Clark Books

`The Arrows Cookbook' combines 156 recipes from the four seasons of the highly regarded coastal Maine restaurant with a experienced amateur gardener's recommendations on planting and running a large southern Maine vegetable garden for the restaurant. The book embodies the familiar mantra of using fresh, seasonal, local ingredients fortified by giving you the information you need to grow fresh, local ingredients. This is the special slant the book offers, as no publisher has yet gotten the chutzpah to charge $40 for a book without trying to give the reader something extra.

The tone of the book is heavily oriented to their rural Maine terroir in style and content. In Maine, the seasons play a much greater role in daily life than they do in California or even in Manhattan. Therefore, the book's attitude toward its product has neither the mystical reverence of Paul Bertolli or Alice Waters nor the high maintenance, high craftsmanship of Daniel Boulud or Eric Rippert. Even though there is considerable respect for ingredients and home brewed food making here in both the gardening in the Spring and Summer and ham curing done in the Winter. There is also no evidence of high tech houte cuisine (there are no prep or cook times or difficulties ascribed to the recipes) or of Napa Valley chic wine recommendations. This is Maine! This is boiled lobsters, boiled meat, and wild apple country.

The asking price of $0.26 a recipe is a relatively high price for the average cookbook. Many very good books average out at $0.10 to $0.20 a recipe, list. What would make you willing to pay the extra toll for this book aside from the celebrity status of the venue?

1. The recipes are good, simple preparations. Of the 156, there are:
Appetizers 27
Salads 22
Main Courses 26 11 of which are for seafood
Sauces 21
Side Dishes 36
Desserts 24

The relatively high proportion of appetizers, salads, and side dishes to main courses is explained by the fact that the menu is different for each of the four seasons, based on what produce is available in that season. There are few or no tomato dishes in Spring and few strawberry dishes in Winter. The up side to this picture is that this book is a very good source for seasonal salads, appetizers, and side dishes. If one's limited cookbook budget was aimed at either seasonally or vegetarianism, this is a very good book. The attention to edible flowers is especially noteworthy.

2. The gardening information is fairly complete for the straightforward vegetable garden. Its primary value is inspirational and getting one started in the right directions. A good bibliography of gardening texts is included. The supplementary books are needed, because these authors are amateurs. I found at least one botanical mistake, but it wasn't serious. The book's value drops off the further you live from the Southern Maine growing zone and the less space you have available to grow stuff. The greatest value of this part of the book is the inspiration it can give to save money by growing your own. I believe the frugality of restaurant operations and the way they treat their prima materia is one of the most useful inspirations for home chefs. The growing of herbs alone in a Manhattan apartment can probably save someone over $100 a year with a commensurate improvement in their cuisine. Check out the price of fresh basil the next time you are in the tomato aisle of your megamart.

The photographs in this book are very gratefully limited to special sections and are of a reasonable quality. I have given up assigning demerits for photos, which have the center of a plate in focus and the front and back out of focus. All are about the food. No sous chefs hamming it up for the camera. Very commendable. One regret I have about the photography is that the book gives special attention to a very large arrangement at the restaurant entrance which changes at least seasonally, yet they give not a single photo of this great work, even after giving a detailed description of how to construct one. There are also many small black and white photos related to the text, but with no caption. Occasionally disorienting. Lastly, I miss a few more photos of their extensive garden and greenhouse(s). I start to get the sense that, like Emeril's recent cookbook, this book is aimed at being an elaborate advertisement for the restaurant.

This is good and more than commonly useful book. At a discounted price of $30 or less, I recommend it.

When I need to plan a dinner for friends that are not foodies this is the first cookbook I choose. The recipes are delicious, easy to prepare and are not over the top. Every recipe has been meticulously checked and all have proven to be delicious. The book helps capture the feel of eating at the restaurant. The seasonality of the book's organization helps us northern new englanders plan an appropriate meal.

This book is a must have. The recipes are fun and easy to prepare. When my family goes to their restaurant we are always treated as family. So many of the recipes are great that I can't even pick a single one as my favorite. What really puts this book into the next level is the way that they use seasonal ingredients. A must have.

As both a cook and a gardener, this cookbook is a treat. Oganized by season, the recipes use fresh fruits, herbs, and vegetables found in the garden and at the farmer's market. There are ambitious recipes that call for a lot of time and preparation, as well as extremely simple fare. The book also gives hints and instructions for everything from freezing berries and shucking oysters to building raised beds; even providing advice on whether or not to buy a greenhouse! You can plant the authors' "10 veggies that let you have a life," and then use their recipes to create such dishes as Red and Golden Beet Salad or the very simple Ginger-Roasted Parsnips. Armed with my seed catalogs and Frasier and Gaier's cookbook for inspiration and ideas (not to mention a slice of Super-Moist Apple Cake and a cup of coffee), I am looking forward to planning my garden for 2004. I can hardly wait until next year's harvest!

