Wallace Books

This is historical fiction, but not really of the romantic sort. Tranter here has produced a fictionalised account of the life of William Wallace, and the political and military happenings and accomplishments of his time.

He is a remarkable character, pretty much forcing The Bruce into an alliance by strength of character, at least here.

Reasonably scathing of the usual layabout nobility, in general.

The best biography of Scotland's greatest hero thats cramed with all the details, characters and facts to satisfy any historian and yet it reads like a page-turning best selling thriller! Nigel Trantor is (was) Scotland's national treasure. I also recommend reading his work, "The Bruce".

Mr. Tranter is an amazing author. I enjoyed Braveheart for its tale although I know that it is very historically inaccurate. Not to mention I did not like the portrayal of Robert the Bruce. The Wallace is Braveheart times 100. This book follows William Wallace's life from his humble beginnings, to rebel and champion of the commons. It peaks with his knighting by Bruce and appointment as Guardian of all of Scotland. Then is follows to his Ambassadorship to France and finally with his betrayal and tragic execution by the English. Reading this book, I felt I was on the battlefields with Wallace. I felt his frustration and his pain. I shared his joy in victory. This is a wonderful read. This book also compliments Nigel Tranter's Bruce Trilogy and gives us a view of the same Scotland at the same time from another point of view. Get it and read it.

the best book i have ever read. now reading for 4th time.tranter really makes old scotland come alive. others have said that it dosent follow history,who cares!! very easy to read

If you were moved by 'Braveheart' - you'll enjoy this book.It is rumoured that some of Mel Gibson's scenes - on film, were elaborations of Tranter's imagery (Gibson probably culled ideas from a number of such sources).

The movie image of Wallace made him seem rather 'clean' - resorting to violence only insofar as it furthered the cause of independence, never as a wanton act of blood-lust. Some historians question that. Again, despite the bad image heaped upon the English (certainly deserving of it, in the historical context, especially Edward 'Longshanks'),there are those who argue that the Scottish nobility (basically Anglo-Scottish) oppressed the Scots, without anyone else's help. This ambivalence was evident in the movie, and it is still there in the book (viz. the 'wavering' Bruce).

As always, there are quibbles about historical details and facts. But when all is said and done, the basic story of William Wallace - or rather - 'The Wallace' as he is known in Scotland, is one of heroic struggle for independence. It is good to read Tranter's imaginative reconstruction of events, which evidently required historical research. Like the movie, reading this book made me feel something for 'The Wallace' - for the Scottish people, their suffering, their courage - and their pride. This story is moving, because it exemplies the polarity of human nature. On the one hand, the urge to subjugate and conquer, on the other, the equally strong urge to shake off the shackles of oppression. The latter represents the nobler side of human nature - and in the present world climate, the tale of William Wallace and his struggle remind us of what is at stake.

Doesn't anyone here know how pathetically naive this man was? I mean he wanted to pursue a policy of appeasement with mass-murderer Joseph Stalin - much as Neville Chamberlain had done not a decade earlier with Hitler. Thank God Roosevelt had the sense to remove him from the Vice Presidency.

Don't waste your time; the man, however "idealistic" (meaning he didn't listen to anyone else), is a historical nonentity.

This book is very readable and engaging. In parts, you'll learn more about corn and agriculture than you ever thought you would from a political biography, but it isn't dull. American Dreamer gives great insight into many facets of American life from the 20s through the 50s, from the collapse of agriculture to the red scare (among the many things Mr Wallace so accurately predicted or feared). Most importantly American Dreamer throroughly introduces one to Mr Wallace, his faults and greatness.

Even if you're not too interested in Henry Wallace (or vaguely know of him), if you're interested in American history or politics of that era, you'll be fascinated as I was.

A biography of one politician written by another could have been a nightmare this fall, but this one is a dream. Culver and Hyde have done a masterful job of telling a great story about someone who has been overshadowed by the giants of the era--Roosevelt, Truman, Stimson, George Marshall, etc.--but who certainly was one of the great minds of his generation. Henry A. Wallace was not only a cabinet member and vice president, he was a journalist, scientist, philosopher and theoretician. Culver and Hyde have captured all the aspects of his public life in an interesting, readable style. This may be more than you thought you ever wanted to know about Henry A. Wallace, but it's worth the time to learn about this fascinating man and his times.

This is undoubtedly one of the most impressive political biographies I've ever read. I have to confess from the outset (with a tad of embarrassment) that I pretty much had no idea who Henry A. Wallace was when I picked up this book. What shocked me most after reading 'American Dreamer' was how a man that was so revered and despised in his time has been so conveniently left out of any present discourse on that era.

