Edward Books

Santa Paws do you want to go for a ride? The Callahan's asked. Oh boy, Santa Paws loved rides. Since the Callahan's just had a few last minute gifts to pick up they thought Santa Paws would be fine in the car.
Santa Paws kept wondering why his family was taking so long. Suddenly a gray van pulled up right next to the station wagon. Two dirty looking men climbed out. They used a crow bar to pick open the car door. Santa Paws tried to hide, but they had already spotted him. All of a sudden Santa Paws had a bag over his head and was feeling very sick. When Santa Paws woke up he still felt too sick to sit up, but he was in a stranger's car, and he knew he had to escape.
Finally, Santa Paws escaped from the dog thieves, but now he was in the middle of the street and there were rushing cars all around him. When Santa Paws is eventually he makes his way now he has to trust his instincts and go north, it just feels right.
Will Santa Paws ever make it home to the Callahan's in time for Christmas? Find out in "Santa Paws Come Home" by "Nicholas Edwards".

In this book Santa Paws goes with his owners on a chirstmas vacation in the mountains. Unfortunately their plane crashes. Uncle Steve is injured, they don't know where the nearest town is. Can Santa Paws save Gregory, Patricia, and Uncle Steve before it is too late? Find out when you read this book.

I reccomend this book for ages 9 and up.

Santa Paws is a great book for all readers. It is about a boy named Gregory and a girl named Patricia, their Uncle Steve, and their dog named Santa Paws.They are going on a trip to the mountains when their plane crashes! They are forced to go look for help without their Uncle Steve. Find out what happens next when you read the book!

Santa Paws is an amazing dog living with his new found family, the Callahans, Gregory, Patricia, and their parents. They're going up into the mountains to spend Christmas with their grandparents. But it turns out to be anything but a relaxing vacation.
When their plane crashes on the edge of a huge mountain they barely escape in time. But now they're stranded in the wilderness and snow, injured and freezing.
Gregory and Patricia are forced to leave their Uncle Steve, who is too badly hurt to come with them, in a small shelter in the mountains, and set off with nothing but a flare, a few small pocket heaters, a thin blanket, and a walkman.
Can they and Santa Paws possibly survive a fall into a freezing river, coyotes, and an avalanche?

This book was about 2 kids, Gregory and Patricia, their Uncle Steve, and their dog, Santa Paws, who are flying in a plane to Gregory and Patricia's grandparents cabin up in mountains for Christmas. On the way the plane crashes. They are in a horrible mess. One pine tree is holding the plane from the edge of the cliff. The plane fell right after they got out - they just barely survived.
When they were looking for firewood , they also found one of the wings of the plane . They use it for shelter.
They decide to split up to get help. Uncle Steve stays behind because he is hurt too much to leave. The story continues with the kids adventures to help. Find out by reading the story if they survived the avalance.
I enjoyed this book because you never know what is going to happen next. There are a lot of surprises. If you like the other Santa Paws stories, you're going to love this one.

I always get a kick out of reading the Santa Paws series. And this particular book about Santa Paws ranks among my all-time favorites. I love how the author is so descriptive, and I love how the characters, especially Santa Paws, are portrayed. This book isn't too intense for young children, and at the same time it's not a baby book. I'd say this kind of book applies to all ages. If you haven't read this book yet, then you have no idea what you're missing.

It was close to Christmas and with Santa Paws at home it was going to be the first relaxing holiday the Callahans had had in years. Nobody could have known that they were going to have much more than just a white Christmas.
When a huge ice storm takes Oceanport by surprise, an amazing number of accidents happen. Is this storm a disaster not even Santa Paws can face?
But Santa Paws sets out with his new sidekick, mischievous Abigail the cat, to save Christmas once again. He braves everything from falling trees and car crashes to loose cows and a cat stuck in a slippery tree, to make sure everybody has a happy holiday.

It was close to Christmas and with Santa Paws at home it was going to be the first relaxing holiday the Callahans had had in years. Nobody could have known that they were going to have much more than just a white Christmas.
When a huge ice storm takes Oceanport by surprise, an amazing number of accidents happen. Is this storm a disaster not even Santa Paws can face?
But Santa Paws sets out with his new sidekick, mischievous Abigail the cat, to save Christmas once again. He braves everything from falling trees and car crashes to loose cows and a cat stuck in a slippery tree, to make sure everybody has a happy holiday.

