Carlson Books

In God without Being, French Theologian Jean-Luc Marion offers a controversial thesis about how to think God with categories, including the category of Being. Beginning with an important and enlightening distinction between the idol and the icon, Marion goes on to argue that most "conceptual" understandings of God (i.e., causa sui, prima causa, moral god, etc.) actually constitute idolatries, because they essentially limit the divine to the scope of the human gaze. This is, in Marion's view, the quintessential manufacture of God in the image of humans.

In following chapters, Marion attempts to develop an account of God's self-revelation that would allow us to avoid the traps of conceptual idolatry and think "God without being." For this project, Marion settles on the notion of "giveness" (French: "donation"). In Marion's view, we can think of a God free of all categories (including the category of being) only if we think of God as pure gift--a gift given without any horizon except the gift itself (phenomenologists take note). To flesh out this concept of giveness (i.e., the God who trangresses Being), Marion introduces the notion of love--an idea which, in his view, is still conceptually free enough to allow us to think God without inevitably falling into idolatry. Thus, with the God who "gives" himself as "agape," Marion believes he has found a way of thinking of God without recourse to the category of being--and more importantly, without the erection of a conceptual idol.

This text is profound in every sense of the word and merits numerous rereadings. In fact, anyone who wants to be conversant with "cutting-edge" Christian theology at the beginning of the 21st century will need to know this book well.

That said, Marion's language is often dense and, quite frankly, obscure. The sentences are long and jargon-filled, and the precise structure of his arguments is not always clear. In any case, however, God Without Being merits the attention it has received. A close, reflective reading will not go unrewarded.

Adam Glover

This review starts out with a bit of perplexity: there are two works in this book, 1) God Without Being, and 2) Hors-Texte. "Hors-Texte" translates, literally, as " 'outside the text,' the unpaginated plates added to the end of a book." My question here is, what is the relationship between these two works? My guess is that they are to be read together: Hors-Texte gives a place for the embodiment of (the) God Without Being. This embodiment takes place ("place" being here an intentionally spatial reference) in liturgy and the eucharist: God gives God's self outside of, after and beyond the text. This book functions as a work of theology (Marion is Roman Catholic) but can also function as a work in the philosophy of religion: religion is not something textual, so much as it is embodied in real time and real space.

Marion, however, is not a theologian or philosopher of religion who seeks to arrive at a conception of God (or, for that matter, religion) that justifies a particular philosophy. Hence, he breaks fully with Enlightenment rationalists who seek a God that does little more than justify their own ideas of autonomy: for Marion, God is not the unmoved mover who must be before he loves. Rather, God loves before being: it is God's love which gives place to the Being of beings.

This understanding of God as agape is a break, however, not only with so-called rationalists, but with scholasticism and late modern/post-modern thinkers such as Nietzsche and Heidegger. Marion works off of both Nietzsche and Heidegger but also criticizes them for not giving a place to a God who loves before being. Nietzsche's twilight of the idols is nothing more than the twilight of particular idols: atheism is simply the refusal to believe in a particular *conception* of God, not God as such (although few, if any, atheists would ever admit to this). Similarly, Heidegger's subsuming God to the predicates of Being is equally misguided and blind; in the end, both Nietzsche and Heidegger commit a type of idolatry. For Marion, theology ought to be iconic: We only "see" God between the "halftimes of our idolatries", he writes.

This God who exceeds our prior conceptions - that is, the predicates of Being - is not the God of metaphysics (onto-theology as Marion, following Heidegger, asserts). Rather, he is the God of unknowing: in short, revelation. Marion turns to the great mystics of the Church, particularly Dionysius the Aeropagite (aka Pseudo-Dionysius) and his mystical theology. There is something wonderfully raw about this; Marion's call to return to an understanding of God who loves outside of and beyond our ability to comprehend and inscribe in books finds its fullest expression in liturgy, lived and acted with/in/by bodies. Hence, God Without Being culminates in incarnation: Christ, in the Church, and in communion.

There is a deeply ecclesial dimension to Marion's work. The Eucharist is celebrated within the life of the community collective whose local leader (the bishop!), as the central servant-celebrant, is the theologian extraordinaire. It is this embodiment that stands on the threshold of Hors-Texte (quite literally, as this discussion takes place immediately before the second part of the book, Hors-Texte).