In 'American Dreamer', Hyde and Culver give a well-written and balanced account of the life on one of the most enigmatic and progressive political leaders that America has ever produced. Why his name has never come up in years of taking history courses amazes me- especially in light of the fact that his thoughts on the cold war, which he tried desperately to steer us away from, turned out to be quite prescient.

Henry Agard Wallace was Secretary of Agriculture for eight years, Vice President for four and Commerce Secretary for a short time before his forced ouster. Wallace ran for the Presidency in 1948 on the Progressive ticket, lost, and then left public office. What Wallace left us during this time was a legacy of innovative leadership, genuine public service and a virtual revolution in agriculture.

Wallace eschewed the world of dog eat dog politics and preferred appealing directly to the public than orchestrating back room machinations. He was honest, direct, practical and always put the public good above his own wants or ambitions. In short, he had everything that seems to be lacking in the American political spectrum today.

As I read the book I couldn't help but think what would have happened if Wallace had remained Vice President (instead of Truman) and therefore become President at Roosevelt's death. It seems to me that the worse excesses of the cold war and the red scare could have been avoided and that US policy in just about every area may have been put on a more evenly keeled tack for the future (it would have been undone later, but hell, it's a start).

Wallace was often accused of being an impractical dreamer- but if what he accomplished in his years of public service were the deeds of an impractical dreamer- then we can certainly use more of them.

This is an extremely well written book. Th most amazing thing about it is that is corrects some of the conventional wisdom about Henry Wallace that more "popular" historians of this era like Doris Kearns Goodwin and David McCullough use without questioning.

A remarkable book about a remarkable man.

The story is simple. Politics go for the least nominator and the elected President dies. The Black Vice President then ascends to the Presidency.

My Dad gave me this book when I was in the 7th Grade. I had not thought much about it during my adult years, but bragged and talked about it a lot up to my high school graduation. It sparked a great deal of energy and political inquiry in my young life. Helping me to discover my aspirations and understanding of people like MLK, Thurgood Marshall,and so many of the community, church and civic activities of my parents in the segregated South, dominated by the rules of Jim Crow. It gave me a sense of "yes I can" when for Black children, outside of our segregated communities, there was none.

And so now, so many years later, after Jesse Jackson, Shirley Chisolhm, Dick Gregory, Ron Daniels and Rev. Al Sharpton as ideaologue candidates there is Barack Obama. All in my lifetime of 58 years.

As a child I loved this book. It proved to me 2 things, that reading opened up new and exciting things and a whole new world that could include me and that I could dream dreams far from the reality of my existence.

It is too late for this book for children of today, but worth it to adults who need to aspire them.

Dated in language and some of the plot, but a well-told story, which kept me interested enough to finish the book. The subject of this tale becomes president in unlikely circumstances, although these days you never know: it could happen. Anyway, Douglass Dilman is modest, humble and not at all sure that he can do the job. If for no other reason, there are plenty of people who think that because of his race, he will be easy to manipulate, leaving other cabinet members to have their way with the country's affairs. Amazing to read this book and think how much the culture has changed in some ways, while remaining much the same in others. Long, but I never felt like I was plodding through it.

There is very little one can say about the pure power and audacity of this book. Written 42 years ago, it is truly amazing to look at the tableau of politics of the sixties without seeing both the stark contrast and the scary similarities of today's world. A must read for serious political fiction readers.

No spoilers.

I decided to read The Man off of my dad's recommendation (he read it when he was a teenager in the 1960s) after a talk about the upcoming presidential race, and I am very glad that I did. The fact alone that this book is only a few years shy of being a half-century old and is as pertinent and as captivating as it is should tell you about the quality of not only the story, but of the writing itself. I found myself involved with President Dilman and cared about him and all of his thoughs and emotions.

Throughout my reading of this book, I kept saying to myself that nothing worse could happen to this guy because just about everything that could go wrong for a black man in the White House in the 1960s has gone wrong. However, everytime, something even worse than before happened and I questioned just how in the world he would deal with this new problem, and each time his response (and justification) was absolutely perfect. This 766 page (hardcover) book went by so quickly because you HAVE TO keep reading to see just what new malicious behavior will be born out of the ignorance of those in power.

I can't really say more about this book other than that if you at all care about the struggle for equality in America (then and now) or the future of this America and its potential leader(s), read this right now.

I picked this book up at Coldfoot Alaska, on a motorcycle trip to the northern end of the Alaska Pipeline, and was riveted by the book.

Despite being 887 pages long, and the fact that the "crisis" is long-telegraphed, the book is almost always a page-turner. In one sense, it takes us back to 1964, when a black president of the US would have been unwelcome by many.

Yet, the book presages the resignation of Nixon -- discussing when a President should resign -- and the impeachment of Clinton, who, like the fictional Dilman, was in large part accused of sexual misconduct.