The protagonist is Santa Paws.The conflict is there is an ice storm and Santa Paws's family is at stake.Most of Santa Paws family are trapped in an ice storm, can Santa Paws save them? What I like best are the characters because they are funny and weird, because they are animals and talk.

It was almost Christmas, and with Santa Paws safe at home it was going to be the first relaxing holiday the Callahans had had in years. Who could have known they were going to have much more than just a white Christmas? When a huge ice storm takes the little town of Oceanport by surprise, countless accidents occur. Too many for even Santa Paws? But the hero dog escapes into the storm with his new sidekick, Abigail the cat, to face his biggest disaster ever. With a number of amazing (and a couple funny) rescues, Santa Paws is saving Christmas again!

Abigail is great, and Santa Paws is as good as ever! But why aren't Gregory and Patricia involved in any of these books anymore? It's really cool to read about Santa Paws and his rescues--especially about Abigail tagging along behind him. But if sometime there could be a book that was a little more like "The Return of Santa Paws" again... Still--a really great book!

As always, Cassie Edwards writes the best books and I thoroughly enjoy reading most of everything she's written.

Savage Dance is a book that gets your imagination going. Imagining the handsome Chief rescuing the half breed girl painted vivid pictures in my mind. This one's not to be missed.

This book is a must have in every Cassie Edwards collection of books. I reccomend it to anyone. It's for the person who is in love with that warrior that you want to meet someday or you allready have? But I really truly love this book. I'm not lending it to anyone... well maybe?!?

Dear Mrs Edwards, This book was one of the first romance novels that I had ever read, I borrowed it from my library, and everyday for the past 5 years I have been looking to purchase this book. It is so moving and it keeps you on the edge of your seat the whole way through. Please ask your publisher to publish a few more copies because I really would like to have one, this is collection item. Thank you. I recommend this book for everyone.

One nite Late in bed i couldn't go to sleep well my mom kept her books in my room, i had never been a big reader but once i started reading this book i couldn't put it down, it was sunrise before i could put it down.I had hour sleep and i just had to read more. Well i've been a collecting Cassie Edwards books for 3 years now, and they keep getting better.

I purchased the book for one sermon A DIVINE AND SUPERNATURAL LIGHT

I was amazed about how many of the sermons were right one with where I am at in my life.

Gods word is time less and this is a clear translation of what God has to say to his people.

Edwards is excellent in presenting the gospel. His sermons are quite substantive and always pointing the reader (or hearer in his days) towards God. Should you desire a great book of some of Edward's greatest works, this is the book for you.

John Calvin and Jonathan Edwards are, without question, two of the greatest theologians in the history of the church. Who is Mike DeSario?

Do not get this book if you're pursuing modern or postmodern theology. Do not get this book if you're looking for gimmicks.

If you want to get down to basics ... salvation and sin, heaven and hell ... read this collection.

The original 'fire & brimestone' sermon ... "Sinners in the hands of angry God" is worth the price of the book if you're unfamiliar with Edwards.

You can see the evangelical power of this mighty pastor grow in this chronological collection.

Edwards is a gift to us, well worth rediscovering.

Jonathan Edwards sermons are inspiring, leading to Christ. 18 century religious american genius. Easy to read. Worth to buy. Highly recommend.

This is a very good book for people who want to become, or who are already are ministers. It gives alot of insightful information on how a church is run, as well as how to run marriages and funerals.

Some things never get out dated. This handbook/manual has surpassed the the test of time and will always be helpful to those in the ministry and or evangelism.

Excellent book. I also found The Minister's Crucible by Fred C. Rochester a great book for ministers, want to be ministers, and those already in ministry. Book books are a must read.

This is THE book to own of its type. Highly recommended to new and old ministers alike. It should be in every ministers library. I always refer back to mine.

The Star Book for Ministers is a wonderful reference guide. It is jam packed with information yet small enough to discreetly and easily carry with you. If you are new to the ministry or someone who has been in the ministry a while, it contains practical helps and information.

Topics covered include: Entering the Christian Ministry, Preaching the Gospel, Pastoral Care, etc. There are almost 100 pages of scripture one can refer to by topic (Confession & Forgiveness, Christian Love, Grief, Comfort, Beneditions, etc). This is most helpful when counseling someone.

