Robertson Books

This book provides a theological look at the nature of the spiritually disciplined life. Willard explores the "why" of the disciplines more than the "how." While this book certainly stands on its own, it makes an excellent follow-up to Foster's "Celebration of Discipline." Willard's intent takes him deeper than Foster and provides a more thorough exploration of spiritual disciplines. Highly recommended.

This is an excellent book for all followers of Jesus Christ or someone who wants to know what a true follower should be doing as a disciple of Jesus. If you want to grow and strengthen yourself in your walk with Christ, this book is an excellent guide. Just like a high caliber athlete practices and trains daily, we also need to follow certain practices to strengthen ourselves and develop good habits of prayer, worship, celebration, solitude with God, and many others. Without following these disciplines that Jesus Christ Himself practiced, the Christian can only expect to get so far before getting stalled in their faith. These spiritual disciplines are truly essential in furthuring our walk with Jesus. Dallas Willard's book is an excellent resource for that growth. Tom W.

a great source of spiritural disclipines, easy to understand and use in your daily life. great writing as ususal by Dallas Willard

"The Spirit of the Disciplines" focuses on the various disciplines that God uses to change people's lives. The book contains 11 chapters and 2 appendix for a total of around 265 pages.

Each of the 11 chapters addresses a particular theme. Chapter 9, addressing the specific disciplines, is my personal favorite. According to Willard in Chapter 9, the disciplines are separated into 2 groups:

1. Abstinence - This group consists of actions that helps us from becoming too involved in the world so we may better focus on God instead of the things of this world. The disciplines included here are: solitude, silence, fasting, frugality, chastity, secrecy, and sacrifice. Willard's comments on solitude and silence were particularly insightful (solitude can help us in resisting conformity to this world).
2. Engagement - This group consists of actions we can do to serve others in this world so as to not become so isolated that we render ourselves useless to be used by God for His glory. Disciplines included here are: study, worship, celebration, service, prayer, fellowship, confession, and submission.

Other chapters (such as 11) address issues such as: can a Christian be financially and spiritually successful at the same time?

Willard will definitely challenge you to think and pay attention as you read, so be forewarned - this is not a light read!

Read, enjoy, and be challenged and encouraged! Highly recommended.

In this book, Dallas Willard describes Christ's "easy yoke" of discipleship and corrects some erroneous beliefs as to what a life of discipleship entails. This does not replace the Gospel but is rather a fuller understanding of how to access the benefits available to us in our salvation.

Just as an athlete's entire life is devoted to the discipline of exercise, practice, diet, rest, etc. to result in the attainment of excellence that we see briefly during a sporting event, so a Christian's spiritual maturity and Christlikeness is not an accident but must be an ongoing intentional activity. Willard describes a series of "disciplines" which can be of value as we apply them to our lives:

The disciplines of abstinence:
solitude
silence
fasting
frugality
chastity
secrecy
sacrifice

These make way for the disciplines of engagement:
study
worship
celebration
service
prayer
fellowship
confession
submission

As we follow the Spirit's leading, we can utilize these disciplines to cultivate a deeper experience and awareness of Christ in our lives.

Willard also reviews how these disciplines have been abused and perverted over past centuries, resulting in the Protestant rejection of asceticism that has led to superficial contemporary churches that are devoid of spiritual depth and fruits of the Spirit.

There are also two very important chapters regarding poverty and wealth, and engagement with worldly power structures. Willard suggests that rather than "disengagement" with the world whereby we divest ourselves of our assets and worldly positions to become more "spiritual," instead we should steward these God-given responsibilities to work within our sphere of influence to advance the priorities of the Kingdom of Heaven.

As Willard says, "there truly is no division between sacred and secular except what we have created. And that is why the division of the legitimate roles and functions of human life into the sacred and the secular roles does incalculable damage to our individual life and to the cause of Christ. Holy people must stop going into 'church work' as their natural course of action and take up holy orders in farming, industry, law, education, banking and journalism with the same zeal previously given to evangelism or to pastoral and missionary work."

