Johnson Books

Gordon MacDonald, a sixty-something pastor, offers a lifetime of wisdom in "A Resilient Life." Freely admitting that he was born with a "quitters gene," he credits the influence of his high school cross-country and track coach with helping him onto the road of resilience. MacDonald defines "resilience" as the "toughened condition of both the body and the mind" and goes on to describe many characteristics of a resilient person.

Perhaps most importantly, MacDonald offers hope. He is a firm believer that the second half of life is when God often has people make their greatest contributions, and that we are called to serve well into our senior years. Even if one's life to date has been less than ideal, "the Christian worships a God who can (and does) take the life of any person, turn it inside out, and use it to build a piece of His kingdom."

MacDonald emphasizes that building resilience is a daily pursuit. It requires a regular self-assessment, the discipline of spiritual pursuits, and making the most of one's talents. It also takes place within whatever stage of life we find ourselves in at the moment. One of the most valuable sections of "A Resilient Life" is Chapter Seven: "Resilient People Foresee the Great Questions of Life's Passage." MacDonald interviewed several senior citizens (including people older than himself) to get a full picture of the big questions of life at each age. He comes up with a fairly comprehensive list. These questions shape our lives and the answers we come up with help make us who we are at every stage.

Another important chapter is Chapter 9: "Resilient People Listen for a Call from God." A call "is an acknowledgment that one is accountable to God for the discharge of his life's duties." God calls each of us to fulfill our role in His plan. He gives us the tools we need to make our own particular contribution to the world. It can be difficult to know what God is asking of us, but when we are on that right road, it will generally be confirmed by others. There are also the results. When we answer the call, we help to make the world a better place. MacDonald also emphasizes that not everyone is called to do something that will attract attention. "Men and women have obeyed God's call and become martyrs. Others have undertaken unspeakably difficult and discouraging tasks and barely survived. Many more have lived the relatively common life between home and job. They hammer nails, sell widgets, create software or fix things. But in the process they make a difference in the existence of the people around them. And they, too, are called."

"A Resilient Life" offers an in-depth look at the characteristics that make up a resilient person, a person ready to be faithful for the long haul. While we are all works in progress and very few will possess all of these characteristics, this book gives us something to strive for.


Patrice Fagnant-MacArthur is editor of The Spiritual Woman Newsletter [...]

When I first read this book, I was exhausted and decipated. No matter how important my goals were, I simply wanted to drop everything and jump on a boat to a nomad island.
But this book taught me an important word. RESILIENCE! How foolish I was to think that these times of difficulty are reasons for me to give up~!
Now I know that difficulty is an opportunity for me to reach a new height~! I will now run forward, instead of walking, to make sure that I am resilient enough to be all that I am made to be in Christ our Lord.

Gordon MacDonald does it again with his latest "A Resilient Life". The heart of the book is the powerful chapter on practicing repentance followed by many practical insights on staying in the faith race over the long haul. MacDonald writes as a guy who has been there -- a pastor once fallen - now restored. The power of his words is intensified by the witness of MacDonald's life. God used this book to speak powerfully to me -- what more can I say? Highly recommended.

The writing is rich and deep yet very simple to read and digest. I wish I would have read this years ago. There are gems on every page and I cant wait to get back into the book. I will be buying this book for both my kids and their spouses and using what I learn in my mentoring.

I just want to compliment the author on his creativity and sense of responsibility to keeping the reader interested. I never lost interest and found it hard to stop trying to guess what was next. I think that says something about a story. I want to read the sequal.

It's hard to put this one down! This is a totally, way out absorbing, fully developed novel, the kind that one always yearns for and so rarely finds! The characters, the atmosphere, the horror descriptions, the sensitively treated themes, the intriguing and unusual plot, and the rare entrée into the mind of a writer, I give this novel the recommendation for others to achieve.

This is a great book written by Earl Johnson. This book is so addicting, I couldn't put it down. Keeps you on the edge of your seat. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who likes action and suspense in a book. I hope they make a movie out of this, or heck why not even a Playstion 2 horror game.

More than a drama, suspense...It keeps you turning the pages from the prologue through the final scene. I was impressed with the vivid details. The author keeps you in touch with the characters as he brings them to life. You will be gripped and on the edge of your bed (or wherever you may read it).

Good Book!!!

I bought this book used, but when I received it, it was in perfect condition. My child needed it for a class that she was joining mid-semester. The book is no longer being printed. However, while other students were still waiting on the arrival of their books ordered from another bookstore, she was in class with her copy in a little over a week with standard shipping.