Wallace deftly explores politics, personalities, ethics, and race relations in a divided nation.

If your a fan of the work of Michelango buy this. Your money will be very well spent.

WOW, this book is amazing, I just recieved it and let me say that again WOW!!!!!!!! Full color plates and details of all his work. There were other reviews saying that this book was impossible to find however rfw1926, an amazon authorized dealer sold this book to me. He shipped it immediatly as well as informed me of reciept of the order.

This is a magnificent book about Michelangelo Buonarotti. As one reviewer said Mr. Wallace's text is a bit sparse, but afterall: it is an art book! It's my opinion that a book about an art/artists should contain more pictures than text, unless it is SPECIFICALLY a biography or the history of a certain work, era, etc. But I digress...!
I especially like the photos of the restored Cistine Chapel ceiling. Cleared from the 'fog' of dirt, dust, etc., one can see Michelangelo's incredible skill as a painter. The sculpture section is wonderful too, of course! I don't know what else to say.
For those who can't find this book: Before this week, I didn't even know it existed. I found it in the bargain section of BORDERS (I don't think Amazon will mind, as they're 'teamed' with Borders!). Check them out, as I got it for 1/5th the published price. I decided to treat myself to an early Christmas present and am glad I did! If you see it, buy it - When I returned the next day all copies were gone. I am very happy with this book and recommend it highly!

I ordered this book as a Christmas gift and never got it. I received several emails from amazon that shipment was delayed, but just found out they're unable to obtain the book. If you want it, save yourself time & trouble and get it from another source.

I was discouraged to read such amazing reviews of the book, but to also hear of the difficulties in getting it. I found it at the Metropolitan Museum Online Store for $35, and it is perhaps the most beautiful, well-done art book I've ever seen. The reproductions are gorgeous, and the commentary is excellent. You won't do better with anything else, especially if you want a single volume overview of all of his works.

This is the most COMPLETE book one can get when wanting to start your own Personal Chef Business. It explains EVERYTHING you need to know including a small contract to sign on your behalf as well as the clients, a client assessment form, quizzes at the end of each chapter, how to store your foods after cooking them, a few recipes... A MUST GET BOOK if you want to start your own personal chef business. I highly recommend it.

The Professional Personal Chef: The Business of Doing Business as a Personal Chef (Book only)

This book is a great tool for getting started in the personal chef business. It contains a lot of basic business skills but it also provides information specifically for the personal chef. I will refer to this book over and over again.

Good advice that covers all aspects of becoming a successful Personal Chef. Well organized and written in specific terms that clearly outlines practical steps for application. Fundamentally sound information for anyone aspiring to be professionally competent in a very rewarding vocation.

This book covers every aspect of starting your own personal chef business. It even helps with the type of products needed to store the food in the freezer and reheating instructions. I used many of her templates to set up my business with my clients.

I was a little disappointed to see that the first 100 pages or so is a basic primer on starting a business. There are better books for that, my favorite is Small Time Operator. The rest of the text is more of what you would expect, but I think it could go much more in depth. I would like to see the author leave the basic business info, such as whether to incorporate, run as a sole proprietor, etc., to other books and expound on the daily issues of a personal chef. All in all a good basic primer, but I think something more is needed for someone really considering starting a business in this field.

This book contains the very simple steps required to obtain everything your hearth desires; however simple; these steps are not easy and will demand hard work, dedication and an unwavering faith from anyone who decides to improve every aspect of his / her life. Read it and use it as described; it works.

I purchased this book as a referral from 'The Secret'. While the premise is similar, it is harder to follow as to the steps. I understand what it is saying, it is harder to put into practice from the way it is written.

This is a practical and ready to use book. The insight is great. This book summaries a lot of the knowledge I have been getting from different sources.

helpful but basically same info given by tons of books including the Secret which by the way has never been a secret.

Wallace Wattles wrote a great book in very simple language to assist us to create money. This book is very easy to read and understand and easy to apply in everyday life.

Tin Lizard Tales: Reflections from a Train
Tin Lizard Tales is a book about a journey. It's not a travelogue, one of those handy pocket guides (a Baedeker) for vacationers, honeymooners or the retired, those seeking travel to wile away their stress and woes, ramp up their libidos or add another bumper sticker to their travelal ("I visited Yosemite" or "I climbed the Eiffel Tower"). No, this book is travel literature, the kind of book that takes you to places that provide theatre for exemplifying moral or aesthetic values. Tin Lizard Tales is more akin to Homer's Odyssey or Dante's Inferno or Bunyan's A Pilgrim's Progress or Swift's Gulliver's Travels than to Pausanias' Description of Greece or Johnson's A Journey to the Western Isles of Scotland or Steve's Europe Through the Back Door.

