Jones Books

I can't wait until her next book comes out...I've heard there's going to be another book...I hope there will be the 3rd book in the college series ended so soon...awww What happens when Todd opens his wedding present, huh? and what about Katie and Rick...She has to write another one, she just has too.

I didn't like this book as much. I own every Robin Jones Gunn book available and i was sadly disappointed with this book. I found it kind of boring. I read it really quickly and got very little out of it. I also didn't like that this thin little diary had 5 years of her life in it. It missed way too much. The only part i really liked was when she was talking about the meaning of her 'Forever' bracelet

This book is about Christy Miller, only deeper. It shows her life over five years in high school and in college. It gives a unique outlook on teen life with a Christian view. I couldn't put this book down! I would reccomend this book for all Chistians and people who are looking to be a Christian. This is a great way to start the Christy Miller series or to read along with it. JUST READ THIS BOOK! IT'S REALLY GOOD!

Hey ya'll...I think that these books are the most incredible books i have ever read. I have read all 12 of the Christy Miller Series and 1 and 2 of the College Series! I instantly Fell in Love with Todd, and I pray that the guy I marry will be just like him. He has the qualities every guy should have! I wish that my life was just like Christy's and I can't wait to read the 3rd book of the College Series! These Books have helped me in my life more ways than I can count! I love them and I can't wait to read them over! The things todd says to Christy are so sweet and caring, it makes you want to cry. I commend Robin Jones Gunn, she is an amazing writer. I like books that I can sit down in my room, and just get lost in a book. I couldn't put them down. I havne't been able to do that with a book in a long time! I encourage everyone to read these books, every one of them, and open their hearts to learn from them. God spoke to me in so many ways while i was reading the college books the most. I learned so much and my relationship with god was grown immensly. I look up to christy...and I try to be more like her each day!

Hello everyone. Robin Jones Gunn's books on Christy Miller are absolutely the best books I have ever read. When you read them, it's as if you've crawled inside the book and you're there with her everywhere she goes! Todd is such a great character, and he's the exact type I've dreamt of marrying ever since I got book 1. I cry when she cries. I laugh, and trust me, there's plenty to laugh at. I have a smile on my face during every book, and I definitely recommend every single on of them. These books are sweet and romantic, but realistic and give you a Biblical perspective on the way life should be. I have actually grown closer to God through these books. Especially the college series. Thanks, Robin! You're the best!

This insightful book, Grab the Queen Power, explains women's struggles in a new light, in ways I never thought of before. Allyn Evans shows the indirect paths we follow when we seek to find out who we truly are. Although we are all on "divinely different" paths, all of us seek worth, purpose and fulfillment. She has eloquently expressed this journey in her own life, laying out steps for the rest of us.
Excellent advice and a great book!

Mirror, mirror on the wall: Who's the fairest of them all? "You are!" claims Allyn Evans in Grab the Queen Power. Evans takes a soul-searching look in the mirror and shares her experiences and journey to discovering her personal power and creating her destiny. She faces the beasts of her misbeliefs to recognize and acknowledges the beauty she is and the power she possesses. Evans helps each of us look beyond the shadows and fears in our personal mirror to claim our personal queen power.

Grab the Queen Power has been a great gift for the special women in my life! Thank you, Allyn, for your soul-reaching and soul-touching words to teach and encourage us!

It can be a lonely journey for a woman who feels something is missing in her life, especially if that something is her identity. Perhaps she harbors a desire to discover her authentic self, if she thinks she has one. This search can generate a painful and isolated experience, but it needn't be that way.

Allyn Evans has written the companion traveler for women on this path. In her book, Grab the Queen Power, Live Your Best Life! she reveals inspiring accounts from her own life as she maps out a cultural trail from girlhood to adulthood. Along the way, she unveils reasons that many girls and women have learned to subjugate their personal power to the needs of others. Interviews with other women are interspersed throughout and underscore her stories. Spell binding and highly personal, the stories captivate, as they may easily belong to me or you, or one our sisters or best friends.

Through the stories, we learn that our confidence and high self-esteem, those gifts from girlhood, may erode in time from an onslaught of cultural messages that instruct girls and women about our role in society. By the time we reach our teen years, our dreams may merely echo the vitality we once enjoyed. Evans takes the reader from there to her college experience, and then on to marriage and later years, navigating the testy waters with an uncommon blend of honesty, sensitivity and caring.

