Powell Books

Father Peter J. Powell's work with the Cheyenne is in a class by itself. His telling of stories in the mythic past of the Cheyenne have a depth of understanding worthy of Campbell, Zimmer and Eliade. So many books on the Native Americans are not satisfying because the authors do not know enough to ask the right questions and they merely repeat what other authors have written. Father Powell lived among the Cheyenne, became a very trusted informant and tells the stories with an uncommon grasp of the subject. His list of primary sources is impressive, more so as we learn who many of these people are and who their fathers, mothers and grandparents were. The way he moves from present to near past to distant past to mythic past and back to present reinforces Cheyenne belief that the distance between them is much shorter than our culture thinks. A wonderful source book, it fills in so many gaps between Grinnell, Hyde, Bent and Lavender--and takes us deeper than any of them.

when I saw it's non-authenticity, I returned it for full credit. Fr. Powell has been duped!

Father Peter J. Powell (who, contrary to the misinformation passed in another reader's review, is an Episcopalian priest) is the premium scholar of Cheyenne culture and religion. A Sun Dance priest himself, adopted by the Cheyenne, Father Powell renders the beautiful story of Sweet Medicine in evocative prose. After reading his work, I was privileged to meet Father Powell on a sad, but touching occasion, when he presided over the funeral of the great Cheyenne educator Bill Tall Bull in Lame Deer, Montana several years ago. Father Powell is held in great reverence by the Northern Cheyenne people, and on that day was sought out after the service by countless members of the tribe with greetings, hugs, and thanks. I can recommend SWEET MEDICINE without reservation to anyone with interest in Plains Indian culture.

One way of regarding what Father Powell accomplished in his epic treatise on Northern Cheyenne history is look at Vine Deloria's appraisal in "God Is Red." Deloria states: "Powell's work, particularly his style of exposition, was based primarily on conversations with reservation people and reflected their language. An Anglican priest who operated St. Augustine's Indian Center in Chicago, Powell viewed all religious expressions as sacred and consequently treated the Cheyenne tradition with respect. His book did not take the superficial approach of listing the quaint beliefs of the Cheyennes as if the reader and the author were beyond such superstitions. 'Sweet Medicine' impressed Indians with the validity of their own traditions." Deloria's comments on Powell's work deserve serious consideration. After all, Deloria set the tone in Chpt. 4 of "Custer Died For Your Sins" for criticizing the historical relationship between anthropology (be it of the professional or self-taught variety) and American Indian communities. The fact that Deloria points to "Sweet Medicine" as an exceptional work is an indication that the study of American Indian culture and history is possible--even by non-Indians--when the resulting discourse is driven by indigenous sources of knowledge, as opposed to forcing research to fit the expectations of a largely non-Indian Academy.

Some people don't like the idea of a priest writing a book about Cheyenne myth and ritual. Too bad for them. Who better to understand it than one who is completely accepted by the Cheyenne people and, indeed, one of the holders of the sacred regalia of the Arrows and Medicine Hat? Peter Powell has done the world an undying favor by meticulously recording, with the utmost exactitude, in both words and pictures the sacred rites (and their meaning!) of the Cheyenne people? Ignore the reviews of those who just don't -or can't- get the point of this magistral work and instead buy it and enter into a magical world.

VK Powell, You have hit the BIG time girl.

This debut novel was a great read,not only for its romance and erotic content, but also for its ability to engulf me with a sense of duty. This one really touched my soul.

It wasnt so long ago when I too felt the resposibility of 'rank'.
Be it in the military or another force, it is never easy to send the
people you care about into harms way. Powell manages to capture the heart and gut wrenching feelings of being torn between duty and love.
It is clearly obvious that Powell has faced these realities, and she
portrayed the actions, worries and emotions perfectly.

For anyone who hasnt yet read this debut novel, it is a must.

Devlyn

First novel by VK Powell. I'm sorry to say that it's one of the few books I didn't finish reading, or rather I skipped through the second half.

I couldn't connect with it at all, even though the story, roughly 2 cops connecting over an investigation trying to bust a drug lord, sounded like it was up my alley. I love tough cops. I'm easy that way. But something just didn't work for me here. The writing was mostly solid. There was some dialog, esp. in the love scenes, that sounded awkward and generic, and some oddly placed commas that someone should have caught, but that wasn't it. To me, the story itself felt very generic and lifeless. There was nothing original about it and no reason for me to like/dislike/engage with the characters. The characters had plenty of backstory that should have made them complex characters, but I just didn't see it.