Marion writes with a rare combination of intellectual rigor, philosophical learning and appreciation, and a deep spirituality. The icon, ever opposed to the idol, directs our gaze beyond its own presence and to the God (Theos) that is beyond the text, but nonetheless gives Himself - loves - in the Word (Logos), which all theology (from the Greek words "Theos" and "Logos"!) writes towards and is, at its height, converted to.

This is not an easy book to read (particularly if you have little or no background in late/post modern philosophy), but it is well worth the effort. Rarely does a book really give itself to the reader as a key to looking more deeply and seeing more clearly, but for those with eyes to read and ears to hear, they may are likely to find themselves moving beyond the text and into an embodied, liturgical practice, celebrating the Word that all words, at their best, look and are converted to: not on their own, but because of the Word's self-giving to words.

Let me admit first off that Marion's "God Without Being" is a difficult read; I admit this despite the fact that, when I first read it, my brain was well steeped in the work of Derrida, Heidegger, Levinas, and many others into and out of whose discourses Marion constructs his own argument. There are large chunks of the essay that still puzzle me, but the clarity of the ultimate movements will not be lost on the attentive reader. Theology is wasting its time, Marion claims, when it appears primarily as apologist for an existing God, for the most important thing about God is not first that God lives, but that God gives.

Beginning with an interrogation of what he will later term "the ontological impediment" (this very pre-occupation with systematizing or explaining God's being or God-as-Being), Marion contests that this very focus on ex-planation (with its aggressively outbound prefix) prevents one from being capable of acting as receiver (with all its quietly centripetal connotations) and thus betrays one of the most basic theological aims: speaking of "the gift that Christ makes of his body," Marion reminds us that "a gift, and this one above all, does not require first that one explain it, but indeed that one receive it" (162).

The book's back cover refers to this move as one that resituates God in the realm of agape, or Christian charity, rather than in the realm of Being. Marion does indeed speak of agape, but I think that the tidy and perhaps overly theoretical ring of the word would give way, if he had his preference, to the plain, everyday notion of "giving" to which he turns at the most powerful moments of "God Without Being." Because for Marion the gift of Christ is already a very physical fact ("in a word," he says, "the Resurrection remains historically verifiable" [193]), the messy physicality of giving seems to me truer to his reinscription of God than does the theological purity of agape.

The deeply Catholic background of Marion's work, while not in the least a detractor, may make the book slightly less accessible for those not familiar with many tenets of or ongoing debates within the Catholic theological tradition; this was certainly a difficulty for me, but not an insoluble one. And the framing of the essay as a working out of one's own faith, from the "Envoi" to "The Last Rigor," allows the impact of Marion's address to operate perfectly coherently on a logical level, but even more so on an individually emotional level.

Readers interested in theology and postmodern recontextuatlizations of it--and even, perhaps, in the reconciliation of these two terms--will find in Marion's "God Without Being" a very satisfying if not moving experience.

Marion, in this wonderful book, posits a God who is beyond Being. He first discusses the difference between an idol and an icon. An idol reflects the gaze of being back to him or herself. Idols are inherently limited by the essence and mind of the being who sees and/or thinks of them. Icons, on the other hand, provide the transcendent a face through which to gaze at being. Through this gaze, being is changed. Nietzsche and Heidegger show us that various conceptions of "God" are but idols. The moral god is a product of human ideals. The metaphysical god of the first cause is another reflection of human limitation. Even the god of Being is not the true God as Heidegger contends. Therefore, Marion understands that God loves prior to being. Love transcends contingent categories and is purely given. God is pure agape and is made known through revelation in the icon of Jesus Christ. As God gazes back at being, vanity is reversed. God is revealed through the eucharistic presence that is the source of theology.

This book is difficult to read. However, the reader who struggles through will be rewarded. When all is said and done, Marion offers a thoroughly Christian account of the divine in a philosophically rigorous way.

In this tome heavily influenced by Continental theology and philosophy, the author argues that true love theology needs to abandon all metaphysics of the subject. It needs to embrace a revelation-based strategy for Christian love theology, not requiring any co-relational stance between theology and modernity. God's revelation of love is a pure gift beyond reason and incomprehensible. Marion's conversation partners in this book include Nietzsche, Heidegger, Wittgenstein, and Derrida.