Evans then offers an alternative awareness. She dedicates the final third of the book to a new way of thinking. She outlines the attributes of, in her words, an "Authentic Queen," and paints a vivid image of a woman who understands and accepts herself fully, who loves herself enough to give to others, who is truthful as well as merciful. It's a heart-warming list, and leads seamlessly into the last section, where readers learn the steps toward actualizing their true selves. My favorite among the nine steps: Declare your intent. Be prepared to listen and act on inner promptings. Taken together, these nine steps create a rich menu that I know I will want to visit repeatedly. A highly recommended read.

What a wonderful, insightful look into how we as women may have lost our voice due to cultural and other external influences. But, there is also hope in reclaiming our power and walking through the rest of our lives as "Queen" of our own destiny. Through personal reflection and sharing, as well as examples from "Olivia's" life, Ms. Evans clearly shows us how our own sense of knowing is the key to transformation and ultimately wearing our own tiara.

Reviewed by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, columnist and reviewer author of This is the Place and Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered and The Frugal Book Promoter

No doubt the Cinderella story is a captivating one but our culture seems to be trading on the insecurities of little girls--whether they are still small or grown. We also tend love Underdog (remember him from the 70s?) and Horatio Alger. The sad thing is that women still identify with the delicate, overworked keeper-of-the-hearth who has unrealized potential hidden beneath her apron and behind her gray eyes.

Enter Allyn Evans. She uses the word Queen in to attract readers who might otherwise not read a serious book or who would not understand the confident persona the author is trying to reach. This Queen is a combination memoir and guide. Scholarly interviews with women of all ages evoke memories and understanding from the reader. It is not light reading but it is inspirational.

Author Allyn Evans, born as a southern belle, draws from cultural icons from literature and film (Scarlett O'Hara, The Sleeping Princess) and serious feminist writers like Sue Monk Kidd. That she also reveals herself--right down to the core--is effective because her courage is an example to all, that willingness to bare raw bones in the cause of helping others.
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(Carolyn Howard-Johnson's first novel, This is the Place, has won eight awards. Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remember has won three. Her new book, The Frugal Book Promoter is USA Book News' "Best Professional Book 2004." She is also the author of TRACINGS, a chapbook of nostalgic poetry.)

I am a hopeless romantic when it comes to books, even though I am 15, so these are perfect. This is probably the best out of the sereies. I am a Todd fan so I enjoyed him being in this book the whole way through. Paula did get on my nerves by always trying to steel Todd away from Christy and copying ever thing Christy did, but it all turned out fine. I recomend this bood for sure! Its great. I think this book deserves 5+ stars... well maybe Im excaturating a little... but I still love it.

Christy Miller's long-awaited 16th birthday has come and gone, which means one very important thing --- she can finally date! However, in A HEART FULL OF HOPE, the sixth installment in Robin Jones Gunn's Christy Miller series, Christy starts to realize that life was far less complicated before she acquired so much freedom.

Christy's age is a very big deal to school heartthrob Rick Doyle. He has had her birthday marked on his calendar for months, having been guaranteed a date as soon as she turned 16. Making good on her promise, Christy decides to give Rick a chance, although she is still a bit preoccupied with on-again off-again love interest Todd. Despite warnings from her friends, Christy is soon under the spell of Rick's romantic words and gestures, which she never got from Todd. Before she knows it, their single date turns into an all-out relationship. Things are moving way too fast for Christy, but now she's not sure how to backtrack.

After an awkward run-in with Todd, she's confused as to where he now fits in to her life. He seems to answer her question when he announces that he will be leaving California to join the pro surfing tour, making her more upset than a girl with a steady boyfriend should be. To make matters even worse, Christy's parents are insisting she get a job to help pay for her driving expenses.

As she works long hours on the weekends she was supposed to spend with Rick, her new boyfriend's less-than-romantic side starts to emerge. She begins to wonder if Rick really is as wonderful as she once thought. He always seems to be "accidentally" getting her into trouble, bringing her home late for curfew and interrupting her at work --- not to mention the angry outbursts he has whenever she can't spend enough time with him. Christy has lots of questions: Should she be dating Rick, or anyone for that matter? Is Rick even worthy of being trusted? It soon becomes clear that the independence she had so long desired is coming at a high price.