Sam Patch was an American original who escaped my attention for forty-eight years. Professor Johnson's study of this mostly forgotten, irreverant showman has piqued this reader's thirst for more of the bold, eccentric and sometimes ambivalent personalities that have shaped this nation in often subtle ways.
Not long after completing the author's chronology of the Patch family's slide from the respectability of the rural New England landholder and the influence of Calvinism, it becomes apparent
that a documented record of just what manner of man Sam Patch really was is not to be had. From the standpoint of social status, Patch was a non-entity, a skilled textile laborer his sole identifying trait; that is, until he made public his hobby.
Just what spurred Patch to leap the Passaic Falls at Paterson,NJ on July 4, 1828, effectively upstarting the elaborate holiday ceremonies planned by one of the city's wealthy and genteel manufacturing elite is uncertain. One effect of the feat was the galvanizing of the local labor force into an awareness of their potential to force reform in mill working conditions. No sooner had Patch had dried himself off when a consortium of mill owners issued an edict altering the daily work schedules of its employees, needlessly disrupting the domestic routines of thousands. Patch then betrays a political motive in answer to management with an encore jump during work hours just one week after the new schedule had taken effect. Patch's exploit was followed by a strike, arbitration and comprimise. The Paterson jumps gave birth to Patch's intriguing motto "Some things can be done as well as others."
The cynical critic questions the depth and genuineness of Patch's social altruism based upon his lack of education, predilection to alcohol, and the complete absence of any concern, stated or implied, other than self-promotion during the remainder of his career. In fact, Patch, at the age of twenty-seven, having worked in the mills for twenty years, resigned his vocation permanently upon departing Paterson shortly after the second jump. After a brief exploit from atop a ship's mast in Hoboken,NJ, Patch emigrated to Niagara Falls for bigger game.
Now an avowed professional jumper, backed by resort developers and sporting gentlemen, Patch thrilled crowds of commoners and elicited enmity from the Whig sophisticates and press. After a few successful performances, the venue shifted to Rochester,NY and Genesee Falls where class distinctions and responses to such behavior were at a premium. After an initial jump, a plan was hatched to erect a platform some forty feet above the millrace which paralleled the falls, raising his leap to an uprecedented one hundred-thirty feet. Unfortunately for our hero, he met his ultimate fate that day in 1829 when, unable to contain his passion for the bottle, he endeavored to jump while in a well-lubricated state, lost his form early in the air, hit the water on his side, and disappeared for four months before his body was hauled from under the ice of the Genesee River some seven miles downstream.
On reconsideration, it is perhaps the case that Patch had an angle along reformist lines. Though unsophisticated in its method, the very inanity of Patch's nonconformist act served as a slap in the face to the righteous, overbred conceit of the upper classes and their proclivity for circumscribing the limits of self-determination for those less fortunate. In appropriating a mere mill-boy's pastime Patch defied the ruling gentry and diletantes of morality to prevent his freedom of expression. Although his jumps lacked the ingenuity, utility or permanence of the engineering marvels which buoyed the emerging industrial revolution, they gave notice that democracy entitles a man to make his mark after his own fashion and, notwithstanding limited means, proof that "Some things can be done as well as others."
Despite the absence of source material Professor Johnson has done a comendable job of resurrecting Patch's story from the confines of legend. Johnson's tedious labor is evidenced by his notes--drawn almost entirely from periodical literature.
While it is not possible to forge an intimate acquaintance with Sam Patch, Johnson has provided the detailed social, political and religious mileau needed to understand his role in history.
Johnson is also to be credited for the modesty of his prose, which makes this book smooth and entertaining.

This is a biography of Sam Patch, the famous jumper from high places into swirling chasms. Yet it's more than a biography; it's also a social history of the times (1820s) and the places where Sam made his daring leaps (Paterson, NJ, Niagara Falls, and Rochester, NY). Sam's early life was spent working in the cotton mills of first, Pawtucket, RI, and then Paterson, NJ. He learned the "art" (Sam's word, and an important one in defining how Patch saw himself) of jumping while a boy performing daredevil stunts in the Blackstone River of Pawtucket. Later, in Paterson, he leaped into the Passaic Falls more as a "rebel-victim" - Timothy Crane had erected a bridge across the falls, which was considered a social good; but when he bought land adjacent to the falls that was popular as a recreational retreat for the working people of Paterson and turned it into a private park for the wealthy, Crane became a villain to the many factory workers of Paterson. Sam timed a number of his jumps there to coincide with events designed to honor Crane, to humiliate him or at least take away some of his thunder. In these instances, Sam Patch was a jumper for Democracy.