That is not to say that Tin Lizard Tales won't help ease your way if you're intent on riding the rails to the destinations Mr. Wallace describes, places such as Chicago, Buffalo, New York City and Washington, D.C., both big and slope shouldered cities. It is just that its real value lies elsewhere--it's a tale of virtues, a morality tale of the consequences of good and bad behavior. It recounts a visit to that most adventuresome place, the human zoo in situ, and then, after all that gawking there, it recounts the Odyessean joy of safely returning home to those who truly care about you, to your Penelope.

This is an honest book, the kind of book you would expect from a virtuous, plain speaking man. Mr. Wallace is that man, a retired fireman from Bakersfield, California, the sort of man who gives Californian's a good name--a life long, hardworking public servant who loves his wife and family and his country, a man secure enough in what he is and what he believes to dare speak truth to the powers of socio-political sappiness (which seem to oppress us from the seaboard states these days) without off-putting self righteousness but with an ingratiating sense of humor. "Man is his own star; and the soul that can render an honest and a perfect man, commands all light, all influence, all fate."

This is a book about the aesthetics of association, with a slant reminiscent of the ancient Greek reverence for the virtue of hospitality. In this book, you will meet both Polyphemus (the rude and inhospitable) and Nausicaa (the gracious and hospitable). Mr. Wallace sees hospitality and solidarity as twinned and intertwined values: You cannot feel a sense of solidarity with rude, ill-mannered people, those who delight in abrasion or in using others to met their needs, whether those people are poor or rich or somewhere in between. Here, what is inculcated is that virtuous behavior is not matter of social class. It is a matter of family and culture, of micro and macro influences in how people mature. But fair warning: There is no balm in this book either for lip service Leftists ("blighters ... living in luxury and talking about socialism" whose inauthenticity betrays a lack of virtue) or for rapacious free marketeers (greed is not good). Unvirtuous ill-mannered behavior is not excused here on the grounds that it's impelled either by some social disadvantage or by the needs of personal freedom. Behaving in a way that allows humans to associate tolerably does not require an aristocratic pedigree or a pilgrim ancestor; it does not require wealth or membership in any particular class; it does not require athletic prowess; it does not require any particular ethnicity or racial heritage or sexual orientation. It is something learned usually from well mannered parents and peers; it's self control; a desire to restrain the narcissistic impulse. Simply, the play of virtue or its absence is not a prerogative of either the working class or the bourgeoisie; it embraces everyone.

The virtues extolled in Tin Lizard Tales have a stoic cast, the values that would be second nature to a Scot's Presbyterian, the cultural heir to the likes of John Calvin or John Knox. "Joy for humans, said M. Aurelius, lies in human actions: kindness to others, contempt for the senses, the interrogation of appearances, observation of nature and of events in nature." Virtuous are those who are brave, hard working, well mannered, courteous, efficient, family oriented, honest, loyal, clean, frugal, humble, thankful for life's simple pleasures, and able to suffer with quiet dignity. In this book, you will meet those who have the right stuff--for instance, the generous cab driver; Eleanor and George; the Langfields; the Thomas's; Priscilla; and the courageous fireman and policeman of New York City during 9/11.

Unvirtuous are those who are dishonest, envious, greedy, ill-mannered, discourteous, rude, slothful, gluttonous, irresponsible, disloyal, unclean, revengeful, and all those matriculating in the School of Tricksters. Unforgettable are the rude and vulgar characters that emerge from the baseboards during this journey: The "Balkan Bitch;" "Pizza Boy;" the perpetrators of the Chicago Black Sox scandal; the Cab Hustler and the outlaw cab driver--"Jesse James;" the ill-mannered doughboy nitwits; Mr. Bootstraps; and the ill-mannered ragamuffins on the Ferry.

In Tin Lizard Tales, we also receive a dose of the omnipresent, vulgar, ill-mannered celebrities, shilled in the media, such as Rosie O'Donnell--the vulgar victim of ambiguous gender discrimination--and Howard Stern--the vulgar exhibiter of exhibitionists, to whom virtue is pornography--and Donald Trump--the bloated huckster, cousin to Gordon Gekko but with a publicist (said Robert Hughes, "one of America's chief vulgarisms")--all role models for strident rudeness. These buffoons are worthy of their forbears in great literature--for example, those morally wayward travelers in that donkey train parodied in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales--such as the narcissistic Wife of Bath and the hypocritical Pardoner. "I preach for nothing but for greed of gain and use the same old text, as bold as brass, radix malorum est cupiditas... ."

There is a wisp of nostalgia in Tin Lizard Tales, a quiet longing for a vanishing America--that rugged untamed land of the hardworking pioneer, people such as the Tryon's hacking a life from the backwoods of Pennsylvania in the early 1800s. "Virtues are," said Emerson, "in the popular estimate, rather the exception than the rule."