A HEART FULL OF HOPE starts a new chapter in Christy Miller's life and is certainly different from its predecessors. In previous installments, we saw Christy long for the freedom that her parents always seemed to deny her. However, now that she is able to drive and date, things have changed. The book sees Christy beginning to become an adult and realizing that with all of the privileges come many responsibilities --- and complications.

Fans undoubtedly will note a change in the focus of the series, with long-present Todd moving far away and a new love interest overtaking Christy's life. While it may be different, A HEART FULL OF HOPE is much on par with the quality of Gunn's previous work and will readily please readers.

--- Reviewed by Jennifer Crosby

This book is really awesome just like all of Robin's books. I have read all of the Christy Miller series from the church library and i am buying my own set now. I have read all the Sierra Jenson series and many other books by Robin Jones Gunn. I would recommend this book and all of her other books to anyone. They really help you in your walk with God and teach you many great lessons. I think it is amazing the way God is working in my life through this wonderful author. Thanks

This book was one of the best books I've ever read in my entire life! I am 12 years old, but I realize the concept of the story line and plot. Paula, no offense, reminds me of a "cheerleader" at my school. I'm going into middle school this fall, and I need a really good book to help keep me not so nervous, and believe me, these help alot. I recommend #1-5 in the Christy Miller series and #1, 8-10 in the Sierra Jensen series b/c that's all I've read so far!

ok, so this book is mainly about christy who is having her 16th birthday and her parents surprise her to a trip to Hawwii with her best friend from her old home in wisconsin. As they get there Paula is flirting with Todd(Christy's "boyfriend") and Christy gets very jellous.a lot of other things happen too but u have 2 read it to see what else! I love Robin jones Gunn!I have read all the christy miller books, and I love them all! I have actrually cried in every single one because they make you seem like you are Christy! They made me give my heart 2 the lord and they actrually make me feel jellous or happy or sad.

I ordered the Junie B. books for my granddaughter. She loves them! I personally have never read them but I can let you know that at 6 years old and having this interest in reading speaks for itself.

Therefore, I recommend this series.

I bought the first, second and third boxed sets of Junie B Jones books for my granddaughter, who is 5. She can read them, but also likes for her mom to read them to her at night before she goes to sleep. They are funny, interesting and just a whole lot of fun for one so young!!

i purchased this set for my granddaughter. she loves this series and was thrilled to get this.

When my two granddaughters, ages 6 & 7, showed me how excited they were for these books, I was glad to get them for Christmas. Anybody that excited about reading made it a pleasure to buy them.

I bought this set for my granddaughter for Christmas and am already aware that she really enjoys these books. I imagine she will want any continuation of this series.

I'm a big fan of motivational literature. However, this book is a little tepid. It might be because the material is pretty old and the writing style and anecdotes reflect the era in which it was written.

It does have some classic principles and it's not a very long book so it's not a total waster of money. I would look for it at a flea market, though. In fact, I bought it used through an Amazon store and it came to me all yellowed and very old looking. It might not even be available new anymore. I'm not sure.

Excellent book, easy read, full of life lessons and wisdom. Great book to share with others.

This book is one of the most powerful, yet easy to read books on the market and it's principles are timeless! It's truly a "SIB KIS" work of art. I have had the pleasure of hearing the author speak and most recently a 90 minute private tour of his business where he personally directed me to classics by Oswald Chambers, Spurgeon and could quote passages and find their location from memory. This visit was unannounced and Charlie had just returned from a chemo treatment! Charlie is living proof of his claims and if any one doubts the connection he makes with our creator to these principles needs to spend just five minutes with him to understand their validity. Charlie is "suffering" with terminal prostate cancer. Yet to see him, be hugged by him and hear the energy in his soul would put most young people to shame. Charlie has no fear of his future and actually is looking forward to this next phase of his "journey". I have read many books that "tell" people how to live. Charlie actually lives his philosophy and tells them to stop trying to be perfect and enjoy the one who is! If you read this book years ago and found it helpful, read it again as odds are you situation in life has changed, but fortunately these principles have not. Even better purchase several books and share them with your friends, family and business associates, it's a great way to pass on the powerful message that can benefit anyone who dares to take them to heart.