Theology is only proper when done within the horizon of God's own self-revelation as agape. While God exists, Marion does not believe that one ought to ascribe being to God. "Under the title, `God Without Being,'" explains Marion, "I am attempting to bring out the absolute freedom of God with regard to all determinations, including, first of all, the basic condition that renders all other conditions possible and even necessary - for us, humans, the fact of Being" (xx).

While for humans it is necessary to be in order to love, "God is love" comes before "God as Being." God's primary theological name is charity, and in this sense Marion's enterprise is postmodern and similar to Derrida. Marion concludes by suggesting that what can be known about God comes only in so far as God gives Himself as a gift, the "gift gives only itself."

Thomas Jay Oord

This book has been a TREMENDOUS help to not only me but my family as well. Whenever anyone of us as a problem with either our own dogs or the dogs next door we open the book and there is the solution! It is easy to read and clearly gives the suggestions and why they will work. ...and they do! Ms Carlson has also been helpful with her phone consultations. I don't know how anyone with a dog manages without this book.

I was very pleased with this purchase. The information is terrifically organized so that you can easily find it, and I wasn't able to find one problem I have encountered with my two new pups that was not covered in this book.

What I most liked about this book is that it not only explains the problem, but why the dog is doing it in the first place. This has helped me to put their training in perspective and see what they are trying to do, or think they are doing. It just helps me be a better 'alpha dog' I feel.

I can easily recommend this book to anyone with a dog or with a notion of getting a dog. This will not be money wasted.

If you're getting a puppy or have a young dog who's causing problems, forget all the other dog training books you're thinking of buying. If you buy Jeanne Carlson's book you won't need any others.

In addition to buying her book & loving it, Jeanne personally trained our 2 yr. old yellow lab, Gede. Thanks to Jeanne's miraculous touch & training, Gede has grown up to be an almost perfect dog: mild tempered, calm, loving, etc.

Jeanne's book lays out every significant problem area clearly, consisely; and gives you easy to follow directions for how to correct them. She also points out the reasons for the problems & the reasons why the solutions will work in terms of your dog's psychology.

It may sound a bit silly, but Jeanne has learned to see the world through a dog's eyes & has profound empathy for the species. You can't go wrong w. Jeanne!

Richard Silverstein

Provides guidance and examples of basic obedience training using positive reinforcement training with variable rewards. Good basic techniques. Believes that once a dog has learned the correct command and knowingly disobeys, a verbal "no" is appropriate. Well indexed and cross referenced. 65% of the book is organized into specific problems, why your dog is doing it, what you should do or say, why the correction works and how to prevent the situation. Training methods recommend use of leash, collar, spay bottles, rattles, and lots of personal positive reinforcement techniques. A very good, stick to the facts, basic training book.

As a basic training/problem solving manual, this book is okay ... first time owners will find possible solutions to a wide range of common doggie behavioural issues ...

But much of what is offered can be found even in basic dog breed books ... the various solutions suggested by this book will probably work with dogs who are reasonably socialised to begin with. If you suspect that the problem you have, might prove a little more stubborn ... then search for something more substantial ... try looking under 'Behaviour Problems, Dogs' ...

I read these essays in spare time. Most of them were about five pages, short enough to fill a lunch break. I found most of the writings insightful and filled my mind and heart for the day, good thoughts to think about while the world seems somewhat disconnected and cold at times. This anthology is from many writers that I know and admire; a good book for the heart about the heart. I recommend it for those of us that want a healthy thought for day and to experience mindfulness of our actions and thoughts toward our fellow humans.

Some of the chapters are insightful---really linking us to the source of love and being that makes our hearts alive. Several others are similar to newspaper columnists giving common advice. If you get it, focus on the diamonds in the rough.

This is an uplifting book that reviews love in general - a great self help book. Self help books are so good for you - even if you don't feel you need them there is always something you can learn. This book is no exception.

The struggle to find to find true love in the present world is not an easy task. In this world where the once sacred institution of marriage is now no more likely to last than flipping heads on a coin, those who truly know what love is are scarce. Everyone claims to know what this thing called love is, but few truly understand the essence of everything the word love stands for. In this book, the writings of several self-proclaimed love experts, professors from various colleges, have been compiled together in an attempt to help others find out what love is and how to make it a part of their lives. The basic beliefs range from Buddhism to Christianity, but all of the authors agree that we all need love. This in itself is a valid argument because of the basic human need to feel accepted and appreciated.
Some of the claims made about love in this book are:

1. Give love to get love
2. Love is a choice
3. Love is wanting the best for another person
4. Love yourself in order to love others

