Douglas Books

I used this text for the first time with my students in the Fall semester of 1999. Not only did I enjoy reading the text, but the students found it to be accessable and understandable. The ancient world came alive, not only for me, but also for my students. A great introduction to the ancient cultural surroundings of the New Testament.

I was pleasantly surprised with Hanson & Oakman's work. Thorough yet accessible scholarship on the concrete social and political realities of first century Palestine, essential for understanding the formative context in which the historical and human Jesus developed. Includes helpful glossaries and detailed social- scientific diagrams of the structures of Palestinian society. I highly recommend this book for anyone seriously interested in understanding the social, political, and economic realities of Jesus' time!

Wow. I've read a bunch of books in this area and, having read this one, I wish I had just read this one first and saved myself a lot of time. This book presents a thorough yet accessible view of Palestinian society at the time of Jesus, covering the major social structures in the areas of family, politics, economy, and religion. For me, the book's key feature was its wonderfully clear organization, but I also appreciated the concise writing and illuminating examples. I was also impressed by the authors' affirmative efforts to point those interested in further information and research in the right direction, including reference to a website building on their work. A wonderful overview and fine piece of work.

This book is an excellent and extremely readable guide to the culture of 1st century Palestine. It clarifies the context in which Jesus conducted his ministry, identifying the dominant power structures which contrasted to his own kingdom "community."

The book approaches its subject from a sociological perspective, identifying the dynamics within four social domains -- kinship, politics, economics and religion. These categories made the subject matter come alive. The content was more readable and relevant than any previous book on 1st century Palestine culture I had read.

The book's usefulness is enhanced by the charts generously interspersed throughout the text. Occasional comparisons between the ancient world and modern society helped to clarify key points. Each chapter also contained a brief section entitled "Applying the Perspectives," which posed pertinent and thought-provoking questions about the implications of the content -- how it provides insight into interpretation of one of Jesus' teachings and how that insight might be applied to our own day and time.

Dr. Hanson and Dr. Oakman should be applauded for making such rich content accessible and understandable to today's reading audience. This book would be valuable to a wide variety of readers -- it is challenging enough for seminary students and pastors but free of the academic gobbledygook that could make it intimidating or "not worth the time" for "non-professionals." As a lay person who seeks a deeper understanding of the Jesus story and how it applies to contemporary issues, I am grateful for this excellent resource.

The Pepin family gets into an unfortunate number of bizarre predicaments and even less fortunate for them, they are completely unable to ever come up with an effective solution to any problem that presents itself. Fortunately for the Pepins, they have an author who can hear, with her amazing reader antenna, solutions presented by her readers to solve the Pepins' predicament problem.

Whether they are trying to make cheese out of lemonade or inform their very fine neighbor, Mr. Bradshaw, that he is in love with a barber pole, the Pepins are positively paralyzed in their decision making. Lucky for them, their readers have more than enough solutions to solve their problems over and again. Now, whether they are good solutions-that's up to you to decide.

This book is hilarious. And honestly, I don't know if children will get a lot of the humor, but it sure tickled my funny bone. Which makes me give it five stars on the read-aloud factor alone. But it is also zany enough that kids who don't get the humor will giggle at the silliness of, well, everything. The author's word play is phenomenal, her introspection into the writer's psyche is perfect, and her grasp on reality is loose enough to make it perfectly reasonable to believe that a penguin does, indeed, live in the garage up the street and postal workers really are out to get you (in a purely benign way). And, though I can't say for certain, I think this book will have even hesitant readers turning page after page.

This book holds appeal for readers and listeners from four to thirty-four and beyond.

Armchair Interviews agrees.

