Shaw Books

This book can be used creatively with kids of all ages! As a speech therapist at an elementary school, this book provides many language development opportunities! I love it as much as the kids do!

This is a great book for pre-school age kids. It's a simple story with lots of opportunities for the kids to participate, saying what each picture is. I know a lot of teachers use this book and then have the kids make their own "ink blot" type images and then say what they see in their cloud. Very cute book.

Great book for teaching shapes and cloud, fun to read with felt board activity.

Tell the children to turn off the TV and read this book. It just begs them to try their hand at making some "spilled milk" with blue construction paper and cotton balls or ripped white paper. Parents and grown-ups are allowed to make designs, too (They will want to do it!).

My son at 13 months was introduced to this book at storytime at the local library. It was a hit at storytime and continues to be a hit at our house. My son has learned sign language and this book reinforces all of his animal signs. It is a great classic book.

I loved this book!! The way the author can combine the hot sex with the snorting humor is priceless. The characters were all well-rounded, extremely likable, and basically...hot as he**! I'll definitely add Ms. Laurenston to my "must have" list.

I was desperate for something new to read and decided to take a chance when I saw this book at the store. The Mane Event blew me away! I haven't laughed quite that hard in a while. I actually laughed so hard, I would have to put the book down to catch my breath. If you love alpha males And alpha females, you will really enjoy this book. This is an awesome erotica paranormal romance. As soon as I finished it(in record time), I looked Shelly Laurenston's books up on Amazon and ordered more. I can't wait to read The Mane Attraction.

My first book by Shelly Laurenston and I devoured it! As another reviewer has so aptly said - a guilty pleasure kind of novel - a light and romantic read - in the style of Susan Elizabeth Phillips - but with very steamy and erotic scenes laced in.

The book contains two stories that are linked together.

Christmas Pride - the first novel. It deals with Mace - a very sexy, shape shifter, x-Seal officer. His pack is a Pride of lions. He returns from his tour of duty back to NYC with his shape shifter Seal buddy - "Smitty" - who is all wolf. When he arrives at his sisters' house, the place is bursting with NYPD and in the mist is Desiree - the only woman he has loved and still desires. Mace can't believe that Dez has matured into one of the most stunning women that he has ever seen. For both, the remembrance of their high school crush is a warm, sweet memory - however for Mace, now that he has seen Dex again - he is going to have her - and what Mace wants Mace gets. No easy feat there - since Dez is a very independent, sure-footed and tough female great cop - with a no-nonsense "I will kick your butt" attitude.

The murder of one of the male members of Mace's pride is being investigated which creates for some great, on the edge of your seat moments - as Dez comes face to face some with some real nasty shape shifters. But Mace is there to protect his mate, though Dez proves time and again that she's one tough cookie and can take care of her own - a very worthy heroine for this majestic and sexy King of the Jungle!

I loved the way Mace and Dez come together - their pleasure is quite delicious and will have you squirming on your seat... Packed with great, witty and hilarious repartee and situations (you will love the reaction of Dez's two, super tough Rotweilers to Mace - and also the group of tough NY male, mothering cops whose top priority is to protect Dez!) makes this is a great start to THE MAIN EVENT.

In Shaw's Tail - the second novel - we've meet Shaw at the climactic end of Christmas Pride. The relationship that develops between Shaw and Ronnie Lee - a member of Smitty's wolf pack is steamy and tender. Shaw is taken by Ronnie Lee - who has stayed behind at the hospital while Shaw is recovering. After his recovery - he finds her staying in his hotel with Smitty's pack and starts wooing her. Ronnie Lee has been in some gnarly relationships and is now pretty independent. He knows he can't just pounce and claim her - as he has realized that he wants her to stay. A slow courtship is what Ronnie Lee needs so she doesn't feel trapped and leaves.

Again - like in the first novel - the repartee is funny, witty and liberally sprinkled with laugh out loud situations. Their coming together is equally as steamy and there are also some lighthearted and very poignant moments. The relationship between Shaw and his siblings - younger brother - (black sheep of the family) and the "I play tough - but am really not" loving sister is very endearing.

