Bryan Books

I decided to read this book because I've been impressed with Talbot's work in Gaiman's Sandman series, and I was surprised at how much I liked it. It addresses the important issue of sexual abuse in a way that makes it very personal. It also cleverly worked in the synchronicity between the protagonist's life and that of Beatrix Potter. My only criticism is that sometimes the theme of abuse wasn't brought in subtly enough, but overall this was an excellent graphic novel.

I bought this book to write a research paper for my PhD course. My personal impression is that young readers prefer to see more visual material even when 'reading'. This is a great source to inform and educate them on the events that happen in the story. Also the preword and the epilogue are very useful.

This fine graphic novel is a stellar example of what comics can do better than any other artform. Prose by itself wouldn't convey the combined power of text & illustration Talbot uses to such stunning effect. Beginning with the Beatrix Potter-style cover art, he offers layers of emotional & artistic meaning, utilizing flashbacks, fantasy, and harsh realism to tell the story of a damaged but ultimately victorious young woman -- and he's able to tell it from both the inside & from a more omniscient viewpoint. His detailed & expressive faces provide nuances that would do many accomplished actors proud.

What makes this work is that it's not just A Very Special Episode sort of story. Helen is an individual, not a case study, for all the extensive background material. Her story is not simply about healing & recovery, but about the importance of art, as well as the struggle towards wholeness that every human being must undergo. And the lush, colorful art only adds to the richness of this work, which rewards many rereadings. Highly recommended!

I've seen several people criticizing the cover art of this book, and I think this needs clarifiction.

If you read Beatrix Potter books as a child, as I did, you would have recognized immediately that the cover is a direct homage to the classic white covers of the little books. The plain white background, centered watercolor illustration, and even the title font is a faithful echo of every tale she ever published. Go check out one and see if you don't revise your opinion. I was, in fact, drawn to the book immediately BECAUSE I recognized it as a Beatrix Potter concept.

Oh, and the story is a very good one, and timely. :)

Like Spiegelman's Maus and Satrapi's Persepolis books, this graphic novel shows how powerful this genre can be in dealing with brutality, in this case with childhood sexual abuse as well as with animal experimentation, social isolation, homelessness, and a horrifying family life. As society and family prey on Helen, the protagonist, she thinks, she reads, she develops her own thoughts and insists on going her own way--and on getting others, including readers, to think differently about their own preconceptions and assumptions as she sheds her abusers.

Take the example of rats--far from being reviled at best and something to be experimented on at worst, Helen shows other characters and us, the readers, that they're intelligent, amazing creatures that should be respected and even worshipped, as in Hindu religion. What's especially great about this novel is the way that it mixes an unflinching look at horror and brutality (Helen being abused by her father and rejected by her mother; fantasies of suicide; scenes of sexual predation as she hitchhikes; and much more) with a clear appreciation for the power of art and thinking (as well as the positive example of another assertive individual, Beatrix Potter) to help someone come into her own and leave her abusers behind.

This is one of those books designed for the fidgety story-time goer.

It's full of instructions - clap your hands, tell me your age, I'll tickle you if you tickle me, find something red, that sort of thing.

Great fun for kids to get to move around instead of sitting through a story, this might be a good way to end storytime!

But, because of those good points, board book format might not be the best way to go. The pictures are too small for moving around - you have to sit close to really see them - and some of the instructions are really too hard for the younger rip-up-books crowd anyway. You might be better off waiting a year or two and getting a normal edition instead.

Great book for kids of many ages. My two year old grandson LOVES it....but so do my first graders. It's a great book to read when the class needs to get up and move around...it has become a class favorite! I had never seen it until a colleague who joined our staff this year shared it with me. It will be a book I'll be giving to LOTS of people in the future!

I originally bought this for my 9 month old, but my 2 year old gets more out of it right now. It's a fun, active, educational book. Because my girls are so young I just wish there was a cd so that we could play it since it's hard to use my hands to hold the book and act out the activities at the same time.

I have read this book to various ages (preschool 3 yrs old through 1st grade). As my children have grown,I have always read this book to their class. A 1st grade teacher asked where I got it and I am getting her a copy as her end of school gift. It holds the kids attention with the simple words, fun actions and sing-song type way that it is written. You cannot go wrong adding this to your personal library - it comes in paperback too!