Willard says that the proper focus of the church is to cultivate disciples of Christ: "Ministers pay far too much attention to people who do NOT come to services. Those people should, generally, be given exactly that disregard by the pastor that they give to Christ. The Christian leader has something much more important to do than pursue the godless. The leader's task is to equip saints until they are like Christ, and history and the God of history waits for him to do this job."

As the church collectively and believers individually apply the "spirit of the disciplines" to cultivate Christ's nature within and among us, God's influence will be spread more effectively within the world. This book is a manual showing us how to go about it. As Willard says, we really have no other choice than to become disciples of Christ - or not. When we count the cost of each alternative, it is evident that the "easy yoke" is better than living according to the spirit of the world.

As a lover of military history, and WWII in particular, I was eager to read another great sea story, so highly rated. The title, Ship of Ghosts, was most intriguing, suggesting the story of a warship that kept up a fight while out of all communications. Unfortunately, the title turned out to be misleading. The USS Houston was sunk rather quickly, in its second battle of the war, so the bulk of the book describes how the American POWs survived a brutal Japanese imprisonment. An interesting read in itself, but not what it represents to be. I note that out of 420 pages, only 80 are about the sea battles. Hornfischer is a fabulous writer (maybe too good - once in a while the prose seems to get in the way of the storyline)and the story moves along, so "Ship of Ghosts" is worth reading, but readers should expect a story of survival, less so of battle and tactics.

very realistic book about what really happened. my uncle was on this ship and was captured by the japanese and spent the rest of the war in prison camps. he had told me quite a lot about what happened and the book backed up what he said.

At 69, I have never shed so much tear as I did reading "Ship of Ghosts"! I walked away from reading only to wipe or hide my tears.

In a way, I took "comfort" that my father was spared of the ordeal and that "comfort" helps fill somewhat the hole in my heart of my life-long yearning for the father I never knew. The survivors survived, not only to tell the story of the Houston saga, but also to spare the agony of their family members who otherwise would be like me.

Other good books such as Winslow's offered much information about USS Houston and her crew where I first saw my father's name. This "Ship of Ghosts" offers added views from non-Houston survivors.

And lastly, it is well written.

Eric Lien

This was one of those "why not?" choices of reading.

I knew of the heavy cruiser Houston but this book filled in the story. James Hornfischer did a wonderful job accumulating stories to present a good picture of what happened to the men of the Houston in the early days of the war and what happened to them during the war.

The Houston and along with a "rag-tag" collection of ships were given the all but suicide mission to defend Java from the Imperial Navy and the approaching invasion force. Suicide in the fact they were going to a fight severely over gunned and with no air cover.

They tried but were beaten and eventually only the Houstan the and Australian Cruiser HMAS Perth remained. Trying to make a run to Australia, they stumble on the invasion forces even though they thought it was only the navy. The Perth is mortally wounded and the Houston learns she has stumbled on the invasion fleet and rushes in. Four Japanese ships are sunk by the Japanese trying to get the Houston. Eventually she is sunk.

The story reads like an adventure which are greatly added by the personal stories of the survivors. The ship cats of the Perth and Houston. The cat from the Houston runs into the jungle just before the final voyage when the ships stop to refuel. The cat from the Perth is caught 3 times and ordered to be clapped into irons(ie a fuel can with four holes). Poor kitty knew what was coming. The grizzled old marine Sargent who stays at his post firing his 50 calibers while the ship tower sinks into the water(he could not swim). The chaplin who gave up his life in the life boats so the younger men would have a better chance.

The men of both ships try to figure out what to do. Some are picked up but surprisingly many are left by the Japanese. Some unruly Australians cuss out Japanese that try to rescue them. It was commented that in a disaster it's best to be with Australians as they have the penchant to look at everything as an opportunity. One group for instance, made it to shore, made a ragtag ship and sail and were going to make a run for Australia. They were captured.

