Owens Books

Charles The Throwback by Ted Own is an inspired and intuitively humorous tale of a genetically flawed calf and his mother as their escape from slaughter brings them far greater adventure then expected. Engaging readers with such a unique and catching storytelling style, Charles The Throwback introduces the reader to the thought process of a cow and the very same everyday tediums which humans and cows alike endure. Charles The Throwback is recommended to all general fiction readers, particularly those enjoy farming related stories.

This story takes place in 1762 and is about two college-aged men vying for the affections of a young woman. One of the men, Mr. Sudgeberry, the narrator, has a gift for gab. He is loquacious, priggish, self-righteous, and pedantic. His competitor, a happy-go-lucky and slightly dissipated man named William Fentriss. The title of the book comes about because the girl in question, Sylvia, wears cherry-colored ribbons in her hair. The narrator manages to become the cynosure of Sylvia's affections until William concocts a scheme to win her good graces. Mr. Sudgeberry discovers this and exposes him, however Sudgeberry's expsure has unintended results.

One of Tarkington's earlier works, I was a bit worried about its clarity. However, it was easy to read and understand. However, one's vocabulary must be able to match Sudgeberry's abilities. There were a ton of "tough" words in this book. I loved the simplicity of the story though and it worked well for me. Thoroughly enjoyable.

This is such a great book. It covers a lot of the history of Chicago that appeals both to kids as well as adults. My nephew really liked the book and had a lot of fun doing the crafts. It was refreshing to have so much fun with a book instead of trying to bear through it. Owen Hurd wrote this in such an intelligent way that it is as entertaining for adults as it is for kids.

This book was easy to read to my nieces and nephews and I enjoyed the flow of the book. It was also easy for them to read it. Very educational and would recommend it to parents as an aid to teach children about other children in different parts of the world.

As many academics and progressives have noted, Western logic is filled with rigid dichotomies: good/bad, black/white, powerful/powerless, Christian/"heathen", male/female, virtue/vice. In this book, Dr. White shows how the French struggled to deal with the children of African women and the French men that impregnated them and left. What to do with people that are black and white? Can we deem them black OR white? Can we put them in middle-management jobs and give them limited power? What will the Africans say when we made all these babies but talk about celibacy as a Christian, European virtue in a condescending manner to them? These are all areas that Dr. White tries to uncover.

Through no fault of the author's, this book is painful to read in many instances. It's filled with all these eugenicist comments about mixed-race people being infertile and sickly with no evidence to back it up. Though the Africans are not enslaved as in the Americas, they are still treated as less than human. Dr. White briefly comments that though biracial children were under the care of clergy, they were also in lice-infested quarters where tuberculosis and other diseases were rampant. Honestly, I think the chapter on eugenics should have come before the chapters on orphanages and employment. As worthy as this book is, be prepared to be upset.

Please also note that this book is a top-down discussion: the ideas of white Frenchmen is the focus, not the concerns of Africans, whether biracial or monoracial. On the one hand, the French probably left a lot of evidence in their bureaucratic files for Dr. White to uncover. Further, their ideas are the ones rich with academic and policy-based analysis. Dr. White's tenure board may want to see all of that. Nevertheless, we are speaking of a period when many Africans, again both monoracial and biracial, could read, write, and be expressive for themselves. This book suggests that there were many m'etis societies and then never says much about them. I am not sure whether to fault the author, but I do think other academics have plenty of room to pick up where he left off.

In the United States' earlier years, interracial sex was rarely consensual, usually involving the rape of black women by white male masters. Antimiscegenation laws and unpunished lynchings then deterred much race-mixing. In this book, however, Dr. White shows how race-mixing was mutually beneficial. African women served as translators for French men and taught them how to survive in the hot environment. This unoppressive joining of two groups is so different from the United States, at least historically, that it almost seems novel.

I doubt that this is a translated text. Though based in Britain, Dr. White must be fluent in French and was knowledgeable about France and Francophone West Africa. His strong cross-cultural wisdom shines throughout the book.

Francophiles will love this book. It's filled with accented French names and fancy-sounding French social organizations. Unfortunately, some of French's exoticism is lost as words in names are smashed together and letters get put in the lower case. When LeRoux becomes Leroux and de la Vignette becomes Delavignette, it just doesn't feel like the French that excited me in junior high school.