There are various other insights on love in this book; buy it and find out what they are.
The basic argument from these claims filters into the overall argument of love stems from the individual. Love cannot exist if an individual doesn't want it to exist. Restating the claims, an individual must give love to get it in return, choose to love, desire the best others, and show love for the self in order to show love to others.
This argument is quite valid because love is not some sort of pit which people can helplessly fall into. Love is not lust and love does not envy. All of the claims presented elaborate on the essence of what love is and reasonably arrive at the conclusion that love stems from the individual. All of the points are clearly and precisely elaborated on in the book, and the reader comes away from the book with a newfound sense of mental completeness. This completeness comes from better understanding what true love is. There would be no way to account for the multitudes of occasions in which individuals have professed to "knowing" what love is, but enough sufficient evidence is presented in the book to allow the argument to be complete.
It's intriguing to find that many proverbs have stemmed from the forethought that love stems from the individual. The Golden Rule is the prime example of this. "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." The "doing" part is from the individual, one must do unto others first in order for others to do the same unto them. "You reap what you sow." Again, it is seen that the individual must first sow in order to reap. For what is there to reap if nothing has been sown? So this is what you must do, go out and express your appreciation for someone. Love first in order to love last.

Everyone in the world needs to read this book, I guarantee it would change many lives. It opens your mind to think deeply of what some fears the most, love. It truly answers so many questions in regards to love and life. Everyone that has picked my book up, cannot put it down. Now that's a winner!

I got some encouragement and growth inspiring information from this book, and some was too deep for me. I prefer the simple soul learning, and tend to remember information to help me the more simple it is to apply.

This is an excellent anthology of essays by many accomplished scholars (see the list of names above). Some are psychotherapists, some former ministers, and some psychiatrists; many are simply inspirational writers. This is a calming book with eclectic selections that will suit most tastes.

This book is wonderful. I bought it a few years ago when I was just browsing and not really looking for anything special. The title drew me in. This culmination of writers and various points of view on how to nourish your soul really makes you think. It's helped me find peace in so many ways. It's helped remind me what is important in life and how to be good to myself.

I picked up this book when I was at a low point in my life. It awakened me to a new way of seeing - both myself and the world around me. Handbook for the soul is a wonderful collection of short essays, by various people, all with the same message. It is one of my most favourite books and I highly recommend it!

Anything Richard Carlson lays his hands on is worth considering reading. Each essay offers a philsophical view worth pondering guiding the perseptive reader closer to the inner self. The wealth of information well surprasses the few dollars spent on this compilation.

Throughout the series I had been waiting anxiously for this one and enjoyed it much more than I had even hoped. In the past ones Caitlin had been very...I don't know, annoying. While I appreciated her faith and views on life, I didn't like how sometimes she came off as too preachy. In this one she starts to loosen up a bit and it was very fun to read! Would totally recommend this book and others by this author!

I can not keep the books in my classroom! As soon as one is returned it is checked out again. High school students love the stories!

This was an ok book. The story was really good but the way the author kept writing about God was annoying and very immature. If you just ignore all the Christianity in this book, then it's a good story. The story did portray what planning a wedding is really like but the authors overuse of Christianity in this book made it hard to read.

I do, is the fifth and last book in the Caitlin series. It is mainly about Caitlin getting ready for her wedding. Josh proposed to her at the beginning of the book. He proposed to her in a very special way. All through the book she is fighting her wedding battles. She has to try to go through with her mom and Josh's mom telling her different things she needs to do. Josh's mom likes to spend lots of money and Caitlin's mom is the complete opposite. Caitlin just wants to have a simple wedding. Jenny was a very big help since she has transferred to Caitlin's school. They are now rooming together. Beanie got accepted to a design school in New York City and is helping Caitlin out with the designs for the bride's dress and the bridesmaid dresses. Caitlin is also trying to figure out where they should go on their honeymoon. Caitlin and Josh are having their wedding at a big church and the reception at a place they went together in high school. Is Caitlin going to get everything worked out or get completely stressed?
I would recommend this book to any girl that can read the reading level. I would also recommend this book to people that like the books, P.S Longer Letter Later and Snail Mail No More because they are very similar.
This book was a very good book. I like everything about it and I don't think that I disliked any part of it.