Next came the stories of the camps. The brutality and the diseases of life in the jungle as a P.O.W. You get to hear the about the amazing doctor who had knowledge of Jungle medicine and probably saved countless men. One thing was surprising was to read these men were involved with the bridge and train system that was told by the move "The Bridge on the River Kawi" I knew Hollywood tends to glamorize things but you will see the full story from this book. One of my favorite characters from this cast is the supreme scavenger named Mccone. The Japanese were scared of him because they thought he was crazy. He assembled a crew which he called the 40 thieves. One story that made me laugh was the arrival of a delivery truck. The thieves stripped it down to the frame in minutes and the tossed the frame next to the junk pile. The driver came back and was subsequently beaten by the guards for loosing the truck. The guards were beaten by the NCOs for the truck being lost and the NCOs were beaten by the commander for the guards loosing the truck. The prisoners had to work from laughing and dreaded what would have happened if the commander had put his hand on the still hot radiator as he looked through the junk pile.

An interesting aspect was the mix of brutality and the rare instances of compassion shown by the Japanese. Beatings were a constant thing but then there were moments of were they would do things. When it came to the Korean guards it was down right brutal.

One interesting side note was the fact the river Kwai was not the original name. It was later renamed after the movie came out.

All in all this is a good book for the historian and the general fan of the area. Numerous sources are listed for further research if so desired. There is also a website listed that keeps track of the survivers and men who died on that day.

The story of the loss of the heavy cruiser USS Houston off the coast of Indonesia on 1 March 1942 is a story which strikes right to the heart of naval traditions which go back beyond the creation of the United State of America itself. It is a story of danger and brave deeds, of gallant actions and bloody combat. Most of all it is a story of ship that went down fighting against insurmountable odds - a ship which never struck her colours and was still fighting when the sea finally claimed her.

Famous for being President F. D. Roosevelt's favourite ship, the Houston was trapped in the Far East immediately after the events of Pearl Harbour and the loss of the British Force Z (Battleships HMS Prince of Wales and Repulse) just a few days later. In company with HMAS Perth, the ships fought off, avoided and evaded overwhelming enemy forces until, low on ammunition, they colluded in the most courageous action now known as the Battle of Sunda Strait where both ships were finally lost.

This, however, is where Mr Hornfischer starts his story about this legendary "Ship of Ghosts."

It is because the Japanese were so very ruthless in their bid to conquer all before them, that prisoners were treated with utter contempt. Consequently, those who survived the sinking of the Houston began a journey that became the stuff of legend and it would be a full 3 years before anyone beyond those Japanese forces would learn what had happened to the ship and that some survivors were still alive - though, by now, far fewer in number.

There is no happy ending to such a story as this because there never can be. War is brutal and warships on both sides get sunk. What actually happened to the survivors of the USS Houston has taken this author right through and beyond the ordinary realms of research into an area of personal accounts, life in captivity and life in the jungle at the hands of a regime far more cruel than anything seen since the dark days of WW2.

And yet, he produces an account of personal achievement for those who possessed that indefinable quality that always meant they were going to survive.

I congratulate Mr Hornfischer on an excellent book, an excellent job of research and a most complete account. Most of all, I congratulate him on making it all so very readable.

NM

This book delivers on what it promises--peace from the suffering that often accompanies anxiety and panic disorders. The book covers symptoms of these disorders that few other books even touch upon, and it offers helpful tips and calming suggestions to help the reader overcome the symptoms. It makes you feel like you're not strange or "going crazy" as a result of anxiety!

Bought this book in the late seventies. Helped me understand what was going on with me. Keep it and reread it. Its not a "cure", but its a good start on a long path. Believe me its well worth it!

Probably the best and simplest self-help books I've read concerning anxiety, panic, and the resultant depression. Dr. Weekes was ahead of her time in calming the reader, recognizing the fear and nervous exhaustion facing so many people. Sure- get the therapy and meds if you need them, but read this book and keep it close to your heart! Peace- JB- Chicago

This little book helped me when I was suffering a bout of stress related problems. The physical symptoms were alarming and heightened the way I was feeling. The writer explined these symptoms, and the links with the anxious mind, in a very clear and compassionate way.