Finally there are practical guidelines for dealing with others during weddings, funerals and baptisms as well as suggestions for ceremonies. Indispensible!

I have received it exactly on time, as it was planned! Congratulations to amazon.com. I'm really looking foward reading through it. I'll give you some new feedback as soon as I get more familiar with it!

Book was for my daughter. She says for those that need it it is invaluable!

I got this heavy 2 volume set within 2 days of ordering. Great seller!

If you can only have one Internal Medicine book in your library this is it. Very little not found in this book...Authors have made a great effort to be complete and it is well edited. All other Internal Medicine books are superficial, but if you want to know the theory, current treatment/diagnosis, and current research possibilities buy this...it is great!

This is the perfect book for vets and veterinary students. They are very actualized and give explanations about the diseases and diagnosis in detail.

"This book is about life as it is interpreted by books."

So begins the introduction of Edward Mendelson's The Things That Matter: What Seven Classic Novels Have to Say About the Stages of Life. As a professor of English and comparative literature at Columbia University, Mendelson has read and discussed many novels. What interests me more than his being well-read, though, is his approach to reading novels.

Novels, of course, present a world full of life and characters of their own and should be read to understand that world and those characters. Mendelson takes a view like my own, however: that novels are not meant to be read in vacuo. "A reader who identifies with the characters in a novel is not reacting in a naïve way that ought to be outgrown or transcended, but is performing one of the central acts of literary understanding."

When I began to read novels in earnest I was a bit late to the game; most of my unassigned reading while I was growing up was taken from the topics of the sciences and computers. Before I had entered my twenties I had achieved unusual proficiency in those areas, even for a specialist, but I was embarrassed by my ignorance of literature. Of course I had read the usual works covered in the public school system but no one had managed to impress upon me the value of novels. Consequently, it would be more correct to say that I skimmed the usual novels and I could regurgitate various facts about The Scarlet Letter, Lord of the Flies, and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn but they didn't mean much to me at the time. So instead I read The C Programming Language, TCP/IP Illustrated, and UNIX Programmers Reference. Even much of the history that I managed to read was for a rather specific topic, as was the case with The Codebreakers.

Rather than attempt to go through life hiding my ignorance of literature and constantly fearing its exposure, I decided to solve the real problem by actually reading novels and attempting to understand them. I started with some that I remembered enjoying in high school, such as Alas, Babylon. I then returned to The Scarlet Letter and branched out to things that I should have read but had managed to avoid and in the process discovered the likes of Jane Austen. Though my love of books was always present, it was in returning to the novel that my love of reading grew.

In The Things That Matter, Mendelson takes us on a tour of the stages of life, discussing each in turn as it is considered in one of the seven novels featured.

Birth
Frankenstein, Mary Shelley (1818)
Childhood
Wuthering Heights, Emily Brontë (1847)
Growth
Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontë (1847)
Marriage
Middlemarch, George Eliot (1871-72)
Love
Mrs. Dalloway, Virginia Woolf (1925)
Parenthood
To the Lighthouse, Virginia Woolf (1927)
The Future
Between the Acts, Virginia Woolf (1941)

In Mendelson's capable hands, each of these novels is able to take on particular meaning. Not only are the events of the author and the historical context considered, as might be true in any literary criticism, but each is tied back to the stage of life that is the focus and what it means. In discussing meaning, Mendelson does not arrogantly push a pet theory on the reader. "Theories belong to science," he writes, "which relies on repeatable results that can be tested by experiment or refuted by fact..." Reading a novel is a personal experience and writing about novels is from an individual perspective.

Readers are invited explicitly to join in the dialogue, judging what is written for themselves, and considering meaning for themselves. Disagreement with the writer is the reader's prerogative. I love how Mendelson treats the situation. "I hope our disagreements, when they occur, can provide the comforts of both heat and light."

I enjoyed The Things That Matter thoroughly, as I'm sure will any reader who thinks of novels as worthy of reflection and consideration beyond what they mean to the author.

I echo Tom Casey's review below. I read some of these novels thirty years ago, and started re-reading them two years ago. What perfect timing, then, for Edward Mendelson's very interesting approach on these novels. On the surface this book does not appear to be the typical academic work it is, but each chapter on its own could have been a doctoral thesis. To tie these seven novels into passages of life is quite remarkable. In addition, footnotes, though infrequent, shed light on very important issues of the times that are easily overlooked. To enjoy this book one should have a fairly good knowledge of the novels. But you can read the essays in any order that you want; each essay stands alone. Highly, highly recommended.

