Shaw Books

This is a unique book about Marilyn Monroe from her most private and pensive moments to her on-screen persona. I found that the candid photos of Monroe on the set of the "Seven Year Itch" were most memorable. Honestly speaking, and my partiality towards this legendary screen icon will bear witness, it is very difficult for me to not enjoy viewing Miss Monroe and her beauty found in virtually every page of this book. Sam Shaw was in my opinion, in the same category/class as Milton H. Greene, Richard Avedon, and many more gifted photographers who were able to capture Monroe's uncanny - off-screen candor and beauty. This is one book that anyone who is interested in seeing Monroe during her period "Seven-Year-Itch" through the latter stages of her "short-lived" career should have. I truly enjoy reading and seeing this beautifully illustrated book.

This is a unique book about Marilyn Monroe from her most private and pensive moments to her on-screen persona. I found that the candid photos of Monroe on the set of the "Seven Year Itch" were most memorable. Honestly speaking, and my partiality towards this legendary screen icon will bear witness, it is very difficult for me to not enjoy viewing Miss Monroe and her beauty found in virtually every page of this book. Sam Shaw was in my opinion, in the same category/class as Milton H. Greene, Richard Avedon, and many more gifted photographers who were able to capture Monroe's uncanny - off-screen candor and beauty. This is one book that anyone who is interested in seeing Monroe during her period "Seven-Year-Itch" through the latter stages of her "short-lived" career should have. I truly enjoy reading and seeing this beautifully illustrated book.

Shaw's well-crafted work provides a rich background of American Catholic laity in action over time, as well as a blueprint to follow in discerning the call of today's Catholic laity. This is a must-read for anyone involved in the pastoral workings of any Amerian parish. Parish libraries should included this in their inventory.

Russell Shaw gives us the insight that we can only get from a maverick--but without the maverick's chip-on-the-shoulder attitude. I'll never look at the the hierarchy of the Church the same way again.

Shaw first introduces a key distinction: Ministries are essentially departments within the hierarchy, controlled by the parish or diocese. Apostolates are lay associations--out in the world--that are formed (guided) by the clergy.

Vatican II, he points out, called for apostolates, but for various reasons what we got was the rapid growth of lay ministries; basically, the Church just hired laity and created a new bureacracy, parallel to the clergy. And all at the expense of the Vatican II goal of having well-formed lay people bringing the faith out into their world.

This short book does a terrific job of analyzing what's missing in the present state of the Church, without being at all negative on the great work done by many current ministries. In passing it outlines key movements among Church intellectuals that led to the present state of affairs. Mr. Shaw wraps things up with insightful comments on the all-important spiritual dimension of apostolate service.

An important--perhaps even an essential--first step in gaining a more mature understanding of how to serve the Church in the New Evangelization.

I couldn't get through more than 2 pages of this book at a time, because my eyes kept swelling with tears. I purchased this book as a gift for my adult daughter, and hope that she passes it on to hers someday.

A POSITIVE WAY TO SHARE A FEW CHARISHED LOVING MOMENTS WITH YOUR MOM/DAUGHTER IN OUR BUSY WORLD. THE PHOTOGRAPHS WILL TOUCH ALL MOTHERS HEART'S AND THE TEXT WILL EXPLAIN TO A DAUGHER'S HEART THE FEELING WORDS CAN NOT DO JUSTICE FOR. IT SHOWS AND TELLS THE DEPTH OF LOVE THAT PARENTS FEEL FOR THEIR DAUGHTERS, BUT FOCUSES ON THE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN MOTHHERS AND DAUTHERS. THIS ALSO MAKES A BEAUTIFUL GIFT OF THE HEART TO PASS ON TO THE NEXT GENERATION.

This book teaches so much about all aspects of missions work. Through letters, antedotes, and short snipets, the missionary's daughter brings his travels to life. The book teaches much about leadership and true surrender to Jesus.

This is an excellent book about a true man of God. The book tells of James Fraser missionary to the Lisu people. It emphasises the power of prayer both by those on the field and supporters at "home". By doing so it also offers a challenge to us all in our responsibilities to pray for those who have gone overseas for the Lord. The book deals honestly with Frasers struggles and doubts. Overall the picture is painted of a man willing to sacrifice everything for God and the spread of the gospel to the people he was so burdened for. This book should inspire us to rise above our mediocrity and be willing to give all for Him who gave all for us.

