Thomas Books

I met Michael Morris at a writers conference in 1999 way before he had any books out. He looked like a young John Grisham, working in a job where he interacted with Washington D.C officials. 'But, what I really want to do...' he said, with his head bowed, as if he were suddenly shy 'is write'. I looked at him and thought, 'Who doesn't, you're one of a million'. Two days later, after Michael and his wife returned to their home in the deep south, I picked up his new manuscript and began to read...and was stunned...this guy was gifted! I called my agent and said, 'You have got to sign this guy, this book is a winner.' She did. And that book, A PLACE CALLED WIREGRASS went on to win the Christy Award (like an Emmy ...for writing). Michel and his family remained friends with my family and while I was working on my forth book FLYING BY THE SEAT OF MY PANTS: Flight Attendant Adventures on a Wing and a Prayer, he was working on his next novel. Then he called one day and said 'There is this song on the radio you have to listen too...it's called LIVE LIKE YOU WERE DYING and it's my story.' I said, 'That's great Michael, maybe you should call Tim McGraw and tell him that. Ha Ha Ha.' (I was joking because no one we knew...knew how to contact Tim McGraw') A few days later, Michael called and sounded in shock, 'I didn't have to call Tim McGraw,' he said, 'his people contacted me. Marsha, It's like it was meant to be.' LIKE YOU WERE DYING is a true story, not just for the father of Tim McGraw..but for Michael Morris as well...maybe that's why it's ringing in the hearts of so many people. And now, as this his third book sells around the world - and he is writing his forth, I don't think Michael Morris is one OF a million, but, one IN a million.

Michael Morris is a name well-known to fans of Christian fiction, particularly novels that cross over well into mainstream bookstores. His 2003 release, SLOW WAY HOME, was named one of the best novels of the year by two secular newspapers in U.S. cities. LIVE LIKE YOU WERE DYING, a 178-page novella, may well receive similar accolades for the year 2004.

As country music fans might suspect, the book is based on the lyrics from a Tim McGraw hit of the same title, written by Tim Nichols and Craig Wiseman. Morris took the lyrics and fashioned a story that seamlessly integrates all the elements of the song --- a grave medical diagnosis, the ensuing quest for adventure, mended relationships, and a reconnection with God.

In Morris's version, Nathan Bishop cheats death in an industrial accident, only to have the resulting x-rays reveal a much more serious problem. Weighing his medical options, Nathan decides it's time that he starts to live as if he were dying. That means, in part, doing risky things he's never done before, like skydiving and riding a bull, both of which are activities mentioned in the lyrics. That also means doing things he never took the time to do, like spending time with his wife and 12-year-old daughter. And finally, it means doing things he never wanted to do, like forgiving his father.

I have to confess that I was fully prepared to dislike this book. I figured that not even Morris could avoid producing a book that seemed contrived, since the content would be forced to fit the lyrics --- and the lyrics of a country song at that. But Morris proved he was more than equal to the task. Nothing about this book felt forced or inauthentic, and there's none of the "fluff" that I anticipated in a book of this type.

Among the many strengths: Morris's excellent command of the language, realistic dialogue (one of the aspects of quality fiction that too many authors fail to produce), and believable characters. In that last category, two of the standouts are Nathan's father and grandmother, two people who easily could have become stereotypes in the hands of a lesser author. Ron Bishop is reserved and remote, the kind of father who has never been able to show his affection. But Morris avoids casting him in a predictable light or overdoing it with a lot of commentary on why he is the way he is. Ron Bishop just is. And that makes him believable.

Grand Vestal, Nathan's grandmother, gets my unofficial award for "best portrayal of an elderly woman." If, like me, you've noticed that elderly women in Christian fiction are nothing at all like many of the elderly women in your life, you'll be glad to meet Grand Vestal. Morris apparently recognized the fact that older women are, well, not your father's grandmother. They aren't necessarily the sweet, simpering, saccharine women who call everyone "dearie" in too many other Christian novels, nor are they necessarily feisty, oddball characters that exist somewhere else along the caricature spectrum. They're real, multidimensional people --- just like everyone else. Amazing that so few writers seem to realize that. Thankfully, Morris does.

My first time through this book, before I knew I would be reviewing it, I made a note to myself on the end flap: "Excellent in every way." That assessment still stands.

I read Michael Morris's other novels and loved them. The stories are realistic and the characters well drawn. When I picked up this book I was not so sure that it would be as strong. The fact that it is based on a song made me think that it would be too melodramatic. I was wrong. While the story is sweet, the characters are well drawn and the message behind the story made me stop and think about my own life choices.

THIS BOOK SEEMED TO BE THE PERFECT STORY TO READ DURING THIS TIME OF THE YEAR. IT REMINDED ME OF AN UPDATED 'IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE'. A MAN WHO FACES DEATH MUST THEN FACE THE FATHER HE HAS ALWAYS DISTANCED HIMSELF FROM. THE BOOK IS VERY MUCH LIKE THE FAMOUS SONG BUT IT PROVIDES MORE BACKGROUND INTO THE MAN'S THOUGHTS AND THE PEOPLE THAT HE PUSHES AWAY UNTIL ITS ALMOST TOO LATE. THIS IS A FEEL-GOOD BOOK THAT PULLS AT YOUR HEART!

I loved this book! It was so good! The book was just as powerful as the song. It makes you realize what you have and you should not take advantage of it.