I have heard Charlie Jones speak many times. His program designed to turn his kids into readers worked in my family too. This little book is a real gem. It can be a lifesaver on days when there seems no place to turn to for encouragement. His persaonal responsibility attitude is much needed today. Rather than looking for the most fulfilling job or purpose in life it is far more useful to be responsible and turn our lives into positive and purposful examples for others. Life truly can be tremendous if one has the right perspective. Charlie can help you there!

This is a great book that is simple, to the point, and something that you can pick up for a quick read almost every day. Highly recommend.

I could not put this book down! Alot like Evanovich, but in many ways better because Casey Jones is actually believable as a detective. Her insights into people and how she describes things are so down right frank it's scary. If you're at all uptight about sex, religion or politics, you're not going to appreciate her humor. Serious Christians need to steer clear of this one.

My favorite phrase from the book, which I'll always remember, was "The weather is here, wish you were beautiful". I think this author is very up and coming, but may be a little bit too racy to compete in the mainstream as does Evanovich. The character of Casey is well developed. She's pretty clever and likely beyond the scope of many. A quote from Casey: "We talk about girl stuff, like what's the most reliable hand gun and if the choke hold should be outlawed or not.

Casey takes on the case of a death row inmate whom she feels is innocent. The underlying tension of Casey's past lingers throughout the series. Casey vs. Bureaucrats-they never had it so bad.

I enjoyed this book so much, I ran out to buy the rest, but the bookstore was already closed! I was actually looking for something to hold me over until Janet Evanovich's latest book, Seven Up came out, and found K. Munger! Characterization, humor, plotting, all go go go! If any of you readers know of any other authors who write as well email me please. writeschk@houston.rr.com

Katy Munger was recommended to me because I love Janet Evanovich's books. Not as over-the-top as Evanovich, this book had its share of wit but combined it with a tight mystery plot and a horde of fascinating secondary characters. A writing workshop lecturer once told me: every character in your book thinks they're the star of it. Well, every character in this book COULD be the star of their own story because they're so wonderfully crafted and intriguing.

Even if the ending stretched out overlong, I didn't mind because it gave us the conclusions for each character's story, and by that time I'd come to care about what happened to them.

Casey Jones is a fascinating character, a little too much on the yang side at the beginning but who softens up during the course, a woman who makes mistakes but learns from them; smart and sexy, confident and not twenty-one. We care what happens to her. We care about the case she's working on and the people she's working for.

And it's all set right around my house! I was THRILLED to see landmarks of North Carolina's Research Triangle throughout the book, adding layers of our area's peculiar flavor to an already eccentric viewpoint.

So I'm here on Amazon to snarf up some more Casey Jones books. You go, Katy Munger! One question to you and Evanovich: how can your heroines eat so much and not gain weight???

Since recently discovering this series, I have systematically worked my way through almost all of them, and love every single word of them.

Casey Jones is a big gal, which comes in handy in her line of work. Casey's a Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina, PI -- unlicensed thanks to a long-ago brush with the law. In this story, Casey is hired by the no-nonsense matriarch of a no-nonsense family to try and save her granddaughter, Gail Honeycutt Taylor, from her impending date with the executioner. Gail is on Death Row for the murder of her police officer husband, and it had never occurred to Casey before to question her guilt. The more she digs into the case, however, the more she becomes convinced that Gail didn't do it. It doesn't help matters that Gail is almost suicidally apathetic and won't lift a finger to help herself. Casey's unorthodox recources and colorful associates make for a devilishly delicious story as she battles cops and bad guys -- and sometimes can't tell the difference -- while Gail's time is rapidly running out.

Casey Jones is a true-blue Southern belle, as is her creator, Katy Munger. She can come join my group of same any time! This book with its quick wit, sparkling dialogue, and stylish plot is not to be missed. In truth, the whole series is divine and I am just dying for the next one.

There is no wasted verbiage in this book. Counting the index, it is but 205 pages in length. In those 205 pages are jewels of wisdom that most management teams are lacking.

The most prevelant gems are pithy observations set aside by top and bottom border lines. One example:
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"The atmosphere in most American companies is so riddled with fear of expendability that workers are afraid totell a boss what they think of his methods of managing."
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The book is organized in such a way as to point out the shallowness of bottom line neurosis and the strengths of inclusive decision making. Over and over, Dr. Jones identifies "Spirit Killers," i.e., those actions in an organization which diminish productivity and, subsequently, profitability, educational insight, and family harmony.