Alex Troy's personal life is sad. She is still mourning the loss of her parents in a plane crash and trying to recover from an abusive relationship. No wonder then that her job as a successful police detective with the Vice/Narcotics Division is the focus of her life. She's known for being totally professional, tough and a stickler for following the rules, but she's also a closer who can bring in the criminals for prosecution. When she is asked to head a task force to take down a drug dealer named Sonny Davis, Alex knows that this could be the opportunity she's been waiting for to move up higher in the department. Matters become complicated when she is instructed to include Officer Keri Morgan in her group. Alex was involved in an earlier investigation of a situation including Keri and there is no doubt that the younger officer doesn't trust Alex. Keri brings a life force to her work though that Alex has been missing for years and she quickly proves that Alex's original impression of her was incorrect. The two find themselves working closely together and an attraction grows, which endangers their careers and possibly their lives. Both hope they won't have to make a choice about what is more important, their relationship or ending the career of a drug lord.

To Protect and Serve is an interesting story. The play between the characters is more involved than most romances, so it holds the reader's attention. Sonny Davis, to be the drug king pin, is unusually stupid, especially about women, but the story would have needed to be a lot longer if he weren't. The book is a pleasant way to spend a few hours.

When a councilman's daughter ends up dead from an apparent overdose, Alex Troy, an astute lieutenant in Vice/Narcotics, is called upon to head the investigation. Alex plans to outsmart the ruthless drug lord, Sonny Davis, using whatever it takes to bring him to justice. But there is more at stake than a high profile case with a plum chance of promotion. Alex previously had mentored, befriended, and admired the once vibrant victim. She vows to punish whoever did this to Stacey and all the other young victims.

Alex struggles to maintain her impenetrable persona as she faces personal and professional challenges. More intriguing is Alex's growing attraction to a gorgeous, gutsy subordinate, Keri Morgan, who becomes the primary team officer under her command. Keri is driven by her obsession to nail Sonny Davis and is fantasizing about Alex. Between Alex's past demons and this 'make or break' case, she doesn't need any distractions.

Drama and attractive women is what VK Powell shows in To Protect and Serve. The play between the main characters is enough to make this a fine read, but going undercover, chasing hardened criminals and bringing them to justice adds just the right amount of action to make this a well-plotted page turner. The book drew me in from the beginning with characters that captivate in their complexity. Powell writes with authority, using the lingo and capturing the thoughts of the law enforcers. The images are vivid, the action is believable, and the police procedurals are authentic. After Keri makes a dangerous bust, Alex wants to know if Keri always gets into this much trouble. When Keri asks Alex if she did something wrong, Alex replies, "You saved the victim from further injury, got the bad guy, and no cops got hurt. I'd say that's a pretty good day. We can talk about the rest another time."

Powell had me invested in the story of these admirable women, who put their heart, mind, body, and soul into their chosen profession. The riveting scenes between Alex and Keri had me rooting for Keri to overcome Alex's barriers and for Keri to stay safe for Alex's sake. A satisfying conclusion with ample room for a sequel, To Protect and Serve will hit the spot.

by Cheri Rosenberg
for Story Circle Book Reviews
reviewing books by, for, and about women

This book just didn't suit me. I didn't hate it, and think that it will really appeal to a certain type of reader, but there was nothing in the reading of it that really grabbed me. I like a book in which the characters show progression from beginning to end, and I felt that the main characters here spent too much time standing in one place and endlessly rehashing the same thoughts and conflicts in their heads, repeatedly. This may be realistic, but did not compel this reader.

I also like a book with a strong central theme or idea or that's trying to say something, but I often felt myself wondering "what's the point?" I would say it can work from a pure entertainment perspective, but again it just didn't work for me.

There were some interesting bits about police work, being a woman in a male-dominated profession, the war on drugs. It was nice to read a book from someone who's worked in the field, but at times I felt like there were assumptions on the part of the author about the reader's understanding, so there wasn't sufficient explanation about the significance of events, internal politics, interactions between officers, etc. Also at times it read like perhaps a screen play or something: like we were being given descriptions of events and getting dialogue from the author's head, but not being fed the underlying analysis which one must do in books to make up for the lack of body language and music (like accompany that "screen play") to communicate emotion and thoughts.

Overall a light, quick read that I ended up skimming from about the half-way mark. It was rocky at first, started to grab me when Alex and Keri started to interact on a more regular basis, lost me when they were suddenly professing love to each other in their heads, despite not really knowing anything about one another or resolving any of the obstacles they kept mentally obsessing about. There was heat and there were sparks. I generally liked the characters. There was a decent supporting cast, and I did think that the ending resolved satisfactorily.

an engaging well written spy story that you can read once sitting

A fascinating story by a REAL journalist

What an experience! Hard to believe it'a a true story. I'm amazed by the author's courage.