Our son (age 2 now, about 18 months when he first started really being able to play along) enjoyed this book so much at a friend's house that we had to buy one of our own, and we've given it as a gift to others, too. The pictures are fun and imaginative, and the simple rhyme is cute, but the real magic is in watching kids follow the book's instructions - turn around, find something red, growl like a lion, etc. They get to practice following directions, hone their motor skills, burn off some energy, and have a sense of accomplishment about doing all the actions - and, of course, the kids just think they're having fun! We love this book!

In the month of August 2008, I had the privilege of reading "Spiritual Gifts: Their Purpose & Power" by Bryan Carraway. Honestly, this book is one of the best and most detailed reads on spiritual gifts that I have encountered. Bryan lists and expounds upon 30 different spiritual gifts that are found throughout the Bible. Unlike most writings that focus only on the nine gifts of the Spirit mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12, Bryan's book lists other gifts not so frequently mentioned that are found in the Old Testament and other sections of the New Testament. He does a great job of addressing both the arguments of cessationist and charismatics in regards t if the gifts of the Spirit are still in operation today. Reading "Spiritual Gifts: Their Purpose & Power" will help believers answer such questions as...."Can I know for certain what my unique spiritual gifts are?".."Are the miraculous gifts like healing, miracles, and prophecy still valid today?"...."Are all Christians supposed to speak in tongues?". In addition, to helping Christians answer these questions the book contains a 150 question spiritual gifts inventory designed to help Christians discover how they have been personally uniquely gifted for ministry.

When the author was asked his purpose for writing "Spiritual Gifts: Their Purpose & Power" his response was: "The gifts of the Spirit have been a dividing issue in the church for over 100 years. Charismatics and non-charismatics read the same Bible and yet seem to arrive at totally different ideas about God's will for these gifts. I wanted to present a balanced view of the gifts that brings the church together so that we can better equip God's people to do "the work of the ministry." My book is written as a tactful and honest correction to both camps regarding where they have strayed from biblical teaching because no one group in Christendom has a monopoly on biblical truth."

I HIGHLY endorse this book for those believers seeking to find greater information on spiritual gifts and find their niche within the Body of Christ.

by
Demontae Edmonds
Director, Freedom In Christ Ministry Alliance
www.ficmini.com

This book was insightful but only touches the surface of various spiritual gifts. It explains what some of the God given gifts are and touches on a factual and historical means of understanding their purpose, but doesn't really explain what one is to do if they should discover that have been blessed with a gift and what their spiritual purpose might be here on earth. That is the missing link.

What a great book. I like that it is written by someone who is a follower of Christ. So many books out there speaking of spiritual gifts that can easily lead you off the Christian path. This book teaches of the different gifts the God has given us for his purpose and different views of it.

Spiritual Gifts is the first book I have read that deals specifically and exclusively with the many gifts of the Holy Spirit. Although I have been a Christian for many years, I never sat under extensive teaching on the Gifts of the Spirit. Mr. Carraway's book not only describes spiritual gifts in detail but it also explains the importance of determining what one's own gifts are. You turn the last page feeling not like you have just snacked on a superficial read but that you have really eaten a full spiritual meal.

After reading the book and working through the questions at the end, I believe I have a better understanding of the gifts God has given me and how I can use them. Moreover, the book encouraged me to dig even more deeply into God's specific purpose for the gifts He has given me through His Holy Spirit.

This is definitely a book that is well worth reading!

I recently read several books on the gifts of the Spirit, in preparation for an adult Bible class I was asked to teach. I intentionally included both very conservative and very Charismatic texts, in order to be able to present the range of opinion on the subject. Brian Carraway's book is the delightful exception that takes a moderate, well-argued centrist position. Well worth reading for anyone interested in learning about spiritual gifts (hint: that should be all Christians).

Bryan Berg takes creating card structures to a whole new level, and shares the methods in an easy to follow format for you. If you like to do things with cards other then play games, poker, or you want to add building card structures in addition to your XCM then this book is for you!