Anyone who's ever visited Arrows Restaurant in Ogunquit, Maine, knows the owners are sticklers for exquisite detail. From the views of the lush and meticulous one-acre garden out the freshly painted farmhouse windows, to the seasonal food artfully arranged on the plate, the experience is a treat for the eye as well as the palate. With the garden full of flowers, herbs, vegetables and heirloom tomatoes for inspiration, the food is creative and bursting with bright and subtle flavors.

The owners' first book reflects this with a balanced presentation of recipes, gardening advice and personal details. Organized seasonally, the authors showcase Maine staples such as lobster, Maine shrimp and cod and halibut, fiddleheads and blueberries. But the fiddleheads come served in brown butter with Bundnerfleisch, a German cured beef (you could also substitute prosciutto or smoked salmon); the lobster comes in an Asparagus Soup with Lobster, Morels and Chervil, and the lobster salad is served, not with mayonnaise, but with Tomato-Tarragon Vinaigrette.

The authors cross cultures freely and do not mind a little extra effort for a spectacular result. The skewers for the Chinese-inspired Grilled Lamb Brochettes on Basil Skewers with Spicy Basil-Cilantro Marinade, for instance, are basil stems left to dry over the winter.

Each chapter opens with a short essay on the season and state of the garden (which provides 90 percent of the restaurant's produce) and business, then moves on to feature appetizers, main and side dishes, sauces and desserts. Recipes are prefaced with short, useful notes on growing (even in Maine, "tomatillos grow like weeds"), selecting (the best piece of bluefin tuna, for instance), variations, accompaniments, and cooking tips.

Interspersed with the recipes are short gardening pieces - how to grow tomatoes or peppers, growing and using herbs, watering with soaker hoses, using up zucchini, making the most of a small space, edible flowers, saving seeds and lots more.

But the food is what Arrows veterans are looking for here. For a tantalizing taste of summer, try a Sweet and Sour Fennel Salad or a simple plate of Marinated Tomatoes or a Sugar Snap Pea and Rock Shrimp Salad. Then maybe some Maine Sweet Clams with Risotto and Arugula, or Grilled Rib-Eye Steak with Herbs and Caramelized Onions. Accompanied perhaps by some Thai-Style Corn-on-the-Cob (soaked in coconut milk, grilled), or Yam and Leek Gratin, and your own Onion and Rosemary Focaccia. Topped off with Cinnamon Basil Shortcakes with Peaches or Blueberry Ice Cream or Steamed Raspberry Pudding.

This is an attractive, personable, conversational book, as much fun to cook from as to browse. The recipes are not difficult, though some are time consuming and many feature ingredients you can find, but not necessarily at the local supermarket (but isn't a new discovery half the fun?). A delightful book and a kitchen inspiration.

This is a great little book written by a girl who witnessed the Gettysburgh battle.I recommend it.

Tillie Pierce's book about her involvement in the Battle of Gettysburg is a quick reading book that was enjoyable to read. It covers her involvement from Confederate early marches into Gettysburg to the aftermath of the battle. Tillie explains how she reacted to various events that unfolded in front of her and how she helped tend to wounded soldiers. She doesn't ever get too detailed as to the horrors she witnessed although I could get a good sense of the enviroment she was in as she explains her feelings quite well. Tillie does an excellent job giving us a resource for valuable information as to how locations on the field appeared in 1863 be it a home, road or situation happening upon the fields. Tillie's writing is priceless and really conveys civilian perspective to the horrors witnessed at Gettysburg. This is a great book for those seeking civilian commentary on Gettysburg.

At Gettysburg, or What a Girl Saw and Heard Of the Battle is a wonderful book! It is considered one of the most vivid civilian accounts of the battle of Gettysburg. Tillie Pierce, a 15 year old girl leaves the town of Gettysburg during the battle to escape danger. She ends up at a house that becomes a field hospital. When Tillie is in her 40's, she wrote down all of her experiences of the battle and aftermath. I would recommend this book to anyone who is intersted in the battle of Gettysburg. It is especially good if you are interested in the civilian point of view.

Incredible decription of the Town of Gettysburg during the July battle from a citizens point of view. Very telling prose of war from a young innocent girl caught in the middle of a horrible 3 day battle. Whether some of the actual facts are correct is not the point, this book puts the 'feelings' of war and this momentous historical event into a 'citizens perscpective'. This book and a trip to 'Shriver House' in Gettysburg is a great learning experience.