THis is an interesting read that raises questions about the lines a journalist should--or should not cross--when dealing with intelligence agents. I'm not sure that issue is addressed sufficiently here, in fact. Though the ending is a bit of a letdown, the story itself does draw the reader in and is unique enough to be of interest both to readers interested in spy stories as well as journalism. AN easy short read, so I recommend it.

I left reading Powell's "Treason" wondering if his story was really worthy of a book. An meaty article in some highbrow magazine, surely, but a book?

Powell describes his involvement with bringing a Soviet turncoat, GRU Colonel Baranov, in from the cold. Baranov, disgruntled with the crumbling Soviet system, agreed to spy for the CIA. However, before he was able to do much of anything for the CIA, he was outed as a traitor. The book describes Baranov's career, and then Powell's efforts to bring the government into investigating the circumstances surrounding Baranov's arrest, almost certainly the work of a spy in the United States who betrayed Baranov to Moscow.

The main problem with the book is that it ends inconclusively. We never learn who betrayed Baranov. Furthermore, Baranov himself makes for a rather uninteresting subject of study when it comes to espionage, because his career as a traitor inside the GRU and agent for the CIA was over immediately after it began.

Readers will learn something about how spies like Baranov are recruited and operate - both into the intelligence services and then into betraying their countries. They will also learn a good bit about journalistic ethics and espionage (the book's high point). Another strong point is getting what is essentially a street level account of how badly the CIA can bungle seemingly routine tasks.

Overall, the book is well-written, and Baranov's story is a good one. I just don't think it was worth of a full-fledged book, even a short one like "Treason."

My 20 month old son loves this book. He always giggles when he uses his finger to slide out the hidden animal. However, the cover of this book is extremely flimsy and cheaply made. These books are intended for young babies and toddlers and the cover should have been made of the durable board book material rather than a thin piece of cardboard material. It got bent on the very first reading.

After many failed attempts to get my first son to sit with me and read/look at a book, we tried these books and never looked back. He's now 4 and LOVES books, and my 17 month old is now reading the Little Movers.

My twin girls are well on their way to wearing out the author's other mini-mover book (Munch, Munch) so I thought they would like this one as well. While they do love to slide out the animal heads, the story is lacking. I would return the book, but for a $3.50 price, shipping it back is not worth it.

Lets just say these were a hit at our house. Between my two children we have had to buy 3 copies of this book because it has gotten so much use. They are durable...but with that kind of use we needed more.

This is a great durable book. My son starts giggling the moment he opens it up.

I previously read Dawn Powell's The Golden Spur, which was a combination of Dorothy Parker's wit and Iris Murdoch's use of a multitude of characters, and liked it enough to purchase and read Dance Night. Of the two, Dance Night is, by far, the better. Powell has created two characters - Morry and Jen - whom you come to care about, while also accurately depicting small town life in the early 1900s and how it is to be young. Her female characters such as Morry's mother, Elsinore, and, particularly, Jen, are complex and well rounded, which is refreshing, given that the novel was written in 1930. Though it is not as humorous as The Golden Spur, Powell still utilizes her wit with occasional one-liners that are capable of making you laugh out loud. Definitely worth reading, and further proof that more of her novels should be reprinted.

This novel of early 20th century Ohio deserves a place with the novels of Willa Cather and Theodore Dreiser. Unlike Dawn Powell's satirical New York novels, this is a straightforward and touching story of a young man growing up and growing out of a stifling small town. The story paints a wonderful picture of a simpler time in our country. This portrait, along with Powell's knack for characterization and interesting plot turns, make the book a treasure.

The four stars are simply because, as a huge Dawn Powell fan, I feel that some of her other novels are a little more well rounded. Having said that, I feel that four stars for Dawn Powell is the equivilent of five stars for anyone else. Dance Night is an engaging and easy to read novel, with Powell's usual flair for nailing character types. I highly recommend this novel, but more importantly, I recommend all of Dawn Powell's works You never develop too much compassion for the main characters, but the wit and insight with which they are drawn is really what makes them so enjoyable. Do yourself a favor and start reading Dawn Powell today.

Dawn Powell is without a doubt one of the most remarkable writers of this century. Anyone who wants to know how this country truly looked, sounded, and felt in the 30's, 40's & 50's owes it to themselves to stock up on her books. Her New York novels, like "The Locusts Have No King", can be almost savage in their bitingly hilarious portayals of life in mid-century Manhattan and Greenwich Village. "Dance Night" is something else, entirely. Powell brings the grubby town of Lamptown, Ohio to aching life; you won't soon forget her finely-etched characters and their desperate efforts to create some happiness among the cargo trains and factory whistles and backsteet affairs that define the limits of their lives at the dawn of the Great Depression. I can't recommend this book highly enough. Powell fans may want to order a copy of "The Best of Dawn Powell", as it contains "Dance Night", "Turn Magic Wheel", and a collection of short stories.

