D Books

This book contains good insight on leadership. With the retirement of the baby boom generation, there will be a significant shift in leadership in most organizations. This book addresses some of the issues that this dynamic will create.

This book uses the fictional journey of one person to explore a number of important leadership issues. It is an easy read with good truths for those entering new leadership roles.

I have found that how-to books on leadership too often are predictable, cliched, or simply poorly written. Few are memorable. So it was genuinely refreshing to discover that "The Journey of the Accidental Leader" avoided those traps. At each stage of the fictional protagonist's journey, the leadership lessons highlighted go well beyond conventional wisdom and especially come alive in the context of the story. Best of all, the fictional parable itself is a work of well-written fiction: I cared about Sam, the protagonist, and consequently the lessons illustrated by Sam's plight had real sticking power.

The Journey of the Accidental Leader provides excellent pointers and insight for the new person on the job to the head of an organization or company. Its fable format makes it a quick and enjoyable read. Having supervised for several years, the book made me appreciate what I have done well as a leader and made me think hard about what I could do better. It also gave me some ideas that I have already put to use at work. This book will not be buried in my bookshelf collecting dust. I have already shared it with some of my colleages and pulled it out the other day to use one of the lessons. Enjoy and learn!

This is exactly the kind of book I wish I had read years ago, when I found myself accidentally in a leadership position. In Dr. Gladis's business parable, leadership lessons come alive through the journey of Sammy, an Accidental Leader. The Ten Leadership Lessons Learned are reinforced through Sammy's experiences as a new CEO, and are clearly summarized at the end of each chapter, for effective retention. Recommended for both accidental and intentional leaders.

Steve translates leadership into action steps you can implement immediately after reading the book. Extremely well written. Terrific book for a new leader or someone who wants to become a more effective leader. Well done!

So often today we find the victim and family of an horrific crime victimized the second time. When I read an excerpt of "Dead Man Walking" and then saw who was directing and starring in the movie version I realized that this cruelty was being visited upon the family of Faith Hathaway. I have always had my doubt about the death penalty however the writers have a very valid point about the alternative punishment: life without parole. As long as the murderer is alive there is a chance of commutation of sentence (the removal of a mandatory sentence makes an inmate eligible to be considered for parole) or an outright pardon. After researching the number of commutations allowed in the past I now realize that, with great deliberation, there still is a place for the death penalty.

This book is valuable for anyone interested in the debates about justice, but particularly for readers of Helen Prejean's Dead Man Walking: An Eyewitness Account Of The Death Penalty In The United States. I also advise reading Debbie Morris' Forgiving the Dead Man Walking: Only One Woman Can Tell the Entire Story, and the Bourgue family's Dead Family Walking: The Bourque Family Story of Dead Man Walking, both written by victims of the murderers for whom Helen Prejean was such an eloquent advocate. This is not as appealing as Dead Man Walking, not as warm and fuzzy, but it is an unflinching, indeed horrific, look at the reality of murder and vicious cruelty.

I believe that if we, as a society, release someone whom we have good reason to believe is dangerous, we are responsible for future acts of violence. Not as a responsible as we are for executing an innocent person, but still bearing a burden of guilt. What I like best about the book is that he talks about the reasons that keep me from accepting the abolition of the death penalty. Varnado points out that the arguments that are advanced against the death penalty could, with slight editing, be advanced against any punishment; at 53, I can remember when they were. Executing the murderer doesn't bring back the victim, but neither does anything else. Many of the leaders of the abolition movement, currently begging us to be content with life-without-parole (LWoP), are the same people who have been opponents of any long-term imprisonment. I don't think that we would have LWoP if we didn't have a death penalty. Given the arguments against three-time loser laws, will people who don't accept LWoP for three felonies, even if they are all violent, continue to support LWoP for a murder, however heinous? I think they'd revert to their earlier and more sincere opinions.

It's not an easy question. The legal system is simultaneously too harsh and too soft. Innocent people have been convicted. Chills go down my spine when mayors, governors, etc., announce that heads will roll if someone isn't accused within 48 hours. "Testilying", i.e., false information by the police, is apparently all too common, but the defense is no better. Obviously our legal system is not too concerned about public safety: convicts are given probation, violate it, and are simply given probation again. I hear horrifying tales of the carelessness of parole boards.

I have also come to think less of Helen Prejean, the more I know about her. I finished Dead Man Walking not convinced, but with great respect for her. As she has become more famous, and more information is available, it has become clear that she feels her cause justified lying and general carelessness with the truth. As Varnado and Debbie Morris point out, she simply accepted what Willie told her without any investigation. It was fine as his spiritual advisor to deal with the world as he saw it, but when she crossed the line into legal advocate and author, such sloppiness became irresponsible. Further, she apparently was knowingly telling a lie when she claimed Willie was remorseful. Not only did he contradict her in his own interview, but Debbie Morris told us that she admitted that she didn't think he was capable of remorse. She has now written a book about people who were supposedly innocent of the crimes for which they were executed; I suppose that I will read it, but at this point, I wouldn't take her word for it. She has co-founded a program for victims, but as Varnado points out, she remains extremely insensitive to them as individuals. Her prayer condemning the participants in an execution, including the victim's parents, is a case in point. She topped this off by not considering how they would feel about appearing in her book, let alone the movie! She's great at touching apologies, but they only mean something if one tries to do better.

Readers concerned about valuing the murderer over the victims may also be interested in reading The Victim's Song by Alice Kaminsky; Yale Murder by Peter Meyer; and The Killing of Bonnie Garland: A Question of Justice by Willard Gaylin.