Tillie Pierce was a 15-year-old girl when the battle erupted in her hometown of Gettysburg. Just before the battle began, Tillie was sent by her worried parents to what they thought was the safety of a farm outside of town: the Jacob Weikert farm, 3 or so miles down the Taneytown road, on the east side (or behind) the round tops. This was a relatively good place to be on the first day of battle. But on the second day (and, to a certain extent, the third), it was a terrible place.

On the second day, with the battle rolling toward the Union left and centering in the wheat field, the peach orchard, and especially the round tops, the Weikert farm became a vast field hospital. Tillie saw her share of dead and wounded men--her description of the amputation benches and piles of severed limbs is hair-raising--and lived through the peril of sniper bullets and artillery shells. She gave a drink of spring water to a grateful General Meade and talked with General Stephen Weed, desperately wounded on Little Round Top, the night before he died. She tended wounded soldiers, fed hungry and exhausted ones, and in general saw and experienced more violence than any teenager ought to.

Although written when she was in her 40s, Tillie's memoir really does seem to capture the guilelessness and wide-eyed amazement of a teenager. Although it occasionally indulges in the purple prose beloved by 19th century amateur authors (especially in the introduction and conclusion), it otherwise smacks of authenticity. Of the 80-some firsthand accounts of the battle written by Gettysburgians, it's my favorite.

Historians have only begun to explore the impact of the Civil War on children, both the boy-soldiers who actually served in combat and the kids left at home while dad went off to war, or the kids caught up in the total warfare into which the war sunk during its final two years. Tillie's memoir is a valuable resource in this new line of research.

A personal note, I have a special fondness for Tillie. I live in two places: Gettysburg and Lewisburg. My home in Gburg is one block from the house Tillie grew up in (it's now a B&B) and I pass it nearly every day. My other home, in central PA, is 10 miles from Selinsgrove, the small town Tillie moved to when she married. She raised her family, died, and is buried in Selinsgrove.

It seems like nearly everyone who has an opinion about nude art has read this seminal work. Sir Clark's arguments are well-formed, thought-provoking, and amply legitimized by references to other sources. If you are interested in the debate surrounding nude art, then you should absolutely read this book, and John Berger's "Ways of Seeing," which includes a chapter where he specifically debates Sir Clark's book. If only our modern politicians could express themselves with such grace and consideration for each other!

Would you want to read someones recollections on art gone by, I doubt it. Perhaps you want to hear the love-less dissection of art by an academic, probably not. Maybe you'd like to see someone capture the beating heart in a subject that by it's very nature evokes stares, of course you do Malcolm. Lord Clark draws you into his diction, not because he wants you to bear witness to the eloquence of his analysis, but because he has remembered that there is more to seeing than meets the eye.

Whether you are a student of the arts, religion, history, or life you will learn from this work. Mr. Clark speaks with the authority of an educated and thoughtful expert on the subject and with the voice of a formidable author as well.

His work is as densely packed with meaning as you might expect to find in the writings of Reinhold Niehbur yet is possessed of a wonderfully literary mask. The writing is so well done, one might accidently read right over the meaning in the haste of seeing what will come next.

If you're the highlighting or underlining type, I'd recommend saving such marking for the second read as more of the true significance bubbles to the fore. Put aside your expectations of a "typical" art history text and prepare for an incredible enlightenment.

Enjoy!

THE NUDE: A STUDY IN IDEAL FORM, a classic investigation and summation, is one of scholar/historian Kenneth Clark's finest works - and that is high powered praise in view of all of his contributions to literature. Few writers inform with such dignity of prose, style, and warmth as Clark and THE NUDE is no exception. This handsome and illuminating volume dates back to 1953 and is based on six lectures given by Clark for the A. W. Mellon Lectures in Fine Arts at the National Gallery in Washington, DC. Clark opens his book with a lyrical treatise "The Naked and the Nude" in which he not only introduces his manner of examining the use of the nude as pictorial image for artists from ancient Greece through the Renaissance to the present, he wraps his scholarly information with personalized psychosocial commentary that is uniquely his own and allows the reader to settle in for the exploration ahead.
Approaching first the male nude ["Apollo"] from the Kouros of 600 BC through the vases, sculptures, reliefs, and paintings from all periods of history, he then moves to two views of the female nude - Venus I [the celestial female form] and Venus II [the woman of earthly form]. Having laid the foundation for the use of the nude in general, he then addresses the artistic emotions of Pathos, Energy, and Ecstasy in a manner that is near novel-like in reading. He closes his lecture series/book with a thought-provoking discussion of how man has viewed the nude through history, vacillating between laud and honor to the depiction of guilt, of the human stain. And finally he demonstrates in "The Nude As An End In Itself" both the occult appropriation of repeated forms and the acknowledged plagiarism of the nude studies from the earliest to the current. The Book is generously illustrated but in the paperback version available the illustrations are in black and white only. This profound and warmly human book is a must for artists and art lovers alike. Highly Recommended. And as is so often the case, Amazon.com does its readers a great service by finding ways to make books of such importance as this available to the public.