Dawn Powell (1897-1965) received little attention in her lifetime, but her novels are now in print and accessible due to the critical efforts of Gore Vidal and Tim Page, among others. She is an "autobigraphical" writer, and her novels fall into two groups: 1. the earlier "Ohio" novels which are based on Powell's childhood and adolescence in small-town Ohio in the early 20th Century and 2. the later "New York novels which are heavily satirical and describe Greenwich Village where Powell spent most of her adult life.

Powell wrote "Dance Night" in 1930, and it is an early novel in the "Ohio" group. It describes the fictitous small-town of Lamptown, Ohio in the early 20th century. There are gritty pictures of the local bars and saloons and of the railroad men who frequented them. There a pictures of the factories which were the chief employers of both men and the young women. The book focuses on the life of the working class in Lamptown, with their cramped, limited ambitions and opportunities, their rickety homes, and their sexual repressions and liasions. (Books such as this remind me of George Gissing, a Victorian novelist who remains too little known, and who depicted somewhat similar scenes and people in London.)

The two primary characters in the novel are Morry Abott a young man on the verge of adulthood and Jen St. Clair, a young girl just beginning adolescence who has been adopted from an orphanage. The book is how they come of age, sexually and emotionally, and how they attempt in their own ways (including their frustrated relationship with each other) to leave Lamptown. Morry, in particular, seems based upon Powell herself (she generally uses male protagonists in her books that I have read) and the frustrations she experienced in the rural midwest and her dream of a life of glamor, freedom, and adventure (sexual and otherwise) in New York.

In the novel, Morry lives with his mother who runs a small woman's hat shop, the Bon Ton. The father is a travelling salesman and mostly absent. When he is present, things are very ugly.

The title "Dance Night" derives from the chief social activity in Lamptown, the Thursday evening dances. Morry, his mother, and the young factory girls of Lamptown frequent the dances to flirt, dance, and arrange dates and sexual encounters.

There is a great deal of emphasis in the book on furtive, repressed sexual encounters between the young men and women of Lamptown. There is always a hope of escape -- then and now -- based primarily on the dream of sexual liberation. The book is also a story of economic change and ambition at the time of the beginning of the Depressions. The book shows the passing of chance and the attempt to make a quick dollar without thought or training.

The story is really within the American tradition of the coming of age novel -- of the young man finding himself. The book gives a memorable picture of Lamptown. But it leaves its main character Morry as he departs Lamptown in search of broader horizons and an uncertain future. This is an excellent, little-known American novel.

Chinatown allows us to flashback to the oh so tantalizing hints we have gotten in previous episodes about how Chinatown impacted the Goon and how he looks at the world these days. It also has a parallel story running at the current time, this one has a dame in it just like Chinatown did. In both, he is rebuffed by a woman who he tries to open up to or fall in love with. The title of this story could have been Dames and would have been an accurate picture of things. We also get to revisit some of his memories of his Aunt, the Carny who took him in as a child, perhaps the only woman in his life who never turned on him but ended up dead instead.
I have to admit I agree with all the reviews here, despite the fact that there seems to be two sets of thinking with the four I have read. This is a serious piece with none of the comedy elements found in every other Goon story I have seen so far. I like how that plays in relation to the entire Goon saga. Eric Powell has shown touches of emotional depth in previous episodes and this ones shows us even more about what has made the Goon who he is, but it still did not go far enough. Much of the "why's?" of what happens in this tale are still shrouded in mystery. We are educated, finally, about why Chinatown is such a dark spot in the Goon's history but we still do not understand the details. We know about as much as the Goon does in the end, as to why this woman or that did what they did, rather than gaining any further insights. Don't get me wrong, it still works here, because I appreciate the overall story quite a bit and this fits in quite nicely. It is not, as another reviewer stated, a good place for a newcomer to join in, because this certainly does not give a taste of what the Goon is normally all about, but for those who are fans, this tale definitely fits quite nicely in the Goon universe. Overall, I enjoyed it quite a bit.

Giving Powell every opportunity to pull out all his artistic chops, CHINATOWN gives readers of THE GOON some more backstory and a chance to see Powell cut loose. The Goon has always reminded me of early Popeye comics, with outrageous visuals and a rough hewn hero, (Of course Popeye wasn't a crime boss, who destroys zombies and people that annoy him, but you get the point.) but this book amps up the serious aspects of the comic and shows that under this kind of scrutiny the humor is a necessary component; The Goon as a melodrama doesn't quite cut it. For fans, it's worth the purchase for some answers to lingering questions about the character and to see some of Powell's best artwork. But this is not the place for the casual reader to start; it doesn't really give an indication of the outrageous humor that balances out the book's darker tendencies.