Victims of Dead Man Walking has been the most difficult, tear-jerking, enraging, must read I have come across. Ever. This brutal rape and murder happened not far from my home, and Faith's memory is still well within the minds and hearts of people all over our area. She was a beautiful, smart, 18 year old young lady who had the world within her reach on graduation day. But a cruel, unrelenting Robert Willie and Joseph Vaccaro, both of them boasting about a life of crime without remorse, stole Faith Hathaway away from this earth. They raped her repeatedly, stabbed her until the gaping wounds nearly severed her head, and left her to die alone in Fricke's Cave, only to be discovered 8 days later by a then 25 year old whip detective Mike Varnado. Hollywood doesn't want you to know these things. They would rather you believe that a then 24 year old "Matthew Poncelet" (a dead ringer for Robert Willie if there ever was one), who received the death penalty by electric chair, became a remorseful repentant man when he met his fate. Nothing of the sort ever occured. His partner in crime, Joseph Vaccaro, sits this day in a federal penitentiary still serving out his sentence for yet another crime, the rape and kidnapping of a "16 year old from Madisonville".

This book is so very well written it feels as though Detective Mike is speaking to you personally. He makes it easy, while terrifying, to put yourself in his shoes, countless sleepless nights after discovering Faiths swollen, nude, decomposing body in the once family oriented Fricke's Cave. You can feel the anger rise up from the pages from a very cruel young man who boasted of his murders, who never showed remorse, but loved the attention he gained from the spectacle of a nun and the television news. After the book DMW and movie of the same name, the real story of Faith Hathaway was nearly forgotten until Detective Mike brought forth the true details of the crime. One need not be pro nor con death penalty to learn valuable lessons and true facts of Faith Hathaway. After speaking with Faith's mother personally, I learned that Mrs. Harvey (Faith's mother) asked Tim Robbins (DMW director) to at least visit the area of Fricke's Cave where her daughter was left to die. Mr. Robbins response was "I don't have the time". Please - make the time for this book, the REAL story of the Victims of Dead Man Walking. These words by Detective Mike will make you a litttle wiser to the facts of this young girl, the trial that followed, and could very well give you the knowledge to save your own life one day.

I lived in the area when this tragic, senseless, and incredibly brutal rape & murder took place near my hometown. Friends and relatives worked the case, and the entire area mourned the loss of Faith Hathaway as the peaceful innocence and sense of safety in our rural area was forever shattered.
The wounds were re-opened when Dead Man Walking came out. It was a slap in the face of everything good and true. It was an incredibly cruel blow to Faith's family, who deserved so much better after the tragic loss of their daughter.
Thank you Mike for setting the record straight, for honoring Faith's memory.

I read the book "Forgiving The Dead Man Walking" by Debbie Morris, who was also kidnapped and raped by Robert Lee Willie and Joe Vaccaro. Debbie lived to tell the story in her own words... I highly recommend it for those of you who care about this topic.

I opened the book and have found it in excellent shape, and I also glanced through the pages and read bits and pieces as I went through it. It is surprising to know how many types of bugs you can eat. It will be kept for future reference. A very good book.

A delightful book featuring an eight year on-again off-again survey of...BUGS ON THE DINNER PLATE! The authors search for insect eaters willing to be photographed with their cuisine and share their knowledge. The photos are plentiful and absolutely brilliant.

Peter alternates essays with Faith and is consistently more enthusiastic about experiencing every taste: "If day-old fried chicken had no bones, hair instead of feathers, and were the size of a newborn sparrow, they might taste like tarantula." Faith only ate a two inch piece of tarantula leg. Peter says Faith is a lightweight. "Big deal!" says Faith.

The South African ladies' lunch group was aghast when they heard about the Chinese, who eat raw scorpions with their stingers and poison sacs removed or stir-fried without the subtraction. "I wouldn't eat them," one of them said, as she downed her fried termites. Both groups would probably be repulsed by the New Guinea boys who eat raws grubs or roasted stink bugs for a mid-morning snack - or the Indonesian woman who likes cicada and says, "It's better than pig." What constitutes acceptable vs repulsive food seems to be a matter of locale and culture.

Obviously, our supermarkets are culturally limited, offering only a narrow slice of what world cuisine offers. The authors provide formal recipes for witchetty grub dip, fried water bugs with plum sauce, scorpion soup, grasshopper tacos, stink bug pate, mealworm spaghetti, and sundried mopane worms. Many simpler recipes may be gleaned from the text.

Peter Menzel is an award-winning photographer. Faith D'Aluisio, his wife, is an award winning TV news and documentary producer. The book covers trips to thirteen countries, mostly third-world - definitely a 5-star effort.

Excellent full color photography. This could have been more indepth on recipes. There must be a lot more types of edible insects than what is shown here and some step by step meal preparation in full color would really help in rounding out this scratch on the surface edible insects. The book is more of a coffee table conversation piece than a chef's delight but what is presented here gives some insight into cultures and is far superior to any line drawing presentation.

A feast (or just a snack) of insects sounds almost revolting unless of course you deep fry them or place them in lollipops or my favorite barbecued. Whats not to love about straight from the earth cuisine which is actually considered delicacies in many countries. Menzel demonstrates that every continent gets enjoyment from tasty insect treats. But because Menzel is such an amazing photographer, its hard not to have your skin crawl when you see a girl eating a spider, or women eating grubs (look like albino catepillers), or the vast amounts of scorpions runnng aimlessly around a man's feet. I particularly think the roasted termites were very disturbing since they look like rat size roaches. I dont mean to sound childish, this book is much more then just unique cuisine, its another way that Menzel is making us globally aware of our neighbors. The photography is beautiful and vivid plus the paragraphs speaking of the insects and thier importance makes you feel a little respect for things we usually step on. Menzel is once again a genious and a little offbeat (in the best of ways) with this book.