I knew it would happen sooner or later! I knew it! Given enough time, I was certain that if I simply continued to read books written by Polly Horvath that eventually I would hit upon one that I liked. That's a pretty snarky statement to start off a review, especially if it's a review of a book that the self-same reviewer liked. Still, I feel some background is in order. I struggled mightily through, "Everything On a Waffle". I visibly cringed with every word of "The Canning Season". Having grown up in the same town as Ms. Horvath (long live Kalamazoo!) and attended the same church as her mother (fellow children's author Betty Horvath) I've always been rooting for her to write something that didn't take the enamel off of my teeth. At long last, she's done it. She's written a book that I think everyone can enjoy. Even people, like myself, who would rather eat hot mustard raw than read yet another precious child raised by crazy aunts tale (in which she seems, usually, to be stuck).

Of the Pepins, there are four. A mother who works part time doing peanut butter experiments, a father who's a corrugation expert at a cardboard factory, a son who is a genius, and a daughter who has no particular talents of which to speak. When we first meet them, the Pepins have toad problems. More precisely, toad-in-shoe problems. Here the author speaks directly to the readers of this book everywhere and asks them to send her their potential solutions to this abnormality mentally. This is sort of the form of the novel, and depending on how useful the readers' advice is, the Pepins either exacerbate their problems or alleviate them. As we follow them through a series of fun and funny occurrences (such as having a dapper man suddenly appear in their midst or when they deal with the fact that their very fine neighbor is in love with a barbershop pole) the reader has the chance to find a solution to various Pepin-related problems. Sometimes the answers are ridiculously easy (as when the family becomes trapped on their own roof) and sometimes impossible to solve (as when the cow produces lemonade rather than milk). Through it all, however, Horvath's uniquely skewed point of view enlivens a truly bizarre tale that'll have your kids screaming for a third, fourth, and possibly fifth read.

Initially, the book's rather like a slightly older extension of James Marshall's classic "The Stupids" series (complete with cat and dog, no less). As you continue to read it through, however, it grows on you. It's almost a stream of consciousness. A child-friendly "Ulysees", if you will. I would like to concede here and now that it is entirely possible that I'm giving this book a lot of slack because it referenced the musical "Pippin" obliquely. I'm a sucker for any book that knows its Fosse.

Through it all, Horvath throws out phrases like "dei ex machina" and makes references that will sail over children's heads only to be gratefully snatched up by their parents. And it's funny. Very very funny. When Mr. Pepin attempts to speak like an Englishman the book notes that, "The only two Englishmen that Mr. Pepin knew were Sherlock Holmes and Henry Higgins. He was doing his best to become an amalgamation of the two". If you do not find that at least mildly amusing then this is not the book for you.

To come right out and say it, I think I liked "The Pepins and Their Problems" because unlike Horvath's other works it didn't have her usual undercurrent of nastiness running beneath the action. There's only one truly nasty character in this book (a character that could creep into "The Canning Season" and not create so much as a ripple) and she only lasts for about 2 chapters. The only people who will fail to find this book amusing may be those Delaware and Rhode Island natives who could take offense at some of the pot-shots lobbied at them within this book. If those natives are so thin-skinned, however, then perhaps they didn't deserve to read the book in the first place. To my mind, this is Horvath's greatest creation. I highly recommend that you check out the audio version for car trips, by the way. There's a lot of room here for sly asides and pregnant pauses. Altogether, a joy to read, hear, or contemplate while on one's own roof.

As an elementary school teacher, if I could be rewarded with the privilege of spending a day of leisure with one children's book author, I would quickly choose Polly Horvath. Her manic imagination and wit and her outrageous humor is extraordinary and charming. It would be a frolic to relish and remember--she's a total "stitch!"

The Pepin family and "their very fine neighbor Mr. Bradshaw" are zany noodleheads creating and/or encountering the most improbable and hilarious experiences. Throughout the vignettes, Ms. Horvath adds flourish by cleverly engaging the the reader, as well as the characters, in asides from the commentary. It's novel and endearing.

Then there is Ms. Horvath's wordsmithery. The writing contains rich vocabulary that even an adult will find compelling. (My curiosity had me going to the dictionary on a couple of occasions!) The audience may be a tad older than 4th grade as suggested in the School Library Review; the most precocious 5th and 6th grade readers will truly reap the gifts Ms. Horvath bestows. Encountering enticing words makes Ms. Horvath as writer all the more memorable.