The most interesting thing about Eric Powell's _Goon_ series is that every volume manages to explore new territory, happily mish-mashing genres and tones together into a rolling zombie horror gangster comedy surprise. The one thing he hadn't tried -- up until now -- was a straight up serious character drama without any of the trademark off-the-wall humor that's made the series such a success. Even the darker, more horror-laden and psychology-wrought tales, like "The Vampire Dame Had to Die," had extensive comic interludes. Adding to the challenge is that woven throughout prior volumes of the series, there have been on-and-off references to "Chinatown," all generally of the "at least that wasn't as bad as Chinatown" / "Don't even bring up Chinatown" variety.

So in telling the story of "Chinatown," Mr. Powell faced a dual challenge: he had to tell a straight-up dramatic story without the zany comedy that has been the series hallmark, and that story had to live up to six volume's worth of foreshadowing.

The challenge is met and exceeded. "Chinatown" lives up to the billing set for it in prior comics, and functions on its own, dramatically, as an exploration of Goon's bitter, driven personality. This is a must-read volume for any fan of the series.

Powell's The Goon has consistently been one of my favorite comics since I first discovered it in trade form. I fell in love with its wit and dark humor throughout and its ability to deliver a delightfully intense and serious story. What makes Chinatown stand out from the bi-monthly series thus far is its serious tone. The very first page states "This Ain't Funny." There is no other statement that could bluntly put how serious this book is and how much it refuses to be anything but. Powell went all out to describe the heartbreak that leads Goon to who he is today and how he acquired the scar upon his face. I enjoy the comedy that constantly spouts out within the regular series, but I have to say that Mr. Powell knows how to spin an amazing yard without all the humor that is usually my favorite part of the regular series. All I have to say is "Well Done" and I look forward to reading more of The Goon when it starts shipping again in January.

Eric Powell's Chinatown, the most highly anticipated and mysterious part of The Goon's story, is sadly disappointing. Powell brings out one cliche storyline after another cliche plot element to the point that the story gets weaker as it goes along. The ending is completely anticlimactic. Fans already knew that The Goon had women problems, and Powell simply seems content to reiterate that. (WARNING: SPOILERS included past this point.)
The only true mystery in this part of The Goon's narrative turns out to be the very worn out trope of a person who feels belittled by those who would keep him down and decides to take his misguided revenge on others for his life at the bottom rung of society. Mr. Wicker turns out to be nothing but a boy who, with no provocation and no buildup in the storyline, somehow finds a book of evil magic, somehow knows how to use it, and somehow loses the book inside The Goon's bedroom which is supposed to be the biggest clue in the story. As well as pieces of thorns found outside on the Nortons' doorstep. After The Goon dispatches the boy, we get him saying "I hate you" in a scene of pure Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith plagiarism and Mirna, who's had a love / hate relationship with The Goon for several issues, saying, "You killed my brother, you S.O.B." And I know The Goon's a tough guy, but there's no way he could have survived being burned alive. Powell asks his fans to suspend way too much disbelief in this sadly shoddy story. The women characters here are all shells. There's nothing behind them but sexiness, spiteness, and weakness. There is nothing more behind Isabella's betrayal of The Goon than an inexplicable decision to leave him for (another cliche) a greased-up, pin-stripe wearing Eye-talian with a hot car. These are a few of the many examples of how Powell, in my opinion, simply fails his reader. Personally, the most powerful part of the story for me, since I knew Isabella betrays The Goon (it's been hinted at in many, many issues), was why she is in Chinatown in the first place. Powell knows he has to speak to this. All we get is her saying, basically, that things went bad for her after the carny days and The Goon's joyful and hope-filled adolescent fling with her. And then the story goes on. So basically Powell builds up all these hints and references for a mere footnote annotation. It just doesn't work for me.
What does work here is the art and the book as a product. Powell's art is unparalleled. And the book itself is high-end production. From a beautiful cover sleeve to the bright red cloth cover with a nicely stamped Chinese symbol on the cover, to nicely ornate end papers and high-gloss paper for the main story, it seems no expense was denied in making the book itself.
In conclusion, there is little machination here: only petty criminality. There is little betrayal here: only inexplicable and weakly capricious turnings away. There is little magic here: only a kid with a book of evil magic and a decapitated chicken head. There is little of the human element that has defined Powell oeuvre up to this point. Perhaps the only character that arouses in emotion is Franky whose biggest moment in the book is quoting The Goon's words from Issue #3: "What about me?!!! I ain't got nothin'!" It turns out that The Goon just really doesn't care. At least not until he's burned up in the hospital and wrapped up like a mummy and needs someone to change his feeding tube. The line "pals stick" just doesn't. This book is getting rave reviews elsewhere, but, in my opinion, Chinatown hardly satisfies its buildup.