I just read "The Things That Matter," having seen it on my library's shelf and picked it up out of curiosity. I loved this book not only for its content but for the timing with which it showed up for me to read. My brilliant-at-math-and-science-stuff child was having a challenge with English Lit class; this book has given me a way to relate to them the value of novels to real life stuff, especially thinking about how "universal ideas" in life play out in personal actual life.

I found Mendelson's critical reviews of "What Seven Classic Novels Have to Say About the Stages of Life" timely and well written. I highlight below several points that struck me.

. I have never, never, NEver realized the intricate complexities of "Frankenstein" til I read Mendelson's analysis. I had heard that the authoress (Mary Shelley) was brilliant and accomplished and connected in her time, but to be honest all I could image in my mind prior to this book was the film treatments of a) Boris Karloff, and b) Mel Brooks. Suffice it to say I have a whole new appreciation of the rich ideas and paradoxes Shelley wove into her story!

. Mendelson does a fine job of weaving seven stories into seven Stages of Life (Birth, Childhood, Growth, Marraige, Love, Parenthood, The Future). Never mind the excellence of each chapter's analyses; the crafting of the whole book, and its demonstration by example of its meta-theme that "things that matter are written about in great literature," excite my professional admiration for a job of craftsmenship and talent well done.

. Further exciting my admiration are several points mentioned in the preface and in the essays as Mendelson distinguishes "universal ideas" that these authoresses (Mary Shelley, Emile Bronte, Charlotte Bronte, George Eliot, Virginia Woolf) present in their narratives:

1) He chose all woman authors because "it has nothing to do with any fantasy that women have greater moral and emotional intelligence" but rather "a woman writer [in the 19th and 20th centuries] had a greater motivation to defend the values of personal life against the generalizing effect of stereotypes." This is still an issue today for ALL of us, I think, whatever our personal circumstances or lifestyle choices.

2) That opposite life principles may be equally true, that what is publically espoused may be privately doubted. Or said colloquially, "The opposite of a Great Truth may be in itself a Great Truth." Examples include, in "Frankenstein," the espoused principle that a good upbringing of a child will result in a good character of an adult. But: "The opposite may also be true."

To read Mendelson's "take" about these works and their authors has made me feel more acquainted with seven "tastes of greatness!"

"This book is about life as it is interpreted by books. Each of the chapters has a double subject: on the one hand, an English novel written in the nineteenth or twentieth century, and on the other, one of the great experiences or stages that occur, or can occur, in more or less everyone's life." These opening lines of Edward Mendelson's work of literary criticism - The Things That Matter - encapsulate his intent. A study of seven classical novels by Mary Shelley, Emily and Charlotte Brontë, George Eliot and Virginia Woolf, Mendelson's essays present his thesis that novels provide insight into specific stages of life and, these novels, when viewed collectively present a "history of the emotional and moral life of the past two centuries."

Mendelson has aimed his work at readers of any age, the only prerequisite being knowledge of the seven novels. He writes in a conversational manner, as if lecturing directly to the reader. Theories and supporting arguments are presented within the text, footnotes included only when critical. Woven throughout is information about the prevailing theories and literary themes of the period.

In the section on Wuthering Height_s Mendelson explores Brontë's idea of romantic childhood, tracing its roots to the romanticism of Wordsworth and Freud. His _Wuthering Heights is a very different one than the one commonly studied in high school. Heathcliff and Catherine are desperate to recapture the total unity experienced as children, to merge two selves into one. Whereas the commonly held perception is of a novel of thwarted passion and cruelty, Mendelson believes Brontë deliberately led readers to this conclusion and away from her true meaning. "She disguised Wuthering Heights as a story of doomed sexual passion perhaps because she regarded her potential readers with something close to contempt...they could not understand what this book tells them."

Each of the authors is examined with the same focus, each essay meriting its own review. Mendelson states that he "could easily imagine a similar book to this one made up of entirely different examples."

I'll keep my fingers crossed that inspiration strikes and Mendelson shares more of his thoughts on life and literature.

Armchair Interviews agrees.

In case you ever thought less of women writers than their male counterparts look no farther than Mendelson's review of seven classics all written by women who wrote what matters in life with vivid, vibrant language.

