Bryan Books

Afflicted speaks on many levels, one of which is Hope amidst strife. Another, seeking light when surrounded by darkness...Also, love is the ultimate aim, rather love transforms and can permeate the hearts of those who live in darkness. Eternal and heavenly love, agape love, has the power to touch even those who hate and kill.

Wow! Although not for the faint of heart, if you're willing to take a roller coaster ride straight into someone's personal hell, pick up this book and get ready for that ride. As the author skillfully builds his characters, each turned page will have you caught up in the anticipation of the unknown as you are slowly drawn up that roller coaster's steady climb. And then, just as suddenly, its twists and turns will have you feeling the hair-raising effects of the dark world of mental illness, evil spirits, and more. When I picked up this book, I had no pre-conceived notions of what to expect. Curiosity, alone, had me wondering how all of this could be captured in one book. What I found was a message of disturbing reality, courage and love.

Frank Baumgartner and Bryan Jones have written an imaginative and important work on the rhythm of the policy process. Their thesis is straightforward: policy often moves in cycles of stasis (relative stability in the policy arena) over a period of time, followed by a fairly rapid burst of change. Using the language of the evolutionary argument by Niles Eldredge and Stephen Jay Gould, they refer to their model as "punctuated equilibrium." Eldredge and Gould posted that evolutionary change was often characterized by long periods of stasis (or stability) in a species, followed by a dramatic burst of rapid change (in evolutionary terms).

Baumgartner and Jones do not leave it at that. Merely describing a pattern that they see in different arenas over time is only a first step. How to explain such change? The authors provide a reasonably convincing argument: One, institutions produce a considerable degree of stability; two, particular policy "images" shape debate and constrain change over periods of time. However, institutions cannot forever prevent change. And policy images can change. As new views come into the policy debate, this can lead to a breakdown of the old "order" and punctuational (rapid) change.

The book provide some examples of this, such as budgetary change (and see Baumgartner and Jones' edited volume, "Policy Dynamics," for an even broader range of examples of the theory in operation).

If one is interested in the dynamics of policy change, then "Agendas and Instability in American Politics" is a good book to look at. It is not the only approach to explaining policy change (e.g., see Paul Sabatier's work for another effort to explain stasis and change), but it is a rich perspective and has seen a number of applications.

Baumgartner and Jones argue that in the agenda setting stage of public policymaking, issue changes may occur through two distinctly different, yet not mutually exclusive processes.

First, the authors argue that issue changes may occur incrementally in which changes to policy arise smoothly and appear at the margins of policymaking. Such a process is closely related to Lindblom's "muddling through." Second, the authors move away from the incremental approach and argue that a second process may describe agenda setting. Issue changes may, at times, occur quite dramatically. The second process espoused by Baumgartner and Jones is related, in part, to Kingdon's Multiple Streams approach.

Baumgartner and Jones attempt to explain both the incremental and dramatic issue changes which occur in the policymaking process through a single paradigm, the Punctuated-Equilibrium Theory (PT). The Punctuated-Equilibrium Theory seeks to explain both the general stability and the occasional upheaval of the agenda setting stage of the policy process. According to the Punctuated-Equilibrium Theory, both stability and radical change which accompany the agenda setting process are the result of the interaction between subsystem politics (i.e. issue networks, iron triangles) and the macropolitical arena - for example, the United States Congress.

Most issues which may potentially appear on the agenda are handled quietly by experts through iron triangles or issue networks. In these areas, issue change is often subtle and incremental. However, issues may enter the macropolitical arena and then the issue may "catch fire, dominate the agenda, and result in changes in one or more subsystems." As such, it can be argued that the subsystems in politics are representative of the generally stable aspects of the agenda setting process, while the macropolitical arena represents the more dramatic changes in agenda setting.

The subsystems of politics illustrate the stable side of agenda setting because most subsystems are composed of policy monopolies. A policy monopoly occurs when the subsystem is dominated by a single interest supported by a powerful policy image. Baumgartner et al. write, "Because a successful policy monopoly systematically dampens pressure for change, we say that it contains a negative feedback process. Still, policy monopolies can change." They way in which these policy monopoly's change is by succumbing to outside pressures. If pressures increase to a sufficient point, previously detached political actors may become drawn in and force changes, or as Baumgartner and Jones may say, punctuate the equilibrium.

In order to illustrate their hypothesis that the agenda setting process is composed of both periods of stability and upheaval, Baumgartner and Jones examine the issue life of a number of pressing policy arenas: civilian nuclear energy, urban planning, smoking regulation, and others. Through a combination of both quantitative and qualitative analysis they studied these policy arenas for an extended period of time which allowed them to truly understand the characteristics and changes of the agenda setting process. It goes with out saying that the results of their work substantiate their hypothesis which in turn has opened a new door into the policy sciences.

