Lewis Books

This book will be among the decades' great narratives of a family's struggle with mental illness. It documents the worst forms of fraud and abuse committed to most vulnerable, as well as the highest forms of compassionate, scientific, and rationale approaches to healing. The book further dispells the myth that bipolar disorder is untreatable, demonstrating that while a cure is not yet available, help and progress are well within reach. Both the co-authors have been changed by their experiences, as will the reader. (...)

"Ressurection and Redemption" captures the delima of coping with mental health issues in todays society. Dr.Opelar sets the tone in the first chapter when he states that we as a people are still in the dark ages with our attitudes towards mental heath problems. This book opens the doors to the real suffering on a day to day basis by the person with the mental disability and thier family. Like "The Burning Bed" by Francine Hughes who took domestic violience out of the closet and enlightened us forever, "Redemption" exposes the myths associated with the mentally ill, gives us a first hand glance at the patients suffering from their own point of view,and shows in an intimate, candid way of the Ehrlich's valient effort to navagagate the fractued mental health system that exists today. We see through Rebecca's eyes the cruel blow that nature inflicted upon her and her brave struggle for release from the bondage of a misunderstood disorder of one part of her body, her mind. We find we are not alone when dealing with this problem. There was a time in the not to not too distant past when physical disabilities were scorned upon by society. Hopefully, with time and enlightenment we will soon look upon mental illness as just another chronic desease, not a dark and foreboding secret.

An outstanding biography of Robert Chapman's life, that so extensively unearths his most precious quality: genuine Christ-like love for ALL people. Written over a century and a half ago, his life was a relevant model for my self-centered life and the selfishness that seems to characterize our culture. I pray it profoundly impacts your life as it has my own.

This biography of Robert Chapman (1803 - 1902)reveals the true character of a man who has spent hours each day in humble prayer before God. From his early English day of youth, he read and reread the Bible, yet is would not let him go. Serving in the small town of Barnstaple, England, Chapman deliberately avoided any fame he was receiving for his ministry so that it would not distract from the fame of the Lord. Yet through his humility, he had a major impact on George Muller, J. Hudson Taylor, John Nelson Darby and Charles Spurgeon. Spurgeon once said, "Robert Chapman was the saintliest man I ever knew." This a a great book because it will force the reader to evaluate his or her own relationship with the Lord while being challenged to live for Him in deeper devotion. John Nelson Darby said, "We talk of the heavenlies, but Robert Chapman lives in them... He lives what I teach."

Robert L. D. Cooper's book "The Rosslyn Hoax" is perhaps the most important book yet published about Rosslyn Chapel, the Templars, Scotland and the Freemasons. What makes it so important is that he actually has physically investigated the many claims made about the enigmatic little church over the centuries, especially in the last few decades. He has laid his eye on so many artifacts described by others, and tracked them to their likely, provable meanings or sources. And he has traced the origins of so many legendary claims to their originators, instead of parroting the work of other "speculators."

I say it's an important book. I didn't say it will make everyone happy. And the reason why is because he slaughters an entire herd of sacred cattle with his investigations of the many claims of Templar involvement in Freemasonry's formation and the building of Rosslyn. Or to put it another way, if you believe Born in Blood: The Lost Secrets of Freemasonry, The Temple and the Lodge, and Rosslyn: Guardian of the Secrets of the Holy Grail to be the truth, Robert Cooper is your blasphemer.

Cooper is the curator of the Grand Lodge of Scotland's library and museum, which posseses much original material that other authors have written about, but never actually gone to look at and study in person. Moreover, Cooper takes claims of Templar sites, burial markers and supposed influence and subjects them to the historical record or compares them to provable, authentic Templar sites. Most important of all, he places the origins of the original claims made (often by 17th and 18th century Scottish Masons) into their proper historical and social context, exploring just why Scottish Freemasons might have desired an older, more glorious heritage for their fraternity than those uppity English Masons down in London who were claiming it as their own. Cooper makes an outstanding case for forgeries, Victorian alterations and a lot of wishful thinking.

Certainly there is a place for mythology in this world, and it would be a pretty barren life indeed if we didn't have our share of story tellers who, with a gleam in their eye and a wink to the knowing, began by speaking the words, "Once upon a time..." Freemasonry is no different. Just as long as we understand what is myth and what is history, and the difference between them.

