read. I didn't care much for the main character. I didn't believe him as a settler and I didn't understand any better than he does why he wants to travel south to Tillamook Bay. I was offended by Berry's tendancy to kill off characters I did like and to judge them based on appearance (bigger is better apparently--pretty is better if you're a woman, but not if you are a man... ).

In paying his respects to native cutures, Berry was way ahead of his time, but the upshot of the novel is that people are ruined and their culture will be and I am supposed to be satisfied that Trask has achieved some sort of spiritual enlightenment over their dead bodies. I wasn't.

For a better novel about early white settlers in the Pacific NW, try "The Living" which is excellent. For a better novel set in Oregon try Le Guin's "Lathe of Heaven." "The Jump-Off Creek" by native Oregonian Molly Gloss, is set here in the last century, and it's a wonderful, realistic, and adventurous read. Her new novel "Wild Life" gives a realistic picture of the lost magic of the great forests. I don't know of a good historical novel about native cultures set in Oregon, but James Welch writes beautifully and with authority about Montana in "Winter in the Blood."

We have many, many astounding novels written and set in Oregon. This one really isn't bad, but I would be sorry if readers accepted "Trask" as the best we had to offer.