The book really did bring a lot of comfort,understanding, and it helped me through my problems. This occurred over three months ago, and I feel that I have learned a great deal from the situation: that I was overdoing it at work, that there is a price to pay in terms of the degredation of mental health; this leads to an array of unusual physical symptoms (in my case: pins and needles in arms and legs, inability to catch my breath, noise and traffic in my head and insomnia).

This book explained these and encouraged me not to be too alarmed , explaining that they will eventually pass - and they did.

It's an excellent book which will help you understand what is happening to your nerves. It persuades you to avoid these situations in the future.

Many years ago I suffered from agoraphobia, not even having a clue at the time what that meant. While I was never housebound, everyday situations like riding in cars, sitting in the boss's office, or going to the grocery store could produce almost heart-stopping anxiety. I was virtually paralyzed in my life, and certainly would never have accomplished any important life goals in that state -- a condition that crippled me for about ten years. One day I happened on Dr. Weekes's book "A Simple, Effective Cure for Agoraphobia." I don't wish to sound overly dramatic, but my life was pretty much turned around by Dr. Weekes's clear, basic and empowering program. I have remained essentially symptom-free now for 20-plus years. I mean, we all have those nervous-making moments, but mine are now in the normal and manageable range and, while I used to have trouble driving to a nearby convenience store, I have now traveled pretty extensively in several continents -- not bad for a former agoraphobic, huh? Several years ago I wrote a letter to Dr. Weekes to thank her for the profound changes I experienced with this (then) maybe $6 book purchase. Sadly, I learned from her niece in a lovely letter that Dr. Weekes is no longer living. I owe Dr. Weekes a great deal, and would certainly encourage anyone who suffers from an anxiety condition to take a chance on her books. There is always an investment of personal energy in any therapeutic effort, and (as the commercials always say) "results will vary," but Dr. Weekes provided me with a framework that was reassuring, directive and enormously beneficial. I can't recommend this book highly enough.

This book was as good as the first one I bought.He is a prophet of our American Civilization. Someday; we will be like the society in his books. The best adult comic book writers come from United Kingdom. Since The UK is our best international friend; They earned the right to be our best critics. Again; As usual Amazon delivered.

Even though subsequent volumes in Warren Ellis and Darick Robertson's TRANSMETROPOLITAN series would surpass this very diverse collection of stories, it is still a first rate addition to the series. It is always outrageous, frequently funny, sometimes absurd, but always stimulating.

There two aspects of the series that make it especially interesting to me. First, no other comic series explores the meaning of the media in general and the Fourth Estate in particular. For all his cynicism and rebelliousness, anti-hero Spider Jerusalem is a journalist who believes that reporting should strive to make the world a better place . . . or at least not quite so bad. Sometimes Spider's posing and stunts get in the way of that, but Ellis does manage to get the story back around to that conceit from time to time. Second, the series goes further than any other I know in looking at the furthest extremes of what people will do to remake and reconstruct themselves. Many writers have pointed out that ours is already a Cyborg culture. How else can you characterize someone who has an artificial hip, a pacemaker, and lasik eye surgery? Other writers, like Ray Kurzweil and Hans Moravec, have fantasized about a utopian future in which the human brain is sliced up and downloaded into a database, where one's consciousness can enjoy a virtual immortality (though personally, I just think of this as a bizarre way to die). Many of these notions are taken up and explored in the Transmet series.

The two books that begin the series are good, but newcomers should keep in mind that it gets much better in subsequent volumes. So while I recommend this, I even more strongly recommend reading the volumes that follow.

This book too much focuses on "being punk" instead of focusing on story. There are great ideas but they are not really explored.

Lust for Life is probably the weakest collection of Transmet. It falls in between the initial story arc, and when Helix Comics, was shut down and the title was moved to Vertigo. It has some nice establishing moments, and sets up some characters that will play critical roles through out the series. But, it's that point in between where the story starts and where it finds its feet.
It's still a part of the larger whole though, and can't be skipped if you're trying to read the series beginning to end. And Transmet is still one of the best comic series out there, so, even at its weakest, it continues to be a very strong piece.
In the end, if you haven't read the first trade, this is a poor place to start. If you did and disliked it, Lust for Life does expand the characters, but, you probably won't find anything to change your mind. If you loved the first trade, or just found it mildly enjoyable, it's worth continuing, though, mostly for where the series does find its feet, in the third trade.