After Paterson, Sam leaped off the mast of a sloop anchored off Hoboken, NJ into the Hudson River, which was reported widely in the press, and Sam became a celebrity. Now his leaps would be for fame and fortune. He jumped twice at Niagara Falls to great success, and then went to Rochester to leap the Genesee Falls. His leap was successful, but a second jump on a cold November day proved to be his undoing; his body wasn't found until the following spring.

Then of course, Sam Patch the legend took off. The real Sam Patch was a drunkard and millworker, raised in poverty, who discovered he had a talent for surviving high leaps into dangerous waters, and decided that exploiting this talent brought a big improvement to his otherwise futile existence. (It's the classic American story: think of all the ballplayers, actors, singers, etc. who saw even the worst of times in their chosen endeavors as better than "going back" to the mines, or the mills, or the empty windswept towns on the bleak prairie.) But for the decade or two after his death Sam was transformed into a gentleman's son who overcame timidity and learned to face danger and be "a man." Then, of course, even this made-up image of Sam disappeared from the scene - until 1945 when folklorist Richard Dorson rediscovered him and grouped him with such legendary characters as Davy Crocket and Mike Fink.

Johnson does a superb job in rescuing Patch from the annals of folklore and presenting him as a real historical figure. This is not an easy task since very little in the historical record is known about Sam, and much of that is contradictory. He devotes much space to what life in the cotton mills was like, how Niagara Falls was perceived in the American imagination at the time, and what the young and bustling cities of Paterson and Rochester were going through when Sam visited them. Johnson is an interesting writer - detailed and learned, but not dry and scholarly. It's a fascinating book. Highly recommended.

If you have never heard of Sam Patch, it is because you are not living in the nineteenth century. Sam Patch was America's first celebrity daredevil, someone who made his fortune and his fame by spectacularly endangering his life, jumping from waterfalls. Paul E. Johnson, in _Sam Patch, The Famous Jumper (Hill and Wang), has not exactly brought Patch back to life. As Johnson explains, people like Patch did not have linear careers that lent their lives to being told as stories; they had episodes, not biographies. Patch only lived thirty years, and jumped professionally only for the last two of those, but he did have a wonderful career, and even some meaning within American history and sociology. Johnson has, though Patch's story, examined some details of Jacksonian America, industrialization, philosophies of art, and aspects of fame from self-endangerment and self-promotion rather than self-improvement and civic involvement. Patch was, after all, a lout and a drunkard, but it must mean something that he achieved such a level of fame that his feats could be cited by Melville, Hawthorne and Poe. Even Andrew Jackson's favorite steed was named Sam Patch.

Sam was around seven years old when he took up work in a mill; families in the early eighteenth century were being drawn to mill towns since mothers and children could easily get work. He was good at the work, and fiercely independent in the craft of "mule spinner". The independence manifested itself in his jumping as well. He learned the craft of jumping as other boys did, but when he moved to another mill town, his jumping acquired a social and political aspect that endeared him to the populace. He jumped to spite a rising industrialist in Paterson, New Jersey, and then in support of his own class when there was a dispute over how the town should celebrate the Fourth of July, and jumped again during the first labor walkout. People loved the jumps, and newspapers reported them. Patch became a working-class hero. He went on to jump into Niagara Falls twice, and finally in Rochester. On 13 November 1829, he took a plunge into the Genesee Falls, into which he had jumped successfully a week before. He was drunk, and hit the water out of control. It was months before the body was found, but respectable Americans had found a new cause to rail against; one preacher spoke of the "strange and savage curiosity" of the crowds who came to see the jumps, and another told his Sunday school class "... that any of them who had witnessed Patch's last leap would be judged guilty of murder by God."

Sam Patch could have been an emblem against the masses, but it did not work out that way. He became the subject of poetry, comic stories, and stage plays. "What the Sam Patch!" became a common way of swearing. There was a Sam Patch cigar. He has even recently been the subject of a novel. Rochester has welcomed his memory as if it were that of a favorite son, and you can buy souvenirs at Sam's Gift Patch. There are those who insist that any American Dream must be built on hard work, domestic harmony, and sobriety. Johnson's able and well-researched portrait, with its many digressions into aspects of our fledgling democracy, shows a different sort of dream and a new sort of celebrity. Americans, bless their hearts, had from the beginning a delight in one who tweaked the nose of his betters and got fame for lots of wrong reasons.