This book has always been a big hit with the numerous public school classes that visit our museum. I only have to hold it up to get a reaction, usually a groan, but it sure gets their attention. It also starts discussions and questions even when other parts of the presentation have not. The photos are great and add immensely to the charm of the book.

In general Peter Menzel and Faith D'Aluisio have written a book in "Man Eating Bugs: The Art and Science of Eating Insects" that is largely color photos. But what photos! Each present parts of a story involving the way various cultures employ insects in their cuisine. This brings up a question used by a much earlier author as a book title - "Why Not Eat Insects?" Many (but by no means all!) species of both insects and arachnids are as edible as the shrimp and crabs we Americans love to consume. We of course have to be cautious (not a good idea to eat cockroaches, despite some "reality" TV programs!), but there are a number of "safe" species that have been "taste tested" so to speak. In addition, we unwittingly consume tons of insects in various agricultural products simply because they pose no health hazard and are nearly impossible to remove.

If you have to deal with children in education or if you are just curious about what other cultures eat, this is a great book both to read and just to peruse. I would think that it would find its way to school libraries and to home schoolers lists of resources!

I had never heard much about 'The Mill on the Floss' before reading it, but I enjoyed other Eliot novels so I decided to try it. I usually enjoy plot-driven books, and this was a bit more character-driven, but I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. Eliot's writing (and, I'm sure, the editing) doesn't have the bogged down feel of many classics, and her descriptions--especially of places, but of people as well--are often brilliant. Her descriptions of education and women's 'place' in society are fascinating, and the interactions between characters are in many cases timeless. I strongly recommend the book even for those who are often 'classics-shy'. Though at times strong on description and slow on plot, this novel contains insights on relationships and a view on the education of women to which everyone should be exposed.

The Mill on the Floss, published in 1860, traces the turmoil in the life of Maggie Tulliver, a young woman who has a streak of independence but who also feels close to her father and her brother and believes that she must always honor their feelings and wishes. Maggie's father is the owner of the Dorlcote Mill on the Floss River, a failing business drawing him into increasing debt to his relatives and creditors. Her brother Tom, with no interest in the mill, is encouraged to learn other skills which may suit him for a higher level of society. When the mill fails and is sold at auction to Lawyer Wakem, the Tullivers become social outcasts, at the mercy of creditors and dependent on their extended family.

Philip Wakem, son of Lawyer Wakem, is a hunchback who has been a school friend of Tom Tulliver and a special friend of Maggie, who treats him kindly and appreciates his intelligence and thoughtfulness. When the mill is sold to Wakem, Tom and Mr. Tulliver end all contact with the Wakem family, and though Maggie continues to see Philip privately, Tom eventually forces her to choose between the family and Philip. Another relationship with Stephen Guest, who has been courting her cousin Lucy, unleashes Maggie's passions and leads to a dramatic conclusion.

Throughout the novel George Eliot (the pen name of Mary Ann Evans) explores the many kinds of love in Maggie's life--her devoted love of her father, her dependence on and love for her brother, her intellectual and kindly love for Philip, and her passionate love of Stephen Guest. Creating a fully drawn character in Maggie, Eliot shows a full picture of a young woman of 1860, trying to be independent, trying to live according to society's strictures, and trying to be true to her own feelings, despite pressures from family and society. Eliot, who herself made the scandalous choice to live openly with a married man for twenty-six years, was thoroughly familiar with these issues herself, and her depictions of such themes as family loyalty and the social conventions and limitations of class carry the ring of truth.

Psychologically astute in the exploration of themes as they affect Maggie, Eliot amplifies these themes through imagery from nature, legend, and even religion. Often melodramatic in plot, the novel remains realistic, even autobiographical, in its attention to character. Though it is not as fully developed as her later novel Middlemarch, Mill on the Floss is still a well developed, thoughtful novel which goes far beyond the pulp fiction being serialized in newspapers and magazines during that time. Mary Whipple

Middlemarch (Signet Classics)
Daniel Deronda (Modern Library Classics)
Romola
Silas Marner, The Weaver of Raveloe
George Eliot: The Last Victorian

This was a really sad, but really great novel. Granted, it's not an action packed novel, but if you like Dickens or Austen, and have a shred of patience (the novel is lengthy) you'll like this novel, too. I really felt for Maggie and her unrelenting desire to be loved and accepted by her family. Unfortunately, the way she goes about trying to earn their love and affections doesn't turn out the way she wants it to. This novel has it's share of melodrama, as much Victorian literature does. I liked this novel particularly because it doesn't center around passion/romance (although it has that too), but the love and closeness of family, and what a woman will do in order to have that. The characters in this novel are well written, and as shocked as I was by the ending, I thought it was really good. I was satisfied because finally there is a point in the story where I think Maggie was truly happy. I recommend this read wholeheartedly.

I read this book for a Victorian Lit/Graduate class and I was a bit put off because others, who had read it before, disparaged it as tedious. Yet again, I learned that one cannot judge by means of conformity (ever!). This is perhaps one of the best Victorian novels ever written. Seriously.
Maggie is the slightly wayward and tomboyish (but undeniably goodhearted) daughter of a proud, stubborn, and provincial man, and a dull witted, ridiculous mother. She is sister to an immature and exasperating brother who believes he possesses the very kernel of justice within his beliefs and actions, but in truth is a selfish and undeniably cruel "bastard." Lastly, she is a companion (and "potential" lover) to Philip, the deformed, yet soft-spoken and educated son of her father's worst enemy...