The experience of reading Polly Horvath for me has been something akin to making smores when you're camping and polishing them down with a glass of Pinot Noir!

Polly Horvath's Pepin Family is anything but a usual family group: they get stuck on their roof, searches for cheese in a cow which can only produce lemonade, hosts a 'neighbor-off' complete with dog throwers, and generally introduce a zany edge to living. Add Marilyn Hafner's fun black and white drawings and you have The Pepins And Their Problems, a fine middle grade reader kids will love.

The author did a great job helping my wife and I plan our first trip with our young children to WDW. The book made it easy to look things up in each park and evalute what might be appropriate for us to do. We took special notice of the hints he provided and tried to hit some of the many extra's that were listed. Included is an easy rating scale based on ages on each attraction.

Overall, our trip would not have been the same without this book!

I love all books about WDW, and this book is no exception. WDW in No Time does exactly what it claims - to give you the essential knowledge and understanding you need to know before you go to WDW. A simple, easy to follow format gives you the basics about rooms, the parks, attractions and beyond. It does not pretend to be anything it is not. If you're looking for in-depth descriptions of every little detail, this is not for you. However, my wife, who has accompanied me on dozens of trips since we met, picked it up and immediately said, "This is the book for me!" Plus, it has great callouts of tips and tricks, and some money-saving ideas as well. It is a fun, fast read, and one i highly recommend to first-time visitors, those who may be visiting for the first time with children, as well as those people who are looking to enhance their vacation, without having to go through a book that has so much information that it becomes overwhelming. Well done!

I loved this book! It had great information to help me plan our family trip to Disney World. I loved the Notes and Tips throughout the book. I also liked the To Do lists that were in each section. I have read other Disney vacation books and this one was fun to read, and made it easy to plan our trip. I especially liked the index cards provided. I was able to plan ahead and use them when we got to the park. I just marked which rides we wanted to go to and had a game plan when we got to the gate! It saved us from going to a ride that I knew my kids were to short to go on and them being disappointed when we had to walk away.
I would recommend this book to anyone planning a trip to Disney World.

Plan Your Walt Disney World Vacation In No Time by Doug Ingersoll is a book I wish we had had before we spent a week at Disney World and came away wishing we had done this or skipped that to make the most of our wonderful vacation. This book is well laid-out to walk you through three stages: Part 1 gives advice on how to plan getting there and where to stay. Giving basic vacation planning strategies such as how to budget realistically, where to search on the Internet, which exits to take from highways, how to rent a car, etc., this is NOT an advertisement for specific properties or businesses but names each with the price range and outlines amenities, transportation, etc. The same is listed for restaurants in the area. This section alone will save you lots of money and exhaustion and frustration once you arrive at your dream destination. In the second section you will find each area of Disny World mapped,and a basic description of each ride or performance. There are some MUST SEE notes and for each place there is a rating of 1 - 5 for each age group from pre-schoolers to seniors. At the back of the book are trip cards so you can make notes of which attractions to do and which to skip, placing these cards in your wallet for on-site use. There is a section to help you plan what to do after dark and the final section is devoted to other attractions in the area outside Disney World. Using this book before you go will assure you make the very most of your money, time, and energy on this trip of a family dream.

I am an executive in a business planning and strategy function. I have read many books on the subject of Innovation. This book was unique to me with the focus on strategy innovation and the well defined methodology described to work through the process. Believe me, it caused several nights of insomnia as I couldn't help thinking about ways I could use this information on different problems I was trying to solve. In addition, I found the authors highly responsive as I followed up with them to explore potential opportunities to collaborate. These guys know their stuff! I have recommended this book to others in my company who were looking to develop new product strategies. I think this is a must read for people who are serious about customer and market focused strategy execution.

One of the challenges I have faced with much of the innovation literature is that it is written exclusively from the historical "case study" perspective. Hindsight is easy, foresight is difficult, and finding effective generalizations applicable beyond the narrow retrospective of an author's case studies is nearly impossible.