This is really something I could say is a Graphic Novel without smirking. I'm no veteran when it comes to comics, but I've lent it out to a few people I know that are, and they rave about it as well. It's very much like a Fear And Loathing influenced cyberpunk tale of journalism in a future that, for all its random technical advances, is still populated by people and therefore still plagued by the same kinds of problems we face today.

Good story--could not put book down after I started--easy reading book...I really injoyed it...

Holy Cow Ranch Boy this is amazing. I now know more about Sebring and ranching than I ever knew before. Like many of your readers I was raised in Sebring too. I am a little nervous because I had a very nice female cousin who was raised on Crescent Drive where and when Ranch Boy was -- her name wasn't Jane but I'm still wondering.

The book is very graphic. There is some plain talk which is not for the young. On the otherhand the pictures done by the author are outstanding. All in all a rowdy ride through a time and a town. My time in Sebring was a little earlier but our coming of age wasn't so much different. Bet the kids there today are doing the same things!

H. Steven Robertson takes us on a journey. For some, a journey revisited, for others one that was / is needed. There are many
a written word about love, life, and triumph or tragedy. But, I
have never seen it delivered in such a riveting way. This author
reaches you with his superb descriptive prose. The story line is
novel, but it takes you much further than just the growth of the
lead character; it strikes to the heart of character in each of us. The book delivers to you a social fabric that once predominately existed in this country, genuine simple hard times.
It makes you laugh, it makes you cry and invokes the reader's emotions. It warms your heart and touches your soul. I wish I were there again, and it is my goal to recapture as much of it as I can. This book is a tremendous contribution to everyone young and old. I hope they make a movie. I would give it 6 stars if I could.

Set in rural Florida, Ranch Boy by H. Steven Robertson is a story about coming of age, as a young man by the name of Robbie Duncan matures and yearns for freedom from his father's stern and absolute control. Fulfilling his dream of becoming a cowboy, Robbie soon learns that the reality of ranch work is far harsher than the dreamy illusions he once held, as tending to animals and laboring in orange groves is physically exhausting work. Yet satisfaction and independence come of a job done well, in this moving and thoroughly entertaining story of personal growth and accomplishment.

Steve Robertson and I both grew up in Sebring. He was the handsome jock; I was the martial arts geek who didn't play team sports. He grew up with a militant, demanding father. I was sort of a "preacher's kid," but no less demanded of.

Those insignificant differences in background aside, I loved Ranch Boy. Steve has a simple style of writing that draws you right into the world of the teenage protagonist. His descriptions of the town, the people, (many identified by their real names), the work on the ranch, his neighborhood, and especially the boy's relationship with "Jane," are so accurate and poignant that no one who grew up in that place and time could possibly do other than identify strongly.

I knew Steve at that age. I knew the people he writes about, the teenage doubts (although he doesn't admit to many), the ideals and mores of the time, the young people he grew up with, dated, palled around with, played ball with, worked on the ranch with, and loved. He's got it dead on. If you remember the early '60's...if you were an adolescent in those far more innocent days...then you owe it to yourself to read Ranch Boy. If you don't, obviously you won't be sorry...but you'll sure as hell be missing a wonderfully nostalgic experience, and a good tale as well.

book! The pictures are wonderful, and the story itself is sweet and simple with lovely rhyming. My son loves it! He is now 3. If I could just give a 1/4 star less I would. I still believe this is a book worth adding to your children's home library. The only problem I found is the illustrator decided to draw a lioness instead of a lion. His roaring lion has no mane. The story indicates a lion in 'his den.'

My kids and i loved this book. The illustrations are great, the rhyming is fun, and the story is adorable. You'll love it.