In the end - it is very clear that cats and dogs really do get along!!!

I loved this novel and highly recommend it!!! The sensuality level throughout this novel is very high - bordering on erotica. Quite remarkable how Laurenston has interweaved such great sex, with marvelous characters and a superb, light and romantic read! Definitely recommended to paranormal lovers - that love sexy novels. NOTE - The next book is about "Smitty" - THE BEAST IN HIM.

CAUTION! The language and graphic, sexual content may bother some readers. So definitely not for the weak kneed and easily offended readers. If the books on your shelf are Barbara Cartland - then this is not the light and fluffy read that you may be used to!

WOW! The main characters are really interesting. This is not your usual pride/pack leader meets girl series. There is a whole pack involved in the story. And do they get into some funny situations. You actually hold your breath and don't realize it until the end. I will be continuing this series.

If you like your characters "not nice" but definitely appealing, get your hands on this book. These are not your usual shifters but down-home folks with flaws and edges. I've been a fan of Shelly Laurenston for years and will buy anything I see her name on. I have to be careful where I read her books as I always end up laughing aloud.

The pouty look on the author's face on the cover of the book should be enough for anyone to know exactly how the book will read.
As a current Hodgkin's patient, I was highly disappointed in Only When I Sleep. I kept reading it only because I wanted to be able to write a review here to counter those that convinced me I should buy the book. I am experiencing how personally devastating cancer can be, however, I am ashamed (and a little bit angry) that people might think that all cancer patients behave like spoiled children, moping around in search of pity and verbally abusing those who love them.
There are certain emotions and ideas about cancer which the author writes about that I do agree with; however, it's mind-boggling why someone would want to actually put their selfish and immature behavior on display like this. Shaw-Brawley wasn't happy unless everyone was coddling her; she had to see everyone cry over her before she was happy. Her poor parents and husband deserve some kind of award for putting up with her--they were probably exhausted by the time her treatments were over. I agree that families experience cancer right along with the patient--there's no denying that--but none should have to suffer like Shaw-Brawley's.
I don't doubt that keeping a journal throughout her ordeal was beneficial and cathartic to Shaw-Brawley, it was not something I feel she should share with the world. In no way am I saying that what she was feeling was wrong or that she should have kept it bottled up...it just wasn't worth publishing. Journals are meant for personal reflection and should be kept in a box in the back of the closet.
I gave the book two stars only because it must have took some kind of gumption to show this side of herself in a book. Do yourself a favor and don't buy this book...neither the writing or the editing is that good anyway.

Lisa is a brave and intelligent person. The words she writes of her cancer experience are from inside her soul, they are real. She dares to speak of her fear. You can hear her fear and her courage to fight fear. She insists on explaining this life changing event. She describes cancer's potential and how paraylzing an experience can be. I myself am a (2) time Hodgkins Disease survivor. I can relate to Lisa in many, many ways. The title, "Only When I Sleep," says it all. I strongly encourage anyone to read this book to hear words of a cancer experience and the meaning of a cancer survivor. Those who have experienced cancer and read this book will applaud Lisa for her strength to overcome adversity and commend her for not letting her experience go unnoticed. That yes, Cancer is life changing, it will try to take you down, but for many not without a fight. With a loving support system, you can overcome.
Thanks Lisa, and happy healthy - life to you and yours.
Patti Nowak

This is a wonderful book. It will make you cry, but will also bring joy to your heart and a smile to your face. It makes you realize the "choices" Lisa and her family had to make to survive where very hard for her and her family. You will admire her strength, courage, and her determination to beat this. You see first hand how it effects everyone in her family. How the love of her husband, parents, family members and friends are unconditional. It shows us how the small things we all take for granted can be taken away from us in seconds and our world can be turned upside down. How Lisa never gave up and if you "believe" anything is possible.