In Tin Lizard Tales, we realize that we are in the midst of a revision of American values. The virtues of striving, and rugged individualism--the ethic of self reliance (laggards are unwelcome) expressed in Emerson's Self Reliance--are waning. Nudged they are, slowly but inexorably, from their pride of place by that juggernaut of collectivist virtues, that ethic of self promotional positioning for government deals and identity privileges, that scheme virtues the purpose of which is to promote accidents of birth: gender or race or sexual orientation--"virtues" that appear now to trump the virtues of acquired skills and sentiments: manners, modesty, courtesy, and personal responsibility.

That is not to suggest that Mr. Wallace is not insensitive to the abuses of the past, the absence of virtue of some of our forbears. Quite the contrary. No one could fail to feel the misery of so many struggling immigrants working, so vividly described in this book, in hellish places such as the Andersonville-like Chicago stock yards in the late 19th century. After reading his chapter entitled "Life Around the Stockyards," who could not decry the base exploitation of the significantly disadvantaged? What manner of man could so callously use his fellow man? The unvirtuous of course.

Tin Lizard Tales also has a vein of American Romanticism, particularly in the chapter entitled "Culture on the Hudson." This is perhaps the thematic core of this interesting book. There we are reacquainted with the likes of Washington Irving, John Burroughs, William Cullen Bryant, the Hudson River School of painters, and James Fenimore Cooper and his famous Natty Bumppo--"the rugged individualist, self-reliant, and morally upright." Tin Lizard Tales reminds us of William Cullen Bryant's, Letters of a Traveler. And reading this chapter stirs images from the likes of Frederic Edwin Church, in his painting Twilight in the Wilderness. Here we appreciate the longstanding American love of nature, to be contrasted with the images of the city as a place of moral corruption, poverty and death. Here we have a romantic journey to the countryside, where "American nature," said Robert Hughes, "was one vast church." We have all prayed in that church. The short description of Mr. Wallace's canoe trip as a young boy with his brother up Soquel Creek in a chapter entitled "Land of the Hudson's Bay Company" stirred the same sense of awe that I had in reading for the first time Twain's description of Lake Tahoe in Roughing It or Hemingway's description of the trout streams in Northern Michigan in The Big Two Hearted River.

This book is worth reading--it has humor, moral instruction, fascinating characters in both beautiful and dangerous places, tossed with some rewarding lessons on anthropology, geography and history. Overall, it brims with personality.

Reviewed by Wendy Cleveland for Reader Views (5/08)

Schuyler Wallace and his wife, Carol (to whom he dedicates the book and describes her as a fantastic traveling companion) take a 30-day trip by train through the United States and Canada from Bakersfield, California in "Tin Lizard Tales." (Tin Lizard was the name applied to streamliners by old-time railroaders which I did not know.) This 30-day trip encompasses stops in various cities from Sacramento, Chicago, New York City, Washington, DC, Niagara Falls, Toronto, Winnipeg, Vancouver, Portland, and back home to Bakersfield. Along the way Mr. Wallace shares his experiences (some opinionated, some not) as well as the history of some of the cities. While they were traveling through Chicago there were essays on the Great Fire; Erie Pennsylvania on the fishing industry; New York City on the World Trade Center and Harlem, Washington, DC on Gettysburg, and Niagara Falls on Sing Sing Prison. Each section of the book was broken down by areas they visited. He describes the scenery and monuments like you were there. Their reaction to seeing the World Trade Center site and the Statue of Liberty was particularly heart-wrenching.

Mr. Wallace was very vocal when it came to the environment (some of the places they passed in their travels were littered and dirty with graffiti), homelessness, poverty, and animal cruelty (he describes slaughterhouses of yesterday and today) which I found very hard to read. However, I did enjoy his comical side especially when he talked about his fellow passengers (the Balkan Bitch Chapter was hilarious) and the descriptions of the sleeping quarters as being smaller than an average casket. (That's probably why they chose to make a few stops to stay in a hotel along the way. I know I would have.)

"Tin Lizard Tales" was well-researched, particularly the historical events and the evolution of trains and the Amtrack system. This book would fare well with both men and women who enjoy travel essays. As I've never taken a trip on a train before, I salute Schuyler and Carol Wallace for being able to travel and sleep on one for 30 days. He humbly sums it up at the end of the book "It was fun while it lasted, as they say, but I wouldn't want to live there."

This book, categorized in the travel/essays genre, was written while author Schuyler Wallace was taking a month-long train trip through the United States and Canada with his wife. I was attracted to the book because I have always wanted to travel by train myself, and so I thought it would be interesting to read tales of train travel. To my surprise, however, very little of this book was about train travel itself. Rather, the book's subtitle, "Reflections from a Train," more accurately captures its essence, as author Wallace offers his commentary on the places and people he and and his wife encounter during their travels.