THE NUDE: A STUDY IN IDEAL FORM is one of scholar/historian Kenneth Clark's finest works - and that is high powered praise in view of all of his contributions to literature. Few writers inform with such dignity of prose, style, and warmth as Clark and THE NUDE is no exception. This handsome and illuminating volume dates back to 1953 and is based on six lectures given by Clark for the A. W. Mellon Lectures in Fine Arts at the National Gallery in Washington, DC. Clark opens his book with a lyrical treatise "The Naked and the Nude" in which he not only introduces his manner of examining the use of the nude as pictorial image for artists from ancient Greece through the Renaissance to the present, he wraps his scholarly information with personalized psychosocial commentary that is uniquely his own and allows the reader to settle in for the exploration ahead.

Approaching first the male nude ["Apollo"] from the Kouros of 600 BC through the vases, sculptures, reliefs, and paintings from all periods of history, he then moves to two views of the female nude - Venus I [the celestial female form] and Venus II [the woman of earthly form]. Having laid the foundation for the use of the nude in general, he then addresses the artistic emotions of Pathos, Energy, and Ecstasy in a manner that is near novel-like in reading. He closes his lecture series/book with a thought-provoking discussion of how man has viewed the nude through history, vacillating between laud and honor to the depiction of guilt, of the human stain. And finally he demonstrates in "The Nude As An End In Itself" both the occult appropriation of repeated forms and the acknowledged plagiarism of the nude studies from the earliest to the current. The Book is generously illustrated but in the paperback version available the illustrations are in black and white only. This profound and warmly human book is a must for artists and art lovers alike. Highly Recommended

Jerry Bryant has written a most compelling study of the African-American male using history, poetry, song, literature, along with myth and fact. This is a must read for anyone interested in, deeply or just superficially, the ways and the cultural whys and wherefors of the black man in american...yesterday and today. It is done with sensitivity and thoughtfulness and worth anyone's time...and it is damned readable!

A really interesting overview and analysis of the "baad man" as a central figure in African-American literature, tracing the origins from his earliest appearances in myth and folklore. Lively, literate without being pedantic, and full of interesting and surprising examples. Real insights into such major figures as Richard Wright and Toni Morrison, along with a fascinating section on the sources and achievements of Ice-T and the contemporary rappers that I, never a rap fan, found really eye-opening..

Jerry Bryant has written a most compelling study of the African-American male using history, poetry, song, literature, along with myth and fact. This is a must read for anyone interested in, deeply or just superficially, the ways and the cultural whys and wherefors of the black man in american...yesterday and today. It is done with sensitivity and thoughtfulness and worth anyone's time...and it is damned readable!

My title comes from the 1/16/2006 newspaper article by Cynthia Tucker in the San Francisco Chronicle. This book by Jerry Bryant gives historical background on the "bad man" image and why it finds support in the Black community. "The popularity of thug culture is among the most serious of modern-day threats to Black America . . ." says Cynthia Tucker. The sad fact is that the victims are likely to be young black men.

This is a great book that should be read by all people interested in reducing violence in their communities.

This is a book about African American "badmen" like Stagolee, John Hardy, Railroad Bill, and Devil Winston and how this archetypal figure gets taken up by black novelists, convict "toasters" and gangsta rappers. It tells the story of the defiance of this black folk hero and how middle class novelists and commercial rap artists soften and exploit an originally spontaneous figure of freedom that first emerges at the end of the nineteenth century. Jerry Bryant is professor emeritus of English, California State University, Hayward. By the way, the 5-star rating isn't vanity, it's just that some rating is required by Amazon and I figured it would be counter-productive to give my book anything less. JB

This book not only covers the basics of branding but goes beyond the fundamentals to look at where branding is going in the future. It's filled with many interesting examples and looks at branding and business from many different perspectives. If you want to learn both the fundamentals and then more this book is for you.

In a world on edge -- now comes a book deceptively simple, a personal conversation about branding. Brandscendence's meta-message: only the brand stands. In a hyper-world, the "code" of select brands live, endure and beckon us forward. Interestingly, Brandscendence can be read as a decoder. Why do certain activities in brands lift organizations to new futures? How can one person use it as a blueprint to maximize personal impact? More intriguing, as snap-communicating and globalizing speed crucial, global decisions: what if Kevin Clark's clean observations are tools internalized not just by marketers, but also by long-term thinkers and brand-makers in government, religion, business, politics, public service, education, entertainment? CREATING positive brandscendences in any of those areas could lift where 6 billion of us arrive in the poly-possible future.