At least in African-American studies texts, many phenomena start in West Africa and make their way to the "New World." However, Dr. White illustrates how the gray area of multiraciality was not solved in West Africa until late in the 20th Century. That controversy was solved centuries ago in the Caribbean and in the United States with its hypodescent rule (i.e., "one drop of black blood makes you black"). This book was a first for me where patterns were reversed.

This book should be read alongside many others. Dr. White freely admits that Ann Stoler has covered the French on their Eurasian children and that Hyam has wrote about sexuality in the British Empire. This book covered whites in Africa, but if you want to know about blacks in France, see Stovall's "Paris Noir." Robert Aldrich discusses colonialism and homosexuality in his powerful book.

This book is a must-read for those interested in multiracial people or mixed-race couples. It will truly make you want to learn more on the various subjects it presents.

If you're like me you have a difficult time wrapping things. Some people don't have the patience to do so, and admittedly I'm one of those people! You can't deny the beautiful and original flower designs on this particular giftwrap paper, so I recommend you buy and use it whenever you have to wrap a gift for someone. So what if you don't do a good job wrapping it- it's the thought that counts.

As I looked through the library, I noticed there was hardly anything on a Paramedic. In this book it takes Paramedics own experience and delivers it in an interesting and moving way. I recommend this book for anyone who is interested in becoming a Paramedic or enjoys reading.

I have found that students can benefit greatly from working through Owen's short chapters on central Christian topics. He is always clear and focused. This is a great tool for teaching how to read Theology intelligently.

Dr. Richard Daniels' work is as pastoral as it is scholarly. He mines the depths of John Owen, and his Puritan contemporaries, and from them presents the reader with a clear and beautiful portrait of the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Church would do well to pay careful attention to such great teachers of the past and thereby avoid many of the false teachings and heresies that are so prevalent today. I would like to commend Dr. Daniels for his outstanding work and encourage anyone interested in the teaching of John Owen or simply in having a clearer understanding of the Christian faith to consider reading this book.

Sincerely,
Jeremy D. McEntire

Do you want to be more holy,more godly?One thing that is indispensible to achieve that end is an understanding of the nature of sin and temptation.If I could only have one book(besides the Bible)to help me understand and deal with sin and temptation,Owen's 'Sin and Temptation'would be the book I would take.
Though I think the unabridged Banner Of Truth Ed.is excellent,I prefer this abridged version even above that.
J.I.Packers introduction is filled with instruction and insights from his experience that increase the value of this work.
A careful reading of 'Sin And Temptation' will help to correct many false views on christian living.Mr.Packer writes on p.24 "If our concern is with practical christian living today,a Puritan model of godliness will most quickly expose the reason why our current spirituality is shallow,namely the shallowness of our views of sin."
The annotations(in the 1983 multnomah ed.)increase exponentially the acsessibility and worth of the book.A sample of some annotations will help to show how useful they can be:How sin entices the emotions,Biblical view of the heart,Mortification is chiefly in the affections,Enticed affections entice the will to sin,quickly discover the approach of temptations,Sin can turn the soul against God,God restrains sin by showing what is good(these are just a few examples of many that could be given).
One of the reasons that Puritan books are so desperately needed in our generation is because one of the dominant forces in Christendom seems to be a 'feelings' driven view of the Christian life.John Owen was a giant among giants in his understanding of how sin could be Biblically dealt with in the lives of God's people.The Putitans and Owen understood the paramount importance of the mind (something which has been lost to many in this generation)in the believers understanding of sanctification.
One pregnant quote should help to show what a treasure this work is,Owen writes on p.36-37" the basis for the efficacy of deceit is its effect upon the mind. ...the mind is the leading faculty of the soul.When the mind fixes upon an object or course of action,the will and the affections follow suit. ...Thus,while the entanglement of the affections in sin is often very troublesome,it is the deceit of the mind that is always the most dangerous situation because of its role in all other operations of the soul.The minds office is to guide,to direct,to choose and to lead."
How to effectively deal with sin and temptation is essential if we desire a closer walk with the Lord and greater usefulness in His kingdom.It is through God's enabling power that Christians achieve any growth in grace but to grow in grace we must grow in our understanding of our enemies. Owens work can help the reader to better understand the nature and workings of indwelling sin,temptation and the need for and practice of mortification of sin, perhaps as well as any Christian book that has ever been published.
I believe this abridged and annotated version is far superior to subsequent abidgements,not only for content but especially due to the value of the annotations
This isn't the type of book to be quickly perused and thrown on a shelf to gather dust.It is a book that can be continually read and meditated upon again and again(especially in time of need)with great profit.