If you aren't offended by senseless violence, this may be one of the funniest books you'll ever read. This is Eric Powell's earliest work on his signature masterpiece, The Goon, and I can hardly recommend it highly enough. The violence is far too cartoonish (and funny) to be taken too seriously -- imagine a real-life Popeye unleashed in the classic EC Tales of the Crypt universe, and you get some inkling of what I'm talking about. Popeye. Forget Olive Oyl and all that nonsense -- I'm talking about the powerhouse swings and other mayhem he unleashed when high on a can of spinach. And the Goon's little sidekick, Frankie, can best be compared to a human chihuahua on crack cocaine. Or crystal meth. With hands and explosive weaponry. We're talkin' zombies, vampires, and giant spiders who run the local bar. Oh, and the spider is a *good* guy.

Do yourself a favor and buy it. Even I love it, and I'm a forty-six year old woman. But then again, I'm a disappointment to my mother, and hang around comic book stores too much.

This volume of the Goon isn't the Goon proper; it's the preceding issues released independently while Eric Powell was still small-time before he got picked up by Dark Horse.
Everyone, including Powell himself in the introduction to this book, will tell you it's not that great, that it isn't quite up to snuff, or that it just wasn't getting it right. I disagree. Maybe it's just that Powell himself admitted it wasn't his best work, and the hordes of loyal fanboys followed obediently in slandering the work in this book. Actually, the book isn't half bad. The art is different, but still great. Although Powell says it was still rough and amateurish, you'd be hard pressed to find better art in the indie community. The art is great, actually more detailed than the art on display in the Goon series proper, it just doesn't have as much of the cartoony stylization.
There's really nothing wrong with this book. It still has a lot of the charisma of the Goon, only a bit less polish. It's well worth $12, and anyone who tells you otherwise is wrong.

I picked up Nothin' But Misery and My Murderous Childhood as my intro to the Goon not long ago and bought pretty much everything else immediately after.
This is the rougher cuts, the older independent stuff, true enough, but is well worth a look if you have check out any of the other Goon books or if you are just starting to examine this muscle bound mobster with (sorta) a heart of gold.
The art is still good here and I love the twisted way Eric Powell's mind works. The characters are hilarious and though this all has a Noirish feel to it the world the Goon inhabits is pretty far afield of anything you might expect from 30s and 40s.

As with most writers, the first stuff is not necessarily the best, and please, take this into consideration when reading The Goon. This book was first published prior to Dark Horse picking it up.

When it was finally picked up DH went back, and colorized and touched up, and this is the product of that. This is what started it all, and I insist you continue to read this series if you haven't.

Powell, I feel, is one of the best writers on the market today, and this book is a testament to what someone who is dteremined and has a dream can do.

Perhaps worth picking up for novelty value alone, The Goon is a comic about the hugely overmuscled, eponymous mob enforcer, who is a one-man last line of defense against the new, undead organized crime threatening some nameless dive of a town in some nameless, misbegotten part of the world. The Goon has to bludgeon back the forces of zombiism, vampirism (of a decidely effeminate sort), giant fish monsters and corrupt G-Men, and does it all with decidely simple-minded mayhem.

The book itself is drawn to reflect, and obviously tips its hat to, a sort of idealized Great Depression style of storytelling. Times are tough, men are men (except when they're rotting corpses), and you'd rather side with the mobsters than the cops, because you can trust the mob.

Some interesting humor here, gobs of violence, and a bit of nice character development and storytelling at the end. It's not my favorite comic ever, but definitely a nice introduction to a series I might want to explore further down the road.

This is a wonderful book to help you become self aware. There are exercises that you can do to help you determine who you really are & what you really like. There are a broad range of subjects covering this book such as Feng Shui, & Color Therapy. Awesome book!

Robin Lennon must be a very put-together woman! Her advice goes far beyond where to place furniture and which colors go well with others. After reading HOME DESIGN FROM THE INSIDE OUT I found the courage to throw away ancient artifacts from my youth and teenage years that should have gone in the trash long ago! I never thought a book about interior design would be so helpful in my personal life. I learned how to "create a home for my heart", and express my soul and creativity through my surroundings. Open ANY page, and you'll find yourself shaking your head "yes", she's right, I just needed some one to put it to me like that. It's only $14.95, and nearly 300 pages long! Forget that new CD and BUY THIS BOOK

If only there was truth in advertising -- then this book would be subtitled "How to sell the public just what it wants to hear." It's just another way to make a profit in New Age circles. This book is another pre-digested New Age primer passed off as the wisdom of Chinese thought. If you are credulous enough to buy and believe books like this, then you obviously aren't a trained artist, interior specialist, or mental health professional, and your idea of "Chinese culture" only goes as far as where you can get good take-out food.