For the most part, I enjoyed Wallace's reflections on places. He does a nice job of providing historical information on the many areas of the country they visit, from reviewing the Lincoln vs. Douglas debate while traveling through Illinois to providing to statistics on Niagara Falls and even my own city, Rochester NY. But in addition to his interesting educational commentary on various American locales, Wallace takes more of a lecturing stance about certain people and companies, and that's where I wanted to get off the train. For example, what starts off as "Beef with the Excel Corporation" turns into a three-chapter rant about how beef and chicken are processed and how the group PETA just makes everything worse. Wallace, a retired fire chief, also comments about how the World Trade Center situation was handled when visiting NYC, and throughout the book, he makes frequent jabs at things/people he does not like, from graffiti to Howard Stern. I didn't necessarily disagree with Wallace's opinions, I just found them to be glaringly out of place in what was supposed to be a "travel" book. However, I definitely did enjoy parts of this book, especially those that focused more on the experience of train travel itself; Wallace talks more about the onboard experience when he and his wife are traveling on Canada's VIA Rail, which he compares very favorably to Amtrack.

The book's back cover describes the author as "an opinionated man who has been around," and I think that's a fairly apt description. Given this, I think this book would be best enjoyed by those who are older (Wallace is in his 70s), and just as opinionated, especially if they share Wallace's take on things. Finally, note that this is a self-published book; I did find errors in the text throughout.

This book is categorized as Travel/Essays. I never buy books on travel or essays.I've never been interested in hearing about someone else's trip or opinions. However, I have been interested in taking a train trip since we lived in Arvada, Colorado in the eighties and Amtrak went practically through our backyard. I thought this book might give me some insight to train travel. It did exactly that, and so much more. Mr. Wallace's book was a delightful surprise. It has everything. If he had taught my history classes way back when, I would have learned a lot more,and definitely would have enjoyed them more. The most pleasant surprise was his humor. It is my favorite type from a writer--low-key and natural;I didn't see it coming. I smiled, I chuckled, and sometimes I laughed out loud.

I talked to myself, out loud,throughout the book: "Well, I'll be darned." "Wow!" "I didn't know that." There were even tears--especially in the chapter about the World Trade Center and the events of 9/11.

I recommend this book as a fun, interesting, informational and educational read. I will be looking forward to more books by this author.

I am both a traveler and a lover of traveler's tales. I read John Steinbeck's Travels with Charley several times with I was a girl and as a teenager I poured over William Least Heat-Moon's Blue Highways. Oh the places they talked about. How badly I wanted to go. I was born with the road in my gens and my jeans. I wanted to follow the setting sun and be there when it came up.

So I could hardly wait to dive into Mr. Wallace's book. I'm not a little girl anymore, not a teenage anymore either. I've traveled the world wide and plan to keep right on a travelin' till I die, but I can't get everywhere, so sometimes I have to read the accounts of others to see and understand those places I'll never get to. I've ridden trains all over Europe and Asia, but have never set foot on one in the States, except for that steam locomotive that goes from Williams, Arizona to the Grand Canyon, but that's a touristy thing and doesn't really count.

From the first paragraph in the prologue I knew that I was giving myself over to a gifted writer and by the time I finished the first chapter on train safety, I knew I'd be spending the whole day with the book. Mr. Wallace spins many little, often humorous stories in his punchy short chapters, each one begging you to read just one more and before I knew it I was halfway thought the book and hungry.

I made a cheese sandwich, then got on with the book, reading well into the night. I loved the book, the stories, Mr. Wallace's wit, his descriptions and his bits of history. At first, I must admit, I was a bit put off, because sometimes Mr. Wallace isn't always politically correct, but who is. However, at first reading, when he said he saw a smiling little brown boy outside the train window, I gripped the book hard, then I remembered Mr. Wallace is a couple generations older than me and he's not being disrespectful. That little bit aside, I've gotta say, this is one heck of a travel book and it inspired me to go online the day after I read it and check out getting my own North America Rail Pass.

Review submitted by Captain Katie Osborne

PS. I didn't know Tin Lizard was Rail Road Jargon for a Streamliner. Now, after reading this book, I'll forever be calling passenger trains, the Tin Lizard Express.

This book was so needed as I continue to search for a simpler, more biblical approach to church life.

I bought this book b/c I'm looking to start a Sunday School class for parents that would equip them to lead their household rather than use the church as a crutch (see Voddie Baucham's excellent book "Family-Driven Faith"). As one reviewer said, there are a lot of anecdotal stories but not much scriptural analysis. But the real fault is how he states his principle that relationships through age-integrated church & classes, not programs, bring about life change...by just beating this dead horse for 12 chapters! I was amazed how many different ways an author can restate his position.