This is one of the best books I have ever read. I have read it at least three times and learn something new each time. Schelling is not only a great economist but a great writer. He has a knack for making arcane concepts accessible. I highly recommend it. This book uses economic methodology to tackle "non-economic" concepts, such as segregation, sorting and mixing and cooperation.

Micromotives and Macrobehavior shows what fun it must be to be an economist. More specifically, it shows what fun it must be to be Thomas Schelling. It's not a book of high theory; it is a book of high particularity. When Schelling walks down the street, I imagine him with a giant grin or, barring that, a notepad in his hand to take down his thoughts on whatever he might be looking at; every last bit of the world must fascinate him. The great fun in economics, to me, is not what it has to tell me about optimal investment strategies -- finance being only a small, if important, part of life -- but rather what it has to say about human behavior, and particularly human behavior in the face of other humans.

There are some basic problems of arithmetic that our desires might well create; Schelling very charmingly entitles a chapter on this subject "The Inescapable Mathematics of Musical Chairs." If we all want to live a solitary life in the country, we'll all move to the country and find ourselves surrounded by the people we were trying to escape. We can't all dispose of our Canadian quarters, says Schelling: you pawn off your quarters on me, I pawn them off on my neighbor, and yet still the total stock of quarters is exactly where it was. This accounting for musical chairs gives economics much of its power. It's what happens when you take your eyes off individuals for just a moment and think about their behavior in crowds.

What happens if no one in a university can stand being in the bottom 10% of his class? The bottom 10% will leave. Now 90% of the original class is left, and there's a new bunch in the bottom 10%. They leave. And so forth. Eventually, if this process continues, the class will whittle down to 10% of its original size. An unrealistic example, surely, but it's illustrative. The most famous model of this sort in Micromotives and Macrobehavior is the segregation model. Suppose few people wish to live in a racially homogeneous community; everyone desires some integration. But suppose people don't want to be too isolated: white people have no problem living with black people, so long as the white people aren't the minority in their neighborhoods. What will happen to the racial composition of neighborhoods? Schelling simulates a small city on a standard 8×8 cheesboard, with nickels and dimes representing white and black people. The board starts out in one equilibrium where everyone is satisfied with his neighbors and no one is too isolated. Then there's a minor shock to the system: a few people move away at random around the board. Suddenly black people have no neighbor on one side, and only white people on the other. What was a satisfying equilibrium before is now unsatisfying to at least one person on the board, so he moves to a neighborhood whose racial composition is more to his liking. This process continues until we've reached a new equilibrium. More often than not, this equilibrium involves massive segregation. No one desired that it be this way; people only wished that those near them looked somewhat like them.

A few questions naturally present themselves here. How many equilibria are there? How many stable equilibria are there? (Perfect integration was an equilibrium at the start of the experiment, but it was unstable in the face of mild shocks.) The convergence to segregation depends on how homogeneous people wish their neighborhoods to be; if everyone desires that 50% of his neighbors be like him, does that change anything? Also, do the conclusions change when we move from a small city modeled by an 8×8 board to a larger one?

One of the lessons has been well-rehearsed elsewhere (e.g., No One Makes You Shop At Wal-Mart): in many cases, the decisions that we make individually cannot be expected to result in outcomes that we all would have chosen had we coordinated. You don't even need to look at the level of an entire society; Schelling has plenty of examples from everyday life. Maybe the easiest is something that happened to him while driving back from Cape Cod: a mattress had fallen off the roof of someone's car and had snarled traffic for hours. If the driver of that car with the mattress could somehow have borne (in the jargon: "internalized") the costs that he inflicted on everyone else, he'd probably have stopped his car, fetched the mattress, and saved everyone a lot of lost time. Or if all the other drivers could have coordinated somehow, they might have been able to get that mattress off the road and save everyone behind them the time that they all lost. Absent any coordination, though, that mattress might still be laying there.

This coordination doesn't need to come in the form of an enforcer with guns, necessarily; social norms can do it. What if we've all been trained by our parents to feel great shame at not helping others? You can certainly imagine social structures in which people would fight others for the right to clear off that mattress. If it's hard to envision this, suppose that selflessness were actually sexy.

The direction you turn from here is asking how societies solve coordination problems -- how we encourage each other to behave in a way that helps out everyone. Micromotives and Macrobehavior is chiefly valuable in that it gets you thinking about these problems, and realizing that it's not especially easy: merely scaling up your own virtuous behavior won't necessarily cut it.

I enjoyed this book for it's stimulating arguments and everyday examples of big picture, "big topics" issues. As a novice to any type of economic analysis I've found the book informative and interesting. I recommend this book to anybody wishing to increase their awareness of the relevance of everyday events and experience to bigger, more intellectual topics.

Game theory has been criticized for being able to explain anything, yet having little predictive capability. Whatever the case, Thomas Schelling's book is a gem. He takes everyday life phenomena and applies some systematic analysis as to why these things happen. It's a quick read and when you are done you too will keep viewing any issues coming your way as if they were seeking an equilibrium. With the varied topics and colorful examples it's the 1970s equivalent of "Freakonomics".

Schelling's book covertly drafts a model of economic support for the Golden Rule. While many of his examples may be repetitive, ultimately, we learn that by restraining ourselves in various enterprises, such as energy conservation, we are able to produce overall benefits for society. However, the hitch is that without critical mass or some basis for keeping rebels in line, no one adheres to the collective system and therefore no one benefits. Thus, the author intelligently posits an argument that in properly regulated environments, cooperation and selflessness produce stability and will lead to long-term success.

