Way Books

This is a book that needs to come back into print. It is an eye-opener. It deals with dreaming, not only in sleep, and not only in the narrow clinical sense. There is some very interesting material in the chapter, All Life Passes Through Water: Dreams in Hoodoo. This book is very good for spiritual workers and counselors. Among a lot of other interesting things, it speaks about the relationship between dreams and divination in African tradition, something important to consider.

Anthony Shafton has created an ambitious and noteworthy contribution to the literature of African American belief systems with his title, "Dream-singers: The African American Way with Dreams." Through numerous interviews and in-depth research Shafton opens the veil to reveal the unique quality of African and African American dreaming. Shafton goes further to create a clear picture of how African and by extension, African American dreams are distinctive from the way other cultures dream. "Dream-singers" gives voice to the practices of our ancestors--practices that heretofore have gone largely undocumented. "Dream-singers" situates dreams in the real world of our community, showing how they mirror our spiritual world view. Hats off to Anthony Shafton for "Dream-singers: The African American Way with Dreams." This book enhances the understanding of dreams in general and the spell dreams hold on the African American community in particular. "Dream-singers" is a useful work of nonfiction for people from a variety of fields and backgrounds; enriching conversation and point of view for all. Therapists, nurses, doulas and other support personnel will find that this book creates an especially clear window through which they can understand the unique ways dreams shape the perspective, fears, hopes and vision of many people of African descent. Highly recommended to those who work with dreams.

This book is a fine combination of fieldwork and scholarship written in an informal, non-academic style. Anthony Shafton interviewed 116 African Americans, as well as a control group of white people with which to compare attitudes toward dreams. He also searched African American poetry and fiction and the scientific literature of dream analysis, and the depth of his research is revealed in the copious notes and lengthy bibliography. As a reader raised in the white community, I found much that I had experienced myself, such as dream visits from deceased family and friends, recurring dreams, and sleep paralysis-and some that I had never experienced, such as religious conversion and deriving numbers for gambling from dreams. This book indeed taught me that the dreams of black people and white people aren't necessarily different, but they think about them differently. Because my own research is on African American hoodoo practice, I found the section on Dreams and Hoodoo and the appendices on Traditional African American Dream Signs, Policy and Numbers Gambling, and Dream Book Authors and Publishers to be among the most valuable and interesting parts of the book.

As a long time dream recorder and enthusiast, I found the book fascinating because it provided me with a different model for thinking about dreams besides the mainstream, psychological approach. It also gave me additional insight into my own grandparents who came from Poland and had similar takes on dreams. One was herself known for having predictive dreams.

As a white American, reading it has given me some insight that I didn't have before into black culture. I don't think I quite conceived before the extent to which there is a separate culture which deserves to be addressed and respected on its own merits. Nor the extent to which black people are really a part of two cultures which are sometimes in conflict. I feel much more at ease interacting with the black people in my environment and more free to address racial issues and compare experiences.

I highly recommend the book to anyone interested in the topic of dreams, but more particularly to white people who want to bridge the social gap between the races which stubbornly persists.

At a time of widespread interest in dreams and dreamwork, the African-American dream culture, for reasons good and bad, had remained completely invisible in the sea of books on the subject. The acknowledged importance of dream-themes in African-American music and in African-American literature makes it all the more puzzling that this vital and pervasive part of African-American life should have remained invisible to the scholars and practitioners of dream interpretation. Whatever the reasons for this discrepancy (which the author sifts through in his introduction), it was a yawning gap which Shafton set out to fill in this richly textured book.

Based on extensive interviews with 115 subjects ranging from highly educated professionals to ghetto children to prisoners, the author examines closely the full spectrum of dream experiences and their uses in personal, interpersonal and social contexts. This includes the prevalence of ancestor dreams, various forms of predictive dreaming ranging from the mundane to the sublime, the cultivation of dreamlike experiences in the waking state, dreaming as spiritual experience, dreaming as processing of socio-political reality, the nature of dream sharing in black America and the transgenerational transmission of beliefs, attitudes and interpretive techniques, the role of dream sharing as survival mechanism. Last but not least, running through the whole book, we find a subtle examination of the question of the African roots of this cultural form.

Throughout, the book makes room for the variety of cognitive and emotional experience, what the author describes as "the various degrees of certainty, consistency, and tolerance for ambiguity. There are hard skeptics. There are naive accepters. There are those in transition. There are those who embrace traditional beliefs as part of a broad enhancement of their identity..." all operating on the fundamental assumption that dreams matter. This adds credibility to one of the book's ambitions, namely to assess the future of the African-American way with dreams.