I do! Is a story about a girl named Caitlin O'Conner. It is the fifth book in the series of Diary of A Teenaged Girl. Caitlin is a senior in college and was at a wedding for two of her good friend. After a while at the reception, Caitlin and her best friend Beanie were leaving when Josh Miller stopped them. Josh and Caitlin have a history together, and Caitlin has always liked him since high school. Josh asked Caitlin if she was busy that night, and she said no. Josh was driving somewhere that he told Caitlin was special, but Caitlin didn't know about it. He drove to the park and hopped out to open Caitlin's door. They walked through the park until they came to a clearing by the lake. There, Caitlin saw a table lit with candles. They sat down and were served by some high school-aged guys from their church. Then josh went down on one knee, and popped a question.
I really liked this book because it explains what is happening really well, and makes it so you understand what is going on. I also like this book because every time you start the next book in the series, it explains like some of the things that happened in the book before that so you know what is going on at the beginning. I don't really have any dislikes about the book because I thought it was pretty exciting and interesting throughout the whole thing.
I don't think people who like adventure books would like this. I also don't think guys would want to read this book because it is more of a girl book.

I have used this series of books for a long time and they are excellent. This book is easy to follow and has a good deal of diagrams and pictures to help you learn both of these excellent applications. I have used this book with people new to iMovie & iDVD and those with a lot of experiences. I highly recommend it.

Having quicky tired of Vista, I took the plunge and bought a Mac laptop. This was one of the first books I bought for the Mac.

Author Jeff Carlson does a great job explaining the basics of movie-making with iMovie. Although I've quickly stepped up to Final Cut Pro (although very cool, iMovies is pretty limited), I still find myself referring back to this book from time to time.

If you're new to Apple computers and like to shoot movies, then this book is a must have!

Happy Filming!

Peachpit's Visual QuickStart Guide series is one of the best how-to series out there for beginning to intermediate computer users. In this book, the author does a great job of explaining the basics of video, giving readers a solid base of information for what follows. From there, he explains how to create your own movies and DVDs using the two video components of Apple's iLife '08 software package.

While most of the book sticks to the step-by-step approach that's part of the Visual QuickStart Guide style, I found the general information about lighting, cameras, and movie-making invaluable.

No, I'm not a video expert -- but if I were, I don't think I'd be using iMovie. This book is right on target for the iMovie/iDVD audience.

Apple overhauled iMovie for its "2008" release (actually revealed in 2007), and Jeff Carlson did the same for his book. I found iMovie '08 rather mystifying at first, because of how differently the program handles tasks that I've been using iMovie to handle for years. But Jeff's book helped me sort it out.

iMovie '08 also doesn't play very nicely with iDVD '08, and Jeff's book provides the necessary missing information (Apple left it out) for better using the two programs together. (iMovie '08 is really oriented towards YouTube and online, not burning DVDs.)

I do almost no video editing, but when I had to dive into iMovie recently, Jeff's book was a big help. The Visual QuickStart Guide approach of explaining a single task per page, with steps accompanied by screenshots, was just what I needed to import a movie taken from my digital camera, superimpose a title, add some scrolling credits at the end, and publish it to my .Mac Web Gallery. Sure, that may sound like simple stuff, but when you've never used a program before, it's helpful to have explanations of what to drag where. The only problem now is that I saw instructions for doing all sorts of other cool things in the book that I'd love to try, but there are absolutely no instructions for finding more time in the day to play with iMovie.

A frenetic, funny & memorable book of short stories about the life & times of Jeremy Theodore Grabowski, the summer the girl next door decides to liberate the women of the world & gets a crush on Jeremy; he gets noticed by the neighborhood bully & his parents think about re-locating to Arizona.

Kevin Carlson's maps of Jeremy's street, yard & room & all his illustrations add delightful images to the crazy stories.

This is one book you'll be reading under the covers in the brightness of your flashlight!

Taking place in Upstate New York during the year 1978, Jeremy Grabowski is a ten-year-old boy with a lot on his mind. Luckily, his friends, Sean, his best friend who lives just down the street, and Julie, his next-door neighbor who has a crush on him, are nearby to help him. Jeremy's summer vacation is beginning with a bag. His adventures include turtles, toads, lakes, bikes, baseball, camping, a neighborhood bully, and more. If being a ten-year-old isn't hard enough, Jeremy's problems also include a neighborhood bully named Robert who dreams of being a movie star, determined to ruin Jeremy's summer. On top of that HUGE crisis, now his parent's are debating whether or nor they should move the family to Arizona!