As I said, if you believe the Knights Templars saved the day at Bannockburn, built Rosslyn Chapel, and then morphed into the Freemasons, you should undoubtedly already be collecting logs and kindling for Robert Cooper's pyre. But if you are a seeker of the truth behind this curious and beautiful place, start with The Rosslyn Hoax.

Believe all that stuff about the Knights Templar running off to hide in Scotland? Convinced that there are a bunch of things buried under Rosslyn or that there are all sorts of secret signs carved into the pillars? If so, you should order overnight delivery on this book and read it from cover to cover. When you're done, you'll have either done a 180 degree turn-around OR you'll have to admit to yourself that you're simply intransigent to reality. Robert L. D. Cooper is the curator of the Grand Lodge of Scotland's library and museum where much original material written about by other authors is held. What you'll find astonishing is that those many authors who opine so persuasively on items such as the above have never once gone to look at the source material and study it in detail. Cooper, wearing velvet gloves, demolishes books by Lomas, Knight, Wallace-Murphy and many, many more with undisputable facts, buttressed by ancient documents which he can hold each day.

Further, Cooper is a biographer of the Sinclair family and knows his topic from top to bottom. He's not swayed by fanciful theories or the pseudo-history of the past two decades. Rather, he cites specific documents held by the Grand Lodge of Scotland - again and again and again. He footnotes how contrary claims have been made by specific 'Templar fantasy' authors again and again and again. It is to laugh.
If you want to live in a fantasy world, do avoid this book but if you want find out facts, you'll love it. It's not easy reading: dealing with the many claims that have gained so much sway is not an easy task and the footnotes are copious. You'll be rewarded, though, with a factual understanding which will enable you to laugh when friends, neighbors, and fellow Masons decide to 'educate you' on the Apprentice Pillar or the Battle of Bannockburn's appearance of the Knights Templar. You might even deign to educate them as well. I cannot recommend this book highly enough.

Masterfully written! Ms. Licameli tells the story of a heroine that our girls are sure to idolize! Her story has strong currents of strength, determination, family values and a willingness to help others no matter how strong the tide. Though expertly written for preteens and young teens, it is a great read aloud parents will enjoy, too! Teachers and librarians will find this charming tale will surely ignite their young readers! Kudos to Ms. Licameli for shining a beam of light on this humble soul for all of us to see!

I remember visiting a lighthouse during a childhood beach vacation and wondering what it was like to live there. That summer, reading a book like Doris Licameli's Rowing to the Rescue would have made my lighthouse visit much more meaningful. Ms. Licameli has a refreshing style that immediately engrosses you in the story of courageous young Ida Lewis and her family--her strong, kind father, her loving mother, her younger brothers Rud and Hosea and sister Hattie--and makes you feel as if you were there with them, experiencing the ocean's wind in your hair and the taste of its salty spray. This enjoyable book about the "ordinary girl who performed extraordinary deeds" should help inspire today's young heroines-to-be. Although written for girls age 8-12, this book provides an interesting read for people of all ages. Well done!

This book is a wonderful story and the illustrations were absolutely beautiful! The artist really captured the feeling of the story. I highly for young and old!

Most people only know the well-loved story of Rudolph either through the Johnny Marks song or the popular 1964 TV special. However, not many people know that Rudolph was created by a Montgomery Wards employee named Robert May, who also wrote two sequels to the original story. Surprisingly, this sequel, Rudolph Shines Again, was the only other Rudolph story published during his lifetime, apart from the posthumous sequel, Rudolph's Second Christmas. But this episode in the Rudolph story goes the furthest in allowing us to see Rudolph examine his character thoroughly and discover who he really is as a reindeer.

This Rudolph story tugs at the heartstrings more than the previous two books at the beginning, because of how Rudolph feels for his sufferings amongst his reindeer companions who are so fed up with how Santa Claus always finds favour with him and not with them. Luckily, this heart-tugging does not go overboard because we learn that even though Rudolph loses his nose, he remembers that he has forgotten himself in thinking selfishly about it. It is there that we see a bit more character development in him and the story picks up its momentum of its own. Rudolph's willingness to find the two lost rabbits shows the heart he has for others, with shades of his adventures in the Second Christmas episode, and his selfless spirit of charity, and he still retains his inimitable character even when he realises he has regained his nose and does not need to elate over it with his emotions. The story is written with the same rhyming couplets that made the original Rudolph story so fresh, with many ingenous rhyming twists and felicitous touches in the story-telling, and with the resolution this finds at the end of all the three stories, this makes the perfect conclusion to the three Rudolph stories of Robert L. May.