What is more interesting are Schelling's numerous examples and asides about human behavior that, once examined carefully, yield a greater understanding about everyday phenomena. For example, he writes, "Most people think that inflation reduces purchasing power without stopping to notice that their own pay increases are somebody else's inflation, and at least some of it must cancel out." This book is filled with such astute and not easily apparent statements. He also carries economic theory into social theory, showing that if all men married women four years younger than them where population is growing at three percent annually, eventually women of marrying age may outnumber men by more than 12%. The book has several of these nuggets, but leaves out an obvious and one of my favorite lessons about education: when a student goes to school, s/he not only "loses" the money s/he spends on tuition, but also her/his earning power during the years spent studying. For this reason, one could argue that it seems more sensical to attend school when there is a recession and to work when unemployment is low.

The glaring gap in this book is the problem of freeloaders--what do we do, for example, about the neighbor who waters his lawn excessively during a water shortage, thereby creating less incentive for others to conserve water? The author most likely believes that education will assist this problem, but this may be an idealistic notion at best. Still, Schelling manages to prove that cooperation rather than competition in some cases may produce better results, leading to viable arguments against selfish behavior.

What can I say? Max Lucado is a gifted writer who takes spiritual concepts and puts them into understandable and easy-to-grasp stories illustrations.

Max Lucado is a premier story teller. The message that Christ knows how we humans feel and that he is close enough to call on whenever we need him is uplifting and comforting.

i haven't read max lucado books in awhile and I have read quite some of them. I have to say that this is one of his best written. The chapters are short but they are meaningful, each one of them that applies to different people.

This a great book. I love the way Max writes. It's very unique and refreshing. He really brings the stories to life.

This is my first Max Lucado book and I loved it! It took me a while to read it because I don't read that often but something made me keep coming back to try and finish it. He made everything so simple and easy to understand. The real life examples were great! I would recommend it to anyone!

This is the first of Kathryn Mackel's books I have read, and I am impressed with her imagination. She creates a world that is intriguing and shows definite parallels with a creation fallen from its original beauty due to the curse of sin. She also shows the hope of restoration of the creation by the valiant acts of Christians.

In Outriders, the world has been devastated by a war in which most technology has been destroyed. Bands of warriors called Traxx roam the countryside. To populate their army, they capture the few remaining humans, and through genetic engineering, they turn the humans into grotesque monsters. However, a remnant of humans escaped and has been kept safe in an underwater ark. Little by little, these people, called birthrighters, are released back onto the earth and commissioned to help establish an outpost of humane civilization in this barren world. These birthrighters must battle the warriors of Traxx while they rely in their faith in God. There are clear spiritual overtones in this battle of good and evil, and the use of genetic engineering is ripped from today's headlines. The Birthrighter characters are developed well, and they are shown to have their own internal struggles in fighting against their own selfish desires, while they are fighting the Traxx. There is quite a bit of striking imagery, including an archway of thorns that protects the stronghold of the Traxx warriors.

I am looking forward to reading the second book in this series, Trackers

Awesome read I can't wait to read the next one!!!

You're going to be disappointed if you read the first 2 books in this series. You might notice that I gave both of these books 5 star ratings and wonder why I'd say this. Well, WestBow Press, at the time I write this, has elected to not publish the 3rd and final book in this series. You're going to be disappointed in the light that Outriders and Trackers are so good that you'll feel a certain emptiness knowing that book 3 is unlikely (not impossible) to be forthcoming.

I love the post apocalyptic sub-genre of mainstream science fiction as well as Christian science fiction in general and this series falls into both of those categories. It exceeded my expectations in terms of plot and character development to the extent that I've actually caught myself daydreaming about the story. Off hand I can only recall a couple of stories that have had that effect on me, "The Stand" by Steven King, and "The Time Machine" by H. G. Wells. "Outriders" and "Trackers" are definitely well worth reading even knowing that the story may never be finished.

This was overall a very enjoyable read, but there were a few points that keep me from fully enjoying the story despite several interesting characters and an interesting world.

First, much of this 'new' world revolves around genetic manipulation and mutation, but the author seems to know very little about the subject even though it's foundational to her version of the future. In the story, _adult_ humans are routinely made into monstrous beings by unknowledgeable men using a seemingly inexhaustible supply of 'potions.' These potions were found in destroyed labs long ago and are really ancient cell-lines. Somehow, despite storage in primitive conditions and at least a hundred years passing, they still work perfectly. Not only that, but they can conveniently be administered by drinking the potion or by putting it under the skin with needles. If you don't give a fig about the scientific impossibility of that premise, you should have no problem.

Second, a big deal is made about how dangerous this world is and how the rooks wouldn't stand a chance on their own for several days (which brings up the question of how all of the first-evers survived for so long). The rooks are saved from death several times by Niki, they are shown as initially overwhelmed by this wide expanse of world, and they supposedly think highly of Niki and the other first-evers. These rooks are supposedly the top of their class and devoted to God, though only Cooper shows a hint of this being true. With all that being true, I had a hard time understanding why all three rooks totally disobeyed Niki's orders right from the start. Yes, Niki was a bit harsh at times, but they deserved worse for their constant disobedience since it was risking all their lives.