Who hasn't built a House of Cards? Well,get readey ,Bryan Berg takes it to a whole higher level;and tells you all about it and even how to do it in this wonderful book.
He has been written up,with pictures and all, in "Ripley's Believe It or Not--Expect the Unexpected" (see my review dated January 15,2007.He was at the Canadian National Exhibition in 2005 and again in 2007 constructing his magnificent Card Structures and it was amazing to see him in action. To complete these painstaking structures he was in a large glass enclosed area and even had a wire mesh covering the top. I assume he has learned a lesson from some sudden rush of air or maybe even some prangster throwing something at one of hos "houses" in an attempt to wreck it.
The book is extremely well detailed and profusely illustrated ang gives all the secrets and methods he uses in building his structures. While these structures would be only a novelty to most people;there is a considerable amount of technical science involved,Bryan is a graduate Architect and has studied the stresses involved and uses this knowledge in building these structures---and they are every much a technically designed structure, as any building. Bryan really amazes people when he builds structures and loads them with unbelievable loads--even as much as a baseball team.
Some of his large structures such as the Iowa Capital reqquired 2,000 decks of cards and 11 days to complete.However;he shows you the techniques and you can build structures on a much more modest scale and wilh only a few decks of cards.
As a grand finale ,at the conclusion of an exhibition,he gets out a leaf blower and destructs his masterpieces.
An excellent book,great to read and even more fun to try your hand at. Check out his web site,you'll be amazed to see him in action--- Bryan Berg Card Stacker.

If you want to learn to build a card castle, this is the book for you. It has all the information you'll need. Excellent book.

I purchased this book for my daughter. She had a school assignment to build a weight bearing structure out of playing cards. She got some good ideas by reading stacking the Deck.

This young man is amazing. I booked him for an event I planned at a science center several years ago and his talent is incredible. Then, after all his meticulous work, he took a leaf blower and destoyed his creation only to let the children collect all the cards!

Well-written and rich with up-to-date local information. We will travel with it later this year. Some minor editing glitches.

I love the Big Island, and every time we go I like to get a new guide book to find the new cool things we haven't done yet, and THIS BOOK has lots of COOL ideas of places to go and things to do as well as lots of information about the traditions and also about local flora and fauna. And, better yet, it's funny! As a busy mom of 3 kids, I don't get a lot of time to read so even planning a vacation, I want to be entertained. And I was while I was reading this book. Great stuff like comparing a maze at a botanical garden to the one in Harry Potter. You can tell the authors had fun with this one. I also really loved all of the quotes by famous people that they included. It also provided helpful information about Hawaiian culture and history, which I shared with my kids to help them enjoy and learn about the island. We love b&bs and this offered a lot of choices. It really helped us appreciate our recent trip so much more. I wish I'd had it years ago!!!!

There are lots of guidebooks out there, and if you're planning a trip to Hawaii, this should definitely be one of them! Fryklund and Reeder pull the best the Big Island has to offer into this information-packed volume in the Hunter Adventure Guide series. Literary and Hawaiian quotes abound, making it an enjoyable read as well. Full color illustrations and photos - this is on my list of recommended books for anyone visiting the Big Island!

This is one of the best guidebooks I've ever read. It has 500 pages and then there's also bonus material on a website. I could never do everything in this book even if I had a year of vacation instead of two weeks. But it'll be fun to try. Definitely like the chapter on Hawaii Volcanoes National Park . It talks so much about hikes and drives and how to see lava, but also about the native songbirds and the goddess Pele and her "curse." Good stuff.

I had hoped to find a new guidebook for the Island of Hawaii. Sadly, this was not it. The book may be OK as an overview for a first trip to the island (week or less) but it is too superficial to be of enduring use.

I bought this book when it was first published because I had worked with the author. I expected to find insights but I didn't expect that it would change my life, after all an expert MUST be from at least 50 miles away and I knew the author. Now years after it was published I have realized I need to read it again. Things the book taught me have stuck with me during my changing life and my relationships with my family, and how I view myself as a wife, mother, daughter, co-worker and friend. Since I gave my copy away to someone I knew needed the book, I am coming back home so to speak to read it again and examine myself and love in my Christian life and the love that surrounds us. I am going to recharge my batteries.

This book has totally changed my life. Jim is a great guy with an evident passion for God and the things He is about. Jim speaks straight to the heart though this book. It is a great, fast read but also carries a ton of depth. I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone. But fair warning...don't be surprised if Embracing the Love of God completely changes your life!

I would highly recommend this book to anyone struggling to understand and receive God's love and forgiveness. This book is written especially for believers who are honest enough to admit they have a problem in this area. James Bryan Smith writes in a way that is simplistic and yet profound based on truths from the Word of God. He shares about his own struggles and how he came to a place of acceptance of God's grace and love for him. If you have a desire to be transformed by the love of God, take the time to read this book.