Starting with Mary Shelley's Frankenstein that is the result of an inspirational motto by Mary Wollstonecraft: "A great proportion of the misery that wanders, in hideous forms, around the world, is allowed to rise from the negligence of parents," to early attachments in Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte, to early disattachment by Charlotte Bronte, to the humdrum beats of ordinary life in Middlemarch by George Eliot, to the realization of life's illusions in Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf, to a rebellion in To the Lighthouse, also by Virginia Woolf, and finally to the disillusionment met in Between the Acts, yet again by Woolf.

Great books as can only be understood best by this book.

As another reviewer said, "hard to put down". At every turn Cmdr. Ellsberg is told "It can't be done", ranging from Ever to In Six Months.

Fascinating chapter on raising two drydocks (that were labelled unsalvageable) in a matter of days. Same with a floating crane that an English "expert" had thoroughly trashed. Where and how he scrounges up "pontoons" for the job is a howl.

Gut-gripping chapter on raising a wreck only to have the pumps fail mysteriously. A last-minute efforts works just before the ship would have capsized.

Excellent chapter on getting a ruined machine shop complex (key parts smashed/missing)working in days.

Another one on a ingenious solution to a labor problem - getting the "useless" Eritrean laborers to exert Herculean efforts.

And another on Cmdr. Ellsberg's solution in putting a 600' foot long ship in a 400' long drydock. Another job that "couldn't be done".

Great examples of the American "Shadetree Mechanic" besting all the experts. All this done in 120 deg. weather with 100% humidity, not to mention turf wars with American contractors and bureaucratic red tape.

Facinating story about the men who raised several ships which were scuttled by the Nazis during their retreat. Cmdr Edward Ellsburg is a master story teller. If you can find any of his books they are well worth purchasing and reading years later. Other books worth getting are "On the Bottom" and "Hell on Ice"

This book shows what Americans can do under pressure. Look how quickly the Pacific Fleet was rebuilt after Pearl Harbor. Look at America fighting on two fronts in Europe with Allied help and virtually alone against Japan. My grandfather, 'Doc' Kimble, was one of the "hardhat" divers in Massawa. He talked of the difficulty with having to work in the tangled messes of steel and trash under water breathing only foul smelling, diesel tinged, hot air supplied by the air compressors that was barely touched on in the book. He had many tales to tell that are not included in the book for lack of space and some that could not be told. Cmdr Ellsberg tells not only of the accomplishments and the difficulties of the job there, but also gets into some of the personal lives of those who were there.

I have a first edition copy of the book addressed personally to my grandfather by Cmdr Ellsberg. It means the world to me.

Edward Ellsgerg writes this captivating tale of trials and tribulations durring world war II. He has been told he has to open the most valuable port on the red sea and get it working again. The problem is the bay is filled with a sunken Italian fleet, the shops on shore are a wreck, housing is imposible, and finding matrials too work with and the people to help him is imposible. He tell how he worked one miricle after anouther. Very interesting and a hard book to stop reading once you have started.

This book describes the salvage work in the Massawa harbor in Eritrea. This is a professional description of determined people in a hard climate area , that their goal was to bring back the Massawa harbor into full operation for the allies. This is not an heroic war description with high strategy. This is the story of people. As a son of a Jewish Royal-Navy Officer volunteer from Palestine during the British mandate in Israel , I am familiar with this story. My father served there during 1942-1943. All the knowledge from his service was used by him to built the Young Israeli Navy in 1948. His experience from the service in the Royal Navy was used by him to define the Israeli Navy Salvage unit YALTAM. The Palestinians Jewish Volunteers in Masswa were very appreciated by the British and the Americans for their contribution in the war efforts against the evil Natzy regime. My father rank in the Israeli Navy was Lieutenant Commander. Discharged in 1962. His profession is Naval Architect. In 1969 he designed the fueling ship and the fueling operation of the Missile Boats in the Biskya bay .These boats were taken from the French by force. This operation was during the French embargo and is known as the Cherbourg Operation. If any one is doing an history research on the Masswa Volunteers to the Royal-Navy from Israel (RNVR) , or the Israeli Navy at the beginning send me an Email to Avi-Brillant Email address : optomic@trendline.co.il

I purchased some of these Bibles for a ministry as prizes for First graders through third graders to pick from. They enjoyed them and we were impressed with the pictures and colorful covers.