This book is a wonderful compilation of many different poems. This is one of the only Christian poets I have ever read that I am able to enjoy (modern especially). She is honest and allows her own journey to pour into her writing with amazing depictions of the emotions she was feeling. We are in debt to Madeleine and lose out on her passing.

When my best friend, Jenn, moved to Manhattan she commenced with church shopping. She searched the island looking for the congregation that seemed best suited to her theological leanings and preference for worship style. Nice people were also a big plus. She landed at All Angels Episcopal Church on the Upper West Side, despite the fact that she hadn't fancied herself Anglican in the past. It's a great parish, and I'd like to think that the fact that I'd become involved in the Anglican church not long before she departed for Manhattan might have nudged her to check this one out. I would like to think that, but it would be wrong. Because I know the real reason Jenn is at All Angels --- Madeleine L'Engle.

Out on the church shopping circuit, rumor had it that the famed author was a long-time parishioner at All Angels and that fellow congregants often visited her since she didn't get out as much as in her younger days. The thought of whiling away hours chatting with L'Engle was more excitement than Jenn, book lover that she is, could bear. She took up residence in an All Angels pew (well, chair, they don't really have pews) post haste. In the years that followed she became an active member of the congregation, made friends, got confirmed, met her future husband, taught Sunday School, and got married --- all at All Angels. And she has Madeleine L'Engle to thank for all of that, despite the fact that she still has yet to meet the woman.

Such is the power of L'Engle. Trust me, if you'd read her work and had the potential opportunity to spend lazy afternoons in her company, you'd make your decisions on church membership accordingly as well.

Thankfully, the truth of the matter is that you don't have to trust me. L'Engle is nothing if not prolific with over fifty books --- fiction, nonfiction, and poetry --- to her credit. Her latest release is a collection of almost 200 poems, including 18 that have never been published before, and is an excellent starting place to acquaint or re-acquaint oneself with this potent literary force.

THE ORDERING OF LOVE is a magnum opus of sorts, spanning more than 30 years, from the mid '60s to the late '90s, and it includes everything from unbridled free verse to disciplined sonnets --- all of which tread the well-worn ground of love, faith, and suffering. In her introduction to the book, friend and fellow writer Luci Shaw notes "a good poem is layered, does not reveal itself all at once, in one reading." And, indeed, the understanding of these poems develops so much on subsequent readings that the words themselves seem to be ever-changing. One of my favorites is "The Birth of Love":

To learn to love
is to be stripped of all love
until you are wholly without love
because
until you have gone
naked and afraid
into this cold dark place
where all love is taken from you
you will not know
that you are wholly within love.

In poems like "Fire by Fire" one gets the distinct sense for L'Engle as an "everywoman" who writes about life as it happens and has a gift for seeing the whole spectrum of human experience in the seemingly mundane.

My son goes down in the orchard to incinerate
Burning the day's trash, the accumulation
Of old letters, empty toilet-paper rolls, a paper plate,
Marketing lists, discarded manuscript, on occasion
Used cartons of bird seed, dog biscuit. The fire
Rises and sinks; he stirs the ashes till the flames expire.

Burn, too, old sins, bedraggled virtues, tarnished
Dreams, remembered unrealities, the gross
Should-haves, would-haves, the unvarnished
Errors of the day, burn, burn the loss
Of intentions, recurring failures, turn
Them all to ash. Incinerate the dross. Burn. Burn.

L'Engle also has a very specific talent for turning the stories of Christianity on their heads and making us look at them in new ways. Her poem "Mrs. Noah Speaking" presents a perspective on the flood that we don't often hear but that sounds quite familiar. "The Ram: Caught in the Bush" tells the story of Abraham's almost sacrifice of Isaac from the point of view of the one who would actually go under the knife, conjuring up the image of Christ in the process.

If they ever do meet, I think Jenn and Madeleine L'Engle will get along quite well. Jenn has a knack for endearing herself to somewhat ornery souls and I suspect L'Engle is one, based on her work and the interviews I've read with her. Regardless, she has done her work in Jenn's life merely by living in the space of the written page. Even though Jenn hasn't stopped by at L'Engle's with fresh bagels from Zabar's, she has learned from L'Engle much about life --- the sometimes painful conundrum of faith, the ache of loss, the bliss of love, the assumption of small truths into the Big Truth of redemption --- on afternoons spent with her printed pages. And from a life as a member of All Angels, which she can thank L'Engle for as well.