This book was sooo good...Please don't hesitate to get it! Take your time, and drink in the love of God that comes through the pages...
Nothing can separate us from the LOVE of GOD! That is what James Smith explains so well in this book. I just finished it, and know I will read it again. This book encouraged me and lifted me up. He definitely has a gift from God...to teach, help, and encourage...with references throughout, to the Word of God. I look forward to reading more of his books. As another reader said, this book will probably become a classic.

Embracing the Love of God is thought provoking and is,in my opinion, a potential "spiritual classic". Mr. Smith's extended essay is organized around three topics: Knowing God's Acceptance, Receiving God's Forgiveness and Experiencing God's Care. Read it, and keep it to re-read, when you need encouragement. Embracing the Love of God was a blessing to me, and I recommend you buy it.

This is not just a book for fathers, or mothers, but also for the children of a prodigal parent. It explains why paying child support is so important, no matter what it's used for. It explains how important fathers are, even bad fathers. It will open your heart.

After I read this book I did not feel so alone. Society as a whole has always been in favor of the mothers in a divorce. The pain I have felt not having my son in my life hurts like no pain I have had before. The ache never goes away.

I recently heard Mark Bryan speak at the NACSDC @ the Univ. Notre Dame. I cried through his entire presentation. There are too many parallels to mention. I bought two copies of his book. One I read. One I gave to my daughter who is a single mom and in reunion (without this book) with her child's father. They now have the book, each has read some of it. They are still talking. My book will remain with me. I will be buying another copy so that I can write a letter to my childrens father. Maybe then they will find thier way back to each other. I never understood until I read about the haunting. Thank you Mark!

I knew about the book from the Oprah show and I ordered straight after the show. It took a while because I live in the UK.

The book speaks to both parents, whether absent or otherwise. Reading through the pages, I realised how certain actions of parents can totally damage a child. Though my kids father never paid any maintenance, I did not stop him from seeing them. Most of my friends and even family thought this was foolish of me. Reading the book has therefore reinforced what I thought all along. I am so glad I bought it and I have since shared it with friends in similar situations. Mark Bryan's book even inspired me to write a song about the relationship between a father and child and how a child truly feels about the absent parent!

I first saw this book in the parenting section of the children's section of the library. The title intrigued me so I decided to skim through it. Besides his own testimony of reuniting with a son after 14 years and of helping others fathers to reunite, I realized this wasn't another book written by someone who wants you easily to do what they've never had to do.

I even skimmed through the section for mothers because I'm the single mother of a 3 year old. I didn't have my usual "Yeah, right" bitter reaction and actually felt like crying and calling my daughter's father right away to start the process.

Without the testimonials in this book, I would have accepted that her father being in her life was not only improbable, but impossible and would have lived my life accordingly. After just reading a few chapters, I really wanted to do all that I could to start a relationship between my daughter and her father. I really began to believe it could happen. After I get the book from the library, I hope to apply its principles. I'm glad all the other reviewers enjoyed it as well.

Stew, So far we've tried two of you recipes, New England Cod and Marinated Lamb. We loved both dishes (especially the magic taste of the cornbread on the Cod, what a great idea. We look forward to trying other recipes. Thanks, Christopher Senie

I very, very highly recommend this book.It is filled with wonderful recipes. The special tips offered by Stew Leonard are an excellent addition. I very much enjoyed seeing the photos of the store and how food is prepared . It was also very interesting to see how the store developed from its humble beginnings to one of the country's most amazing culinary shopping experience. This is a must buy for anyone interested in cooking, or a really fun look at Stew Leonards!

I watched ABC today and saw Chef George preparing a great recipe from this book. It sounded so quick and easy that I decided to buy it. It's full of quick recipes that make you look better than Martha! I have the family fooled!

I was testing out a pie recipe for Thanksgiving, and wasn't sure which variety of apples to buy. I was able to look it up in the Stew Leonards cookbook. As a matter of fact, there was a whole page on each variety and how they are best used. While I was at it, I checked out the pie recipe, and it was fantastic. The kids gobbled it up. Can't wait to try more recipes. Looking forward to the Garlic mashed potatoes for Thanksgiving dinner.

Being a working mom and wife and the primary cook of a family of five it seems I never have enough time to plan and cook a meal that everyone loves. I've tried all sorts of other cookbooks even ones you use on the computer but the "STEW LEONARD I CAN DO IT COOKBOOK" takes the stress out of cooking. I'm not just happy my family is too!