It is also established that everyone at Horesh is fairly used to following Brady's crazy battle plans and that they always work. Yet, at the end, suddenly _everybody_ from Horesh starts to disobey his commands during a rather lopsided battle. I kept wondering why everyone started disobeying him now (much to their harm) when they had been obedient for years and knew how important it was for them to do so in order to succeed. It is never explained, nor is punishment ever handed out.

All that said, the book is better than I just made it sound. The above are really minor points, though the story would have been stronger if it had addressed them.

Kathryn Mackel invites us into a post-modern future where the future of mankind is bleak at best. The land has been ravaged by nuclear war and deadly toxins have made much of Earth uninhabitable. Evil men hold seats of power and they have perverted God's creation through DNA manipulation, a process known as transmogrification. Innocent men, women, and children are continually taken captive and subjected to these horrific tests and experiments. Man has forsaken his Creator, and evil ravishes the land. However, there is hope.

A remnant of believers has built a modern day ark that is hides beneath the polar ice caps. They teach and train their children in the ways of the Lord, with the hope that they can impact the world above. As the children mature they are sent to the surface to live as Outriders and Trackers. Their mission is to scout the land and teach a lost world a message of hope it so desperately needs. Can they make a difference before mankind is truly lost?

This is a wonderful fantasy series that is chocked full of action, suspense, and heart. Mackel gives us a frightening glimpse into the future of mankind that is both original and eye-opening. The story seems to wander a bit at times, but overall the plot development is cohesive and effective. Mackel's strength is in the action sequences which are thrilling and full of excitement. Violence and gore are effectively used to draw readers into the heart of the battles. The heroes of this story are teens and young adults who have nothing to rely on but their training and a deep faith in God. Their faith is inspiring and encouraging as time and time again they trust in God, no matter how difficult the task.

This series is highly recommended for fans of fantasy and science fiction. Much of this material is intense and intended for mature readers, but it is appropriate for older teens. The lessons of strong faith and discipleship found in this series are worthwhile for adults and teenagers alike. (From Christian Library Journal)

I've been studying the life of Lawrence nearly all of my own 50 years, since I was thirteen. I've read and reread all I could find about him, especially his own Seven Pillars of Wisdom. How refreshing it was to read Professor Mack's excellent book which covers so much more than I'd ever found before and with surprisingly brilliant insight. A fresh look at this enigmatic figure with modern eyes and a richer understanding. A great read.

I have now read several books both on T.E. Lawrence, the Middle East, World War I and English governmental history. This is by far the best biography on T.E. Lawrence and the situation in the Middle East that I have read. John Mack did an outstanding job of researching Lawrence for this book. One of the most interesting sections of the book was reading the endnotes. They provide even more information about Mack's research as well as to clarify some previous misstatements about Lawrence.

Although Lawrence suffered greatly from depression and other disorders he was a truly great man. That he was able to be an outstanding friend to so many people while enduring personal suffering is amazing. John Mack portrays Lawrence in an honest light which actually makes Lawrence and his achievements all the more spectacular because of his personal struggles.

John Mack's biography shows us that great people are not perfect nor does their greatness make them happy. He also shows that people who, if truth were know, live outside of societies norms can do world changing things and be loved by society. Lawrence seemed to have been very accepting of all people, other than himself.

To call Lawrence's life tragic in some way diminishes his accomplishments. Was Lawrence a great man because of his problems or in spite of his problems? I think that Lawrence was capable of being a legend because of his problems. The psychological struggles he endured were who he was. Society is so quick to discount a person because of psychological problems, whether they are great people or not. If society were honest with itself, it would realize that everyone has some problem or other. Some, as Lawrence was, are open (relatively) and honest about their problems while most choose to act as if they don't exist.

Winston Churchill, a contemporary of Lawrence's, also suffered greatly from depression and probably some other things as well. Churchill was also hero and a legend and was largely responsible for keeping the world free from Nazi Germany when few noticed the threat or appropriately dealt with it.

It appears to me, that the greater the leader and the more astounding his or her abilities, the more "different" they are from what society believes is normal. A good thought to ponder.

John Mack does an excellent job of providing a well-documented biography of T.E. Lawrence as well as an outline of his psychological makeup. Mack does not claim to understand Lawrence or to explain every behavior. I had expected to read more of a detailed psychological report and was, at first, a bit disappointed. However, the longer I read the more apparent it was that Mack was portraying Lawrence's personality through an accurate telling of his story rather than trying to lecture on "who Lawrence really was" and "why he did everything he did". John Mack also did not fall into the overly Freudian theory that Lawrence did everything because of sex. Sex obviously played a role in his psychology but did not appear to be the overriding theme.

For years, I have studied the life and works of T. E. Lawrence. My research has lead me across the pages of hundreds of books including his own Seven Pillars of Wisdom, but the best biography and analysis of Lawrence I have yet encountered is A Prince of Our Disorder.

Dr. Mack's thorough examination and explanation of the effect of Lawrence's childhood on his adult life and mentality is brilliant. Instead of merely stating his opinions, he touches on those of other biographers as well and then proceeds to state how and why he feels they are accurate or inaccurate, providing quotes from military reports, other Lawrence books, interviews with Lawrence's relatives and friends, and Seven Pillars of Wisdom.