This book is adorable. It is small and easy for little hands to hold. When I first got it I thought it was a little small but when I gave it to my nephew and I saw how perfectly it fit in his little hands i was thrilled! My nephew is only one so I was also a little hesitant to buy a book with paper pages but they are really thick. They would be very difficult for him to tear them. Great book!

The Usborne Children's Bible includes about 45 stories, half Old Testament, half New Testament. Each story is told in about three pages on average (some have only one page, the crucifixion is told in seven pages) accompanied by colorful and more importantly beautiful illustrations. This edition is really wonderful for parents who disdain children's Bibles with goofy cartoonish drawings or the opposite problem, drawings that are boring and colorless.

The text is faithful yet simplified for a child. The Easter story does not depict the crucifixion graphically yet the story does not shy away from what really happened. "The guards took Jesus away and dressed him in a purple robe, pressed a crown made of thorns on his head and put a stick in his hand. They knelt in front of him, laughing and jeering. 'Hail, King of the Jews,' they mocked, beating him and spitting at him."

The New Testament section covers the Annunciation to Pentecost, emphasizing the life of Jesus rather than trying to cover the entirety of the New Testament. The Old Testament section covers Genesis to Jonah, again emphasizing familiarity with the most accessible stories rather than a complete retelling of the history of the Hebrew people.

We are a homeschooling family and I would recommend this if you think the Golden Children's Bible to be too intimidating for your child because of its length or size. Buy the Usborne Miniature Edition (about 6x8 inches) if you'd like your child to be able to carry the book around by himself.

Highly recommended as a nightly read-aloud or a special gift for baptisms, Christmas, Easter or birthdays.

I bought this for our daughter as an Easter present and neither of us is disappointed. It's the miniature edition which is perfect to take to church or keep on her nightstand. It's also great for little hands to look at by themselves. I like the fact that the stories are short and understandable (about 2-3 pages including drawings) and the illustrations are fabulous and colorful to look at. We read a story each night from this book and it will definitely go down as a keeper.

This is one of the best chilren's bibles we have come across. Nicely sized stories of the bible in a page or two each. Perfect for reading bedtime stories. I am reading it to our 7 year old now but she will be able to start reading it herself in a short time.

Highly recommended.

The winds of change. But for all of the change that we have experienced in America, nothing much has truly changed at all. When W.E.B. Du Bois wrote The Souls of Black Folk in 1903, he spoke eloquently of the "color line" in America. It was his answer to the question, "How does it feel [add "black man"] to be a problem?" To that, his answer was, in so many words and paraphrased by me, "I'm not the problem, America has a problem--and that is the problem of the color line."

With amazing detail and a highly introspective look into this religious aspect of Du Bois' life, Edward J. Blum, a history teacher at San Diego State University, delves into the one aspect of Du Bois' life that remains open for debate to this day. The question of who or what did he believe in that inspired him to touch the minds, hearts, and the souls of folk in the way that he did. Some thought him a man of faith, but many men of faith begged to differ--questioning his beliefs and his faith, and he often left them wondering if he had any faith at all.

For a man whose writings and work often paralleled Bible stories, he appeared disconnected from church traditions and religiosity, but still connected to his faith in God. Today's community of Bible thumpers would have called him a "spiritualist," rather than a Christian.

Hallie Queen, says Blum, likened the chapter called 'Of our Spiritual Strivings' to the 137th Psalm in character and significance, and indeed, the struggle of the black man in America very much paralleled the struggle of the ancient Hebrews in Egypt. Had it not been for the lost sense of community and individual connectivity, the spiritual strivings of the American black man were exactly as those of the Hebrews, except that there were many "pharoahs" called 'the written law' rather than one ruler who could change his mind on a whim.

Blum re-examines Du Bois' life and his historical record from a different and refreshing perspective. It would appear to some that the black nationalism and black liberation theology of Du Bois' writings were diametrically opposed to religion, but Du Bois appears instead to be walking a tightrope between the two.

It has been rumored in the black community that whatever hurts whites devastates blacks. If, as Karl Marx said, religion is the 'opiate of the masses,' then for blacks, religion may be the cluster bomb that wiped out the effectiveness of the black church in handling the ongoing pressures of blackness in society. As tax laws changed and churches were cornered into losing their exemption status for protesting too loudly on the political scene, what amounted to a matter of exemptions for white churches became a matter of ending centuries of rhetoric against racial injustice in America for black churches. What was fought in court originated in church for most blacks, and if one were to say the church "weakened" the black man's political stance before, it was easier to say this move "watered it down."