I highly recommend this book to everyone, not just those dealing with cancer. There is a "lesson" for everyone to learn from Lisa's experience. It's a WONDERFUL story of love, courage, faith and determination of a young woman who is fighting to survive cancer.

This is a wonderful book. It will make you cry, but will also bring joy to your heart and a smile to your face. It makes you realize the "choices" Lisa and her family had to make to survive where very hard for her and her family. You will admire her strength, courage, and her determination to beat this. You see first hand how it effects everyone in her family. How the love of her husband, parents, family members and friends are unconditional. It shows us how the small things we all take for granted can be taken away from us in seconds and our world can be turned upside down. How Lisa never gave up and if you "believe" anything is possible.

I highly recommend this book to everyone, not just those dealing with cancer. There is a "lesson" for everyone to learn from Lisa's experience. It's a WONDERFUL story of love, courage, faith and determination of a young woman who is fighting to survive cancer.

Only When I Sleep: My Family's Journey Through Cancer is an intensely personal, candid, and compelling account of then 24-year-old Lisa Shaw-Brawley's battle to overcome Hodgkin's disease and give birth to a child. This superbly written and presented biographical account is an inspiring testament to the human spirit in overcoming adversity and striving for a dream against all the odds. Highly recommended reading.

I really like Jackie Shaw. She has loads of info on how to paint and I'll keep my copy.She is an artist that I have books of hers that are 20yrs plus old. You'll like her teaching.

This book has it all -- clear introductory information (materials, workspace, etc.), wonderful stroke instructions, projects, patterns, finishes, and much more. Another nice thing is that the projects are "rated" as quick and easy (beginner) to intermediate to advanced for each technique.

There are lots of color illustrations accompanied by clear, well-written text. The author is very encouraging and upbeat in her writing. This book is such an asset that I am ordering a copy to donate to our local library. It's definitely a must-have!

I have a ceramics business and got tired of plain ol painting and wanted to expand when I found this book. It has taught me so much and my sales are way up! The techniques are explained in precise detail and are easy to follow. It even has practice strokes which I found to be very helpful. There is not a more informative book about painting out there from taking care of your brushes to a beautiful array of advanced technique. This is just a plain wonderful book and I could not say enough good about it!

Jackie Shaw does an excellent job of showcasing all that is possible in decorative painting. Her examples of stroke work apply across the board for any kind of painting. But, what makes this book work is the way she breaks down each stroke into its individual parts to show how to form them properly. Along the way she imparts words of encouragment and motivation to get you going!

She also gives excellent lessons to practice by and keep you stimulated. It is part of the book's progressive learning curve so that as you advance with one part, there is more to learn in the next section as you move from beginner, to intermediate, to advanced.

I rarely write review of books, but as I pulled out this book once again today to reference, I felt compelled to give Ms. Shaw her props! Thanks Jackie!

As an artist learning something new I was looking for a basic book explaining all terms and projects showing the author to be truly talented. This is all you need for a complete first course.
There is some disagreement among the various author/artists about the term " float". Other than that they all seem to agree about basic techniques. Beautiful demos and photos.
Greatest thing: The author takes you through several projects which you can do on any paper or wood for practice, and then divides these into three levels so that you can achieve the degree of finesse you desire. So practical! Take it from there!

Thsi is book a wonderful discovery I made. I love L'Engle, she is a phenomenal author with quick wit, and a mixture of science, faith: always a great story. This novel is no different. I loved the imagery and the setting: a beach in turn of the century South Carolina. The story centers around Stella, the young British bride of Terry, her American husband. She is sent to live with his family in South Carolina, as Terry goes off on a secret mission for the US State Department. Since it is the south and it is the turn of the century, the civil war and it's aftermath is as much of character as the people themselves.
Stella soon discovers that Terry's family is not all it seems and as she gets to know them and they her, she discovers some horrible past experiances and secrets that arre still effecting the family today. The novel is full of wit, literary refernces: Her Great Aunts play a wonderful guess the quote game. However, it has a very dark side and only after she has gone through love's terrible side can she and the famlliy come out on the other side of the sun. I can not reccomend this book enough!