Johnston and Bate have succeeded in achieving this nearly impossible task. These authors take a different perspective (from other innovation authors) and offer a framework for Strategy Innovation - which not to be confused with Strategic Planning. Strategic Planning focuses on building value in current markets through an analytical analysis of the current business conditions and models. Strategy Innovation, by contrast, is defined as creating new value through a creative - insights-driven - iterative approach, where companies leap ahead to define where they want to be and then "work backwards" in order to achieve the future goal.

The strengths of this book are three-fold.
1. The book is more than a retrospective case study - it is about developing the process of how to go about incorporating innovation.
2. The Strategy Innovation process described by the authors can be implemented without first requiring radical disruption of the organization or its processes - thus reducing the initial cost and organizational resistance to implementation. For example, Strategic Planning remains - but it should be guided by the Strategic Innovation process.
3. The book is well-written and well-edited.

For those of us who are familiar with the more traditional approach to strategic planning, beginning with vision, mission, goals & objectives, strategies and tactics, this book presents a novel approach to strategy. What I particularly liked is how Johnston and Bate use creativity and innovation as a key element in their process to increase the chance of getting breakthrough results rather than incremental improvements.

While more "out of the box" techniques are used, it by no means lacks structure in the process. At the end of each planning phase, process tips provide a summary of the key points. The book also includes a number of case studies that grounds the process to real industry examples.

If you are interested in understanding how making the future clear will make the present even clearer, read this book.

The last time I checked, Amazon and Borders offer 53,515 books which discuss strategy; 12,520 on innovation and 1,036 on strategy innovation. Is there anything new to add? Perhaps the more appropriate question is: Given the needs and interests of my organization, which approach to strategy innovation makes the most sense? In their Introduction, Johnston and Bate observe, "What we describe in this book is a phase-by-phase approach to the process of strategy innovation, not step-by-step. We provide the blueprint and encourage you [their reader] to customize it for the specific needs of your company and your industry." That is a promise on which they deliver. In fact, they provide invaluable advice on how to "customize" the phase-by-phase approach they describe.

They carefully organize their material within three Parts. In Chapters 1-4, they outline what strategy innovation is, what it is not, and suggest how to integrate it effectively. In Chapters 5-10, they offer specific guidance for implementing a strategy innovation initiative which they call the "Discovery Process." It has five phases: Staging, Aligning, Exploring, Creating, and Mapping. I hasten to add that, with appropriate modifications, this process can be use by any organization, regardless of size or nature. Then in Chapters 11 and 12, they offer a rigorous and probing analysis of the Discovery Process within a real-world setting. Of special interest to me is their use of FAQ in Chapter 11 and their outline of "key considerations" in the final chapter. In the Epilogue, Johnston and Bate share their thoughts about the future of strategy innovation. I also appreciate their clever use of a series of "Process Tips" (accompanied by brief comments) which should be highlighted (or otherwise noted) to facilitate a periodic review of the book's key points. Here are three examples:

"Strategy Innovation is best achieved by leaping ahead and working backward." (page 34)

"A strategic frontier is that unexplored area of potential growth that lies between today's business and tomorrow's opportunities." (page 113)

"It is easier to build feasibility into an innovative idea than to build innovation into a feasible idea." (page 203)

The material is sound, well-organized, and skillfully presented. I think those who read this book will my high regard for it while realizing, as Johnston and Bate correctly point out, "Strategy innovation is not a typical, quantitative goal, so it should not be communicated to employees in a rational, quantitative way. Strategy innovation is a bold leap into a new future. It is a rallying cry for growth, a clarion call to lead others into the future, to achieve new levels of performance and success." Quite true.

But if strategy innovation initiatives lack passion, if they fail to excite the heart and stimulate the mind, and if they are incremental and cautious, they are certain to fail.

I love this book. The pictures are awesome, many of which were taken in the early 80's. Farms dominate the pictures. If you like pictures of barns, prairies, or trees you'll want to buy this book. It's just too bad these pictures aren't large and ion frames.