I bought this book at a time I was interest in Feng Shui and found out that it really isn't about that afterall - and only one chapter is devoted to that falsehood (as she interprets it - I do believe in the true Chineese Feng Shui - not new age). The rest of the book is very informative for we decorators who believe that you should decorate your home for yourself and its occupants - not for the neighbor. One must be true to oneself and that is what Lennon hopes you aspire too. Peace!

Finally not just another book about what you should do with your looks or your life. For me, Home Design From the Inside Out made sense of everyday life. Not extravagent lifestyles, or impossible metaphysical demands, but real life, creative, processes which I can practice. Robin Lennon doesn't simplify or reduce these time honored ideas, but uniquely invisions them for how we live today. I highly recomend this book for artists and designers and for anyone looking to revitalize their life design.

I liked this book because it was different and from a guys piont of view. It showed how much you should value certain relationships. If I was Heidi I would have never thought about taking the money because choosing money over family is just wrong. It was good for the way it showed how people judge before we get to know a person. The thing that I thought was bad about this book was that I was bored at some parts and I thought it dragged on, too.

This book was really interesting. The author makes u think Biff is gonna go for Tommie (the girls he's had a crush on for 23 months) but he actuly goes for the other girl, its a really interesting book and i really enjoyed it!

I gave Is Kissing a Girl Who Smokes Like Licking an Ash Tray two stars because is like so many romance stories of its kind, boring and fluffy and it is highly predictable. It is a very basic because like I said it is like every other love story i.e. nerdy guy meets wild girl, he isn't sure he likes this girl because she is so wild, he spends some time with her and learns that she is actually a smart girl and not as wild as he thought. He likes her, and then like turns to love, then in the end he kisses her. A very simple pimple and blah and bland book.

Biff is a senior in high school who has never had a girlfriend. He has worshipped a girl named Tommie from afar for over a year, but just can't seem to get up the courage to call her. He is still enamored with Tommie when he meets a niece of a family friend and unexpectedly falls for her. I thought this book was funny and true to life -- I recommend it.

Studying for my Masters degree in library science, had to review 100 ya books----this was my number one pick by a long shot! Brilliant character development.

This is not historical and factual - the book was theologic lies and bull. Circular Logic. YUCK. Unless you are Christian and want to read happy lies to help you sleep at night do not buy this book

Who was Jesus of Nazareth? Today, few scholars doubt that Jesus actually existed, that he was a real historical figure. But exactly who or what was he? A raving madman? A prophet? A self-proclaimed Messiah? Or...?

This book, written by Mark Allan Powell (who is incidentally a Lutheran) doesnt give an answer to the question "who was Jesus". Rather, it describes the views of various scholars on the matter. Inevitably, there are many different views on Jesus within the scholarly community.

Powell begins by giving a short historical background. He describes how scholars during the 18th and 19th centuries attempted to cast Jesus in a "naturalist" mold. His miracles were really natural occurances, misunderstood by the superstitious disciples. The "kingdom of God" preached by Jesus was an earthly, political entity, not something supernatural and divine. And so on. The eschatological, apocalyptic and messianic elements of the Gospels were rejected as later ideas, and Jesus was transformed into a figure acceptable to 19th century agnostics or atheists. During the first half of the 20th century, Albert Schweitzer decisively challenged these ideas, "re-discovering" the eschatological ideas of Jesus, placing him once again in a firm 1st century Palestinian context. However, Schweitzer also believed that Jesus had failed in his mission, and that 20th century Christians must adopt an ultra-liberal, Social Gospel stance.

The main bulk of the book is devoted to contemporary scholars and their views of the historical Jesus. Powell does a good job in describing the various positions, the criticism levelled against them, and the often tricky methodological issues involved. For instance, how do we know what parts of the Gospels give the most trustworthy historical information about Jesus? How should apocryphal texts like "the Gospel of Thomas" be evaluated? What about the Talmud? Etc.

A particularly tricky criterion is the one called Dissimilarity. If a statement purported to be by Jesus is very different from 1st century Jewish conceptions, while also being potentially embarrasing to the early Church, it is usually deemed authentic. However, the Dissimilarity criterion gets problematic if taken to far. If the historical Jesus was neither "Jewish" nor "Christian", its difficult to explain why he recruited Jewish disciples who eventually founded the Christian Church! Dissimilarity risk turning Jesus into an unexplicable anomaly. In reality, there must have been at least some continuity between John the Baptist, Jesus and Paul. Why else would Jesus become a follower of John? And why else would Paul claim to act in Jesus name? Powell also points out another very common problem: those who attempt to reconstruct the "real" ideas of Jesus often end up with a Jesus whose ideas are similiar to their own! Leftist radicals end up with a leftist radical Jesus, Catholics with a Catholic Jesus, vegeterians with a vegetarian Jesus... Indeed, one of the things that made Schweitzer so remarkable was precisely that he came up with a Jesus he couldnt agree with.