This book intertwines management schemes in business, education and the family. such integration serves to:
-Expose the fallacies of autocracy.
-Explore the possibilities of democracy in an organization.
-Break up management notions that have been set in stone.
-Propose better methods for bringing about civilized organizations.

The book seems to be intended as a tool in business, a text in academia, or a how to book for families. Personally, I'm inclined to recommend it to business schools and/or corporate trainers, though not to the exclusion of the other two entities.

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Hello; I sent in a review nearly 2 months ago and have not seen it posted. Is there a problem with it? Jim Harmon jimharmon@charter.net

Every manager wants the silver bullet that will transform his or her organization from an also-ran into the leader of the pack. Dr. Jones shows us how, without preaching. In today's environment the emphasis is always on some measurable result - profit, productivity etc. Dr. Jones reminds us the result is not possible without the journey and the journey begins and ends with how employees are treated. Great job, Dr. Jones!

Rod Walsh, Co-author - Semper Fi: Business Leadership the Marine Corps Way

Once read, this book can be set aside for the moment, but a compelling urge requires that you return to it for insight and guidance. Dr. Norman Jones has assembled a work that reflects his knowledge of how we relate to each other within our family unit, in our business, acedemic, and social lives. We can improve our relationships within these units, by using the techniques that he outlines. It is not just our own genetic make-up that determines out actions, but it is how we are treated by the people in our lives that have the most influence on us.

Maybe, just maybe, Dr. Jones' approach to the humanistic values in our relationships, expecially between students, their teachers and parents, could have helped prevented the violence that is currently happening in our schools.

Keep it on your bookshelf for inspiration and guidance, go back to it when you need help in any personal relationship, on the job, in your school, or within your family.

Thanks to Dr. Norman Jones for his insight and for this exceptional publication.

Norman Jones is a leadership specialist and a keen observer of what management has done to discourage productivity. He encourages management to lift up the human spirit and to create a more harmonious work environment, therefore creating a people-oriented and inspirational place for ideas to thrive and businesses to succeed.

He compares the Autocratic and Democratic management styles. In the Autocratic world, the boss has a sharp voice, speaks in a commanding way, asserts his/her power, demands cooperation, imposes ideas, criticizes, punishes and has sole responsibility of the group. The Democratic way to run a business puts the "boss" in a different light altogether. He now becomes the "leader," with a friendly voice, he uses his/her influence in positive ways, wins cooperation, tells what he/she would like to have done, sells ideas, guides, encourages, acknowledges achievement, helps employees solve problems, discusses ideas, and shares responsibility with his team players/employees. One of the main problems in business is an impersonal approach to dealing with people.

Norman Jones calls this ..."Spirit Killing." It is one of the reasons so many people are dissatisfied with their work environments and turn to drugs or alcohol to stop the "mental pain." Spirit Killers include: distrust, ridicule, resentment, retaliation, alienation, harassment, deceit, humiliation, stress, tension, fear, sarcasm, belittlement and embarrassment.

These "Spirit Killers" produce demotivation, apathy and insecurity. Not exactly the ideal environment for a healthy productive company. Instead Norman Jones encourages institutions to create self-motivation through: trust, promoting self-esteem, giving employees a sense of belongingness, helping employees obtain job satisfaction, providing a means of recognizing accomplishments, and actually treating employees in a caring manner by listening and showing a genuine concern. When managers learn to listen to their employees the company can grow. Too often, their is a "top-down" philosophy in which all employees are dependent on their ideas from the top. This stifles creativity. Most companies which have our respect not only listen to their employees, they listen to their customers. Amazon.com is one of those companies. They answer every single e-mail from their customers in a very prompt and courteous manner.

"Today's top-down management wants highly energetic, conscientious people, but fails to see how it deprives these people of fulfillment of psychological needs that could stoke the energy." page 34

Since we all have a natural inclination to strive for achievement and need to feel job satisfaction, Norman believes America is hungry for business leaders who not only inspire us to be better human beings, but also encourage us to be internally motivated to meet company goals and be more successful in our jobs.