This collection of timeless photographs eloquently expresses the strength and sustenance we midwesterners draw from our environment. "Praireiscapes" reveals what many of us would never have taken notice of or been able to explain with words on our own--that the midwestern landscapes are glorious, and beautiful in a profound, enduring way. Kanfer has another book, "On Second Glance" which picks up where "Praireiscapes" ends, and there is an annual calendar of photographs widely available.I recommend them highly for anyone who appreciates fine art photography.

This is the book that I show to people when I try vainly to explain in words why a prairie view or a prairie skyscape is more inspiring to me than a mountain range. Although a few of the photos are a little too posed and sentimental, the finest of them convey the power and austere beauty of this often-dismissed part of the country. Akin in their severe beauty to Zen or to Shaker design, the finest of these photographs will catch at your heart and your mind.

Kanfer certainly has an eye for the little details that give the scenery of the Midwest its own particular charm. Beautiful landscapes captured by a master photographer. A "must" for those living in the region, as well as those like myself who've moved on to other places and enjoy reacquainting ourselves with surroundings once familiar.

In this outstanding book, Prophet, the Hatmaker's Son, author Doug Gillies provides a detailed and insightful portrayal of the earler life and times of Dr. Robert Muller...a legend of our times, who as a youth, experienced first-hand the social turbulance and heart-wrenching injustices of war from both the Allied and German perspectives.

Based on a series of in-depth interviews and insightful conversations with Dr. Muller, author Gillies has painted a series of realistic and emotionally sensitive collages which portray in humanistic detail the shifting cultural landscapes of Europe, as social stability become shattered and virtually every aspect of normal life is dramatically disrupted by the overwhelming impacts of World War II.

Following his youthful adventures as a French Resistance Fighter, Robert Muller launched his long and fruitful career as a Global Peacemaker. The grim realities and emotional turmoil he had experienced in the wartime environment, inspired him to make a soul commitment to himself...that he would dedicate his unique multilingual and intercultural abilities for the rest of his life to the cause of Conflict Resolution, Social Justice, and Global Peace. This book reveals the poignant details of this fascinating career odyssey, which eventually led Dr. Muller to become a key player in the formation and dynamic interplays of the United Nations theater...in his role as UN Assistant Secretary General.

As a result of his overriding quest to redirect the efforts of Mankind away from war and destruction, and into more peaceful and enlightened pursuits, Dr. Muller (regarded as the Father of Global Education) developed a unique "Core Curriculum," which formsd the basis for a number of Robert Muller Schools. He is also Co-Founder and Chancellor Emeritus for the University of Peace in Costa Rics.

In addition to being the recepient of numerous prestegious World Peace Awards, has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize some 22 times!

For those individuals interested in realistic historical dramas, and the making of a legendary global leader, this book should have a broad audience appeal, and will most certainly enrich the literary experience of anyone who reads it.

At first I hesitated in reading this book. Even after the first couple of chapters I wondered if I should continue. Politics is something I don't like to deal with, and reading about them is even harder. But something about PROPHET kept me wanting to know more. So I continued to read it to its completion, and I am so glad I did. I've heard the name "Robert Muller" but never knew anything about him. This book takes you through his life, and what made him who he was and how he formed his beliefs in this thing called "peace", and why he accepted the United Nations invite. To know that his beliefs were founded on events that he experienced, encountered, and/or observed makes his life more compelling to know. Douglas Gillies does an outstanding job relating not only Robert Mullers life, but the historical, spiritual, and self-knowledge significance that surrounds him. War and peace, two issues that Muller dealt with all his life, fighting against one, and for the other, are issues that all of us face and have to decide what we, ourselves, stand for. For Muller, peace was the overwhelming decision and one that very few can truly understand.