If you read A Prince of Our Disorder, I can almost 100% gaurantee that you will have a better understanding of Lawrence's personal role in the Hejaz Campaign and the lasting effects of his experiences in Arabia on him physically and psychologically. Thankfully, it is beautifully written, and not at all confusing.

From the moment Mack "introduces" you to Lawrence you will have a desire to learn more about him, and as Mack walks you through his troubled life, you will feel pity and awe for this untouchable man.

I think that A Prince of Our Disorder clarifies the line between the legend of the indestructable, hero-Lawrence and the lost, soul-searching man Lawrence really was.

Dr. John Mack's study of Lawrence is one of the most absorbing reads I've ever enjoyed in my lifetime. As Irving Howe wrote, "What finally draws one to Lawrence, making him not merely an exceptional figure, but a representative man of our century, is his courage and vulnerability in bearing the burden of consciousness." The impact that the trial by fire in Arabia appears to have had on his post-war life is shocking, and teaches us once again not to envy our great heroes. Lawrence wrote of General Allenby that great men cannot be judged by ordinary standards, anymore than the sharpness of the bow of an ocean liner can be judged by the sharpness of a razor. After reading "A Prince of Our Disorder," I recognize now that Lawrence was probably thinking of himself while writing those kind words about his former master, asking that he not be be judged by his hidden afflictions, torments, and self-doubts, all the while laying out those same imperfections for all the world to read. Lawrence warned us,"The documents are liars ... No man ever yet tried to write down the entire truth of any action in which he has been engaged." No man is truly capable of understanding his own subconscious motivations, but I doubt that anyone has ever struggled harder than Lawrence to achieve self-understanding. We will have to try to read between the lines, learn what we can, and apply that knowledge to enrich our own poor lives.

So sad for all of us that our leaders are not of the same introspective type. Dr. Mack comments in his introduction that "The destructive leader, and the eagerness of a large segment of the population to identify with him, comprise one of the central threats -- if not the greatest threat -- that faces human society. There is perhaps an increasing unwillingness to entrust our well-being and our lives to individuals and characters we do not understand and whose ultimate purposes we are ignorant of." Let's hope so.

Jeremy Wilson's massive biography "Lawrence of Arabia" may better satisfy military readers interested in extensive contemporary document citations, and includes much more detail on Lawrence's Cairo years. Wilson also has a better set of photographs. The 1922 Oxford full text of "Seven Pillars of Wisdom," edited by Jeremy and Nicole Wilson and available from Castle Hill Press in the UK, is most highly recommended to all who find "T.E.L." fascinating.

While searching for literature on the man in the movie `Lawrence of Arabia', otherwise unknown to me other than knowing him as the brother of D.H. Lawrence, I stumbled across this most authoritative biography on the man who David Lean so magnificently portrayed in his film. He is one of the men who could be placed in par with other great leaders of Britain during the early part of the 20th century.

While Lawrence's autobiography, `Seven Pillars of Wisdom' gives gory picture of his life in the desert and his adventurous war campaigns, Mack's book gives more insight into the man's psyche just as Judith Brown did on Gandhi in her book `Gandhi - A Prisoner of hope'. His many questionable traits (exhibitionism, homosexual tendancies, overemphasis of his achievements) are wonderfully analyzed with information gleaned from tons of historical materials. While the west looked at him as a great war commander (though some question his contributions during the great desert wars), the east, even the people who worked with him, do not consider him as a man who helped Arabs gain their freedom from Turks other than agreeing to the fact that he helped king Faisel in wars.

Lawrence's genius is considered twined with his behavioral disorder, a not so common association among people who have schizophrenic symptoms except may be for rare cases of autistic geniuses like Peter Guthrie (not the Scottish mathematician but a not so well-known artist). There have been debates during his later years as whether Lawrence was in fact an autistic. At any rate, as reflected in one of his most famous quotes, he was a `dangerous' daydreamer who dreamt with open eyes and made things happen unlike night dreamers who dream in their dusty recesses of their minds only to wake up in the morning to see they are vain.

T.E. Lawrence's life and his untimely death (by motorbike accident) left us with lot of questions as who was he and what was he doing in the middle east and what made him to completely depart from the politics of middle east and lead a secluded life of 23 years in the Royal Air Force (not forgetting his contributions to the invention of new types of speed boats). His appearances in Arab's traditional attire in Versailles during 1919 Paris Peace Conference with the King Faisel and with other western dignitaries draw a stark similarity with Gandhi's appearance in loin cloth and shawl during the Round Table Conference at London. Though Faisal trusted him as his benevolent, he did not entrust Lawrence completely as he always thought him as a British spy.

I would suggest anyone who is inquisitive of T.E. Lawrence, also see David Lean's much acclaimed epic motion picture `Lawrence of Arabia'. If the movie `Lawrence of Arabia' captivated me, Mack's biography enthralled me with its abundance of well researched information. As with any other great men, Lawrence's life also is worth researching into. And these biographers are the ones who make legends live and help sustain the new generations' interest on these great people. A great biographical work!

Mere coincidence or not, John E. Mack died of a car accident in New York in 2004.

About the only negative I have is that the pictures were not bright, but the colors seemed to be faded. This is really minor. Overall I thought the book was excellent.

We read this to both of our girls when they were small 20 years ago. We wore out 2 books with them! We purchased more to give as gifts. Pictures are well drawn, colorful and stories are very acurate to scripture. We've even used the book in our deaf ministry as they are very visual learners as well,they love it!