"When people believe they are helping a company or organization, their self-esteem blossoms." page 19

Unfortunately, modern day businesses use the threat of expendability to attempt to gain optimum productivity and in the process destroy the human spirit. Like a row of dominoes tumbling over, Norman Jones knocks over old ideas of management and shows the way with new principles and creative solutions. He focuses on how business has neglected the research available to them. He sees this as the cause of many problems.

In order to see America's work centers enter a new era of high energy, thriving and productivity in the years to come, the leaders, parents, teachers and even government will need to evaluate their approach to the current dehumanized workplace. Norman believes our country's success will depend on creating a productive arena where the thoughts, feelings and ideas of employees can be expressed. To do this managers must know how to nurture "good attitudes."

An example of a poor motivational statement which is all to common:

"Your report was a good one, but we need them faster and more often."

An example of a good internal motivational statement:

"You can sure be proud of that report; it took a lot of work."

It was also enlightening to compare two letters written by a manager to a difficult employee. In the first letter the use of "I" permeated the letter and caused it to seem demanding and arrogant. In the "improved letter," the use of "we" helped the employee to see they were an integral part of the company. In the first letter, they were expendable.

While the main focus of this book is business, a few chapters are devoted to family and the school system. I believe your religious beliefs determine how you raise your children in most cases. Norman Jones did not write this book from a religious standpoint and his book focuses on research.

This book may just be the perfect gift to give to your boss this Christmas. You may just be giving yourself a great work environment in the coming year. After all those "memos" you have to read, the least your boss can do is read an inspiring book! If you are interested in Psychology you will enjoy that aspect. If you are in management you will love the insights on how you can drive your business forward for optimal success. Your employees might even vote you as their favorite boss of all time. After all, who do we love the most in life? People who treat us fairly and give us the respect we deserve.

~The Rebecca Review

I've been teaching for fifteen years, have read hundreds of books on every aspect of theory and application, and can say unequivocally that this is the single most useful and important book I've yet to read. Ok, ok, I'll equivocate just this once and add it's partner book, Positive Classroom Instruction. If you are going to teach, these books are scripture. Everything else is commentary. Whatever your teaching style, whatever approaches you take to motivate learners, these two books will enhance your effectiveness and make your classroom a better place for children to learn. You will get more teaching done in less time and reach more students with individual attention.

I have been using this program for 6 years with my emotionally handicapped class. Teaching is easy and fun due to Jones' simplistic and cost effective ways to self-eliminate behavior. I went from an average of 15 office referrals a week down to less than 5 all year! Best of all the kids are happy and test scores are on the rise! This is the first easy program that applies in any classroom and on the parental home front too!

I had been teaching 7th and 8th grade science for two years at an inner city school and was doing fine. I had my classes under control, but I was getting worn out keeping them under control. I read the intro to this book and couldn't wait to finish it and implement his methods. I read it over again during the two weeks before school for the next 4 summers to refresh myself. He clearly explains methods to maintain perfect control and cooperation with less work and keep your own stress level way down. I go home much more relaxed now. The kids love it too. He originaly developed these methods at schools for the severely emotionally disabled, so I'm sure they will work anywhere.

I read this book a long time ago.
In a nutshell, I remember two ideas:
Number one: Promise the class a reward for good behavior, and reward the class according to how well they behave.
Number two: If a student misbehaves, approach the student and silently give that student an evil eye.

This book arrived in my mailbox one day before my first substitute teaching job, and I started reading it right away. I was 100% better off having read it. In fact, I don't think I would have survived that first day without the techniques I quickly picked up. I've since read most of the book and re-read parts of it many times. Not only does it work in the classroom, it works at home, too. The techniques **work**, they build a respectful, productive relationship with the students, and they require little physical energy to carry out. Simple and sensible.

In Durrenmatt's *The Visit* a hideous--and hideously wealthy--old woman returns to the town of her long-ago youth to avenge a past wrong. Unaware of her intentions, everyone in Guellen is excited at the news of her imminent arrival, but none more so than the old lady's old flame--the shabby shopkeeper Alfred Ill who volunteers to be her personal guide during the visit. Expecting that her return, and Alfred's solicitous attention, will mean a revival of the town's fortunes after years of hard times, the inhabitants of Guellen are nonetheless staggered by the generosity of Claire Zachanassian's offer. But their joy turns to dismay when they discover the one condition the old woman has placed on making them all wealthy beyond their wildest dreams. The good folk of Guellen must deliver up one of their own for sacrifice: her old lover, Alfred Ill.