The "weak" black church was the only podium from which a black man could take a calculated stand in the fight for equality and still be heard; but that church has traded out the speeches of justice in exchange for the speeches of prosperity. If Du Bois was both sinner and saint, it was not because he hated religion, but because he hated the use of religious entities to defraud, bully, and control the masses. He did not shun religion, but often used it to counter some of the traditions that men embraced.

In summary, the author comes close to the edge of defending the 'religion' of W.E.B. Du Bois, who died as misunderstood as he was when he lived, and yet he made a deep impact on all who have seen, heard, or read of him. He was labeled a radical, and was largely ignored by those who had hoped that his massive contributions would be buried along side of him, But, as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote, "history cannot ignore W.E.B. DuBois because history has to reflect truth, and Dr. DuBois was a tireless explorer and a gifted discoverer of social truths...his singular greatness lay in his quest for truth about his own people..."

In the final chapter, entitled The Passing of the Prophet, Blum repeats Du Bois' words of courage. "Beyond The Veil," he (Du Bois) wrote in 1897, ["the veil" being the insidious Color Line of our yesterdays and todays] lies an undiscovered country, a land of new things, of change, of experiment, of wild hope, and somber realization, of superlatives and italics - of wondrously blended poetry and prose." Blum states, "Du Bois inhabited that realm for much of his lifetime, let us strive to join him there."

Reviewed by Marjani
for The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

WEB DuBois:American Prophet is an absolute gem for in the ever expanding field of religious history. Blum's ability to analyze his sources and to use them to discover the spiritual side of DuBois allows the reader to understand the real DuBois. Blum is able to dismiss the idea that DuBois was secular in nature. A must have for all religious historians!!!!

This is a beautiful book, lucid, passionate, rigorous, and engaged. Blum's pathbreaking consideration of DuBois as a key religious figure in America transforms the "black church" model that has needlessly constrained the story of African American spiritual striving, and powerfully dislodges the religious/secular dividing line that has likewise constrained scholarship on DuBois in all of the disciplines that claim him. This is the beginning of a new and needed conversation on prophetic faith in America, one to which historians and scholars who might otherwise have little truck with religion may join their voices without apology.

This is without question the definitive study of Du Bois and his relationship to religion, faith, and the church. Not only is the scholarship top notch, but the prose are thoughtful, rich, and compelling. It is so well written, so well-researched, and so engaging for anyone interested in religion in American history, race and religion, and the genius of WEB Du Bois.

Blum delves in to so much with respectable sensitivity, and his analysis and insights go much deeper than all other biographers concerning Du Bois's relationship to religion.

Brilliant. Highly recommended for students, professors, people interested in religious studies, history, identity, etc.

Like many others I had long ago gained enormous respect for W.E.B. Du Bois, one of the outstanding leaders in race relations in the hundred years immediately after the American Civil War. As a writer, lecturer, scholar, and teacher he was a persistent voice for equality of opportunity, integration of society, and the civil rights of African Americans. I had never thought of him, however, as a religious thinker. That is, until now.

In this marvelous new book by Edward J. Blum, an historian at San Diego State University, Du Bois emerges as a major thinker in Christianity and the social gospel. As Blum demonstrates, Du Bois was in no small measure motivated by the life and ministry of Jesus Christ, by the moral teachings of scripture, and by the thinking of theologians throughout the ages. And in this aspect of his life, like all others, Du Bois found ample scriptural and moral teaching advancing equality of all people. It is an eye-opening and unexplored aspect of Du Bois's character and one that all future investigators of his life and career will have to bring into the discussion of his other activities. As Blum shows, Du Bois's work cannot be understood absent his spiritual life.

This work is a fine analysis that progresses through a series of Du Bois's writings to probe the depths of his moral and spiritual beliefs. A major chapter on "The Souls of Black Folk," as only one example, demonstrates the significance of his seeking universal truth in religion. Part sociological analysis, literary criticism, and theological exploration, Blum's work on Du Bois offers a new avenue for understanding one of the towering figures in American race relations. It is a brilliant, authoritative, and seminal study that all scholars of U.S. religion, race relations, and the early twentieth century will find invaluable.