This book was DEFINATELY inspired by our Lord. I have read dozens and dozens of christian books, but none have ever brought me so close to God (except, of course, His Word). I wish I had read this 20 years ago, before I bought into the world's lie and wreeked endless destruction through my sexual conquests. What God made to be the most beautiful experience in life has been misused and destroyed by the media, movies, and all of the brilliantly ignorant voices in our godless country. And in the process, deeply tarnished the beauty of our Lord. If your married, READ this, it will bring new levels to your intimacy. If your single and sexually active, your missing the greatest insight and inspiration you will ever experience if you don't hear what God has to say about sexuality. Sex outside of God will NEVER satisfy you, trust me, I've tried. If your single and celebate, this will inspire you so much you will never be tempted to not wait again. And if you are a parent, PLEASE get this for your kids, before Satan and his lies scar them forever, and dishonor our Lord. God isn't trying to restrict us - rather, He is trying to bless us beyond our understanding. Please take the time to read this. From one who has lived outside of God's will and seen the devastation - and it ALWAYS DEVASTATES. Now, I am thanking the Lord for His Mercy and looking forward with great hope and expectation to experiencing this most incredible and glorious blessing AS HE PLANNED IT.

This is a truly inspiring book. It goes beyond the "save sex for marriage" message. We've all heard why we should save sex for marriage, and this book goes beyond that. The book is inspiring whether you are a virgin or have had sex before. You can start over and see why sex for marriage is truly worth waiting for.

This book will explain why the "Sex and the City" philosophy of sex doesn't work in the real world, and why God's way of sex works best. Its written with warmth and avoids cliches. You can bet that this book has found a place in my library. I liked it even more than Rebecca St. James book, "Wait for me."

As a grunt in Vietnam, I remember vividly my days in the jungle, constantly harassed by enemy fire. Every three days the helicopters would land and bring us water and C-rations and a visit. We could always expect a Catholic priest to join us, pray with us and pray for us.

It didn't matter how hot the area was (I'm talking about bullets). The priests always came, always unarmed. It was the only religion that was always there for us. During my time in Hell, I never saw a single Protestant, Buddhist, Jewish or Muslim cleric in the jungle. Only the unarmed Catholic priests had the guts to take the tour. And they never failed.

Because of my time in Nam, I was apprehensive about the message of R.R. Bryan's novel, All the Angels and Saints. I needn't have been. The book is a movie ready to be made and I would like to be the director.

What would happen if someone sued the Catholic Church out of existence? High concept? You bet, but that is exactly what Mac McHenry has in mind. Look out John Grisham and Scott Turow, R.R. Bryan has you covered.

Read this book. R.R. Bryan paints words with a deft brush and colorful palette.

This beloved book touched my heart and soul in a way few books can ever do!!!!!

Starting in the aftermath of an incident so horrific that Kendall loses her memory. It is not due to the shot to her head not the severe physical injuries she sustains that causes the retrograde amnesia. Fleeing from events in Hardison, Nevada she does what we all hop we would do by risking her life to save that of a stranger in Athens, South Carolina. Jackson Coley, a farmer with his own demons, is a man borne of a need to remove himself from any possibility of loss, to prevent the destruction of feelings he once held dear and to keep safe all things sacred to him. What starts out as gratitude becomes his own internal battle as he resists the allure of the initially comatose heroine.

Upon recovering from her physical injuries Kendall's task is recovering the memory of who she really is, and what brought her to South Carolina. In a race against time the reader wonders if she will recall her past before it and a man bent on her tortured death.

Cynthia is a woman most people have met at one time or another. She has the outward beauty of a model and an unscrupulous soul. All Things Sacred held me in rapt attention. I stopped only once to stop crying so I could resume. Like many great written works Ms. Jones offers you suspense from page one, riveting action, multidimensional characters and vivid imagery gracefully intertwined into a storyline you'll want to read again.All Things Sacred will become just the first of (hopefully) many great reads from B.R.Jones.

B.R. Jones has written a real page-turner with "All Things Sacred," a cross-genre romance and suspense novel set in the rich plantation country of South Carolina. Her heroine, Kendall, enters the novel on the run for her life. She stops long enough to help a young woman being accosted alongside the highway and is rewarded for her effort by being shot and then run over by her own car, which is then stolen by the assailant. When she awakens in the hospital, she has no recollection of the incident or of who she is, for she suffers from retrograde amnesia. At her bedside is a stranger who turns out to be Jackson Coley, the hero of the story. He finally convinces her to come to his home to recuperate, for it was his sister whom she befriended alongside the highway. When she is able to travel, the two head out to his plantation, the family inheritance now worked by Jackson and his sister and brother-in-law, Casey and Tom Sandford. They all ive together in a magnificent mansion reminiscent of Tara from "Gone With The Wind," and one can summarize Jackson's feelings for the plantation with the same haunting words as those of Gerald O'Hara: "Land, it's the only thing that matters, because it's the only thing that lasts."