The Mill on the Floss is a novel of sacrifice and determination, revenge and forgiveness, society and selfhood. And in case anyone cares, I read this 400+ page novel in two days. Not because of a dealine I had to meet, but because I could not seem to put it down.

Interested yet? Listen, if you already know that you love Victorian literature, you will not be disappointed in this text. It is absolutely full of surprises. Granted, the ending could be infinitely better, but alas it is what it is. Regardless, the ending of a book is not necessarily where its merit is at.
Furthermore, if you are into Queer Theory, you might find this text interesting reading as it plays with gender roles and expectations throughout.
George Eliot (i.e., Mary Ann Evans) was a master and equivalent, in my opinion, to the great Charles Dickens.

This is Eliot's semi autobiographical novel, and tells the story of Maggie Tulliver and her brother Tom. The story takes place in the village of St. Ogg, and at the Mill on The Floss that's been in the Tulliver family for generations. Other reviewers have told enough of the story (in some instances too much) that I don't see the need to go into it again. I thoroughly enjoyed the way Eliot depicted the sibling relationship between Maggie and Tom with all of those ups and downs that we all have experienced with our siblings, and culminating in the final finish of the story that thoroughly blew me away. I think I just sat for a good ten minutes just saying Oh Wow over and over again, and then felt the need to seek out my brothers and give them both a big hug.

The joy of reading this novel or any other by Eliot is her gorgeous prose and brilliant characterizations, even with the minor characters. Just be warned, this is not an action packed, sit on the edge of your seat, can't put it down until it's finished type of novel. This is a story to savor and enjoy the multi-faceted characters and the author's glorious prose like a fine red wine or a box of chocolates (or both). If you are looking for high action and adventure, this is not the book for you. Highly recommended for any lover of 19th century English literature, not as dark and brooding as Hardy can be, but the prose is just as lovely, if not better.

I am very happy with this book. It combines a lot of Service's greatest poems with great Photos of the land and people he wrote about. It is a lovely book that you can be proud to have in your collection.

I love Robert Service's raw tones and poems. He tells them with a grit that is true to heart and really just gives you a feel for what is going on and what it was like to be in the real wilderness days. I have heard he described as crude and if that's how you want to view it...go ahead but these poems aren't crude...they tell the true spirit of the classic days with great detail and life.

I first stumbled upon Robert W. Service when I found a small volume of his poetry from before and during World War One in an antique shop in Maine. I hungered for more, searched the internet, and was thrilled to find this book available, as well as others. Service's poetry is what poetry should be, at least in my mind. It flows evenly, it rhymes, it tells stories about human beings' lives, feelings, and struggles. Plus, he deals with people, places, and times in history that interest me, especially World War One, northern North America, Europe, etc. This is an excellent, excellent collection of his works.

Robert Service, if anyone, could be called "the grandfather of cowboy poets." This has been a popular genre over the past few years and much of the work done by these wonderful men and women can be traced back to Service's poems and style. Being called the "Bard of the Yukon" is certainly true, but sells this particular writer short. His works include so much more that just the delightful poems of the Canadian Territory. Simply written, with a story, they are quite a delight for both old and young alike. I recent years, some of our elitist in our academic world have been less than kind to this poet. This is all well and good with me. They simply don't get it. Service's work will quite likely endure far longer than some of the ranting I read in the professional journals. I read these poems to young folks in my classes, and they seldom fail to delight and indeed, inspire. It is difficult to go wrong with this one. Highly recommend.

The Oxford Companion is a must-have shelf reference for anyone intending to seriously study the Second World War. As with many encyclopedias, this means that the amateur or buff will use the entries themselves, and the expert will use the bibliography and suggestions for further reading. It is, at least at this moment, quite reasonably priced for such a serious work of reference, and I likely would not have bought it otherwise. The only drawback is that in changing over to the current edition, the editors seem to have removed the full-color maps that used to be placed at the end of the volume. I do not remember enough of those maps to tell if they are now among the black and white maps placed throughout the body of the work; I do know that the color maps were one of the highlights of the old edition and are much missed by this reviewer.

the Oxford Companion to World War II is very complete and simple to use for poeple who study the WW2, he contains a hundred maps, stats and chronological fact, englobing the totality of the allies or the axes. he's the best way to find all the information you'll need.

I have both the current and first edition of this book (in hardcover). As far as I can tell, the new edition is only shorter because it uses a smaller typeface, allowing several more words per line.

However, the new edition is also a bit easier to read despite the smaller size, because the new edition uses a glossy paper and the text seems more sharply defined on the page. This is particularly noticeable in the text of the maps, which I have struggled to read in the first edition, but seem clearer in the new edition.

As an aside, I agree with the general view that this is the single best reference book on World War II. I can't really tell what is changed in the new edition, although it may just be minor corrections, since the several longer articles I have compared seem identical.

This is a wonderful one volume encyclopedia of WWII, covering all fronts, participants, and major events. This outstanding work is an absolute must have for any serious student of World War II in my opinion. More than 100 scholars and professional historians contributed to this book. This work is certainly detailed, well written, and well researched, but it is not comprehensive (how could one describe WWII in one volume of about 1000 pages?). I think the description of this book as a `Companion' is entirely appropriate, it has been my companion for more than ten years now. I've flipped through pages of this book several times a week for the past ten years and (effectively) read the entire book through at least half a dozen times. This book is filled with an unbelievable amount of information. There are major sections on each of the combatants that include discussions about the military, political, economic, and cultural developments and changes that took place throughout the war. All the major battles are discussed, as well as people, equipment, and events. In my opinion, this is not a reference book, it is a learning book. If you already know a great deal about the Battle of Kursk or Uboats, for example, you will not find much new here. You will find, however, a wealth of information about all aspects of the war that you probably weren't even aware of. I have no complaints about this book and would consider it a bargain at twice the price. My only warning is that this book is probably not suited to someone who has only passing interest in World War II; if Steven Ambrose is your idea of a good historian, you probably aren't going to like this Companion.