Like many other reviewers, I was exposed to Madeleine L'Engle's work through "A Wrinkle in Time." I have reread most of her Children's work and then started through her Adult work. While "The Small Rain" (her first novel) and "A Severed Wasp" (one of her last novels) were excellent and well-written, nothing prepared me for the brilliance and imagination of "The Other Side of the Sun." Right from the first chapter I was drawn into the fascinating story of the post-civil war south and all its lingering conflicts. I found all the characters completely believeable and compelling, especially Honoria and the Aunties. Even minor characters were completely fleshed out and interesting.

I found myself newly fascinated with the Author. What kind of a person can dream up such a complex and beautiful storyline and fill it with such amazing characters? The complex story never became predictable or trite. What a refreshing and thoroughly entertaining piece of work. In my mind, it is L'Engle's best.

An elderly widow, Stella Renier, returns from her husband's funeral to her family in the American South. Before facing the rest of the family she and her grandson spend some time together at the family's coastal estate, Illyria, where she relates to him the story of her arrival there as a young bride many years before. Stella had traveled to Illyria to await her husband's return from a mysterious and dangerous mission. She found herself struggling to understand both the alien cultures of the antebellum South with it's strict and confusing rules and the family with it's long history and many secrets. She finds help in the most surprising places including her husband's long dead grandmother.

For those familiar with L'Engle's other works this one does not feature either the Murray/O'Keefe or the Austin families of her more well known works. The Renier family is alluded to, though, in some of these works. As always with L'Engle's works the characters are compeling, drawing the reader into the complexities of their lives, eliciting first a smile at their eccentricities and then a tear at their sorrows.

This lesser known work is a treat for a L'Engle fan or a wonderful introduction to this marvelous author, in either case it is a story that will stay with the reader long after the last page.

I think L'Engle touches...even caresses...a special nerve in those of us who become her lifelong fans. She touched my imagination when I was just 10 years old as I read "A Wrinkle in Time." Her image of Camazotz has stayed solidly at the front of my mind ever since, and I have enjoyed dipping into her well throughout the years to meet more characters, to travel to new cultures, to have new adventures, and to silently cheer on many as they come of age.

That all said, and as many other reviewers have said, this book IS DIFFERENT!!! In this story, L'Engle makes some very heavy points through very beautiful but sometimes dark mediums. At first, the story seems ordinary enough as an English bride, Stella, moves in with her husband's family down in the south at the turn of the century. But even as you meet the cast, you have premonitions that this tale might not flow as nicely as some of her other works. There is a darkness to the people that takes away even from the amusing eccentricities of the family.

As the story builds - bringing in the frightening power of the KKK and of the African-American demon worshippers - you continually fear for this incredibly vulnerable English girl. While Stella is able to find some comfort in the journals of a long-deceased relative named Mado, you wonder where she can turn for help as she unintentionally stirs up a very dark hornet's nest. You know Honoria, the "maid", is a spiritual powerhouse, but is she strong enough? Will Stella's husband come back in time? Will anyone else intervene for her?

Via this very difficult set of circumstances, L'Engle is attempting to prove out Mado's point that only when love has had to go through the burning of the sun is it pure. Before it goes through such fire, it is filled with impurities and deception. But who has the courage to undergo such trials? L'Engle's characters - especially Honoria and Mado - give one courage. And, throughout this book, L'Engle brings in small poems that pierce the heart. I'm not usually much of one for poetry, but I copied these into my journals as keep-sakes.

A must-read for every L'Engle fan and for anyone who is looking for a book to take you a bit out of your comfort zone.