Scars and Stripes by American idol Red McDaniel paints a vivid picture of his life's greatest struggle as a POW in the Vietnam conflict after his plane was shot down.
Scars and Stripes written by Red himself puts you in a world that only he could describe. The book is interesting and factual filled with many tragedies and accomplishments to keep you reading.
As a reader I could only find one minor fault. Towards the middle of the book when Red has been held prisoner for his second year, the description becomes dragged out. The action slows down a little too much. I say this not in the least to discourage you from reading. I would advise anyone who likes biographies or stories about true survival to read either rent or buy it.
Red McDaniel gives descriptions and accounts anyone would like to hear and is altogether a good read.

Scars and Stripes is the emotional story of Eugene McDaniel and his seven year emotional rollercoaster in Vietnamese prisoner of war camps. McDaniels served in the Navy during the Vietnam War (965-1972), was shot down while flying an A6A jet on May 19, 1967, crushed two vertebrates after falling forty feet out of a tree (p. 25), captured by compassionless Vietnamese (p. 35), imprisoned, tortured and finally released seven years later on March 4, 1973. The ful range of emotions shine through this book and I shall write a review by focusing on the emotions.

LOVE was felt by McDaniel and his family after his release from the Hanoi Hilton; "All the black hours [in prison]... were gone and we had the sweet reality of faith rewarded, of enduring love fulfilled" (p. 170). His DESIRE was to forgive "Spot", his jailor/torturer; "Looking at him... I felt only a desire to share with him the innter, deeper secrets of God and His never-ending care" (p. 167). And JOY filled the soul of McDaniel when he entered his warm house after leaving the cold prison in 1973; "When I walked into the house with my family... I suddenly was too overwhelmed to absorb it" (p. 170).

His HATRED for the Vietnamese guards was dissolved by prayers; "I had once hated them for what they were doing to me in torture... yet I felt the need to pray for them" (p. 132). DISGUST was felt daily in the camp since the bodily injuries were gross; "My eardrum had ruptured when they struck me across the head with my shoe and it too was oozing blood" (p. 124). SADNESS was always present in camp for the guards were regularly cruel; "Each time I would drop my arms after hours of holding them up, they would beat me around the shoulders with a bamboo stick" (p. 109).

HOPE came to McDaniel one day when, "at the height of my three-day torture, I heard church bells coming from somwhere in downtown Hanoi... It had given me hope" (p. 120). DESPAIR filled the camps since the guards could care less about the American prisoners; "One of them told me, 'I am here to give you rations and bury you when you die'" (p. 49).

There was plenty to FEAR at the Hanoi Hilton; the guards "would take a dog and torture it to death for the sheer pleasure of inflicting pain. It got to us, because we did not know how far that streak in them would carry over to us in the torture room" (p. 54). COURAGE was demanded of McDaniel every day;"I felt that Christ was able to do more in methan if I had counted only on my strength and courage" (p. 172). Finally, the reader cannot help but become ANGRY due to the inconsistencies and unreasonableness of the Vietnamese guards; "The guards kept inflicting wounds- but at the same time they made sure I had medicine so I would not die" (p. 131).

Understanding the story of McDaniel and the full range of emotions triggered by his traumatic prison experience will possibly bring a person to an appreciation of his own emotional life, of the brave military men and women and of the federal republic of the USA.

The story of Eugene "Red" McDaniel is not only about a prisoner of war in Vietnam, it is the story of a hero who defied the odds and overcame extreme adversity.

Eugene McDaniel was shot down in 1967 and spent 5 years in captivity in North Vietnam's Hanoi Hilton, Zoo, and Zoo Annex prison compounds. While imprisoned, he made very aggressive strides to keep secret communications going between the prisoners even though such communicating was prohibited. In continued defiance of his captors, he paid a dear price.

McDaniel had the unfortunate distinction of being one of the most viciously tortured prisoners of the Vietnam war. Methods used on him were sadistic and barbaric and leaves you wondering how his jailors could possible treat another human being in this manner.

In the most trying of times, when all hope was lost and despair was complete, McDaniel turned to faith and prayer in God and was lifted up from the depths he was in. McDaniel was a constant source of optimism and strength for his fellow prisoners during confinement.