A bit of a slow start but once it kicks in....daaaaaaaaamn. A superb book. Already ready it twice.

If you like Ultimates vol 1, you'll like this here too. The narration, the dialogues, the action, it is all here. But if you didn't like the first, move away from this, since it is a very similiar story.

after the first hardcover i looked forward to this for a while. it was worth the wait and millar satisfied my every comic reading need.cool story with more colour (thats color in australian)than asgards pathway.very thick book but quick to read as it is padded with EXTRAS like marvel feel they must do just to bump up the size of the book.buy it if you are a fan of marvels ultimate line coz i loved it.

The joy of the graphic novel! This book encompasses the second arc of The Ultimates in a hardbound book. The story and art are from two of the best in the business. I highly recommend it, especially if you haven't been to a comic book store in a while and want to rekindle your interest. Now we only have to await Ultimates 3 in novel form, with art by Joe Mad!...In the meantime, pick this one up and be amazed at how the writer has used very modern concerns to narrate his story...

This might be one of the best comic book packages i have ever seen. With a fantastic comic that feels like a movie but still keeps the classic comic book touches that ground it in the semi reality that is the marvel universe. The book is so cinimatic that they made 2 cartoon movies based on these comics. The book also comes with comentaries and a beautiful black hardbound cover. If you like comics you owe it to yourself to pick up the Ultimates Vol 1 and 2.

Highly recommended. Reading this book I learned a lot about the history of Congo and the suffering of its people. Once you started reading you can't really put it down. But be warned: The stories about gunboys, militia and so on are really cruel and reading about their atrocities makes you want to throw the book against the wall or shout at somebody.

I read this book in May and still find myself haunted by it. Episodes like the Kinshasa Fight Club or the surreal appearance of Jessica Lange at a triage camp will stay with me for a long long time.

Mealer tenderly renders the humanity of a situation most of us would prefer to think of as inhuman.

You owe it to yourself to take a look.

I had to put the book down several times because I felt sick. Bryan's writing was so real that I felt every terrifying and treacherous moment along the way. Just when a dangerous jouney ended, another began. I am so overwhelmed with what Bryan experienced in the Congo. I know him personally as well as his family, and I can't imagine what they all went through at their own levels.
I applaud Bryan Mealer for the excellent portrayal of a dire situation. I admire his wife, Ann Marie, and family for living through all of the reports, emails and contacts from Bryan throughout his entire journey.
BRAVO, Bryan, for the intensity, honesty, and real depiction of the situation in the Congo that we should all be aware of and concerned about.

Bryan Mealer has penned a brutal memoir of his three years as a reporter in the Congo, three years when teenage gunboys roamed the countryside and city streets, when UN peacekeeping forces faced mystical leaders operating from jungle mountaintops, when rebel militias and government forces alike pillaged their own nation. It was a horrible time in the history of a country that has seen little else for the last hundred years.

While Mealer writes about the bloody atrocities he witnessed, the real story he tells is about himself. He's drawn back to the Congo three times, apparently addicted to the extreme discomfort and random violence he endures. His travels cover nearly the entire country from the capital of Kinshasa to the mineral-rich southern provinces to the guerilla-infested eastern region where an alphabet-soup of militias, foreign armies, and UN forces fight a never-ending war of terror, rape, and mutilation. He rides a newly-reconstructed rail line and even follows Conrad's trail up the Congo River via barge. At one point, he and his adventure-junkie buddies take off through the jungle on bicycles.

While Mealer tells us the names and stories of many Congolese he meets along the way, he never really gives much insight into them as anything other than victims. He says as much when he reflects on his bicycle journey:

"...once in the jungle, my own basic needs and level of comfort had stood in the way of learning anything. I didn't even know my riders' last names or anything about their families. I'd simply been too exhausted and hungry to care. It wasn't my proudest moment, and even now, those last days on the trail leave a sting of regret."

Still, All Things Must Fight To Live puts the reader close to the action and accurately reflects the aftermath of war and colonialism in one of the world's greatest humanitarian catastrophes.

Dave Donelson, author of Heart of Diamonds: A Novel of Scandal, Love and Death in the Congo

I recommend this book for many reasons--Mealer's lyrical, colorful prose, insight into some of the most magnificent and heartbreaking events and places in the DRC, and finally, for a first hand account of how, why, and when news reaches us out of Africa. I'll recommend this book to my colleagues who study Congo, but also to family members who would like a window into this fiercely captivating and complicated place.