"Prophet is a genuine literary gem. The true mark of an excellent performance is when one hears the music, rather than the notes. Prophet meets that test and goes considerbly beyond. Douglas Gillies is an extraordinary writer. He involves us in Robert Muller's story immediately and continues doing so in subtle ways that hold us as active participants throughout. Prophet is universal in spirit and nature, encompassing all of us as human beings. Its tone and style are exquisite, and its intergenerational flow carries us all along on its living stream."
-Margery Layton, educator.

This is the story of an optimist who worked at the United Nations from its founding. Muller grew up on the German border, in occupied France and joined the Resistance. You will hear his story of World War II and the founding and growth of the UN.

Douglas Gillies is a gifted writer. He brings this story to life and makes this book a page-turner. He writes the story as through he was there himself.

Robert Muller has touched a lot of people. You can tell by the number of endorsement that have been gathered for this book.

I love history and I love this book. The story would make a great movie.

Dan Poynter, ParaPublishing.com

By Karen Rothaus Rosenthal (Upper Saddle River, NJ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Remember This Dream (Mass Market Paperback)
Very powerful. The author uses a fictional family to correctly & historically portray the plight of the Jews from the early 1900's through World War II. The book addresses the background and reason for the mass exodus from Europe and Russia to the United States during the early part of the twentieth century - why some had the courage to leave and why others chose to stay. And then the author - using true historical figures, events and facts describes the fate of those left behind. Simultaneously, the author depicts life and the political atmosphere in Europe and the United States. One immediately becomes involved with the author's characters. This book is a fast read. I could not put it down.

This is really an amazing book - although fictionalized it allowed me a peak into my own grandparents lives...something that was never shared and I really felt a void. So...I feel it is a great read for any age or gender. Great gift for school age and elderly. Thoroughly enjoyable.

Very powerful. The author uses a fictional family to correctly & historically portray the plight of the Jews from the early 1900's through World War II. The book addresses the background and reason for the mass exodus from Europe and Russia to the United States during the early part of the twentieth century - why some had the courage to leave and why others chose to stay. And then the author - using true historical figures, events and facts describes the fate of those left behind. Simultaneously, the author depicts life and the political atmosphere in Europe and the United States. One immediately becomes involved with the author's characters. This book is a fast read. I could not put it down.

"1911, a time of continuing upheaval for Polish Jews, an era of exodus...when the poor and proud seek new lands of promise across vast seas...when families flee their beloved home in terror of oppression and war...when bold dreams are followed toward a brighter future...

The turbulence of the times rises up to separate sisters Anna and Dvoyra. On a ship teeming with fellow immigrants bound for America, Anna journeys with her children to join her husband in Baltimore--only to have her highest hopes shattered and her deepest passions reawakened. Dvoyra, who longs to go with Anna to America, is forced to remain in Poland with her family--until the bloody hand of Nazism forces them to attempt a daring escape.

For nearly half a century and half a world apart, clinging to the dream that someday they will b reunited, both families summon astonishing courage in the face of great adversity--Anna in the grip of relentless poverty, and Dvoyra amid the horrors of anti-Semitism, war and captivity. Ultimately, their most heartfelt dream will be fulfilled in the lives of their children."

This book is really a discourse on why we feel pain. For people of a more "intellectual bent", this book may be the perfect opening into Yogananda's other books and works. According to this book, there really is no pleasure. So what do we feel when we have sex or eat an ice cream cone? First of all, the mind is just fine as it is. That is, you will not add anymore pain. But by association in thought (thinking), one creates an "excitation" in the brain. This is a desire and it causes pain because we want the desired object. Now here is the hard part. The so-called pleasure is really just the removal of the WANT created by the association in the mind. I thought about writing a book review. Somebody calls. I feel upset (pain). But the pain is caused by my having thought about the book review in the first place. I created an "excitation" or spark in the brain. Then this excitation was not fulfilled. Great pain. But even if somebody doesn't call, and I do write this review, THE FEELING OF PLEASURE IS ONLY THE RESULT OF REMOVING THE ORIGINAL EXCITATION FROM MY BRAIN! So, there really isn't any pleasure. There is the pain of not satisfying the excitation and there is the neutral feeling of satisfying the excitation (which will uninevitably arise again). How do we get out of this quagmire of pain. Quite simple. Order this book from Amazon. com.