When I finally got to Chapter 13 (the supposed application of this principle), I got a few one-paragraph examples of churches who went age-integrated but no specifics on how it was carried out. There was one example of father-child projects in a S.S. class but that was about it.

I like the principles Eric describes, but the book is a mile wide but only an inch deep. Get the book if you need to be convinced the age-integrated church model is better than the program-centric church model; skip the book if you already agree with that philosophy and are looking for specifics.

In this book, Eric Wallace challenges the tendency
* to be programme-centric, and especially to promote programmes that pull households apart into separate directions, and
* to barrage individuals with teaching and activities that are so disjointed they can't be effectively acted on.
Western culture has largely torn apart the household and treats each person as an autonomous individual, to our collective loss; this book challenges the church to put that sociological trend in reverse.

There are many excellent ideas, and interesting and helpful suggestions, in this guide. Wallace seeks to develop relationships that build people, whatever their status: for example, children should be an integrated part of ministry, rather than someone to just entertain until they can grow up and contribute.

The ideas presented in this book are largely sociological, rather than theological; and are based on anecdotal rather than systematic interpretation of scripture (a frequent too malaise of popular books!). Wallace tends to simply state premises as facts (e.g., "the primary means of evangelism in the early church was in the household"), without giving a scriptural defence of their truth.

Wallace emphasizes the idea that the church is the collection of people who believe in Jesus Christ, wherever we are, rather than a building -- a very correct idea. This is valuable if considered as a contribution on one topic within a balanced Christian worldview. The risk I fear is our trend to make such ideas The Big Thing, and give them much more of a place of centrality, much more prominence, than they deserve. I fear that Wallace pushes the pendulum too far on this in two ways:
* He focuses so much on household relationships that he downplays corporate worship (and ignores many other aspects of Christian living). Certainly the New Testament vision of the church is its people joined through the Holy Spirit, not a set of buildings; but at the same time, it emphasises word and sacrament of the joint covenant people in a way that Wallace barely acknowledges. (See D. A. Carson et al, "Worship by the Book", and Gordon Fee, "Paul, the Spirit, and the People of God" for excellent discussions of corporate worship and the importance of the unity of the covenant people).
* Wallace overplays the analogy of family and church: while there is a relationship (pun intended?) in the Bible, there is also a distinction; and to be a father is not to be a priest among the people of the new covenant any more than it was in the old.

I commend this book to the reader to prayerfully consider Wallace's ideas, to test each one of them -- is there a solid scriptural backing for it? does it apply an analogy reasonably or to an extreme? -- and select a set of the excellent ones to put into practice. By all means let our churches synergistically build up our households and use the household's strength to build up the church, rather than promote programmes that pull us apart.

This is a very practical, to the point, why and how-to book about building the local church ministry around God's plan for the family. Wallace writes "Strong households are the core of strongs churches, and strong churches are the foundation for outreach to others." He lays out a plan for raising your children in the faith that truly passes on the rich heritage of Christianity. In a generation that has gone crazy trying to make the church run like a business rather than a community of the redeemed in covenant relationship to Christ and each other, this book is a breath of fresh air. Wallace lays out a four-part vision for building families in the context of the church as family. Rejecting age-segregated, individualized Christianity, If you like this book, check out R. C. Sproul Jr.'s book Family Practice, where he argues for a similar idea but more clearly covenantal. After you have read these then get a copy of Douglas Wilson's Mother Kirk.

Eric, may God bless your continued efforts to bring reformation to the secular structure of the 21st century church. I highly recommend your book to every Christian homeschooling family, especially those suffering persecution in their church.

Blue Eyes Better is the beautifully-written story of a young girl dealing with loss, grief and guilt. The story is told from the perspective of ten year-old Tessa, whose teenaged brother has died in a drunk-driving accident. Tessa's mother withdraws both psychologically and emotionally from her husband and daughter, spending the better part of the summer with her sister on Cape Cod.

Tessa finds strength and support from her father, her music teacher, who also coaches summer track, and various friends and neighbors. She is able to come to terms with her mother's grief and her own guilt at not sharing all she knew about the night of her brother's death.

Wallace-Brodeur's writing is simple yet beautiful, and the 112 pages of this novel feels neither too long nor too short. This book deals with serious themes honestly, yet ends on a note of hope.

This book is about a girl named Teresa Grace Drummond,Tesa for short.She has a mother,a father,and did have a brother named Scott.What happened was that her brother died,he got into a car accident with a drunk friend,Of course the drunk was the driver.Anyways Scott is dead and Tesa's family is going through
such a crisis.

This book was a little bit shorter than most 7th grade books,But was a pretty good one.I probably wouldn't read this book again.I think 1 time is enough.This book was ok I guess.