Kevin Clark has developed a deep knowledge and understanding of successful brands and shares this with the reader in Brandscendence". He thoroughly explores the subject with an easy reading approach which will keep the reader's attention and provide a lasting reference for anyone involved or interested in the subject of branding.

I was one of the reviewers of this book, so note that I may be biased. Branding requires consistent definitions, frameworks, research, and disciplined processeses, but still creativity, intuition, emotional and right brain holistic skills are absolutely essential to brand success. As a matter of fact they are the more significant and more scarce resources in creating and sustaining brands. Kevin is a master of branding, and in this book he vividly and eloquently explains branding with a rich and diversified set of examples, personal and professional experiences, and many insightful observations. While other excellent books provide frameworks on how to build brands, this book fills-in the blocks and ties them all together very nicely into a coherent model. This is an excellent introduction for any executive that needs a solid understanding of branding in order to make decisions about branding or how to best leverage and comply with an existing organization's brand. From my perspective, a must read!

This has got to be one of the finest tutorials - primers - that exists to fundamentally guide one through the process of developing, building, and maintaining a brand. You can find it all in one place from a world-class expert in the business of brand husbandry. If you or your company's future depends on establishing a positive, powerful image for your customers, this is the book for you. It will give you a much broader perspective of brands.

Oh to be Heather and have the power to control nature! The author did a great job here. Although frustrating, I was rather glad to see that the hero did not readily accept the heroine's gifts. It was a true test of their relationship.

Heather Carter is an elementary school teacher, and in the opening pages of this book, gang activity places the children on the playground in a perilous situation. Heather uses her abilities to call the wind, thus averting the situation until the police arrive. Enter Quinn Archer, student Brianna's dad, who has arrived to pick her up from school, and is an ex-ATF agent. Quinn and Heather strike up a friendship over Brianna, which quickly develops into much more than the casual friendship it started out as.

Both Quinn and Heather have troubled pasts. Due to the murder of Heather's husband, the suspicious death of her brother, and enemies Quinn made in his previous job, their enemies become common foe. Quinn develops a fierce protective streak towards Heather, and vows to protect her from the gang threatening her. Everyone Heather holds dear to her seems to meet with an untimely death, and although she knows deep down inside the deaths aren't her fault, she fears this will be the end result with Quinn also.

As the plot intensifies, Quinn sends Brianna away to keep her safe. Quinn and Heather work together to survive the double cross against them, along with a cast of incredible secondary characters. Will Quinn be able to accept the psychic ability Heather possesses, and build a life with her? As in "Tears of the Hawk", this book has it all - riveting plot, suspense, romance, and wonderful characters. Can't wait for Michael's story in the next book in this series!

A BREATH OF HEATHER is book two in the Sons Of Earth And Wind series. It focuses on couple Heather Carter and Quinn Archer. Heather is an elementary school teacher who loves children as much as she loves gardening. Actually, she has a deep obsession with gardening and getting her hands in the earth. Quinn is a man on edge, never trusting a woman, and someone who tries hard to deny his feelings for Heather. At the beginning of the novel, it starts out with danger and suspense and this continues throughout the story as well as the love and bond Quinn and Heather create. Heather also has a bond with Quinn's six year old daughter, Brianne.

Ms. Clark writes interesting secondary characters as well, drawing them in, and making you care for them. She makes you want to know their story besides Heather and Quinn's.

Quinn has been betrayed by secrets and Heather is full of them. Heather is being stalked and Quinn is very adept in the security department. For many reasons such as security and the feeling of a growing love, they both need each other no matter how much either denies it.

Quinn has his own danger and by the end of the story when it is at its climax, you have love, suspense, and danger that keeps you flipping the pages.

The love that Queen develops for Heather is staggering, especially since it is the last thing he wants. The trust and selflessness that IS Heather is shocking, incredible, and makes for a dramatic story. I cried throughout this book at different times because of the touching scenes between them just as I screamed in fury when the villains hurt Quinn or Heather.

Overall, Ms. Clark has struck gold and created a winner! I highly recommend this book as well as any others by her! ...

Having read Ms. Clark's first book, Tears of the Hawk, I was delighted and thrilled to see that my first impressions of her ability to enthrall me as a reader were absolutely correct. In A Breath of Heather, a prequel to her other book, Ms. Clark once again makes you believe in the possibility of an alternative reality.

Heather's ability to use the wind--an almost Wiccan quality--is a wonderful plot device. However, Heather is not superwoman -- she is at once both vulnerable and strong. The wind can't always save her, but when you have a man like Quinn around who needs supernatural powers?