In conclusion, I feel prepared to say that this Rudolph story is as good as the other two, but does more in character development by allowing us readers to follow how Rudolph examines his real character while allowing his heart to glow as brightly as before. My one wish now is that it would be perfect and great if the three Robert May Rudolph stories were published in one book as a continuous Rudolph saga, and that reading the three individual episodes in this story will allow everyone to guide their sleighs to greater self-worth and self-esteem in a soul-stirring story.

Most people who know the story of Rudolph are familiar only with the famous Johnny Marks song. However, not many people know that Rudolph was created by a Montgomery Wards employee named Robert May, and that he also wrote two furtuer Rudolph stories that chronicle his adventures and character development. This story, Rudolph's Second Christmas, proves every bit as enjoyable as the other two Rudolph stories, and shows Rudolph in a more active and charitable position.

I know that this story alternates between prose and verse, but this can't be helped since this Rudolph episode was a posthumous publication after Robert May's death. Nevertheless, it allows Rudolph's heart of gold to shine through every moment of this enchanting episode in his 3-part saga. Rudolph's desire to make this Christmas better can be seen in the sympathy he showed towards the complaint letter he found among the letters that Santa Claus received, and also in his determination and faith in helping the children's circus improve in the quality of its performances. We also get to show Rudolph's inspirational example in allowing the misfit animals to improve the circus, because here, although we know that Rudolph set a positive example by celebrating difference, he was able to help other animals celebrate being different, until he is inspired to continue to serve Santa Claus at Christmas.

Nevertheless, this unfamiliar and not-so-well-known Rudolph sequel, which is a different breath of fresh air from the TV specials, is deserving of a permanent place in any library of any Christmas lover and sensitive human being who can appreciate inspirational fables like this. I highly recommend this as well as the other two Rudolph stories in this 3-part saga, because Rudolph's quest to discover what makes him tick is a heartwarming Christmas parable that can serve every season.

"Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer had a very shiny nose, and if you ever saw it . . . " Now that I have you in the mood for this book, let me ask you a question. Did you know who wrote the original story of Rudolph? Well, it was Robert L. May. Did you also know that Mr. May had written a sequel? Have you read the sequel? If not, you should and this is it.

Mr. May died in 1976. In 1991, his daughter was working in the family attic and found several drafts of a sequel written in 1947. These were edited into this story and published in 1992. New illustrations were developed by Michael Emberley to bring the story humorously up-to-date.

Researchers constantly find that reading to children is valuable in a variety of ways, not least of which are instilling a love of reading and improved reading skills. With better parent-child bonding from reading, your child will also be more emotionally secure and able to relate better to others. Intellectual performance will expand as well. Spending time together watching television fails as a substitute.

To help other parents apply this advice, as a parent of four I consulted an expert, our youngest child, and asked her to share with me her favorite books that were read to her as a young child. Rudolph's Second Christmas was one of her picks.

This book is the story of what happened in the year following Rudolph's famous trip with Santa Claus on that "foggy Christmas Eve." When Santa and Rudolph get back from some time off, they start reading thank you letters from children. Unfortunately, they find one complaint letter. They had missed two children with a circus who had been good. Rudolph volunteers to find out how they can avoid missing the children next Christmas. Along the way, he comes up with wonderful solutions that make the whole year better . . . as well as next Christmas.

The book's story line builds nicely around the problems that the children and some unusual animals perceive they have by being different. Rudolph shows them how differences become advantages when brought to bear in the right time and in the right place. So the original story's theme of overcoming being shunned because of being different using Rudolph as the example is much more thoroughly explored in this book. I like the idea of Rudolph taking that lesson and teaching it to others. In many ways, that makes this book more intersting and valuable than the original, well-beloved story.

Children are very aware of and critical about differences in other people and in themselves versus "the norm." This story gives you a nice chance to counterbalance that false conclusion that only sameness should be celebrated. In this way you can encourage your child to be both a keen observer of differences and an innovative thinker about how to turn them to advantage.

There is a television commercial out now that does this well, for example. Two groups of children are being formed into teams by having captains choose players. The assumption is that this will be a sports contest. One side is glad to get a large child, while another side is discouraged about getting a smaller one. Then the contest turns out to be a debate, and the team with the smaller child is ecstatic. That commercial is a good one to discuss in the context of this story.