A bored emu named Edward in a zoo envies his seal neighbours and decides life would be a lot more exciting as one of them. He hops the fences of both enclosures in this poorly designed zoo and lives life as a seal. The customers and staff at the zoo aren't the brightest and don't notice any difference between him or the other animals let alone return him to his own enclosure so he's all set being a seal. Only he overhears a member of the public say that his favourite animal is a lion so Edward decides to hop the fence again. Hanging out with the lions (who don't eat him for some reason) someone else mentions snakes are their favourite so he decides to become a snake. Is it really a desire to be different Edward is after or is it something else. Read this book and find out!

The illustrations are very well done with minute attention to detail resulting in very realistic colour sketches. My only criticism is that it would be nice if Edward had visited a few more animals but that's the only bad thing I have to say about this book.

There's also a sequel available called Edwina the Emu.

Edward the Emu is sick of being an Emu, so he tries out being a few other animals at the zoo, only to discover that the visitors have many favourite animals.
The story is told in a lovely verse and the illustrations are one of the best I have seen in any children's book. Edward The Emu is funny and engaging with a simple message of valuing oneself.
Highly recommended.

Edward the Emu is just a precious story with the funniest illustrations! My kindergarten students love this book! It is one we keep out all year and read lots of times. Edward makes us all laugh, especially when he is trying to be a snake, they think that is a really funny thing for an Emu to be a snake! You will enjoy this book.

I don't know why this book is so little known - it's very clever and it's hilarious fun. I wish I knew about it sooner. But if you're thinking of buying it, beware: there's no key. You'll have to figure these puzzles out on your own.

If you can read French and if you grew up heaaring Mother Goose rhymes (in English) this book is a MUST HAVE. It presents an almost credible scholarly work about some fragments (in French) from an old civilization. If you will read those fragments aloud, you"ll be able to hear (in English) well known nursery rhymes. Truly fascinating, and soetimes challenging! (Especially if you had never known THIS rhyme in English!)
--And the "scholaraly" footnotes are great!

Zebu qui se regrette: there's no question about that, and I _am_ grateful that it's back in print. BUT, buyers beware: the print in this edition looks like it came out of a cheap photocopier. Van Rooten deserved better.

This is a wonderful book - I laughed myself silly the first time I encountered it (even though my French comprehension is NOT wonderful). Will give this one to a friend to whom I know it will give hours of pleasure.

Mots D'Heures: Gousses, Rames is one of the greatest literary entertainments ever written. It runs the gamut from touchingly nostalgic to raucous. Above all, it is howlingly funny. It makes me laugh so hard it hurts.
You need two things to enjoy Mots D'Heures: Gousses, Rames. You should know some French, and you should know some nursery rhymes. With that, the book will hit you from line to line with waves of jaw-dropping hilarity, endless wit, and moments of poignant reminiscence.

There is nothing more to say except: bah, six boucs! [The author apparently thinks you should pay six goats---or a sheep?]

PS -- Having unguardedly purchased a copy of the paperback edition listed above, I must agree with a recent reviewer that the production is dreadful. A reader interested in this masterwork would do well to seek out a copy of the original 1967 edition (long out of print), even at considerable cost. But not from me, though. I wouldn't part with mine for less than tartines fortunes.

The book is very inspiring and useful especially to those who are at the crossroads of their lives. It's a life-giving book and brings you closer to God. In fact, a friend who's in her challenging stage in her life is using this book.

This book presented itself to me when I was deep into a project and just needed some factual answers. It's only 94 pages. I thought I could read it very quickly.

Ha.

It did give me answers, but it wasn't a quick read. It was the kind of book that had me reading a page, then pacing the floor, waiting for the million thoughts it excited to settle down so I could read the next. This went on for a week. And then I read it again, and read it out loud to friends. The cheap copy I bought is already wearing out.

What's it about? Simply, it's about the ancient practices of the Desert Fathers, of solitude, silence and prayer, how and why they came about, why they are needed now, and how they can be made to work in our crowded, noisy, distinctly non-contemplative lives.