I'm a fan of the first edition (1995) of this fine book: I'm a World War Two buff, and this is the best one-volume reference book on World War Two that I know of. So why would I give only four stars to the revised edition of 2005? Here's why. Prospective purchasers of the revised 2005 edition might like to know that it is 1,039 pages long, whereas the first edition of 1995 was 1,343 pages long. That's a loss of 304 pages, representing 23% of the material in the first edition---a considerable loss.

In the case of The Oxford Companion to Music, there was a beautiful, lavishly illustrated edition of 2,017 pages of 1983; it was replaced by a revised edition in 2002 that had 1,434 pages---a whopping loss of almost 600 pages of material. In this case I know what I'm talking about, because I have both editions: the 2002 edition represents a substantial abridgement and cheapening of the 1986 edition; I doubt that anyone who had the chance to compare the two would choose the newer edition.

I don't know if the same thing is going on with this Oxford Companion to World War Two (I don't have the new edition at hand to compare the two), but the loss of 23% of the material in the first edition, and my experience with The Oxford Companion to Music described above, would incline me to approach the new edition with caution.

and get Dr. Fee's audio tapes from Regent College bookstore.
I studied with Dr. Fee at Gordon-Conwell while pastoring in Cambridge, Ma. Our church supported some of Dr. Fee's mission trips around the world. His books are all great, but his lectures, especially his exegetical NT book studies, are simply unparalleled, satisfying the intellect and the spirit and leading one to experience the Holy Spirit in the Word.

Gordon Fee does an excellent job in making his case that from Paul's perspective the Holy Spirit has a central part in our lives. We are to be people of the Spirit! His cry for the church to see that we are an "eschatological people in a world gone mad" resonates in my heart. We are to be the people of God in the world and the Spirit empowers us to be that! This book will breathe life into you and is theologically sound!

I came to this book already in disagreement with some of the author's views on charismata, and I expected to be in disagreement with most of the book.

However, I had little issue with most of the points he made and was glad that he reasoned from scripture and not human psychology.

After the second chapter I was frustrated with the phrase "at the heart of Pauline theology is...". It helps to understand the heart of one's theology to understand where they're coming from in all that they write. However, I think it was unecessary for the author to claim a new "heart" for Pauline theology to make his overall point about the Spirit of God and the church. It seemed to come from a desire to systematize something for its own sake.

Also, when defining the purposes of Paul, the author claims that "Paul was not writing to present a study of God, but to build up churches and address gut issues about being God's people in a totally pagan environment". He never explains why it can't be both. Obviously, Paul's ultimate purpose was for transformation and the practicalities of knowing God. But, the author's claim above suggests that Paul's studies of God in his letters (the indicative) aren't needed for the practicalities.

In the end, when the author addresses charismata, he didn't go into depth with scripture as much as I would've liked, but he does reference another of his books where he does. Also, in fairness, he points the reader to the best defense of the contrary view, which I appreciated.

If the reader is well read, the front 60% of the book will be skimmable.

I would highly recommend this book. The book has a very sound theology and has excellent scholarship at a layperson's level. It will help any reader gain a more insightful understanding of the purpose and leading of the Spirit in connection to the Church (people of God). Dr. Fee is able to properly exegete the Scripture of Paul's writings and help our understanding. This book is good for all Christians and especially those wondering (or concerned) about the role or move of the Holy Spirit.

Gordon Fee has written an easy to read version of his larger work "God's Empowering Presence: The Holy Spirit in the Letters of Paul." Recently, I read and reviewed Frank Macchia's book "Baptized in the Spirit: A Global Pentecostal Theology" and as much as I liked Macchia's work, this book by Fee is in some ways at least, better. I like Macchia's work on tongues and their meaning, but Fee really does an excellent job of showing the continuity and discontinuity of the Church who is the Israel of God and the nation of Israel in the OT. On page 50, Fee has a great chart that shows how that we are living in an already/not yet eschatalogical framework. Fee takes great care to show that the most important thing for the Church to get hold of is that we are the eshatalogical people of God and the Holy Spirit is the down payment on and fortaste of that future which is the come. He deals with Paul and is an excellent interprter of Pauline theology. Fee does not dismiss the importance of the Spirit in Paul, but shows how that, although, Jesus is the center of Paul's thought, it is the Holy Spirit that is driving this life in the Messiah and that give energy and freshness to the revelation of Jesus. This is an excellent work. I recommend this for everyone Pentecostal or not. I believe that a popular audience could probably read this book and benefit from Fee's great and scholarly insight.

So much has already been said & written about this amazingly talented man that although his talents have always been savored like fine wine....talking about his painstaking incredible stop-motion animation abilities almost seems to be redundant. Suffice it to say that so many of us monster kids sat in awe of Ray's work as we watched " The 7th Voyage of Sinbad " circa 1958.Harryhausen has always accomplished more on the movie screen with his special effects techniques than computers will ever be able to do. This book lovingly details all of the richness of Ray Harryhausen----Thanks for a great book, Ray !