Will the townsfolk murder Alfred for the money--and the "good" of Guellen--or not? Durrenmatt not only sustains the suspense of this situation throughout most of this rather lengthy three-act play, but, even more surprising, he renders it chillingly plausible. One is reminded of Shirley Jackson's classic story *The Lottery*--a similar atmosphere of claustrophobic, predestined dread prevails in *The Visit,* a sense that there is no escape from the judgment of the community of which one is a member. Indeed, it seems if one is properly socialized one internalizes that judgment and delivers oneself up accordingly for there is no life outside of the community. Such a "voluntary" death becomes a sacrifice and one lives on in the benefit bestowed upon the community. So does society sustain itself by eating its own.

What the old lady wants is justice for a wrong done to her in Guellen long ago. But that desire for justice--and the hurt that goes with it--has hardened over time into an implacable thirst for vengeance that nothing but blood will satisfy. Even within the play, as well as in Durenmatt's postscript, Claire Z. is likened to Medea and it's an apt comparison. Claire is older, wealthier, a confidante of princes and presidents, a serial bride, full of wit and dry humor, and her anger is considerably colder than that of the legendary scorned madwoman of classical literature--colder and thus more lethal.

Aside from Claire Z, who has hardened beyond humanity altogether, *The Visit* is primarily a tale about human weakness--about the temptation for the pleasures of this world and the rationalizations we devise to grab them when the opportunity presents itself. For behind the high-sounding principles and moral outrage of the good people of Guellen is the drive to self-aggrandizement that motivates all of us. Or, as *The Visit* memorably points out--all of us but the rare individual who acknowledges the guilt we all share and prefer to locate solely in our neighbors, the rare individual who, when it's time to point out the source of evil in the world, has the astounding courage to point at himself.

This is as close as you will come to a true depiction of the Swiss. It may be a generalisation but isn't that how generalisations are generally derived? Anyway, the author is Swiss who is supposedly not very popular among the Swiss possibly because it is too close to home/truth.

This book, although somewhat disturbing, is a good read for anyone who desires a look at how humans continually put material objects before their own fellow human beings. Layered in "sick" comedy, The Visit brings the ultimate desire for retribution to life, as well as depicting how even normal people can become vicious with revenge, even when they are not the victim. Furthermore, this book depicts how one person can change the lives of other's lives drastically, because of power and money. When read in the context of seeking the reality of life, the desire for riches, the greed of the desperate, and the need to be "someone" and be defined by worldy possessions, this book truly gives insight, with a bizarre but intriguing tale.

"The Visit" is a play I've never seen, only read. I read it first in high school, leaving me with goosebumps then. It still has that power, now. I can think of no other tale that expresses the power of bitter revenge better than this one. I remember reading somewhere that this was done originally on stage here by Lunt and Fontaine--wouldn't that have been something to see!

I wonder, though, why the 1964 movie starring Anthony Quinn and Ingrid Bergman is never mentioned, and has never been released on video or DVD? I saw it 30 years ago and found it chilling in its own way, though not matching exactly the play.

Like Bertholt Brecht, Friedrich Duerrenmatt (1921-1990) was a proponet of "epic theatre," a style of drama in which the audience is not so much asked to identify with the characters and story but to contemplate them in an detached manner and thereby arrive a certain intellectual and moral conclusions. Although he was the author of several notable dramas, he is not well known outside his native Switzerland and German-speaking Europe--with one exception: Der Besuch der alten Dame, known in English as THE VISIT.

First staged in 1956, it became internationally famous in the late 1950s in a production staged by Peter Brook starring Afred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne, which had a successful Broadway run and which toured extensively; it was also filmed, with considerably less success, in 1964 by director Bernhard Wicki and starring Ingrid Bergman and Anthony Quinn. Maurice Valency performed the translation for the Lunt-Fontanne stage version, and for many years his extremely free adaptation was the only English-language version in print. The Patrick Bowles version offered here, however, is much more accurate in translation--and therefore considerably darker in tone.