After you have finished enjoying the story with your child, grandchild, niece, nephew, or godchild, I suggest that the two of you have a discussion about what the child perceives of his or her differences as being disadvantages. Then think together about how those could be advantages instead. This will open up a whole new world of possibility for the child. You will be like Rudolph in dispelling the fog so that Christmas can come again this year.

Won't you guide someone's sleigh to greater self worth tonight?

By the way, it's great fun to read this book while playing a recording of the Rudolph song in the background at the same time.

Have a very Merry Christmas, and share the gift of good will with others.

If you do not celebrate Christmas, I hope you have a wonderful holiday season for what you do celebrate. May God be with you!

As a Lewis and Clark historical interpreter, I have found scholary articles dealing with Jean Baptiste or Sacagawea or Toussaint but the authors rarely cover all three. A few recent books have attempted to cover all the Charbonneau family members but failed to be as well researched and thorough as Ms. Colby's. Her insightful and well documented passages allow the reader to understand the motivation that led the Charbonneaus to action and made them crucial to Lewis and Clark and westward expansion. This is the definitive book for understanding the 100-year saga of Toussaint Charbonneau, his young wife, Sacagawea and their son, Jean-Baptiste, who became the prototype American adventurer and pioneer. As I historically present Toussaint Charbonneau, this book will be held in one hand as the ultimate historical reference.

Sacagawea's Child: The Life And Times Of Jean-Baptiste (Pomp) Charbonneau is a carefully researched biography of the son of the legendary Native American guide and heroine of the Lewis and Clark expedition, Sacagawea, and her French-Canadian husband. Paying attention to both what can be reconstructed from historical record and what scholars remain in dispute over to this day, Sacagawea's Child offers as full a picture as possible of events from before Jean-Baptiste's birth to the circumstances of his demise. Though Jean-Baptiste was flesh-and-blood with flaws like all human beings, he was also a "citizen Indian" who sought to remain mindful of his heritage while living peacefully among people of various cultures, and his story is ultimately one of exploration, wonder, and tolerance. A highly recommended addition to school, public, and reference library shelves, as well as personal biography and American history shelves.

This is a seemingly well-researched biography of one member of the famous expedition who didn't have any stories of his own to tell about it, since he was only 18 months old when his parents parted from Lewis and Clark. Certainly many have asked, "Whatever happened to "Pomp"? He seems to have been a loner; his parents allowed Captain Clark to become his mentor in St. Louis, where he was educated with other half-Indian boys. During his entire life he saw little of Sacagawea (who died when he was 8) or Toussaint Charbonneau, his father, who was a guide and trapper. In his travels, Jean Baptiste crossed paths with many of the famous explorers and shapers of the American West. I'm no longer a "young adult," but found the book very interesting.

A wonderful history lesson for young adults. This factual chronicle of the life of Sacajawea's son, Charbonneau, will dispel the myth that Clark (of Lewis & Clark) made good on his promise to his Indian guide, Sacajawea. He did provide an education and board and room, but little else. In spite of the prejudice this boy faced, he was able to succeed in life. The book is well-written, factual, and written without predjudice. I would recommend this for required reading in junior high school.

This book is in print as part of "The Sunfish Bible", which also contains the books "The Sunfish Book", and "Successful Sunfish Racing", plus additional articles.

If you have an interest in racing the Sunfish sailboat, this old book is fun and worth the read. Many things have changed about the Sunfish since this book was written, but the one important lesson remains the same--sail it flat! Once I learned this lesson (many years ago, of course), racing one design boats became fun. I even brought home a trophy or two after reading it. If you can find a copy, buy it. This book is short and packed with great information. Though some of the info is now bound to be historical, I am certain many of the lessons still apply.

This is hands down the best book on salvation ever. Lewis Sperry Chafer is one who teaches the true "saved by grace through faith" message. A must read, especially in todays world of so many different gospels being preached.

Dr. Lewis Sperry Chafer was used by the Lord as a champion of grace. And I have no doubt that this continues even today....long after Dr. Chafer has gone to be with the Lord. I recommend this book both to unbeliever and believer alike. I have never read a more comprehensive book explaining the marvelous salvation that God offers the whole world through simple faith in Jesus Christ!!!