A fair price and reasonable delivery....I'm satisfied

We got this for my son when he was 2. He would fall asleep looking at the pictures every night (for some reason we were in a phase where we left the light on for him). He pretty much memorized all the pictures in the book, because he would absolutely pore over them! That one is in pretty bad shape, so I'm buying another one. I'm planning on cutting the old one up and using some of the pictures to make cards to use for my pre-schoolers to put the story in order and also to use to do a Bible timeline. This has one story with 12 pictures per two-page spread. Longer stories (like Joseph, the Exodus, etc.) are told in several parts, so there's no skimping.

I purchased this for our son when he was about 10. He loved it, and is reading his same copy to his daughters now. This month, I purchased 3 more for our other grandchildren, and have given as a gift to a new Christian. I enjoy it too. It gives two sentences per picture in understandable language for any age.

I've read a lot of marriage/relationship books, including Sacred Marriage (which I also loved), but this has got to be one of the very best. Not only does Gary Thomas review important concepts about Christian wifehood, but he also gives practical examples/advice without sounding like a 5-step program. Reading it REALLY opened my eyes to ways that I was not handling situations in the best way to help/influence my husband, and also ways that I was still expecting him to think/act like a woman, which is totally unfair. Thomas also helped me understand what my husband was REALLY saying when he said certain things and what he was feeling, and why.

I've only had this book for a week, but I'm almost done with it and can already see how applying the principles is helping me and my husband's relationship. I would recommend it to any wife or engaged woman.

This book is very effective and is a great tool in the hands of God for shaping wives. Thanks much!

This book is by far the best book I have ever read for wives! Gary Thomas has an amazing ability to see marriage through the eyes of a woman. Whether you are single or married this book will have an intense impact on how you view your mate. Every woman should read this book!

Thomas delivers lessons about marriage that are simple but not easy. His writing is crisp and fluid. Throughout the book, he provides a message that is simple to understand but not easy to live by. And, ultimately, it is a message that married women of God are required to obey. It isn't easy but it is possible to live as a godly woman, the woman Thomas describes in his book, when we surrender to the will of God.

This book is a great tool! It helps one identify the ways they might be plowing their field upside down. Developing charity is tough. It takes incredible humility and Gary Thomas has some motivating methods for stirring up our resolve. So, 4.5 stars?

The book has one major controversy. Midway through the book Thomas admits this change in direction by bringing up Madame de Pompadour as a chief model of how to influence one's husband. Only Pompadour uses that influence on the king INSTEAD of her husband. Madame de Pompadour is actually a character one might want to avoid modeling their life after. She, a married woman with 2 children, chose to go and seduce the king of France and crush her husband rather than hold to the principles that would have kept her less famous, yet building her marriage. She became a master of intrigue who won for herself pompous titles and honors of land and a royal burial, but she was just the main course in a continuous buffet of infidelity, never mind what happened to her broken family. She did little more than what any power hungry, spiritually undeveloped woman, fearful to maintain illegitimate ties, might do.

So read that section with blinders off. His point for bringing her up is weak, but it does come across. Treat your husband (except in the case of Madame de Pompedour, conquest) like a king and you will, more likely than not, be blessed for it. Thankfully, Thomas mentions that model within marriage is still a position of subservience if used as a tool of manipulation. Submissiveness is an entirely different thing. It is done with confidence in Christ's love while subservience is not.

If you can get through that pot hole, the rest of the book does stay on track regarding submissiveness and its role in the salvation of one's family. This is mainly in regards to attitude.

Besides this there are some excellent points in Mr. Thomas' book regarding the role of hormones, such as oxytocin, and how they are used in a man's body to bond him to his wife.

This is a good read. The section on Madame de Pompadour is awkward, but Gary does use other righteous examples of women who secured for themselves splendid honor in their marriages. There is just less of a prominent focus on them because their racy side is left veiled to the public as it should be. Through them he makes a good point: it is an exceptional woman who comprehends her potential in the role that God outlines for her AND, after reading his book, you do come out flipped back over properly and plowing right side up.

Other than the Bible i have found no other book so usefull!
A must read for anyone who wants to live an honest life with yourself, Others And above all GOD. it doesnt matter what your back ground a must read for any one who wants to know God or already claims to be walking your life under his control. An Amazing eye opener, Life changing!

This little book arrived timely, was in excellent condition and is a must for anyone working a 12 step program.

Besides the Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous, this neat little book also contains the New King James Version of the New Testament, including Psalms and Proverbs. The purpose of this compact paperback is to combine the spiritual teachings of The 12 Steps of A.A.'s Big Book, with the religious texts of Jesus, the disciples, and Paul. New Testament verses appropriate to each Step are highlighted for easy cross reference to show how they intertwine.
However, in some instances, I found the cross referenced verses difficult to associate with the corresponding Step.
This does not take away from the meticulous way the authors have put together their comparisons.
I would recommend this book to anyone who still has difficulty in seeing the differences between religion and spirituality, and who wish to live a life according to God's Will.

Great book for the christian recoverying addict. Perfect to understand how the 12 step program was wrote by the word of god.