This book, outstanding in its message of courage, perseverance, and inspiration, will leave you knowing that no matter how difficult things can become, faith in God will always see you through.

A magnificent book from start to finish and definitely recommended to everyone.

Wonderfull book! It tells the story of my friend "Red" McDaniel of him being in the infamous HANOI HILTON were he was beaten severely. In the book, he tells how he got through those years of pure Hell with the help of God. If you are religous, POW-MIA reader, or someone who just likes a good book, I recommend that you read this book, it will truely move you.

A 'must read book for anyone involves in the ministry! The content was altogether helpful, not only in the preparation of sermons, but for Bible Studies.

Luke Timothy Johnson's methodology was easy to understand for church leadership, as he shows how to discern the Scriptures with authority for interpretation; reinterpretation and interaction. Making decisions are difficult when dealing with thorny issues that are ever present in all settings and have to be responded to because the issues are timely and are applicable to the decision-making processes today with the membership, in fellowship and with the help of the Holy Spirit.

Johnson begins conveniently by defining terms and concepts to be used throughout the book.

Johnson defines church as by various terms throughout, including an intentional community, a living organism (juxtaposed to an organisation), but perhaps the most fundamental is this: 'The church in the strict sense is found where there is a specific group of people who assemble together to call on the name of the Lord in prayer and fellowship.'

Key to the definition and existence of the church is faith. Faith is defined as the response in trust and obedience, a deeply responsive hearing of another's word or call. Faith in God, theological faith, the faith of the church, is therefore the hearing of the call of God. And the distinctiveness of the community called 'Church'

Johnson's definition of faith is different from many theologians in that is requires a recognition that God acts now, and continues to act. Johnson's faith is 'not attachment to a body of doctrines but a process of responding in obedience and trust to God's Word,' which continues to speak to us through the interpretive prism of community and experience.

Johnson then proceeds to discuss the normative use of scripture, which he returns to in each chapter. Two quotes are essential from the text here: 'It is an expression of the church's faith to regard these writings as prophetic for every age, and therefore as speaking God's Word.' Also, 'The theologian serves the church by allowing the text from the past and the text of the present to enter mutual interpretation.'

Johnson proceeds to discuss techniques to show how diversity of voices can be recognised and accepted without any single voice being dominant or neglected. These include typology, midrashic, and allegorical techniques in reading, which each have their own pitfalls. Johnson contends that the literary diversity of the New Testament provides a framework for a plurality of faithful responses, individual and communal, to the Word of God.

In the second and third parts of the book, Johnson moves beyond theory to talk about issues regarding specific applications and how they inform the general principles of decision making in the church.

In talking about difficulties, Johnson concentrates on Acts 15 as a model (often neglected, as he characterises it). He states that the narrative aspects of the prophetic witness is key to the process, 'because it gives the fullest picture in the New Testament of the process by which the church reaches decisions.'
Moving on to decisions, Johnson gives us examples of decisions that were made by the early church, but says that they do not provide a good model for decision-making, as they primarily concentrate on the outcomes rather than the process.
Discernment is described by Johnson as a vague but necessary and very real part of the decision-making process, akin to (and derived from the Greek words for) testing and judging, as well as understanding. Again, Johnson (interpreting Paul) is more concerned with 'the integrity of the ekklesia, God's convocation' than with individuals, who have a responsibility in discernment (in a later chapter he discusses the mutuality of responsibility of listener and speaker in this process), but not necessarily a decisive one. The goal for discernment is holiness and edification of the entire community.

Johnson proceeds under the Practice section to concentrate primarily on three topics as illustrative of his model of decision-making and discernment: the status of women (leadership), homosexuality (fellowship), and possessions and economics (stewardship).

In Johnson's final chapter, he discusses the need for a 'conversational model' of hermeneutics that involves leadership and fellowship in a broader and more listening mode than has existed, and that the responsibility for theological thinking and speaking needs to be carried to all members of the church.

The primary question I would ask of the book as a whole is, How do application of the principles of discernment and decision-making work for a church organisation that goes beyond the parish/local congregation level? Can the principles of listening and decision-making be applied to a macro-organisation such as regional/national/international churches in a constructive and thoughtful way in the same way they are applied at local levels? And what becomes of local discernment when it is out of line with the discernment and decision-making of the larger organisation?