Innocence can be a deadly thing. So Stella Renier, nineteen-year-old bride from England, learns when she reaches her new husband's home in South Carolina. It's 1910, and the veterans of the War Between the States are growing old. Yet the conflicts that war failed to resolve - along with some new ones created by its aftermath - simmer just below the surface of the coastal community surrounding the house called Illyria. That house will become the one place Stella regards as home throughout her married life, which is destined to be long. We know this because elderly and recently widowed Stella narrates the story for her adult grandson, during another era of turmoil in the American South. But in 1910, as she comes to Illyria without the husband she's barely had time to wed - sent to his family while Terry Renier sets off on a secret assignment for his employer, the U.S. State Department - it's a fantastic house in an alien country. And her husband's family are, of course, strangers.

How can Stella, who grew up at Oxford, understand the basics of keeping herself safe in a place where she's expected to treat the first Negroes she has ever met as if they were members of a different species? How can the girl reared by an agnostic father grasp the conflict between the powerful Christian faith of Honoria, a one-time African princess who takes care of everyone at Illyria, and the dark spirits invoked by the "Granddam" in the desperately impoverished black hamlets just inland from the beachfront homes of the Reniers? Stella doesn't even know the significance of robed horsemen who ride by night. But her husband's people all know it. And so does the English-educated black physician whose danger she increases with every innocent gesture of friendship.

"The Other Side of the Sun" is a book to read through to the end, and then read again. It has much to say about the nature of faith, of fate, of aging, and of human love. But most of all, it's a well-told and compelling story about characters as real as any I've ever met on the printed page.

--Reviewed by Nina M. Osier, author of "Love, Jimmy: A Maine Veteran's Longest Battle"

This book is very thorough in giving the reader an understanding of all the people involved in such a faith. He does a wonderful job explaining some personalities without judging them and leads the reader to pity and pray for these who are harming the flock. I could sense his intolerance for the sin and his compassion for the sinner. Besides we have all been on both sides if we are really honest with ourselves. He does not downplay the hurt and violations we feel when involved with a toxic faith person or church but lifts us up for healing and forgiveness to the only One who is able to give us that heart.

This book is really good at pulling out and clarifying ways that religion can go horribly wrong with the best intentions. In seeking God, a person could act based on something else, or could decieve themself and intend to build a healthy biblical community, but really go very wrong, and even trick themself as to who God is. This book identifies flaws that can develope in church leadership for what ever reason - people's childhoods, personalities clashing, perfectionism and a need for control, etc. It is organized around types of situations and traits in a group that might feel wrong, and this really helps to hone in on the portions that are most applicable.

I'm mixed about how I feel about scripture here. The book seems biblically sound, but also draws on worldly wisdom and people's personal experiences which are told in short case studies throughout. Scripture isn't quoted so often, but when it is quoted it is very effective. There would be long gaps with no scripture, and then just as I was starting to feel iffy - bam, some really on topic scripture, to the point where I can still remember the point it was illustrating.

The biggest flaw with the book is that it seems that the authors are running a toxic faith rehab/treatment thing and there would be occasional paragraphs that were all rhetoric about getting into these treatment progams and how toxic faith treatment can help a person break away from their past. These read like gibberish, not so much like ads or something crass. I wasn't reading this book as part of a toxic faith rehab plan, so I just didn't get the labels and specialized rehab vocabulary. These happen pretty regularly and I could skip over them, but they make the book much longer and weaker than it could be.

This is an excellent book to peruse. It is very good at identifying ways that people can twist faith into something very unhealthy. I recommend most Chiristians to check it out, not so that you can be paranoid about your church, but just because it is so clear on identifying common problems that can develope and, as the book illustrates in case studies, can get very bad. Whether or not you are in a bad situation right now it can help to see how to avoid the devil's traps and keep the church healthier.

I am basically reiterating most of the other reviews posted for this book, yet I felt it was an important book to review because there are few books on this subject out there.

This is an awesome book for anyone being healed of a legalistic mindset. I also strongly recommend this book for anyone leaving a cultish religious group or if you are helping people you know that are involved in one.

For someone breaking free from a legalism, control, or hyper- religiousness; this book does highlight the need for healthy balance and a true revelation of Grace.