Computer generated effects are standard in movies now, and any big-budget action film can be expected to have plenty. We didn't always have computers, so the effects such as putting fantasy creatures on the screen, like King Kong, had to be done with meticulous stop-motion filming, whereby a movie frame picture would be made of a model Kong, then the model's arm would be slightly raised, one more frame of the movie shot, and the process repeated until a smooth arm movement could be seen when the entire strip of film ran. It was Willis O'Brien who animated Kong and many other creatures in early movies. It was Kong who inspired Ray Harryhausen to start making stop-motion films. In _Ray Harryhausen: An Animated Life_ (Billboard Books), Harryhausen and Timothy Dalton tell the story of Harryhausen's entire career, including his humble beginnings. He was crazy about dinosaurs as a kid, and at the age of thirteen, he was taken by his mother and aunt to see _King Kong_. He studied up on the movie's techniques afterwards, and started making his own movies, first using a home camera that he could merely hope took only one frame at a time when he tapped it, and then purchasing his own 16 mm camera with a one-frame shift. He was one of those lucky kids who knew early what he wanted to do in life, and was able to do it; Harryhausen was the special effects wizard behind _Earth vs. The Flying Saucers_, _Jason and the Argonauts_, and _Clash of the Titans_, among many more. This beautiful book, filled with photographs and drawings to show how the models and effects were made for each of Harryhausen's films (and pictures of the artist's work as a thirteen-year-old as well), is a fascinating record of a career that could only have taken place in a restricted window of time.

To start with a clearing of the record: Harryhausen's first model, a cave bear, was covered with fur cut from an old black fur coat hanging in his mother's closet, but despite reports to the contrary, his mother _did_ know all about it and _did_ give her permission beforehand. This reflects the support his parents gave him toward his youthful enthusiasm, and he is certainly grateful. Most of the book describes his work for the studios; it devotes pages and pictures to all his films, and he gives detailed descriptions of just how he managed particular shots. Harryhausen isn't boasting; throughout the book he lets us know what he thought worked and what didn't, what he is proud of and what he winces at. If stop-motion is no longer going to be an art form, it is good that we have this documentation of what he actually accomplished, for the complexity of his creations and the way they were shot is astonishing. For instance, the Hydra in _Jason_ not only had a serpentine body and a double tail requiring their own movements, but also seven heads. In every frame, the model's movements might be only a millimeter, but there were sometimes more than thirty movements to do. He would have to remember for each head whether it was in the process of going up, down, right, or left, if the mouth was opening or closing, if the neck was flexing, and so on. Astonishingly, he was so in tune with his creation that he did not keep notes on what each head was doing, except if he were taking a break at the end of a work period.

Harryhausen has real affection for his creations. He has used real animals in some films, like an iguana made to look like a giant lizard in _One Million Years BC_. The trainer in charge of the iguanas was ready to use an electric prod to rouse the usually torpid lizards, but Harryhausen would not allow any cruelty, so action could only be obtained by a little prodding. Nonetheless, it was a lot harder to get the iguanas to move in just the way he needed compared to his obedient stop-motion models; he says that using models would have been more cost-effective and more realistic, too. He refuses to call his creations monsters; they are mostly creatures who are simply out of place. Of the tyrannosaurus in _The Valley of Gwangi_, he writes that he felt sorry for him, "... because all he wanted to do was live his life and eat a few people along the way." When he had to dismantle one creature to use its armature for another in a succeeding feature, he confesses, "It always breaks my heart to have to cannibalize my models. It's like losing a close friend." Gentle, self-deprecating humor is a hallmark of all the chapters here, no matter how technical the descriptions become at times. This is a handsome, large format book suitable for the coffee table; however, along with the beautiful illustrations, the written record of work here to show how creature features were made before the computers took over will be enjoyed by any fantasy film fan.

This is a top-notch compilation of genius on the cutting edge of our cultural history.

Die-hard fans of special effects master Ray Harryhausen may recall Jeff Rovin's book "From the Land Beyond Beyond", which arrived in 1977. It was a welcome addition to the Harryhausen legacy, but was too subjective and fan-based for some tastes. Hard to believe it took almost thirty years for this definitive, color version of the Harryhausen story to arrive on the scene. Some will feel it is merely an extension of Ray's previous work, the Film Fantasy Scrapbook, and in many ways, it is, but there's so much detail here that this deluxe volume is worth picking up. Though of course modern special effects have become almost ridiculously complex, it's wonderful to hear Ray describe in great technical detail the processes and techniques he used to bring his animals and fantasy creatures to life in films like "7th Voyage of Sinbad" and "Jason and the Argonauts". He's also candid about which films worked for him (and audiences) and which somehow missed the mark. Even readers who prefer modern spectacles to Harryhausen's classical, stately epics should find something of value here, and there is plenty to inspire any animator, filmmaker, or budding cinematographer. This book isn't just a special effects guide, it's a valuable and integral part of the history of film: Harryhausen's career spanned five decades, and he worked with some of the greats in the industry--not only effects geniuses like Willis O'brien, but actors like Laurence Olivier, Maggie Smith, James Franciscus, Honor Blackman, Richard Carlson, Jane Seymour and Raquel Welch. A little pricey, but worth the cost. A must have for Harryhausen fans, naturally, but anyone interested in the movies will come away satisfied.

I just recently purchased Ray Harryhausen: An Animated Life.
Mr. Harryhausen was influenced by King Kong for his remarkable career. I was influenced by his first movie released in theaters
entitled BEAST FROM 20,000 FATHOMS. Ever since I gazed at the
incredible effects when I was six, I wanted to know why and how
something could seem so life like. Unfortunately, all I did was manage amateur special effects with an 8mm camera, but enjoyed thrilling friends and relatives with what talent I had. Now I can appreciate all the patience and imagination that this
genius has somehow transmitted to the screen. All of his movies are showcased with the wonderful behind the scenes stories and photos that made such magic in my childhood. Anyone who has ambition to follow the FX trade, should definitely read this book. Granted the technology is greatly improved today, but that even made Mr. Harryhausen seem more adept at his work. How tedious it is to move a model just a fraction of an inch until it appears fluid on the film...how educational it is to realize what props were used and what artistry was projected to make everything REAL. This coffee table book will be a treasure
in my collection of literature.