Mr. Carlson has written a wonderful, fun, and imaginative book told through the eyes of a ten-year-old. His creative use of words draws the reader in with every sentence. The few illustrations that accompany this book strengthen the impression that a ten-year-old boy is in fact, telling the story and again it draws the reader in.

The author, Richard W. Carlson Jr. known to live in an imaginary world of his own as a boy, he now lives in the real world and successfully writes books and poems for children that teach valuable lessons. He lives in Tucson, Arizona and JEREMY GRABOWSKI'S CRAZY SUMMER IN STORMVILLE is his first published book. Great job!

Join Jeremy Grabowski on his summer vacation and peek into the year 1978. This fun book was thoroughly enjoyed by me as well as MY ten-year-old son, Nicholas. As a mother of three, author of children's books, and a children's book reviewer, I have no hesitations in recommending Mr. Carlson's chapter book for pre-teens....

I really enjoy this author's talent for capturing youth at its best. We desperately need more books and authors such as this one to keep our children in good, wholesome, yet enthrawling books. Can't wait to see what else Mr. Carlson has to offer!

I must say that this is possibly one of the finest childrens books I have laid eyes upon lately. The story line follows life in a crazy little suburban town in New York. Carlson's work is very refeshing, it doesn't preach sex or violence to our children, it just talks about being young and, well, being young! This book and Carlson's other book "Feelings and Imagination of a Baferfoot Boy Still Inside My Head" show true promise for this very talented author. I think anyone would enjoy it, especially very young boys, or anyone who has (or had) children.

1978 in Stormville, New York finds Jeremy Grabowski wondering if he's going to survive another crazy summer. Absolute frustration with his brother and sister leaves Jeremy wishing that he'd been born an only child. His mother cautions him to be careful what he wishes for. Worse, now he finds out that his family might be moving to Arizona. Jeremy doesn't want to move, even if his dad promises they'll have their own swimming pool. Stormville's a fun place to live, even if a girl likes him, his brother and sister drive him crazy, and the worst bully ever lives just down the road.

Author Richard W. Carlson Jr draws from his own childhood experience of living in Stormville, New York to create JEREMY GRABOWSKI'S CRAZY SUMMER IN STORMVILLE! Written from the perspective of a ten-year-old, this fun tale will be immediately appreciated by that age-range, though the rest of us may have to remember being ten to "get it." But once you've got it, Carlson has a knack for sweeping you away in the madcap adventure with extreme enthusiasm, when living for the moment was the only way to live. Jeremy's friends and family are vividly realized, with political and historical background that will keep adults entertained as well as preteens. JEREMY GRABOWSKI'S CRAZY SUMMER IN STORMVILLE! is highly recommended.

I can't believe I'm the first reviewer to give this book a single star. It's an interesting topic, sure, but the quality of the book is appalling. Maybe the previous five reviewers were able to look past the constant spelling and grammar errors, but with several on every page (many of them basic typos -- can't the publisher spell check? -- as well as comma issues and awkward/incorrect sentence structure) I found the grammatical issues far too distracting to take this book seriously. Whatever academic merit this book may have is completely undermined by the shoddy and amateur quality of the publishing. This just isn't a book a self-respecting academic could keep in her library.

However, if you have no particular attachment to spelling and grammar, and think you can overlook this constant problem, you may still be disappointed in the content. Again, it's a promising topic, but Carlson is alternately too brief and generalizing or too verbose and meandering, and the story doesn't really "flow." It seems like the publisher is a pretty small outfit (I googled Caxton Press and found three staff members total) but they are in desperate need of someone to assist authors with revisions, and most importantly, a COPYEDITOR.

Carlson has written an absorbing and poignant account of these brave ladies. In addition to giving readers a good sense of these women as real people--not simply stoic helpmates in a great historical drama perpetuated by their missionary husbands--Carlson provides many telling details about aspects of frontier life, such as feminine hygiene, childbearing and sanitary practices, that previous historical accounts have overlooked. This book is a wonderful example of history from a woman's point of view, and it does a fine job of bringing the past vividly to life. Highly recommended.--Paul Slimak, in The Bookcase, Victorian Decorating & Lifestyles, February, 1999.