If you are interested in moving forward without addictions,....the Serenity Bible explains how the original A.A. program started with Bill Wilson & the Oxford Group. It also explains the 12 Steps of Recovery and recognizes what must be done, to obtain a better way of thinking and living without addiction. The empowerment that is received, will change ones life. It will fill the void, offer direction and give purpose to life in a healthy way. Highly recommended. 5 S*T*A*R*S*

Thomas Desjardin has done something I would have thought impossible. He wrote a history book that I found hard to put down! His expanded research included many eye witness accounts of the battle of Little Round Top which serve to give us a clearer picture of what happeded that day. No one or even couple of people can give an accurate accounting. We all have a limited range of vision. When gathering all accounts it may seem that one contradicts the other, but it's really only a matter of perspective. We all see things differenly plus & understand it differently. This book takes nothing away from Chamberlain. It only shows he was not alone up there. I found the book fascinating & well worth reading.

I initially read this book after participating in a staff ride of the Gettysburg battlefield. My knowledge of the battle at that time came largely from Shaara's "The Killer Angels", and the subsequent film "Gettysburg". As both were meant to inspire and entertain rather than inform, I had an unrealistic understanding of the 20th Maine and its place in the struggle at Gettysburg. Thomas Desjardin's book changed that.

Well written and fast moving, "Stand Firm Ye Boys From Maine" provides excellent background information on the 20th Maine, identifies members of the Regiment beyond Chamberlain and his brother Tom, and reminds the reader that the 20th Maine's opponents at Little Round Top weren't a nameless mass of rebels, but members of a proud regiment with a strong leader all their own.

Desjardin explains the fight between the 20th Maine and the 15th Alabama in tremendous detail, with accompanying maps that enhance the narrative. More importantly, he describes the post-war growth of the Chamberlain legend, and explains the difference between Chamberlain the Man, and Chamberlain the myth. Desjardin's Chamberlain is not the battlefield intellectual who conceived an unorthodox maneuver in the face of the enemy to win the day, but an ordinary man who led from the front under extraordinary circumstances. I prefer the latter.

Students of Gettysburg will be interested in Desjardin's perspective on familiar events, and those unfamiliar with the battle will find it a great introduction to the subject. While not a history of the overall campaign, it is definitely a great starting place to learning what took place in PA over 140 years ago.

This is a well worked area of the ACW but Thomas A. Desjardin brings a fresh look to the subject. He is an excellent author and scholar, both show in his books. The book contains very good maps, photos and current status of Little Round Top, roster of the 20th Maine, 5 Appendix, notes and index. This is a very well done book that can be used as an introduction or reference.

The defense of Little Round Top by the 20th Maine Regiment on the far left of the Union lines on the second day of the Battle of Gettysburg, July 2, 1863, is perhaps one of the most famous small unit actions in American military history, right up there with Custer's Last Stand - except the latter lost. As the author of STAND FIRM YE BOYS FROM MAINE (SFYBFM) points out, the U.S. Army still uses the actions of the 20th Maine's commander, Col. Joshua Chamberlain, as a model of leadership under hostile fire.

Author Thomas Desjardin picks up the story of the 20th Maine in the aftermath of Chancellorsville on or about June 21 as the regiment marched north along the east slope of the Blue Ridge Mountains while Lee marched his Confederates on the west slope towards Maryland through the Shenandoah Valley. After some skirmishing at Ashby's Gap, the unit arrived in the vicinity of Gettysburg at the end of the battle's first day. Desjardin's focus is, of course, on the 20th Maine's resistance against the assaults of the15th and 47th Alabama regiments against Vincent's Spur on Little Round Top, followed by the 20th's relatively uneventful occupation of Big Round Top before being relieved. Chamberlain's command spent the third day, during Pickett's Charge, in reserve behind the front lines. The next day was spent maneuvering across the Gettysburg battlefield until, after it became apparent that the Army of Northern Virginia had decamped and was headed homeward, a pursuit was mounted through rain and mud to a final skirmish with the Rebels on Sharpsburg Pike on July 10, an event that marked the end of the Gettysburg Campaign for the boys from Maine.

Having finished with the battle itself, Desjardin examines the post-war period, during which, Little Round Top having receded in time but not in the participants' memories, bickering broke out among the survivors as various accounts of that fateful day in July, 1863 had to be reconciled with each other (or not).

I saw the film Gettysburg (Widescreen Edition) on the Big Screen when it was released, and was greatly impressed with the leadership qualities of the Joshua Chamberlain character under fire (as portrayed by Jeff Daniels). Subsequently, I visited the Gettysburg National Military Park and stood in reverence before the monument to the 20th Maine set in the trees now covering Vincent's Spur. Therefore, the final chapter of SFYBFM, "American Legend, American Shrine", in which Desjardin puts the regiment's defense in perspective and deflates some of the mythology surrounding the action, poured a certain amount of cool water upon my adulation. As the author points out, as evidenced by Chamberlain's recollection of the event, the colonel never actually ordered "forward", but only that his men fix bayonets. With that, the Maine troops charged off down the slope on their own and the famous "right wheel" by the 20th's left was more of a ragtag pursuit after already fleeing Rebels instead of the textbook maneuver of mythology. Moreover, the entire Army of the Potomac's line, from left to right of the famous "fish hook", was never in danger of being rolled up. Had the 15th Alabama actually been able to capture and hold Vincent's Spur, it would've had to face the 83rd Pennsylvania, the regiment next to Chamberlain's, as well as the 140th New York that had just come up. Furthermore, there was only room on Little Round Top for perhaps eight artillery pieces to be aimed at the rest of General Meade's army. If all of Longstreet's cannons couldn't dislodge the Federals on Day 3 of the confrontation, eight weren't going to do it on Day 2.