I would recommend this book to anyone who is in the same situation as tesa was in the book, also to a person who has lost spmebody really special.

The story is a very sad one. A family loses their only son to a car accident and are lest with only their daughter, Tessa. Now, the mother didn't really have a good relationship with the daughter abd dteh daughter wasnt really close to her brother. At teh beggining the mother is hysterical, she cries constantly, and every tiem that she passes his room she shakes and begins crying again, because her son was her favorite. Tessa knows that and has no problem with it, but she knows something that keeps pricking her at the back of her mind. SHe knew that her brother had some friends in the car that he wasn't supposed to see, and that his friends used to drink all the time. The story goes on with the mother becoming so sad that she lives with her parents and just works for months. Then when she finally comes back, Tessa tells her that she knew the whole time that Scot(Brother) was going to hang out with that guy. The mother takes it pretty well and it ends in the mother finally growing closer to her daughter.
I liked this book because it deals with the situation that most families have to go through because of drunk driving. It also deals a lot with the feelings that Tessa goes through, along with teh feelings od her parents, but this book was special because I havent seen any books that talk to much about the siblings feelings.
I disliked the book becayse the role that the mother played. I mean I know that she's sad and wants to bring him back, but she totally neglected her otehre child who id still living. I think she should quit moping around and deal with what she has left.
My favorite part of the book was when Tessa finally told her parents that she knew Scot would be drinking. At that point the mother comforted her and her relationship became way better at that moment.

In the book Blue Eyes by Toni Maarrison it is apparent that the theme is that beauty lies within. Society as a whole has had a stereotypical image that a women is supposed to be fair colored with blonde hair and blue eyes. This unwritten fact has had an impact on women, more specifically blak women. The struggle with this black girl with psychological probems reflect the struggle of everyday people. This novel is a great inspiration to ypung girls and a motivation not only to accept yourself as a whole, but but also to acceptyour individualityand independence as a women. I thought that this was a real great book, and I feel that an unstable person that has doubts about theirself should read this book. This was a good book and I recommend others to read it. I rate this book a four.

Hi! Blue Eyes Better is about a girl named Terresa but they call her Tessa. Her brother Scott died and her mother is slipping away from her too. Tessa does not know what to do. Itb seems that her mother's love is slipping away with Scott's blue eyes. With the help of her friend she's getting through. Will Tessa be able to stop her mother?

What I liked about this bookis that it is very emotional and encouraging . Another reason I liked this book is because it feels like you have known the characters for a long time. The author knows how to explain what is happening through the whole book. I though that it was a great book.

I would recommend this book it to someone who who likes realistic fiction. I thnk everyone of all ages should read this book. I would especially recommend it to someone who has lost someone and is having trouble getting over it. This would help them understand everyting a bit better.

I like this story really. It is a story of a ghost who want to fright the new American family but they are too easy and they aren't frightened. So he has a mission to do.
This story is unusual for a ghost. It is a interesting and thrilling story. It is also easy to read for students. I didn't feel bored, when I read this book, because you are in this thrilling situation. But it is also very funny and your face will be touched with a smile. So the whole story is very good.

The Canterville Ghost is a charming tale, one of Oscar Wilde's best. It is a ghost story, a comedy and a romance all rolled into one, told with the offbeat, rolling wit that only Wilde can tell.

An American family moves into a haunted mansion in England, but it is they who torment the ghost with their irrepressible irreverence, finally driving the phantom to despair. The lovely, charming daughter of the family, strikes up a friendship with the ghost, freeing it, with her prayer and tears.

It is a tragic tale with a happy ending , a wonderful story for all ages.

This is a nice, short and easy story to read, it will show you the way people think about themselves and about others, you can read this fairy tale while waiting in the airport, it won't take you more that an our to read it, OK, maybe two hours and you will have a smile after you finish the book.

The Canterville Ghost is a small book, which is quite easy to read.
It is a funny story and there are a lot of jokes. Sometimes it is a little bit boring., but when you like the spiritual then you like this book.
It is a fantasy history, who you can use your own imagination. It is also a sad story, although superficially there is a happy ending.
There you see the difference between the serious minded English people and the practical Americans
You can see parallels between the story and the writer. Oscar Wilde had a very difficult life at the end, and in his story it is the ghost, which suffers a lot because of the fact that he has no audience who is willing to pay attention to his pranks.
I think it is a good book to read at school. And I have loved the jokes very much and I like the mystical and spiritual side of this book too.

It's rare for a ghost story to be sympathetic towards the ghost or to flush out the ghosts character. Usually the ghost is just there to frighten the main characters and the readers. The Canterville Ghost however does make the ghost an interesting and understandable character without letting the suspense suffer.