Carlson has written an absorbing and poignant account of these brave ladies. In addition to giving readers a good sense of these women as real people--not simply stoic helpmates in a great historical drama perpetuated by their missionary husbands--Carlson provides many telling details about aspects of frontier life, such as feminine hygiene, childbearing and sanitary practices, that previous historical accounts have overlooked. This book is a wonderful example of history from a woman's point of view, and it does a fine job of bringing the past vividly to life. Highly recommended.--Paul Slimak, in The Bookcase, Victorian Decorating & Lifestyles, February, 1999.

The characters seemed quite real. I was drawn to them in spite of their obvious human frailties. They were much like modern peace corps workers, idealistic but not very practical. Dedication to their individual faiths gave them both motivation and courage. The depictions of the characters lives in New England before their journey were disturbing. The severity of their lives made it easy to understand why they would choose such a dangerous path. Depictions of the Indian tribes concerned were historically accurate, but possibly not politically correct. I greatly enjoyed this example of Mrs Carlson's work. I look forward to seeing further work by this author.

This book was put together really well. Everything had an order and only once or twice did you feel like you were jumping back and forth between years(which is what I think is the problem with most books on history). I really enjoyed the time the author took to describe things like the sidesaddles themselves or all the stages of syphlis. The Whitmans were portrayed in a completely different light than what most children are taught in school. In a time when the women were all but ignored; I find it amazing that this author could find so much information about them so that we could finally read about who they were beyond the wives of missionaries. Thank you Laurie Carlson for all the hard work you put into this one. It was worth your time and dedication.

This dramatic fourth installment in The Secret Life of Samantha McGregor series completes Melody Carlson's story about teenager Samantha, the girl who can see the future in dreams and visions. A touchy topic to begin with, Carlson has done an admirable job portraying this supernatural gift both sensitively and with biblical accuracy.

Samantha, like any other teen, isn't altogether comfortable with her gift, and her widowed mom even less so as it frequently puts her in dangerous situations. But she doesn't have much choice; God seems to invade her mind and heart with scenes of events not yet happening as well of those playing out in real time.

In PAYBACK, Samantha is sleeping and suddenly sees a picture of a girl in a mint green gown backing away from a bloody scene as her date crumbles onto the floor in front of her. Shots ring out, and she runs. Then Samantha wakes up, with her heart beating and her pulse racing. She immediately tries to recapture all the significant details of the dream-vision. So begins this not-so-unusual happening in her daily life.

After recording the details in her notebook, Samantha decides to tell her father's former police partner, Ebony, about the vision. Together, they've already tracked, solved and prevented a number of crimes. So Sam goes to school, interacts with friends, and before she knows it, another vision appears before her of a boy being pummeled by bullies. In typical Samantha fashion, she enlists the help of her best friend Olivia, and they sleuth together trying to puzzle out what she has seen and how God wants to use her in these situations.

As if these visions of violence weren't enough to contend with, Samantha's mother discovers money missing from her checking and savings accounts, and her new boyfriend Steven may be implicated. Samantha, with her razor-sharp intuitive skills, can't believe her mom doesn't see through Steven. She gets hurt, but in ways that are unexpected. Within a short space of time, Sam and Olivia discover some important clues that tie both of the visions together, and Sam goes undercover at various proms trying to forestall her bloody premonition from taking place. Both the pace and the tension build as Sam prays and asks God not only to see the future but also to use her to avert the violence before it happens.

Readers will enjoy this final interaction with Sam and her family and friends, as it offers them insight and food for spiritual thought on the subject of spiritual gifting and everyday life.

--- Reviewed by Michele Howe

The final Samantha McGregor book has a rich plot that keeps you reading through all the twists and turns. Samantha gets visons from God, and in this book it is about a school shooting, and it is a bit goary. All in all though this is a truly amazing book.

Samatha McGregor has learned to pay attention to the disturbing visions she receives from God, even though most of the time she doesn't understand what they mean. Now, she's had a vision of a shooting at a high school prom, although she doesn't know what school. She talks to Detective Ebony Hamilton, who is also a personal friend. Soon Samatha and the police are involved in a race to discover which school is in danger. PayBack is the fourth and final book in The Secret Life of Samantha McGregor. With a clever storyline and a twisted plot that will appeal to teens, it's a satisfying ending to the series.