The strength of SFYBFM is in the comprehensiveness of Desjardine's research, which encompassed examination of close to eighty accounts of the battle by survivors on both sides. There are twenty-two pages of Notes and a six-page Bibliography. There's a complete roster of the 20th Maine soldiers at Gettysburg, which includes each man's rank, company, hometown, age, marriage status, civilian occupation, height, and post-battle status as applicable (killed, wounded, mortally wounded, captured). In addition, Appendix One enumerates the number of combatants in the three regiments involved. Appendix Three, Four and Five list in greater detail the nature of each casualty for the 20th Maine, 15th Alabama, and 47th Alabama respectively. For example, Private Mansfield Ham of the 20th Maine is noted as having been:

"Wounded severely in side, thumb shot off."

SFYBFM includes a serviceable assortment of photos sprinkled throughout as well as a number of maps, the most useful of which depict the evolving positions of the 20th Maine and 15th Alabama as they engaged.

STAND FIRM YE BOYS FROM MAINE is an exemplary battle history. While it may refute some of the more outlandish claims of the legend, e.g. that the survival of the Union hinged on the 20th Maine's victory, it puts the supreme efforts of both sides on a human scale and not on pedestals, especially as the personalities and civilian lives, both pre- and post-war, of combatants from both sides are described. From this vantage point, the Civil War student, whether casual or serious, can better appreciate the command style of the regimental officers and the heroic fighting qualities of their men. The volume deserves prominent place on any bookshelf dedicated to the American Civil War.

Interesting book, good subject. Some people, with a degree of justification, bemoan the attention given to the 20th Maine, but I'm not one of them. What I would like to see is that same attention given to other deserving regiments as well.

This book has the advantage of being well-documented and, as far as I can tell, accurate. It has the disadvantage of being somewhat superficial in that the regiment is never put into any larger context. There are anecdotes galore, and of course there is a thorough reconstruction of the 20th Maine at Little Round Top. But the substance of the battle around them is lacking; to be fair, this is not supposed to be a book about the battle as a whole.

In short, this is a good supplementary book if you have already read a thorough account of the battle (I recommend Coddington, personally), and it's good for bits of information about the 20th Maine, so it fulfills its purpose. Subjectively, I found it a rather dry account; interesting, informative, clearly written, but somehow lacking flavor.

I haven't been a big fan of Schuller's other books. The ideas were good, but there was too much "fluff" along with the "stuff." Hurts into Halos breaks the mold by grappling with the real-world issues which afflict us all. Schuller reveals his own struggles and how his faith in God provided practical guidance for navigating difficult waters. I'm giving copies to many friends for Christmas.

This thought-provoking publication authored by the well-known Dr. Robert Schuller certainly should stimulate the curiosity of its readers. But to round out their spiritual education, they will benefit from the perusal of "From Here to Greater Happiness or How to Change Your Life for Good" by Joel Marie Teutsch and Champion Kurt Teutsch. First printed in 1959, their book really started the consciousness revolution, including assertiveness training and the holistic health movement. It certainly changed my life-and that of everyone I love and know-for good.

In choosing to respond appropriately to suffering you ensure that the experience leads to something beneficial. Free will is involved in that decision. Dr. Schuller writes, "I promise you that there is gain in every pain." Our reaction to pain is crucial! That choice determines whether we will expeience the benefits associated with the suffering process.

Hurts do not endure permanently. Pain passes. Trials end. He tells us to view pain as a process not an event. God has a purpose for everything. People who have made significant marks are the ones who have responded successfully to adversity. Thank God Dr. Schuller is in that group and left this work and others showing us that we too can make our way through life's challenges.

Dr. Schuller's first chapter is so aptly titled! "Welcome To The Human Race" - we are all hurting human beings! What sets us apart is our ability to recognize that the hurt is not punishment from God, but instead a reality of our life on earth. Schuller takes his reader through a series of practical analyses of hurt, in much the same way that Elisabeth Kubler Ross taught us to move through the stages of grief. How heavy is the hurt? How hardy (what is its lifespan)? and, How healthy is this hurt? He reminds us frequently that we must constantly examine our priorities and renew our faith that with God, all things are possible. Not an easy road to take, but worth it.

The book is written in an easy to follow manner and uses real life illustrations of both the author's personal struggles with hurt and those of others who survived life's worst tragedies and came out of these fires strengthened and renewed. Had Dr.Schuller omitted his own experiences, this would be just another sampling of inspirational story gathering. But as the "father of possibility thinking" was feeling victimized, he realized that he "needed to delve deep into the meat and potatoes of handling hurts and get over that seductive, self-absorbing, pity-party reaction." And he shares the wisdom of his exploration with us in an easy to read format that time and again reminds us of Schuller's powerful commitment to God.

Both believers and non-believers will find this book helpful as they search for the skills to cope with the hurts that come with divorce, death, destruction and our perceived failures. I liken it to Christian counselor Gary Smalley's teaching that we must learn to "treasure hunt" within a hurtful experience and find ways to bring acceptance and peace back to our lives.

This may be the ultimate gift book for a hurting friend!

I as all humans have been hurt during my life and didn't at times know where to turn. One day at the library I was I felt, being lead to read this most spiritual book.I know I must continue to read it at different times in my life to give me the strength to go forward,and change the hurts to halo's.