In this small book, PARAMAHANSA YOGANANDA clearly states a simple and profound truth that is the core philosophy of all of the world's great spiritual systems. As Douglas Ainslie says in his introduction "this small book offers the clue to the universe....between these narrow covers is to be found the flower of the Vedas and the Upanishads, the essence of Patanjali,...and the thought of Shankara, greatest mind that ever dwelt in mortal body........This is the deliberate attempt of one who has at last found in the East, after many wanderings, the solution to the riddles of the world......The essential point to be remarked about Paramahansa's teaching,....is that it is not speculative , but practical, even when dealing with the utmost reaches of metaphysics."

The author was a great Yogi who lived and taught in the West for over 30 years. The example of his life and work have not only turned many people god-ward, but has also shown them the way to SELF-REALIZATION through Kriya Yoga and his prolific inspired teachings. His wisdom, insight and remarkable innovations in the field of human development and religion are legendary.The main theme of this book is "bliss", our deepest need and how to find it.

Parmahansa Yogananda established the Self-Realization Fellowship as the sole authorized representative and spiritual path for his great work.

Also Recommended:

AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF A YOGI........SANCTUARY OF THE SOUL........THE DIVINE ROMANCE...............MAN'S ETERNAL QUEST..................JOURNEY TO SELF-REALIZATION.....................WHISPERS FROM ETERNITY..................WHERE THERE IS LIGHT ....etc....all by the same author.

Yogananda's maiden voyage on the sea of authorship, THE SCIENCE OF RELIGION, surprises the reader us with paradoxes. In 1920, when still at his teacher's ashram in India, Yogananda received an invitation to speak to an International Congress of Religious Liberals in Boston, sponsored by the American Unitarian Association, thus beginning his three decades of teaching and work on this continent. "Science" and "religion" are usually discussed as opposites or adversaries, as are "reason" and "faith," but this expansion of his 1920 address to that congress brings the yoga approach: revealing the unities - in the most ancient and universal "unitarian" approach.

The very word "religion" has roots in "unity:" the Latin 'religare', which dictionaries often define unpleasantly as to restrain or to tie back; Yogananda cites the more yogic definition: to bind. To someone accustomed to the term "yoga" with its common roots in "to yoke together" or "to unite," the positive implications become apparent for religion as a force of LIBERATION rather than of restraint. If you are among the thousands who shun the contemporary uses of "religious" and say, with many of my friends, "I am not so much a religious person as a spiritual person," you will appreciate Yogananda's use of this more universal and positive meaning of "religious."

In this tightly reasoned essay on how ancient spiritual revelations from yoga science can elevate modern religion to liberating heights, Yogananda offers to even the most intellectual of audiences the best of reasons 1) why devotion to Truth and the experience of Spirit must logically go hand-in-hand and 2) how the airy realms of spirituality are pressingly practical: "...religion necessarily consists in the permanet removal of pain and the realization of Bliss or God."

He moves forward to show the differences between the basic four approaches to spiritual realization (as described by another reviewer, below) and provides more fundamentals about meditation and esoteric yoga practice than his 1920 audience could possibly have coped with. It is more accessible to our new, better-initiated century. The Science of Religion is an introduction to the universality of yoga, meditation, and the experience of the Divine, and -- although lacking the fascinating annecdotes of his Autobiography of a Yogi or the inspirational upliftment of such later books as Where There is Light and The Divine Romance -- The Science of Religion is a powerfully reasoned call to the intellect to open its heart along with its mind.

RECOMMENDATION: Especially good gift for your intellectual, agnostic friends - or those who have been alienated by narrow, orthodox, negativity-based presentations of religion.

Religion or faith in fundamental principles, is the foundation upon which the edifice of reasoning, or science is built upon. While it is religion which binds us into courses of action consistent with those fundamental principles, it is science that enables us to stay clear of inconsistent systems of guiding principles, and to practically attain the goals posited by our principles.