This is an invaluable companion tool to possess alongside your Bible for defending the biblical doctrine of an Unlimited Atonement of Christ Jesus. John D. Wagner has done the body of Christ an immense service in editing this treasure of a book.

John Goodwin (1593-1665), a Calvinist-turned-Arminian Puritan, defends the biblical doctrine of Unlimited Atonement utilizing both Scripture, church history, and logic. He leaves no stone unturned, but covers the subject in an exhaustive style. He even quotes from the likes of Luther, Melancthon, Chemnitius, and Calvin himself, demonstrating from their own writings the presence of a Universal Atonement, highlighting the fact that though Christ's sacrifice is sufficient to cover each and every individual, even intending (p. 129) to cover all people, His redemption will only be applied to the believer.

In an age when the false assumptions of Calvinism is growing, this book stands as a beacon of hope, exhorting every believer to preach and teach the atoning sacrifice of the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world (John 1.29). What John Owen's 'The Death of Death in the Death of Christ' is to the Calvinist, so is John Goodwin's 'Redemption Redeemed' to the Arminian. No other book I have read covers the doctrine with such thoroughness and clarity.

John Goodwin, in his classic work Redemption Redeemed, presents us with a thorough examination of the doctrine of Unlimited Atonement, and should be a staple in any Arminian's library. Redemption Redeemed could potentially have the same sort of impact on Christian thinkers as John Edwards' Freedom of the Will, and if not, it should (in my humble opinion, Goodwin blows Edwards out of the water). The work is detailed and covers a broad range of Bible passages and relevant subjects. The language bears some of the seventeenth century style and therefore will be difficult for the average modern reader, but take your time and it will pay off. There is a lot of content, so I'll note a few examples.

In chapter 2, Goodwin focused on passages which state that God desired to save or propitiated for all men. At the forefront is 1 Timothy 2:1-6, where for example we read that "he wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth" (verse 4). What is especially handy here is that he not only did he provide a solid interpretation of this passage, he addressed specifically the various arguments of Calvinists that "all men" doesn't mean "all men." He demolished the interpretation of "all men" as "some of all sorts of men" thoroughly, an argument which is still frequently used today by Internet Calvinists. An aside, one observation you will walk away with from this book is that there is nothing new in Calvinist arguments, and folks like Goodwin already dealt with and refuted many arguments centuries ago, which are still propagated today.

There are many other relevant passages that Goodwin drew from, including many which I never thought of as supporting Unlimited Atonement until now. Chapter 5 started with the Parable of the Wedding Banquet, Matthew 22:1-10. As you may recall, the parable outlines a situation where a king's invitation to a banquet gets rejected by his friends. As a result the king instead invites average people off the street. The original invitees were symbolic of the Jews who rejected Christ and the gospel. Goodwin noted from this that as the king intended the banquet for his friends, God intended His grace to be for Jews first. Entailing from this, Christ died for Jewish people who would go on to reject Him. If this is the case then Christ died for people who wouldn't be saved, and therefore He died for all men. Now initially, it doesn't seem to logically follow, but think about it for a moment. If Christ died for one person who would ultimately be condemned, why would he not die for all others? Since God is not partial, one has to conclude that either Christ died only for the elect, or for all people. Since Christ died for some who were not elect, we are left with the only alternative, that He died for all people.

Goodwin was careful in his definition of Unlimited Atonement, neither providing a definition agreeable to Calvinists nor sliding down the slippery slope into Universalism. He spent a good portion of Chapter 6 explaining why the Arminian doctrine doesn't lead to Universalism and then refuted Universalism itself.

Redemption Redeemed is clearly an excellent work. There is much more that I haven't covered here, but I hope this review has whetted your appetite for a good, solid defense of the Arminian doctrine of Unlimited Atonement.

It should be obvious to any objective student of the Word that the Calvinist doctrine commonly known as Limited Atonement did not come about through an inductive exegesis of the Scriptures, but instead through a rigid system of deductive logic imposed upon it. Although I have read and reviewed other books on this vitally important subject, I appreciated the fact that Puritan John Goodwin treats some passages not usually considered in some of the more modern works, and that he comes at it as a contemporary of the scholastic John Owen. Overall, it becomes blatantly and wonderfully obvious that God has indeed woven the doctrine of General Redemption throughout all of His Word!

In spite of the sometimes-heavy Puritan style of writing, I have to give this work a high rating for the following reasons:

As with all points of the Calvinist T.U.L.I.P., we find, and Goodwin reveals, that their "horrible decree" of Reprobation is always lurking in the shadows. Since, in their logic, God has in eternity past "decreed" that the vast majority of the human race were to be created by Him as already damned, and that that even "pleased" Him, why should Christ pay the ransom for their sins? This scholastic presupposition inexorably drags them to this end in spite of any normative interpretation of the many verses of Scripture involved. This error has forced Calvinism to become more philosophic and systematic than the Bible allows. In fact, Owen's notorious work "The Death of Death" is shown to be based on a faulty premise of "double payment".