B.R. Jones allows the heroine to slowly regain her memory while she fleshes out her character and develops the characters of the Coley family and Cynthia, the jealous wannabe fiance of Jackson who lives on a nearby farm. In the meantime, Kendall endears herself to the family by taking over the housekeeping chores and turning the mansion from a house into a home. She loves the land, as does Jackson Coley who is a widower, making a profound impression on him, and they find themselves falling in love, although the relationship is rocky.

Enter the antagonist, the same person from whom Kendall was originally fleeing. He has located her and has come for the money he thinks she has and intends to take it, even if he has to kill her in the process. We learn that Kendall was an insurance executive and was married but is now a widow also, thanks to the antagonist.

The novel is complete with more twists and turns than a mountain switchback highway, keeping the reader guessing in this exceptionally well-crafted and well-researched story. The author deftly unfolds the mystery a piece at a time, leading the reader to wonder what will happen next. B.R. Jones's ability to create believable, flesh-and-blood characters with whom the reader can identify is first rate. What flaws exist in the manuscript are minor. A couple of oversized indents in places, the headers are squeezed a bit, and a few typos, but certainly nothing to detract the reader from a very well written and fast-paced story with a satisfying ending.

Gloomwing.com review submitted by Steven M. Ulmen

I am an art history graduate student and a longtime art lover and this is the American art survey book that I have been waiting for. It is well-written, full of beautiful images and expands the traditional boundaries of the historical narrative of American art. It surprised me with fresh insights that I've found to be thought provoking and inspiring. This book has a permanent place on my bookshelf.

This is a splendid, rich investigation of American art and culture. Filled with unusual images from architecture, popular culture, "high" art, and all forms of American design, across race and social class, it engages the reader in the puzzling tapestry of our intricate culture, tracing influences that will surprise both newcomers to this field and those for whom this book will offer a welcome development of American art history and American Studies.

I just ordered this book and can't wait 'til it arrives. My decision to buy it was based on a single factor: I am familiar with this author's other work, mostly newspaper articles published some time ago. I also recall seeing him as a stand-up comic in the Chicago area. If this book is as fun as some of Dye's other work, I will enjoy reading it.

It's both lighthearted-funny and extremely poignant at times; it will move you alternately to tears as well as chuckles and guffaws...for a musical preview with a slideshow, go the site beginning with "W/s" then...freewebs (dot)cm..then "my name" (me, the author, Bryan Dye, but use lower case) There are eight pages with music and details/photos of this book.
--Scroll to extreme right hand to click and change pages*

Bryan

As a child I read and reread Around the World With Ant and Bee and was most upset to hear my mother had sold it when I needed it to pass on to my children. What a wonderful book! I still travel around the world when I can - my interest in the world commenced with And and Bee.

I got my first Ant and Bee book for my son on a recommendation from a nursery school teacher from the Bank Street School. My son is not quite two years old, and already follows the pictures and words in these classic books with glee. And because they are just his size, in bright colors, he especially likes to carry them with him when we travel. He likes pointing out characters like the Zoo Man and the Kind Dog, and of course, Ant and Bee. Most interesting about these books is that the text itself is fun for children to look at. Key words are highlighted with in varying fonts and colors, and sections are sprinkled with minature versions of pictures from larger illustrations. Since Around the World... is about a search for Bee's umbrella, my son calls out, "Bee's umbrella!" every time I point to the little umbrellas printed right into the text. Each book has its own special twist with familiar objects. I recommend the entire series.

Not only is this a wonderful book for the coffee table it is detailed in materials, techniques, and decorations of baskets from around the world. Easilly identifiable photos of baskets as well as great photos of the weavers. Recommend this book to anyone interested in weaving, baskets, and ethnic handicrafts.

Any basket maker or collector will enjoy and appreciate this book, and frankly their library will not be complete without it. Colorful and just packed with photographs, graphically stimulating and full of information about baskets and basket making around the world. I cherish my copy, and find it has inspired me to look again at the "average" and "use" baskets in my home - not just those in my collection. A worthy gift!

We love this book and are purchasing a second copy so we can cut out the images and frame them. Ashley Bryan is a master of art! Bryan uses only portions of poems by wonderful poets, the stanzas chosen match the images perfectly and make the reader want to find the entire poem to read! Highly recommended by this family

The illustrations in this book are so beautiful, words can not explain. It is a simple read that introduces the little ones to poetry. Most poems are excerpts of a stanza or a few lines and the picture corresponds to the poem. Each poem either starts with the letter of the letter is bold in the poem and ties in the picture. For example, F=freedom, but the poem's first letter is not F, so F is bold in the word freedom. Highly recommended for the entire family.