I'm awaiting with bated breath Michael's story -- after tantilizing us in two books about the sinister Feo and the rescue of Michael by Quinn and Hawk -- Ms. Clark couldn't be so cruel as not to write his story. If she does, I'll be one of the first in line to read it.

Bravo Ms. Clark -- may you never run out of plots.

A BREATH OF HEATHER by Barbara Clark published by Starlight Writer Publications

Review by Barbara (Babs) Lakey

A Breath of Heather is a breath of joy, a gift to the reader.

This latest work from Barbara Clark reminds me of a passage from The Invitation by Oriah Mountain Dreamer: "It doesn't interest me who you know or how you came to be here. I want to know if you will stand in the center of the fire with me and not shrink back."

Heather and Quinn do stand in the fire for one another. You can feel their fire for each other and for Quinn's daughter, Brianna. These are noble people who care deeply and yet have pasts that threaten to keep them apart. Fate chooses to bring them together: Heather is Brianna's teacher, a teacher with a power-a power that saves lives. Heather is a strong woman, the kind we women like to read about because we know they are the `real' thing. As a reader, you know that she will stay away from the man she has fallen in love with if she feels that he and his daughter may come to harm because of a curse that follows her. And you do not want her to stay away! In Barbara's words, Quinn works as "a silent shadow in a world of moonlight and dark pools". Both Heather and Quinn bring danger to the equation and this keep the suspense high throughout.

Barbara Clark is a skillful character weaver who knows how to bring you close to those she loves. She writes about people with values, people who deserve to have good things happen in their lives and we rejoice seeing justice for the good for once! We feel for them and we care what happens in their lives. If you like to read about people from the real world, see them overcome the dangers that life lays in their paths, this book is for you. It is strong in plot, suspense, romance, characters and pacing. Do yourself a favor--Buy it! Read it!

Barbara (Babs) Lakey Publisher/FUTURES Magazine for writers and artists

Lydia has written an honest, moving, powerful story of her own life and experiences.
I am not a Christian, or a bieliver, yet I found her story a very powerful and moving account of her pain, lost, and of her recovery and healing through the power of Sisterhood, paryer and belief. It is a redemption story at it's best.

Charles Hall
rochester N.Y.

Lydia has borne her soul in this riviting account of her life and events surrounding an abortion at age 15. For background she shares contributing factors from her early life. The meat of the book is her journey from grief and pain to forgiveness and joy. She can't keep silent about the pain that abortion brought to her life or the joy she has found through the Mercy and Healing Power of Christ.
Her story will be particularly intersting to anyone that has experienced abortion either personally or through a friend or family member.
The book is easy to read and the story is presented in an unencumbered writing style.

I picked up this book and couldn't put it down. I had no idea of the potential range of emotional and relationship challenges caused by an abortion.

Lydia describes the challenges one faces relating to one's future children, sexual issues, fear and inability to bond, and depression and even suicide. I know there are thousands, if not millions of women walking around with all of these unresolved, painful issues that they don't know the root of and feel they cannot even speak about. Thank God Lydia could no longer keep silent.

The best part of her book is that she actually found healing for her pain and she shares how others can achieve it as well.

This is a "must-read" for all post-abortive women!

God bless Lydia and her family.

This book gave me a lot of insight into my own life EVEN THOUGH I AM CHILDLESS BY CHOICE.

I am so glad I read this book, and I hope this book will encourage others to share their life experiences regarding abortion. I also hope the book will encourage people to NOT keep silent regarding abortion or other important issues in their lives. Don't keep issues bottled up--talk about them!

Judy Bogden

Lydia Clarke has written a revelatory, intimate, and insightful first hand account of the truthful consequences of abortion. She bares her soul and provides the reader with valuable information on post-abortive stressors. If you care to know the TRUTH about the horrors of abortion and its aftermath results, this book is a must read!

I have never had an abortion, however, I found Lydia's story most compelling and heartfelt. Thus, all women (post-abortive, or not) CAN relate to Lydia's story at some level. She focuses on issues and/or themes of self-esteem, love, bitterness, and self-hatred. She also provides the reader with valuable resources (contact information) for post-abortive women searching for help for healing and wholeness.

Lydia's story is well written. Her writing style allows for an easy read as to capture the thought, clarity, heart, and intimacy of her text. One is not bombarded, or overthrown by unnecessary academic jargon.

If you desire to be set free from a HISTORY of physical, emotional and/or spiritual bondage and turmoil -- whether a victim of abortion or not -- this book is for ALL people; this book is for you! It's time to be SET free!

A wonderful and inventive collection of stories with a gay twist. A great summer or weekend read, you can pick up, read a few stories, and put it down for another time.