The thing that first got my attention, was Nouwen's description of the problem of worldliness in the church, our tendency to think the way everybody else thinks. Worldliness, not simply in the way we've all come to see it, drinking and carousing, that sort of thing. He talks about the sneakier form, the kind that creeps in without our noticing, that has us convinced that what makes us valuable, what makes us worthwhile, is what we own, what we have accomplished, and what people think of us. Take those away and we have no reason to exist.

Think what that does to us. Think how it drives our choices, how it colors our view of others.

That's what began to get my attention - but I knew the book would be precious to me when I read the story of St. Anthony, who after some twenty years of practicing the disciplines of solitude, silence and prayer was finally able to pray genuinely - talking to God as himself, not the person he thought or wished or hoped to be. When he rejoined humanity, his very presence was healing to people because at last he could look at them with clean eyes, he could really see them as they were, not as accessories to his own self esteem.

Can you imagine how that way of being would change everything?

Buy this book. If you can, get a good strong copy. It's going to have to hold up to much reading.

This book is about how people who are engaged in active work to help others also need to spend time in prayer with God so that they can be more peaceful and more in touch with who they are and who they need to be.

This is a book that should be required reading in highschool or maybe earlier.

Had I previously investigated the author and the content, I wouldn't have purchased WOTH. Nouwen draws heavily from the "Desert Fathers," a group of hermits who lived in a Middle Eastern wilderness during the Middle Ages. They based their philsophy and practice of spirituality not only on the Bible (which is why I awarded two stars instead of one) but from eastern mysticism, Hinduism, and Buddhism. If you want to learn more about the beliefs of these mystics, it's an excellent sourcebook. As a reformational Christian, there wasn't much in this book I can recommend to those seeking to know the God of the Bible.

In this extraordinary memoir from 1932-1934, Kitty Crockett Robertson describes her life on the North Shore of Massachusetts during the Depression, a time when she, a Harvard graduate, became a hard-working apple farmer to save the family farm in Ipswich. Her physician father had died, and Kitty, wanting to keep the farm from being sold for development, which her Boston-based brothers favored, decided to give up her job working at the Harvard Library to try to make the orchard profitable enough to save the land.

Working almost single-handedly, she spent the next two years doing all the dirty work, learning in the process that "The Depression was that time of leveling when she and her neighbors kept going on the strength they learned from each other." From her earliest days on the farm, she personally pruned trees, cleared land, repaired sprayers and tractors, gathered swarming bees into hives, hired five workers at twice the going rate (because they, too, needed to make ends meet), dealt with an arrogant banker anxious to foreclose, protected her apples at gunpoint when necessary, and then fought the weather, storms, and a December temperature drop to twenty degrees below zero in her efforts to bring the crop to market.

In the process she earned the love of her workers (who had regarded her, at first, as an idle "North Shore millionaire"), gave up everything in her personal life to devote herself completely to her task, worked up to 16 hours a day for two years during the apple and peach seasons, and gained new appreciation for the values she saw every day among her workers, the wholesaler who bought her drops and cider apples, and the purchasing agent of Harvard, who helped her make commercial connections to sell her crop.

Robertson, who became a newspaper and radio columnist in her later years, was a formidable writer who always recognized the values which unite people, regardless of their "class," and this quality pervades her personal memoir. Unfinished, because her life became too busy to finish it after 1934, it was discovered upon her death in 1979 by her daughter, and it is she who moves the story to its conclusion after 1934. Filled with personal detail and wonderful tributes to those who helped her, Robertson is never self-serving, readily admitting her weaknesses while stressing her efforts to succeed. A unique look at one farm and its history during the Depression, The Orchard is an extraordinary record of the times, written by a truly extraordinary woman. n Mary Whipple

My only complaint about this book is that it only covers two years of the author's life in detail. I hated for the book to end. I wish she had had time to write more, because she was an amazing person. Kitty's father, a doctor, raised his family in a colonial farmhouse by the ocean. Beginning in her childhood, he made Kitty learn to do a man's work in the orchard. He also gave her a series of boats to sail on the ocean. She loved the farm and the sea. She got a college education and a good job in a college museum, but gave it all up when her father died at the beginning of the depression. None of her brothers were willing to do the backbreaking labor to keep the heavily mortgaged farm working. Kitty quit her good job and immersed herself in running the orchard, which her father had always said would save the farm he loved. She lived alone except her beloved dog, with no money and little heat in the winter. Her own family seemed determined to see her fail. She found good, loyal friends though, and though her life was daunting, it was also full of the joy of nature and achievment. I can't praise this book enough.