Johnson gives many examples, again arising from the diversity of voices found in the scriptures, of different circumstances and applications, and looks for general principles that guide all decisions, which include a listening to narrative experience, leadership by the Holy Spirit, and discernment in community. Johnson admits that this is often a vague process, and that care has to be taken in making sure that 'the proper spirit' is being heard -- he even gives examples of how Paul seems to violate his own principles (leaving aside the possibility of later revisions/redactions of the text and such problems), which remind us of the passage read at the beginning of the course about listening to other gospels, even if taught by angels, etc. Johnson categorises the status of women as an issue of leadership and the issue of homosexuality as one of fellowship. I would argue that both could be reclassified under the other's heading. I would have liked for Johnson to expand upon the Devices section, and perhaps include more on how to reach those outside the church (if indeed the church is supposed to be evangelical -- calling out to the world to bring those outside in).

I am biased in that Johnson was a professor of mine during my undergraduate days at Indiana University, and I have read almost everything he's ever written. He is very consistent; many points will be made across chapters and books using the exact same language and construction. The readings for this evening will provide a good framework for further discussion of how communities form their identities, canons and codes of action.

The author joins several other modern scholars who point out quite rightly I think, that one must avoid the Biblical fundamentalism of proof texting the Bible. You can prove anything you want from the Bible if you simply pick your passages. Rather the person who is really seeking the Lord's will in modern life, should note the broad themes of scripture. We should see how God has dealt with His people in the past, and apply that learning to our present situation. The Word revealed in the words of scripture will guide us into all truth.

Dr. Johnson has updated this book, making it a fantastic resource for anyone interested in the ways the church should use scripture to discern the will of God. Johnson hits important issues, including the place of homosexual Christians in the church, but rather than using the book as a soapbox to take stands on issues, he uses the issues to demonstrate the way scripture is used and understood. The book is helpful to religion/seminary students and clergy, but is accessible to lay persons who care about making scripture the basis for their decisions and those of their church.

I bought this book to have a glimpse at what was awaiting me in my upcoming Action Research class for my masters program. I found the samples much better in comparison to the custom book that my program offered for this class. It gives a step by step directions, I know I will have to use it for further classes in my upcoming Doctorate degree. This book is a good place to start if you have no idea of where and how to start your project for research.

Finally, a book about action research that gets right to the point. It provides a good overview of action research in the context of other research paradigms. It describes many very simple and practical methods for collecting data. It can be used with a thesis or dissertation as well as short research projects.

This book will tell you exactly how to conduct an action research project in your school or classroom. It takes you through ever step of the process and describes how reports and papers should be presented. It presents a variety of ideas for data and data collection, and describes how to analyze qualitative data. the most important chapter for me was the chapter that described how to use action research for a thesis or disertation. The author describes what would go into each chapter.

Teachers, administrators, human service personnel are often encouraged to be engaged in action research. However, obtaining a sound, thorough but readable text to assist such professionals in conducting action research has been very difficult. This book fills this void wonderfully. The book lays out the steps of action research, provides practical examples all in a way that is scholastically sound but engaging and interesting reading. No mean feat for any book on research! I would highly recommend this for working practitioners and for guides for students involved in masters and even doctoral projects associated with action research. An excellent resource!!

This was an excellent business transaction. The product was in excellent condition and arrived a timely manner. Great doing business with you, Thanks!

I wrote a similar review for Steven Schnur's "Summer; an Alphabet Acrostic", and much of what I said applies here. I love to see writers take a tired old language arts exercise, or old poetry style, and spice it up a bit, or at least make it a little more interesting. These are fine, clever acrostics, yet simple enough for everyone to enjoy. The artwork is soft, yet colorful, with large, up close images, and there is a peacefulness to the overall feel of the book. I recommend this one to the kids with whom I work, and to adults! A nice book!

I saw this book displayed in a book store & I was with my kids. They both ran up to it, sat on the floor and spent the next hour glued to it. I took a curious look to find it was beautiful, educational and inspiring. I bought the book for my kids, my nieces, my nephews & my friend's kids. More books of beauty, hope & inspiration should be available for my children. Maybe these authors should consider a Silver Seeds two!

I liked this book a lot. I liked the drawings and the words. I learned alot about nature. I'm glad my mom bought this book for me. Someday I want to work in the outdoors.