As a person who was involved with an unhealthy movement, I found this book helped me to see more clearly and realize I wasn't the only one. It has a list of the signs of toxic faith, "10 rules of a toxic faith system" that proved helpful.

I believe many Christians would benefit from checking this book out because anyone can fall into unhealthy faith.

Every Christian needs to read this book. The last church I attended was toxic but when I was in it I didn't fully realize it. I kept making excuses for the pastor's behavior (and the church leadership's behavior). Leaving that church was like coming out of a fog. Reading Toxic Faith was like reading a play that the church had been acting out. The book explains that in a toxic faith system, there are various roles that each person plays: a persecutor, co-conspirator, enabler, victim and an outcast. In order to keep this system going each person remains in their roles (as in an emotionally unhealthy family). But toxic faith doesn't just begin in a church. Toxic faith begins in our personal lives (usually from childhood) in some way and transfers into our faith system. The book tells the characteristics of a toxic church vs a healthy church. It talks about religious addiction vs a relationship with God. It toook a minute for me to get into the book because right away I was hoping to hear about the bad church system I'd just left, but first the book talked about how toxic faith begins (with us). This book isn't filled with a lot of Bible Scripture, but it's filled with knowledge from two guys extremely gifted by God in their insight and keen discernment. The book helped further my healing after leaving a toxic faith system. Just because a church is big, popular, located all over the world, teaches the Bible extremely well (this is was what fooled me with my church), and started out with good intentions in its early days doesn't mean it's immune to toxicity! I highly recommend this book.

Many, maybe even most of us, have been in situations that are not healthy. At some point we realize that the person/group we are with are controlling, manipulative, and/or deceitful. Christianity is supposed to be a place where we have the ultimate amount of freedom inside the structure of personal responsibility and individual responsibility and obedience to God. Because this is a hurting world with many hurting people, many who call themselves Christians are also injured and wounded. When these wounded people become leaders in the church they impart the rigid structures that enable them to feel OK about themselves as truth. It is at this point it becomes a religion instead of a relationship with God. It is also the point that the Christian religion begins to become sick.

This book discusses the injuries sick church leaders do to their followers. It discusses how to identify the characteristics and parameters of a sick church group. In so doing, it frees the reader to identify the sickness and liberates them to leave these types of groups. This is a very well done and unfortunately needed book. I found it very validating and healing to read.

Shaw Grigsby is obviously a Bass Master and tells his own story in a humble and consistently interesting way.

The one thing that is a bit off-putting about the book are the "testimonials" included between chapters. We're already convinced that Grigsby is a good guy--the gushing endorsements from third parties seem excessive and not in very good taste.

This isn't your typical bass tips book. It's that and so much more. Yes you will gain valuable knowledge as to how to catch more and bigger bass. Shaw truly is a master and his tips are golden. But he also offers insight into what it takes to be a professional angler, into life, into fishing in general, and the history of bass fishing. It's a biography and more and it stands heads above the numerous books in this genre.

great book, I met shaw grigsby, and I must say if you read the book, youll feel like you now him an honest book,

The title of my review is evident throughout this fine book. Anyone serious about bass fishing should read it. I've read my copy about 4 times already (since 1998 when I bought it) and it never seems old. This is a MUST have.

I give this book a 5, and I own a lot of fishing books.

When I first purchased the book it seemed a bit small, would it be worth it? It was.

In short chapters it discusses how to improve your fishing, tournament ethics, and family fishing. That's a lot of ground.

Tired of all those birds nests in your spinning reel? Why not follow Shaw's advice and cast and tug your line gently. No more snarls. Shaw doesn't use the word ethics but that's what he's talking about for tournaments. Read it, and you'll fish differently with your buddies. As for family, Shaw's kind remarks about his wife, kids and dad are special.

I didn't realize it until now but this is a great kid's book also. It works on different levels. Hope the review helps.