This book was truly one of the most interesting and capturing books I have ever read. I felt like I was present in the story and now can't wait to go to Ipswich and see this old farm house.

The late Adele Robertson's story of her attempt to save her family's property by establishing a commercially viable apple orchard during the Great Depression is a true gem. Robertson, who later went on to become an award-winning columnist for the Ipswich Chronicle, writes in a clear first-person voice. At times wildly humorous and often poignant, the story is superficially about growing and selling apples. What it is really about is self-reliance and courage. It is no wonder that so many New England high schools now include this book on their reading lists -- Robertson (with the help of her daughter Betsey, who retrieved and edited the manuscript after her mother's death) has produced a riveting work that speaks to a woman's need to "make it on her own" without ever preaching about it.

The Orchard, a Memoir, is a great book. Last week I was on a long flight back to San Luis Obispo from Omaha and I had this book with me, a gift from my mom. I started reading it and totally forgot about the flight, never noticed the movie they were playing. A good number of times tears were just pouring down my face and I'd wipe them away, wondering if the people on the plane around me thought I was a bit crazy.
But I tell you, I'm crazy about this book! Honestly, I read a good deal and this is easily one of the most interesting, deepest, most powerful books I have read in years. Although true, a memoir, it reads just like a fine novel. I was so totally absorbed reading this rare gem of a find, that it was difficult to realize that the author had died some 20 years ago--she, Adele Crockett Robertson, seems so real, so full of life, so gutsy, so immediate.
Briefly, this is the story of a young girl, a smart, educated girl with a good head on her shoulders, who loses her job in the great Depression, and goes back to the family farm to try and save it from the bank. The many people in the book all come to life perfectly and there are surprises aplenty. I am a gardenwriter (author of Allergy-Free Gardening)and have farmed myself, and I appreciate what Adele went through. I would also add that this is no doubt the best picture of life during the Depression I've ever come across.
I plan to review this book every place that I can, because to my mind, this one is so good, so readable, so well worth reading, so enjoyable, so satisfying, that it completely deserves to be a best seller. Do yourself a favor and read this marvelous book!

This book was a gift from a dear friend and what a true treasure it is. I am an occasional actor who lives in Chicago and I can't tell you how valuable this book is for those in and out the entertainment business; because the entertainment in daily living is constantly changing regardless of who you are. This book is not just for actors it is a valauble tool for everyone seeking affirmations for themeselves and their lives.

As the mother of two energetic pre-school boys, my time is no longer my own. I love the way this book is constructed... short bursts of wisdom that I can grab and digest. I have found this book invaluable to help me re-center myself when I start to wonder what in the world I'm doing with my life!

Doing something to make me sweat was my way to clear out my head and heavy soul upon coming home from work. Now I read instead. Carra's book is one that I pick up to help me refocus on a salient experience. I am not an actor. I am a pediatric nurse and often come home with a heavy heart. Thanks Carra for helping me to refocus and go back to work for more, because I am a good nurse. I intend to share this little jewel with my peers.

As a non-actor, I was skeptical when a close friend bought me this book as a gift. But I found it to be comforting and inspirational, with a wisdom that resonates beyond any specific profession.

Not being an actress I wasn't sure if this would apply to me. But I find this to be a great book to keep close at hand. I am no longer forced to stare at the numbers in the elevator. I do not have to flip through magazines at the register. I have read and reread this book! I wish I had put one in every gift I gave this past Holiday. But I am not waiting until Christmas to send one to all of my friends!