--- Reviewed by Lisa Ann Cockrel

I went trekking with the aid of this book and was amazed how well the authors had done their research. I trekked with a woman who had met both Ben and Isobel, a mother and son team, when they were going back up Nanga Pharbat in 1996. It was good to know they still had their feet on the trails. The woman I trekked with said her porters had told them that the Shaws were the only westerners who had such a great wealth of experience and knowledge.

Isobel Shaw's guide is superb. It begins with excellent general info re trekking and then provides a high level of detail regarding the many amazing treks which one can do in Northern Pakistan. Highly recommended

The author is a professor at the university I attend, so maybe this review is biased, but oh well. The book reveiws many different situations in which the paradox of intention reveals intself. This ranges from the paradox in christian, buddhist and even atheist traditions, showing a possible uniting theme in the way major religious traditons think. The book is easy to understand and well written, as well as an excellent text for comparing buddhism and christianity, which is how I came to read it.

This funny little book is an excelent book for those interested in many types of philosophy. Some might think it is a Lutheran theology while others might say it is existential in nature. I would say that it is both. It covers a wide range of religious traditions and examins the paradox of intention in each of them. It is also very easy to read for those who may not be well versed in philosophical jargon.

This study by Miranda Shaw is a must for everyone trult interested in the finer aspects of Tantric Buddhism. The author thoroughly explores the role of women in the development of vajrayana and comes to the justified conclusion that women's role has been much greater than is usually admitted by both Tibetan AND Western scholars. Rufus C. Camphausen

Many of the books I have read on Tantra are basically garbage. This one, however, is that jewel that makes it worth while sifting through the garbage. It is well written, well researched, and can be understood by westerners. I highly recommend it.

I read The Peace Machine about 15 years ago and was immediately captivated by it. I generally like Sci-Fi that has a contemporary setting and Peace Machine is among the best. This is a novel that ranks amongst the best in the genre. There are some fantastic bits such as the scientist's observations of the family life in the boarding house he is staying at while he is on the run from the government and the fact that he worries that the equations of the Peace Machine in his head might be enough to trigger Armaggedon. Buy it, borrow it or steal a copy, you won't be sorry.

A small-time British scientist accidentally discovers a formula that could detonate all of Earth's nuclear arsenal. Escaping from a troubled home life and seeking to do great things, the scientist attempts to blackmail Earth's governments into disarmament. Swallow the initial concept (Bob Shaw makes it easy) and the story that follows is scarily believable. The ending is nothing short of perfect. Superb concept, rounded, believable characters and a simple yet expressive writing style make this a rare gem. Among the author's best.

Poetry Report is the complete companion to anyone who is intrigued by the art of poetry. Jim Walker takes the novice writer from a blank piece of paper to a complete poem by offering direction and creative ideas that will engage the mind. I've been writing for several years, and gleaned so many new concepts from this book. The topics of revision, language, subject matter, and form are systematically detailed for the reader to follow. And for anyone who has ever had writer's block, the variety of writing excercises alone in this book make this a valuable poet's tool.

"Poetry Report" is a must have for any aspiring poet as well as those who are more experienced. Jim Walker takes his considerable knowledge of poetry and experience as a professor and passes this information to the reader. However, this isn't one of those "more gifted than thou" books in which the author parades his superiority; the subject is presented in a "user friendly" format even the most novice poet can understand. The exercises within the book are designed so that beginners can easily understand poetry and learn how to write it.

Each chapter contains simple exercises geared toward finding the poetry in everyday circumstances. The reader simply has to take a pen, notebook, and a little time to work through the examples. For each exercise, Walker provides a sample poem showing the reader what the resulting poem may look like. But he makes sure to point out that each poem the reader completes will be unique and not to worry about emulating the `professionals'. Also, there's a great chapter with interviews from actual, published poets. It's interesting to read how poetry has affected their lives, and provides examples of poetry at its best.

Though "Poetry Report" is clear and concise enough for a beginner to enjoy, it's challenging for more experienced writers. The exercises given provide a greater understanding of poetry, as well as tools to take their own poems from `good' to `great' - crucial for any poet who wants to take their work `to the next level'. Also, the chapters dealing with publishing are essential for those desiring to share their poetry with the world.

Walker's love of poetry and enthusiasm for helping writers shines through. As someone who has taken two of Prof. Walker's classes, I can affirm that he sincerely believes and practices what he says in the book. As for me, "Poetry Report" is a reference book I'll easily keep in reach along with "The Elements of Style", "On Writing", and Webster's Dictionary. The information contained within is that essential to every aspiring and experienced writer.

Poetry is a way of life. With this book, anyone can develop an appreciation for the craft as well a life long love of writing poetry.