Long-time spiritual writer Toby Johnson and publisher/writer Steve Berman have put together a much-needed collection of essays and stories about gay men and spirituality. So often, anti-gay activists go out of their way to malign gay people, and homophobes in mainstream churches often block gays from worship and religion. This collection offers an alternative to those small-minded persecutions.

What Johnson has been saying for years in books like GAY SPIRITUALITY and GAY PERSPECTIVE is that the spiritual consciousness expressed by gays--indeed, by all GLBTQ people--is a vital and evolutionary step forward for everyone on the planet. No longer need we be trapped in meaningless, dogmatic, fear-based, or male-dominated religious practices. There's hope and inspiration to be found by, for, and about homosexual lives.

Berman and Johnson have managed to get stories and essays from many literary lights: Mark Thompson, Malcolm Boyd, Perry Brass, Victor J. Banis, Jeffery Beam, Mark Abramson, and many others. The inspiring work of educators, community activists, and religious experts such as David Nimmons, Mark Horn, Dan Stone, Michael Sigmann, Bill Blackburn, and Donald Boisvert are also featured.

CHARMED LIVES is a Lambda Literary Award Finalist in the category of Best Anthology, and it's fully deserving. Every story, every essay is a gem that reveals the beauty, strength, and value of gay voices.

As Bert Herrman writes in his essay, "Grace is not really magic, it is a natural state of being, but for those who reach it, it works like a charm." Reading these pieces will comfort, inspire, and charm anyone seeking to learn more about the wonder of gay spirit in storytelling. Highly recommended. ~Lori L. Lake, Midwest Book Review

Regardless of your sexuality, these are works of art that collectively make a wonderful addition to any library. The authors are clear and well versed in their craft making us, the reader excited to anticipate the next and the next, like a multi-course meal at five-star restaurant.

You'll find a favorite; mine was "This I know" by Dan Stone about a journey through a spiritual awakening. There is a part of us in every story but Dan's captured me most. This is some of writing's greatest moments by men who happen to be gay written for anyone who happens to be human.

I go online to shop, and the title's intriguing, and it's only $10.88 and over 300 pages, So I buy it thinking, that's such a bargain, and I read just two of the 35 short stories in it (`Musuko Dojijo' by Mark Horn and `The True and Unknown Story of Albert Gale' by Andrew Ramer) and I felt like I went to a yard sale and found a box filled with sundries among which I have already found a diamond and an emerald. Excited by other possible treasures that may be found there. And reassured that felt [..] literature continues alive and well.

Victor Banis' "Canals of Mars" is one of the most beautiful love stories I've read in many a moon. I may be a straight woman but this story is universal. How refreshing to have such a story about those of us who are no longer young...

Banis is well-known - and deservedly so! - for his "Man from C.A.M.P" series, but his current writing is far stronger. It's wonderful to see him tapping such a deep well of feeling.

The only reason I didn't read this book in one sitting was because my eyes grew tired. This story besides being true is fascinating - well researched and well written. The book even has an update on the survivors of the snowbound bus tragedy in Colorado. Highly inspiring read.
Lynnita Mattock, author of Abductee

I am the author of "Rivers of Wind: A Western Boyhood Remembered," another story of life on the Colorado High Plains in an earlier time. While growing up in southeastern Colorado, even as a child I remember hearing about the Pleasant Hill school bus tragedy. Knowing that a definitive account of this historic event had never been written, when this book came out I was pleased to see what a fine job Ariana Harner and Clark Secrest had done. "Children of the Storm" is a finely-researched and well-written account of this tragedy. Along with telling the story of the unfortunate victims of a devastating High Plains blizzard which trapped them for thirty-three hours in a dilapidated school bus with pieces of cardboard lodged into the frames of its broken-out windows, the book tells of the subsequent exploitation of the survivors by a greedy media mogul and a United States President seeking reelection. "Children of the Storm" tells, at long last, the true story of the twenty children and one adult who were trapped in the school bus, the tragic deaths of six of them, and both the short-term and long-term effects the event had on the lives of the survivors.