Chilling and riveting, angering and thought-provoking. We start off meeting Suzie, the "box" she puts herself in, and the "cloud" she floats on. A safe, quiet world. A world where her mother can't make Suzie talk...because if Suzie can't talk, then she can't say things to anger her mother and cause her mother to hurt her. Suzie stops sleeping. She stops talking to her mother, her sister, her father, her best friend. Everyone. She stops walking. The one thing she can't stop doing is crying. She retreats into this safe box, those safe clouds, hiding, until she is finally taken get help.

This is a beautifully written that book takes takes a frank look at the family dynamics of co-dependency and abuse, and leads the reader on a journey through Suzie's healing process. The reader will root for Suzie as she opens up and starts to trust. After a dramatic breakthrough, Suzie alters the lives of her sister and herself forever.

Twelve-year-old Suzie has just been dropped off at St. Dorothy's mental hospital after she stops walking, sleeping, or speaking. The only time she feels safe is when she is inside her 'box,' and that's usually how she stays all day long, sitting in a chair with her knees up to her chin, unmoving. Her Uncle Elliot, disturbed by her ever-worsening behavior, initiates her eventual stay at the hospital.

There are already several summaries up for this book, so I think there really isn't a need for me to give another one; plus, I don't want to spoil anyone. I do want to say that Susan Shaw's debut novel is a very beautiful, sweet, and sad story that follows Suzie's struggle to distance herself from the world as she has been doing, and the eventual revealing, through her, of what happened and why she has become the way she is. I was very drawn into the story and her relationships; from her mother, a former singer, her father, her sister Deanna, Karen, a girl in the institution, her uncle Elliot, aides: Marie, Stella, and Bill, and Moses and Joshua, two other children in the institution. The story was moving and powerful, with moments of quiet as Suzie gained a new view of her world and shattering revelations, with characters to care about and hope the best for.

I think this is a wonderful story, not to be missed. It is one of the best books I have read all year long.

I haven't read this in a while, but I intend to read it again soon. This book is extremely intresting, it wraps you up, so that you're forced to turn the page. It almost makes you feel as though you are in the mental institution with Suzie. I do remember that her recovery was suprizingly quick, but Suzie also says that her problem is not completely solved, making the book very realistic.
I love how Suzie defines talking by how you express yourself, not by the actual words.
Hating pineapple is talking...Wearing Peacock feathers is talking...

Black Eyed Suzie is one of the best books I've pulled off the shelves yet. For one thing, it is just a wonderfully written story. True, believable character that you can simpathize and relate with on a totally amazing level. The plot is one that drags you and and forces you to keep reading, no matter what. And after you finish it, you'll end up taking it out and rereading it again and again.

I think troubled teens should give this story, or one like it, a shot. It helps to bring the thought that 'Hey, I'm not the only screwed up person out there.' Over all, a wonderful read that I will return to every chance I get.

The book I am reading is called Black Eyed Suzie by Susan Shaw. Ever since Suzie's mom abused her, Suzie stopped talking. Eventually Suzie's Uncle Elliot saw her and made her go to a mental hospital. At the mental hospital people try to get her to talk but she can't. She feels she has no words.
The conflict in this book is that Suzie can't talk but people try to force her to. At the mental hospital she has conflicts with only one other girl, Karen. Karen pushes her down and breaks her possessions, but Suzie can't do anything because she is too weak. Often, when people at the hospital help her, they're a little too late. After a while in the mental hospital she thinks, `well maybe if I start talking they will let me go to be with my family.' The conflict starts, like I said, when her mom beats her and her dad is never home. The conflict is not easy to resolve for Suzie.
I think that Black Eyed Suzie is good for teenagers who have a problem, who want to learn what kind of problem people have, or just want to read a good book. I think almost anyone would enjoy this book, but I think really teenagers would enjoy it most. I would tell you the ending but I think you can read it and find out.