My 3-year-old grandson is a big Spider-man fan, and he told me he wanted a book about spiders and "bugs." I bought this book because I liked the illustrations. They were clear and accurate, but not frightening. My grandson loves it. He actually goes to bed with it. He and I alternate pointing to the pictures and asking each other, "What is this?" Even though the text is for much older children, the pictures are ageless.

Very easy book for an 8 yr old to read. Much info and pictures.

Our kids loved this book! Not only was it written well enough to keep their interest but it left them wanting more! The descriptions were detailed enough for young minds but did not become a lecture so that they "glazed over". It made our kids enjoy their learning time. The illustrations were large, detailed and numerous. This book was great for the ages it was written for and even younger; as our three and five year olds loved the pictures and started asking questions right away! This was an over all great book to help get a kid's thirst for learning started!

I bought this book for my 8-year-old niece, who loves bugs. She adores this book, everything about it. She loves the BIG pictures of the insects, as she can really study their anatomy. She loves the very informative descriptions given and also the variety of insects covered. I would highly recommend this book for any child who loves bugs. I, however, being a bit squeamish, got a little nauseous seeing such huge pictures of insects but it didn't bother my brave, curious niece at all.

This book really came in handy when helping my girlfriends and I really get the flow of our bible study going. I highly recommend it to all!!!

This is an excellent work for a new believer or for any woman (regardless of race) who is in need of a little persuasive encouragement when it comes to actually STUDYING the Bible. It's short and easy. You could easily read it in a couple of hours, which is a good thing if you don't have a lot of time on your hands (such as moms, students, etc.) and want to grab hold of some techniques to quickly get started. The techniques, by the way, are not complicated at all--very manageable--just simple steps to draw out God's message. The author also gets personal. She reveals the journey which brought her to the realization that she (and we) need to be a little more proactive when it comes to Bible study. I highly recommend this book.

I knew I was going to like this one, so I bought a copy for a friend and she loves her copy too. this author doesn't browbeat you into reading your bible more she coaxes you into it and it is much more effective in motivating one to push forward and dig deeper into study. Very good Ms. Johnson.

In her book, THE SISTER'S GUIDE TO IN-DEPTH BIBLE STUDY, Ms. Johnson focuses on African-American women and urges us to not only study God's Word, but digest it. Although life can be cumbersome and we often don't have enough time, she urges us to make time. Preparation, planning and creating an environment conducive for reflection and learning is key. Additionally, Johnson offers up seven steps which she refers to as the seven P's, to follow as a guide when beginning your own personal Bible Study. This approach encourages the student to take notes in an outline type of format and apply various learning techniques to comprehend the Bible and apply it to daily living.

Although Ms. Johnson's book may not be anything new to even the average Bible student, her explanation of the process, the examples she uses and the flowing manner in which she writes, struck a chord with me. It reinforced the inductive study approach I had used many years ago, but it also added a new twist with the outline style format. The method introduced by Ms. Johnson can be applied to your personal study or used with a group as well.

Appendix A in the back of the book includes a leader's guide with helpful suggestions for Bible study leaders. Appendix B includes a wonderful diagram explaining the different translations of the Bible. Also included in the appendices are a resource guide in which Johnson recommends such tools as commentaries and Bible encyclopedias. All in all, this book is small but mighty! I believe it could be an excellent tool when applied to encourage the in-depth study of the Bible.

Reviewed by Nedine
of The RAWSISTAZ™ Reviewers

This is a great book to add to your collection. The pictures are vivid and the poetry is interesting.

This book is one of the most beautiful books that I have ever seen. Dinah has taken amazing time to think about her dolls, name them, and write according to the personalities of the people for whom they sit. I appreciate her work and the beauty of our culture being so eloquently represented. Wonderful!

This book will not only make you want to buy it, but will also tease you to start collecting dolls! Dolls from plain to the unique are captured beautifully and held spellbound with prose and print that is purely captivating!

Young and old alike will enjoy this book, which must be read aloud with attitude! A sure mother/daughter pleaser!

Children remind us that dolls enchant, comfort, inspire loyalty, and buoy our imaginations. All will find this true in Sitting Pretty, as author and educator Dinah Johnson shares her collection of black dolls.

Poetry and marvelous photographs reveal each doll's individual personality - there is Charnelle, an adorable baby doll clad in pink, Retta, an exotic West African doll, and, of course, the quintessential church lady - Miss Frona in her elaborate and lacy bib-collared Sunday best.

Author's notes reveal the origin and further information about each beguiling doll. This is a unique contribution to the annals of doll books, and a first rate one!