Children of the Storm: The True Story of the Pleasant Hill School Bus Tragedy
Ariana Harner and Clark Secrest
On a clear, sunny spring day in 1931 the bus driver, Carl Miller, made his route to bring the twenty children to the Pleasant Hill school house, a one room building located on the plains of Kiowa County, Colorado. Upon arriving, a terrible storm cloud came up from the north. Carl Miller and the teachers decided they should send the children home, instead of keeping them at the one room school house without food or water. The bus started out in what was then a blinding blizzard. It was not long before he was lost, finally ran off the road, and the bus was stranded.
Finally, Mr. Miller thought that it would be best for him to try to find help. He asked the oldest child on the bus, Bryan Untiedt, to make sure the other children do not go to sleep. Do whatever he could to keep them from freezing to death. Some of the children had very little for coats. Mr. Miller was soon lost and later found frozen to death. There were no phones and the only help was from families and friends, who were unable to find them until the second day. They found three children had already frozen to death and seventeen were still alive. They were all taken to the hospital for treatment of frostbite on their hands, feet, etc...
The Denver Post interviewed the children and families. Bryan Untiedt was promoted as a "hero" by the Post. Other newspapers were interviewing and photographing the survivors, as well.
Nineteen days after the tragedy, all the survivors and their families were invited to Denver for one week to see different sites. Mr. Bonfils, the owner of the Denver Post, presented all the survivors with some cash and a gold-plated heroism medal. Bryan Untiedt was also invited to Washington, D.C. by President Herbert Hoover.
This story was very informative about what can happen in a short time with spring storms and how dangerous they can be on the plains of Colorado. I did not like how the media made Bryan Untiedt a hero more than the other survivors. I feel that you should read this book called Children of the Storm. Ages 8 to Adult. Talli, Eads Middle School, 6th Grade

Having grown up in Colorado, I found this book informative, poignant, and a genuinely great read. I remember people eluding to a bus tragedy in Colorado ages ago but never was able to learn the circumstances, until now. That so tragic an event could have been exploited by so many unconnected to its events speaks volumes to the age we live in. I found the details and timeline remarkable given the generations that have passed and the silence so long held by the tragic participants. Well researched!

This is an incredible book that appeals to more that just the local Colorado area in which it happened. The extensive research that went into this book is incredible. The writing is fascinating and extremely well done. Historical data is accurate and this book uncovers a tragedy that changed many lives. Also check out Mr. Secrest's other Colorado historical book Hell's Belles - great book as well.

This guy is right on with all of the books I have read by him! He makes the most difficult sounding things seem so normal. I would love to meet him. He is sincere and not some freaky "exorcist type" like Bob Larson, he is a professor, he is not flashy and does not whomp people in the head with bibles. he believes that through inner healing of our emotional junk, that it weakens the demonic hold over us, so the deliverance pocess moves more smoothly and not be so scary to the person going through or assisting the deliverance process. I just underwent a pretty lengthy deliverance,and must say it was almost boring,lol, due to the use of Mr. Krafts technique,I was expecting something wild to happen but the enemy was so weak when it was time to go that he just went!! Thanks Kraft for sharing this !

I have read many books on healing and living the Christian life with power and authority, but this book by far better addresses the issues that need to be addessed to help one understand what the real problems are, that they are in the area of our own limited understanding ITSELF. This book helps to answer questions that you had lurking back in the back of your mind but couldn't quite verbalize. This is one of those that is full of truth that is refreshing and cleansing. A deep read but a must read.

This is an excellent book for any Christian seeking to experience the power of Jesus Christ. It prompts us to consider how the Western culture binds us from experiencing our faith in the radical way God intended, and challenges us to break out of cultural confines to find the power of Christ in our everyday faith.

This is a really great book that talks about worldviews. I have not read any book that addresses the issues of our worldviews as comprehensively as this, and it has been incredible understanding how we see things and why. Charles Kraft weaves his experience of his changing worldview with this writing, and shows the differences between the Western worldview and other worldviews. It is also interesting to see what peaved him off and what set him back on track to discover the fullness that God wants for each and every Christian, that there is power with Christianity.

Kraft talked about his initial missionary days in Nigeria to the extent that the Nigerians "knew" that whatever power Christianity brought was inadequate to deal with issues in their lives. They came to accept Christ as there were many good reasons for being a Christian, but this lack of power gave them a dual allegiance, i.e. a loyalty to Christianity to handle certain needs paralleled by a continuing loyalty to traditional religious practitioners to handle their power needs. This does not seem that far from much of Christianity today, and Kraft addresses these issues and also challenges us to take that step of faith forward.

It is no wonder that the subtitle to Christianity with Power is "Your Worldview and Your Experience of the Supernatural." How we perceive God is how we relate to Him, and how we understand Him and what He can do is how we would do likewise. Hence, if we believe that God does not heal or work miracles today (despite believing that Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever), that would become our practice in our Christian life. So, if you believe that Christianity is not all that you have believed or experienced to date, it's time to read this book and be open to have your worldviews changed.

I wish to offer only a very brief review - if you are unacquainted with Kraft's work, I encourage you read some of the other reviews. However, this is an essential introduction to the spiritual world assumed by New Testament Christianity. This worldview, often easily understood and accepted in less technological Third World societies, is radically different than our Western worldview. This book in particular openned my eyes and heart to an entirely new way of seeing the world around me. I heartily recommend it.