The story concerns a tiny town which has fallen on very hard times, but which has hopes in the form of a visit from the incredibly wealthy Claire Zachanassian, a woman who was born and raised in the town and who has now decided to make a return visit. Although a distinctly grotesque figure, Claire has a reputation for generosity, and upon her arrival she does indeed announce her intention to endow her hometown with riches beyond imagination. There is, however, one catch: in return, she demands the death of Anton Schill, the lover who wronged her many years ago. The community is outraged and refuses to comply... at least at first. As the play progresses, however, the citizens (including Schill's own family) begin to dream of what they could do with all that money. Is Claire's demand really so unreasonable after all?

Duerrenmatt insisted that his play was a comedy, and it is indeed quite funny, albeit in a distinctly grotesque sort of way. At the same time, however, it is quite obviously a parable on the natures of revenge and greed. Indeed, Claire's revenge is not so much on Schill as it is upon the town itself, as she forces them to faulter through greed by presenting them with a choice between morality and immorality. Although extremely witty, THE VISIT may also be described as deeply cynical, and more than one critic has flatly described it as evil, despicable, and profoundly unsavory. Whatever the case, it is a truly remarkable play, quite unlike the usual fare you'll find haunting either Broadway or the local community theatre. It has also been extremely influential over the years, with perhaps the most obvious example being Arthur Kopit's OH DAD, POOR DAD, MAMA'S HUNG YOU IN THE CLOSET AND I'M FEELING SO SAD. Strongly recommended for fans of far-out theatre.

GFT, Amazon Reviewer

Bobby Jones knows as much about the golf swing and game as anyone today. In fact, he is more modern than most modern instructors. His advice is easy to follow and it works. My game will be much better for it. Oh yes, I am a single digit handicapper. Anyone who will heed this advice will improve, no matter your handicap.

after viewing the jones' videos where nicklaus points out that jones would have altered his swing to match the equipment, this book sets the record straight. jones was able to edit this book after having seen some of the steel shaft swingers and cleary points out that his way (clearly he learned it from others ie spalding i think he noted) is indeed the right way, and if you were to put tiger woods up now and compare tiger's swing to nicklaus or jones i think he would more resemble jones than nicklaus. Anyway a real great book on golf for those "old school" guys who realize the old is forever new. i started reading the book about 3 yrs ago and i'm still working w/ it. like he points out in the book its somehting you can turn back to from time to time .....

This book taught me more about golf then all the lessons, swing gimmicks and video study that I've tried put together. If you are serious about understanding the fundamentals of golf get this book.

This is one of the greatest golf instruction books ever written in my opinion. The advice presented is still relevant and can help anyone improve their game. I feel this is must reading for any serious golfer.

I never saw Bobby Jones stirke a golf ball in person. I never saw him play a full game on 16 mm film for that matter. I can only go by his unmatched amateur record and very short old grainy 16-millimeter film stock of how graceful his swing was...very controlled, impeccable balance/ coordination, unbelievable tempo and rhythm. Pure ballstriking. Pure golf.

In his book, "Bobby Jones on Golf", Jones really gets to the spirit of the game. This is a great book on the nuances, technicalities, and philosophies of the game of golf.

If you read carefully and take his advice seriously, I believe you will become a better player. I can't guarantee this, but there is no reason why a beginner can't shoot in the 80's within the first year to two years of playing. If you do the reading and practice the fundamentals; after 3 years of playing on a regular basis (at least 3 to 4 times a week) you should be shooting in the 70's.

This book is a very easy and compelling read. Moreover, I think you will really enjoy Jone's prose. It's Jone's prose that makes this an enjoyable reading experience. It's by no means flowery or pretentious, but understated and blunt.

Much like reading a Jane Austen novel; it feels like Jones is actually speaking directly to you. And this is the best way to learn about something very complicated; to have the narrator / author personalize his language by using parables, analogies, and personal stories to make it easier for the reader to understand the complicated nuiances and idiosyncracies of the game of golf

Another important note: There are hardly any illustrations and no photographs in this book. There doesn't need to be either because Jones does such a great job in his explantions that his words paint pictures. I was glad that he didn't have to resort to any photos; it would have distracted from his impeccable teachings.

I highly recommend this book whether you're a beginner, intermediate, or advanced player. Not only will you learn from a golfing master, but you will have a new appreciation for the greatest game on earth.

Along with this book, I also recommend the reading of Ben Hogan's, "Five Lessons: The Modern Fundamentals of Golf", Mickey Wright's "Swing the Wright Way", and Harvey Penick's, "The Little Red Book".