The scholarly opinions described by Powell include those of the Jesus Seminar, John Dominic Crossan, Marcus J. Borg, E.P. Sanders, John P. Meier and N.T. Wright. The Jesus Seminar and Crossan represent the "liberal" part of the spectrum, with Crossan speculating that Jesus was a kind of Cynic, antinomian philosopher, more Hellenistic than Jewish, indeed, something of a 1st century hippie. By contrast, N.T. Wright has adopted an almost Biblical position, claiming that Jesus might very well have believed himself to be the God of Israel in the flesh. Of course, its difficult to escape the suspiscion that Crossan is a hippie of sorts himself, while Wright might be some kind of evangelical!

As already noted, the author of "Jesus as a figure in history" never answers that Question of Questions Jesus put to his disciples: "Who do you say that I am?". But at least, he has made it possible for the rest of us to contemplate the scholarly responses.

Five stars!!

Powell's book might not be for everyone. If you are a hardend Christian then you may want to gloss over this book because you may become so irate that you will go medieval witch hunting for all atheists.

With that being said, Powell presents this book as a way for the reader to see the best and brightest in the field of historical studies on Jesus. From the Jesus Seminar, E.P Sanders, N.T. Wright, and more, the reader will find theirselve emersed in a book that doesn't stop delivering. Was Jesus Hellenistic or was his movement a social or political one? The numerous historians in this book will offer their expert opinions on these questions.

Another note about the book, you will notice that each chapter begins with quotes, these quotes will lead you into each chapter and should help you understand what the chapter is about. Powell provides a background for each historian so that the reader will know what and why the historian is saying what he is saying, coupled with an excellent bibliography and note source for further reference. In addition, the reader will find a critique after each historian has been presented. These critiques are from the other leading scholars on the historical Jesus.

FYI, this is not a book of theology, so do not make it one. The reader needs to keep in mind that this is a book on the historical Jesus not the Church Jesus, although, many of the concepts of the Church Jesus are mentioned, such as the pre-Easter vs. the post-Easter Jesus. Also, many things will be mentioned that run contrary to the official doctrine of the Church, such as Jesus having political motives and the apocolypse that Jesus was teaching about was really just the return of the Jewish people from what "HE" saw as a still existing exile.

With all that being said, this book possesses great scholary work, but in a condensed version of the originals.

I couldn't get enough of this book. Powell is a wonderful writer, and he introduces us to the perspectives of Historical Jesus scholars of the last two centuries with absolute clarity and just the right details. I just had a lot of fun reading on the different scholarly views on who that ancient man of sorrows was. Powell seemingly has no axe to grind, seems completely competent to plough the terrain, and makes the whole trip worth it with the last two pages of the book....After this huge deluge of information about what Jesus did or did not say; after all of the guessing concerning Jesus message; after probing why Jesus has remained so controversial after 2000 years, Powell offers a tantalizing scenario concerning the very first Christian words ever penned on the last two pages (his only personal reflections in the book). I had to wipe the tears from my eyes after that.

This book is a 5 all the way. You won't be disappointed regardless of your view of who Jesus was (or is).

Dr. Powell is head of the Historical Jesus section of the SBL. He not only is a New Testament scholar in his own right, he is also a respected colleague and friend of the Jesus Scholars he discusses. He not only has read their works, but he understands their positions from the inside.

In my experience, the study of the Historical Jesus is sometimes characterized by rhetoric, special pleading, and an unfruitful "us" vs. "them" attitude. While Powell is forthright about his own views when this is appropriate, he comes across as
surprisingly objective as he discusses the pros and cons of each position. This is aided by the fact that the Jesus scholars often disagree with each other - so he can just say "Wright would take issue with that", or "Crossan responds to this view
in this way."

Powell's writing style is refreshingly informal at times, and he obviously strives for clarity over the "scholar-speak" so often encountered. At the same time, he is obviously familiar with the technical concepts and not only throws the jargon around
but often explains it.

The book shows unusual restraint - Powell gives the reader room to formulate his/her own conclusions, while providing insight into both the issues and the scholars themselves.

I understand that this book is used in college courses as an introduction to the subject, and I can see why.

_Jesus As a Figure in History_ is a rare contribution: a clear explanation of a difficult and complex subject. I give it a 5.