My oldest child is going on 25 and my youngest just turned 12. I think I have read almost every parenting book out there during this time. Until now, I have not read a book that is so easy to implement into our lives. The results are amazing! This book shows how one little word, honor, makes our lives better, our family happier and our relationships deeper. By far this is the best parenting book I have ever read!

This is the best parenting book I have ever read and I have definitely read a lot of books. I wish I had found it a long time ago! I totally recommend this book! There is so much more love and cooperation in my family as a result of this book.

I love this book! Whereas so many other parenting books deal with behavior modification, this books goes further...to the heart (of both parents and child). So often, we look for quick fixes, but this book focuses on relationships, much like William Young's fiction work, The Shack (which every Christian parent should read!) and another non-fiction book by Turansky called Good and Angry, that I'm currently reading. We've homeschooled our three children since Kindergarten. One of our sons has Asperger's, and these books I've mentioned really have helped me reach my children's hearts the way no other modern books have. Our relationship with Christ and with each other have deepened profoundly!

A breakthrough for familial relating, this book points to the heart directing our actions. What motivates us when interacting with one another? It should be honor: a desire to treat someone as special, to go above and beyond, all with a good attitude. Applying the principles in this book will dramatically affect any family and work to eliminate the bad attitudes in all of us.

many idenifying stories and great, helpful suggestions. Really helped me with my two daughters 10 -12 years old. Honor, a lost concept in our world today. But a key concept to self esteem and esteeming others properly.

You don't have to be a gardener to appreciate all the similarities between getting back to nature in your own back yard, and finding inner peace. Eva not only gives you many fresh ideas to cultivate your own garden sactuary but she dually shows you the steps you need to truly enjoy the sanctuary you have built. This book makes you realize how much nature can soothe and revitalize our tired souls. With all the books on the market that promise self help and inner peace, I have never seen one put these ideas to such practical use. Eva gets her message across with humor and knowledeable advice you'd oly get from a good friend. Do yourself a favor and read this book from cover to cover.

Eva's done it again. Imparting her down-to-earth good sense, she talks with her reader - never at them - as only a friend could. A perfect book for these turbulent and unsettling times, Eva reminds us what is good in life. And, she encourages us to take the time to enjoy it, too. A must-have read for all gardeners - or those who want to garden.

To borrow from a popular credit card commercial: Shovel It : Nature's Health Plan, $16; gardening gloves, $5; a pack of seeds, $2; Eva's words of inspiration, a mitt full of soil and endless hours of soul-soothing enjoyment - priceless.

Eva Shaw's Shovel It: Nature's Health Plan is loaded with good ideas for gardeners and would-be gardeners. It inspired me to start a garden journal(one of her many suggestions), and caused me to come up with some new and exciting plans for my garden this spring. Eva helped me remember that a garden is a tremendous source of pleasure even when it is a lot of work!

Eva Shaw has created a wonderful way of living through gardening in her book, Shovel It: Nature's Health Plan. But, more importantly, this is a book for everyone to read - even if gardening is the furthest thing from your mind. Eva Shaw keeps her book uplifting with a wonderful sense of humor and beautiful quotes. This is definitely a book you will want to share with everyone.

Reading Eva Shaw's book was like sitting out in the garden having a heart to heart chat with a best friend. Shovel It came about b/c the author was curious as to why gardeners appear happier and healthier. She's done her homework and now even reports in the AMA state that gardening could improve your life, maybe even save it per Dr. Shaw and her research.
The subject matter is wonderful, chock full of ideas and suggestions at growing a garden that is perfect JUST FOR YOU.I loved the "gardening personality" test and so will you. But what I especially loved is Eva Shaw's no nonsense, down home friendly way of writing.I just love this book...it is upbeat, positive and downright funny at times. But it also hits on the truths of the ups and downs we ALL experience in life and how the simple act of gardening can and will restore us. I've already given my sister a copy and I want to order 10 more for gifts. If you're a gardener already, you will defiitely smile and relate to these pages. If you're not, read it because I bet you'll be a gardener before you're done. Thank you Eva Shaw!