Melody Carlson
Multnomah, 2008
ISBN: 9781590529348
5 stars
Excellent Young Adult Novel....
Reviewed by Kay Ramsey for ReviewYourBook.com, 09/08
Detective Ebony Hamilton has learned to listen when Samantha McGregor has a vision. Sam's latest vision concerns a shooting at a high school. PayBack sheds light on several issues students face, including bullies. I like this book. It is well written, and the characters are real to life. While this book was written for students, adults will enjoy it too.

The Portland, Oregon police especially Detective Ebony Hamilton take seriously any visions that high school student Samantha McGregor has as the teen has helped on recent cases (see BAD CONNECTION, PLAYING WITH FIRE and BEYOND REACH). Ebony, who was her late dad's partner, and Sam believe her visions are a gift from God to help people.

However, recently she has had three seemingly separate sets of visions. The first involves her mother's new boyfriend Steven, whom Sam does not like; the second entails a terrorist act at a gala that she thinks is a prom; the other line of visions is the bullying of a teem by his peers. Sam talks with Ebony about all three. The cops and Sam attend local proms hoping to avoid a disaster. Meanwhile her mom complains about missing money from her accounts while Steven apparently has vanished. The three sets of visions will soon become clear hopefully not too late; as Sam requires the patience of Job with the understanding that faith in God even when she does not comprehend why the Lord does what he does is the key to life.

The fourth Secret Life of Samantha McGregor is an entertaining inspirational paranormal crime caper. Readers will appreciate Sam's dedication and caring as she tries to prevent harm to people as her three visions indicate. Although in real life one cannot thank the Lord too much, in a novel it becomes irritating as readers know of Sam's strong belief and gratitude. Still, this is a fine entry with a fabulous final twist and filled with moral issues like dealing with teen bullying, identity theft, turning the other cheek, failing to save a soul, and throughout the series the belief that God's way is the only way.

Harriet Klausner

Although at times a pretty good introductory text, Physiology of Behavior is often incorrect or too vague to be of use. Text is often written quite informally and in the first person. Maybe good for really advanced high-school psychology classes. Overall - weak.

This review applies to the 6th edition, which I bought as required reading for my undergraduate Physiological Psychology course. Now, in graduate school, I often refer to this text. The CD-ROM that came with the book has been invaluable as a "refresher" in basic neuroanatomy. The book is written in an easy-to-understand manner. I give it four stars instead of five only because I wish that the authors went into more detail about certain key topics, such as neurotransmitters and brain structures.

I am an undergraduate neuroscience major at Univeristy of Massachustts, Amherst, and I had the author of this book , Dr Neil Carlson, as my professor for both the undergrad and grad level of this course. I am now a TA for the course, so I know the book pretty well. It is written in exactly the same style as he lectures. This probably because the book was originally developed from notes he used to hand out, which you can tell when reading the book. He has little personal comments inserted in paragraphs; he writes in the first person; he has strange analogies; he sometimes jumps from subject to subject; but overall, the book is quite good. The best things about the book are the diagrams and the cd. They very clearly illustrate exactly what he's discussing, and make the subject at hand easier for students to understand. As for the breadth of the material covered, it seems to be quite wide. He starts off with the basics, like neuron structure and brain anatomy, but then quickly moves on from there to sleep mechanisms, eating behavior, learning and memory, etc. The concentration of the book is on the effects of hormones on the brain and our behaviors resulting from those effects. I would recommend taking some introductory biology courses before trying to tackle the book; my psych major friend who hasn't had a tougher time with the class. Overall though, the book is not that hard to understand. I've learned a lot from it and not been bored while doing it. It's one of the most popular textbooks for the physiology of behavior out there. My book is dogearred from so much use, and though I have used it for 3 semesters, I still feel like I can glean more information from it!

Being forced to read a textbook at school is one thing, but being asked to read about the brain and its cognitive functions is other. For any one fascinated with the brain, this physiological rollercoaster into the mind is very intense and very in depth. ( At times it may be hard to follow because of the amount of concentration needed to go along with its terminologies). Not recommended as a reference book. It is definately more of a textbook for any medical-school-oriented individual>>>

I have used this text for over 4 years now and have nothing but praises for the manner in which it is written. It covers very difficult material in a reader-friendly manner without downplaying the importance of its contents. As with all texts, while there are some inaccuracies, these do not detract from the overall excellence of the text. In fact, they reflect the vibrant, rapidly changing nature of the field. As Torsten Wiesel said recently, 90% of what we know about the brain has been discovered within this decade, the Decade of the Brain.