Evangelism 101
Most importantly, and thus the importance of works like Goodwin's, is the sad and practical result of this doctrine: Limited Atonement deadens hearts to the fact of God's love manifest throughout the Scriptures to all sinners without exception. As Goodwin so aptly points out, "In all these Scriptures, with their fellows, evident it is that salvation is held forth and promised by God unto all, without exception, that shall believe; yea, that it is offered and promised unto all men, upon the condition of believing, whether they believe or no. So that, upon such declarations of the gracious and good pleasure of God toward the universality of men as these, the minister of the gospel, or any other men, may with truth, and ought of duty upon occasion, say to every particular soul of man under heaven, "If thou believest thou shalt be saved," even as Paul saith that he preached Christ, "warning EVERY man, and teaching EVERY man in all wisdom, that we might present EVERY man perfect in Christ Jesus" Colos. i.28. Yea, this apostle, saith, that God "now commandeth all men every where to repent, " Acts xvii. 30".

Goodwin's quote of Melanchthon puts it this way, "It is necessary to know that the gospel is a universal promise, i.e. that reconciliation" with God "is offered and promised to all men." And " it is necessary to hold fast against" any "dangerous conceits about predestination, lest we fall to reason thus, that this promise belongeth to some few others, but doth not belong unto us. But let us be resolved of this, that the promise of the gospel is universal. For as the preaching of repentance is universal, so the preaching of remission of sins is universal also. But that all men do not obtain the promises of the gospel," i.e. the things here promised, "it ariseth from hence, that all men do not believe."

This explains why, historically, Calvinists in general have always been so detached from missions and evangelism. Any objective study of men like Carey and Spurgeon reveals that they were at best "non-conformist" Calvinists and consequently persecuted by many of their own "brethren".

In addition, in chapter 8, Goodwin lists 32 noteworthy fathers of the early church, including St. Augustine, along with various synods and councils, which all held to General Redemption. Although this is not in itself authoritative, as their writings were not inspired, it is nonetheless interesting to note that this was without a doubt the view held by the vast majority in the church from the Apostles to even past Calvin's day. However inconsistent Calvin's teaching may have been in the conception of Limited Atonement, it was in fact, as Goodwin states, Calvin's disciple Beza who gave birth to it, and the Synod of Dort who fostered it. For those who call themselves "Augustinians" it should be rather ironic to note that part of St. Augustine's attack against the Pelagian error of his day was "to hold that Christ died not for all men" (p. 285). According to St. Augustine Limited Atonement is Pelgianism!

One last note, non-Arminian readers should be aware that Goodwin repeatedly states that a believer, although once saved, can lose his salvation. Statements like "...salvation is never conferred upon any man but upon his believing and continuance in believing unto the end", and believers must "believe perseveringly" bear this out (e.g. pg. 191).

For those who are looking for further biblical studies on General Redemption, please be sure to reference THE DEATH CHRIST DIED a Case for Unlimited Atonement by Robert Lightner, Did Christ Die Only for the Elect? A Treatise on the Extent of Christ's Atonement by Norman Douty, and the mediate position advocated in Getting the Gospel Right: A Balanced View of Calvinism and Arminianism by C. Gordon Olson (esp. Chap. 16).

This excellent work is the most comprehensive treatment of Atonement Coverage I have seen. Not only does it encompass the broadest scope of Biblical texts in an exegetically accurate, responsible way, but it cites commentaries and works of theologians from Calvin and Melanchthon to authors contemporary to Puritan John Goodwin. These citations show that the L of TULIP is unfounded, both in careful Bible scholarship and by the observations of these noted scholars themselves.

I heartily recommend this work not only to those sympathetic toward "God so loved the (literal population of the entire) World"; "Look, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the World (literal earth's population)" viewpoint. But also those disposed to "God so loved the (representative segments in the world) 'elect'"; "Look the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the (savable, atonable sectors of humanity) 'elect'."

Goodwin, a rare Arminian Puritan, admirably defends unlimited atonement. Goodwin primarily argues from scripture, but he also provides some arguments from reason and church history. Goodwin's primary scriptural arguments are based on passages saying Christ died for the world, passages saying Christ died for all, the universal offer the gospel, passages saying Christ died for those that ultimately perish, and passages saying God wants none to perish. Goodwin then clearly explains what "unlimited atonement" does and does not mean. Goodwin finishes up with giving solid reasons why Christ died for all and reviewing the historical position of the Church on the issue.

Goodwin provides a unique level of depth on the issues. For example, he goes over the word "world" in great detail, and then reduces multiple Calvinist interpretations of passages like John 3:16 to absurdities. Goodwin covers multiple Calvinist counterarguments to all of his arguments. Through detailed explanations of his position, and contrasts with Calvinists views from multiple angles, Goodwin crystallizes the Arminian viewpoint on the extent of the atonement.

Along the way of accomplishing his mission of defending unlimited atonement, Goodwin gives the reader some real gems. Among my favorites were Goodwin's explanation of the will of God as well as his explanation on conditional election.

Goodwin's style is similar to most Puritans and as such Redemption Redeemed is a tough read. One could use Redemption Redeemed as a reference tool. There's a comprehensive index of scripture references in the back. But my advice would be to put the work in and reap the full reward! It's well worth it.

This is a brilliant first novel. I couldn't put it down. Couldn't wait to find out what happened to the characters. Looking forward to the next one!!

R.A. Comunale provides just enough action and just enough reflection in this story of friendship through the years and careers of multiple likable characters. The plots begin in childhood, twist and turn through the last century, and resolve (or not) in the current decade. A fast read that has left me wanting for more. A great gift idea for yourself and for others.

This book has characters you can get involved with and situations you can believe in. Dr. Communale weaves persons and times. His descriptions of events so that you see them in your mind's eye as you read about them. You should buy two copies: one for you and one for a gift.

This is an enchanting tale told with wonderfully rich details and unexpected twists. I greatly enjoyed being drawn into the lives of the characters and seeing the developments. Highly recommended!

I highly recommend this book. The development of characters and plot twits ended too soon. You don't have to be doctor to understand the difficult choices Dr Galen had to make.