The Science of Religion by Paramahansa Yogananda arrives by analysis at inner happiness or bliss as the goal that binds all men. Thus, from the standpoint of the etymological meaning of the word religion as that which binds (from religio-onis in Latin), the author says that the pursuit of bliss is universal religion, as it motivates all human actions.

Having arrived at universal religion, the author then goes on to present the practical means of attaining the goal, i.e.,the science. He outlines the four broad classes of methods that have been evolved to attain bliss, or God: the methods of reasoning, devotion, meditation, and life-force control. He points out the limitations of the first three methods, and recommends the method of life-force control (which acts directly upon the vital organs of the body, slowing them down) to sever the identification of human consciousness with the body that underlies all human suffering.

Another strongly written novel. A great story that action lovers should approve of.

This is a great SEAL book, it has a good plot and very good writing. I have read all but the first SEAL books and I think Keith Douglass'earlier books are the best. This one is on the top of the list. The newer books (starting with Flashpoint) get prety boring because a firefight is over within seconds because of that bullpup, they shoot around cornners and blow evey thing up. I think Keith should take them out by saying that one acidently blew up when they were traning or somthing. But I am not saying that these are bad books I really enjoy reading them I think this book is good right now because of the situatioin over in Iraq.

Again Keith Douglass writes a great book. Full of action and suspense. Blake Murdock is great. This is a great series of books. Recommended to everyone who likes military fiction.

Keith Douglas writes a another book that has the right amount of suspence, action, and adventure. I read this book constantly until there was no more. I hope Keith Douglass writes another book in the series I just can't wait!

I say "could be" because most of the book features the Comanches interacting with one another. It is possible the author captured them accurately, of course, he could be way off. Who knows? For the most part, I felt a sense of realism. But that's just my perception. It's a matter of taste. As far as the story goes, some parts drag and some parts were very exciting. But by the end though, I realized that this is just like real life.

One complaint is that Douglas neglects to explain how the white captive feels living among a people who killed her father, whose scalp she sees hanging from her captor's lance. And when her captor gives her away to his father later in the book, Jones once again neglects to explain how Chosen (the white captive) feels about this.

Despite this, by the end of the book, I felt that I had been on a journey with these people. Also, it should be noted that Jones is very fair to both cultures. The atrocities were a two-way street.

In closing, I highly recommend this book. I believe the follow up to this book is called Gone the Dreams and Dancing. I look forward to reading this book, too.

I knew for a long time that Douglas C. Jones was a well-liked author, as I worked in a public library and I shelved books for a living. One day, though, "Season of Yellow Leaf" happened to get into my hands, probably by someone else checking it out. I read the flyleaf and held onto it.

"Yellow Leaf" is the fictionalized story of a young girl in a remote Texas settlement who is captured by the Comanche tribespeople, adopted and named "Chosen." When "returned" to white culture as a married mother, she pines for the family she has been torn away from.

Loosely based on the story of Cynthia Ann Parker, it is a well-written story of the trials of the culture clash that has been going on for 500 years on this continent. The story is only repeated and repeated, families torn apart, then torn apart again.

Like so many tales involving native people, there is a "golden" time to Chosen's life, as there seems to have been to the lives of the tribes as well, that is to say, just before white culture influenced every circumstance.

I never read another book by this author, but I cherish this book for Chosen's viewpoint, albeit fictionalized.

I also do not know if this represents the Comanche viewpoint well, or is total supposition, but it's a very good read.

In the two existing reviews the date is off by 100 years. It should read 1830!

It would be hard to discuss one of Douglas C. Jones' books without mentioning the others. I have read all of his novels and found them to be well-researched, historically relevant and entertaining. Season of Yellow Leaf is one of my favorites, but Jones is at his best when writing about historical life in his native Arkansas (Weedy Rough, Winding Stair, others). I would recommend his books to anyone. He really knows how to bring history to life.