`Dreamsingers' is one of those rare cases where a book's promises seem modest by comparison with the final experience. This reflects in part the intrinsic richness of the materials the author was able to draw upon: yet Shafton's carefully conducted research could not have produced so satisfying a book without the reality of a vital dream culture and the variety of individual lives connected through that culture. Equally important, however, is Shafton's ability to elicit his interlocutors' trust, to become transparent to their individual voices, to allow for the development of the full spectrum of attitudes towards dreams and the use of dreams in the conduct of daily lives.

One effect is that the reader is in no doubt that (s)he is looking at a clearly African-American phenomenon, one that cuts across class, education and generational boundaries. Yet we are never presented with a stereotypical `African-American' voice/experience. The diversity and nuances of viewpoint revealed in this book are as vital to the whole picture as are the core beliefs and attitudes.

It is a further attraction of the book that neither the thoroughness of the research nor the complexity of the analysis are allowed to interfere with the intensely personal quality of the material being examined. We are listening to an extended, richly textured and subtle conversation between the author and his interviewees, and , indirectly, among the interviewees themselves.

By the same token, the thoroughness and intelligence of the author's analyses should make it possible for members of other groups to look at their own cultural traditions in the light of the African-American way with dreams, having been provided keys for truly multicultural understanding.

I LOVE Amazon! So efficient and quick! The book is beautiful. I will continue to use this web site for many more things. Thank you so much! jeanne

In this excellent work, the author makes the statement that "... [the human] ability to conjure up methods of torture and death is .... infinite". Indeed, after reading this book, one cannot agree with him more. In a rich and most elegant (and often tongue-in-cheek) prose, the author clearly describes in excess of 69 ways used throughout history to officially execute human beings, frequently with various accompanying methods of torture. These execution methods are presented in alphabetical, as opposed to chronological, order; hence, the book can be read all at once or in dribs and drabs without any loss of continuity. The descriptions are agonizingly detailed and, well, quite colorful. In many cases, several fascinating anecdotes are provided to further enrich the reader's reading experience; these include personal information on some of the executioners and their many clients, the nature of the crimes committed and the attitudes of the attending crowds - all this weaved in the backdrop of the times in which these people lived (and died). This well-written book should be of interest, not only to those interested in the gory, the horrific and the macabre, but also to ordinary history buffs.

This is a great book, read the whole thing in the Loo. I am fascinated by all things macabre, and to find a book that is just NOTHING but descriptions of various kinds of executions and killing devices is like finding a rare gem. I have to say that out of all the different ways one can go, I would choose the Guillotine because it's quick but it's also such a marvelous contraption. This book is full of history, background and some seriously disgusting facts. All I have to say is that a lot of Christian martyrs got to test out the executioner's equipment for the rest of society. Highly recommend this to anyone who likes the darker side of life, but who also is a history buff.

This book definitely cheered me up. There is nothing like reading about mind-bendingly horrendous torture after a hard day on the job. I recommend this to all who dwell on the dark side.

Surprisingly considering the topic of historical references to torture and execution techniques, this tome is a enthralling well written look at how it was applied in western society over the centuries. The book is arranged in alphabetical order with the sizes of each entry varying based on available information and to a degree frequency of usage. The fascination is typically with the smaller sized less known entries. Though more information is valuable on the "popular" techniques such as Madame Guillotine, lethal injection, or hanging, the methods that most people have never heard of like being sewn inside an animal's stomach, the Spanish Donkey or Flayed alive, etc., which are relatively one or two paragraphs are the ones that hook the audience. Though the Guantomino crowd might insist this book is barbaric, history buffs will appreciate this deep look at the darker side of governments and societies.

Harriet Klausner

This book is almost the same as the speech of Mr. Li Hongzhi in Lectures in the US in 1998---before the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in China.

From the lecture, you can find a lot of Chinese official media's claims to Falun Gong are deceiving.

Although this book doesn't mention a word about the persecution of Falun Gong since it was written before the persecution started in July 1999, from this book, you'll know that the Chinese media campaign against Falun Gong is based on lies, plain lies. If you read a few more Falun Gong books, you'll furthur discover that the Chinese media often quote the books totally out of context, and in many cases, quote something that is never found in any Falun Gong books.

This book reveals many knowledge of the universe. It also tells people the truth of spiritual practice and its history in the pass. Combine with aonther Falun Gong book: Zhuan Falun, people can learn how to practice Falun Gong completely and get a better life. I really recommend people who want to know or practice Falun Gong to purchase this book with Zhuan Falun together to get a completely set of knowledge to practice Falun Gong.

This book is so profound yet enlightening. It explains the Great Way in the most simplistic and straight-forward language, but what it reveals is amazing. I've read the book many times, and it remains intriguing.

If you need to know the latest news about Falun Gong around the world, or you would like to read Master Li's books, I may help you, please contact me at flxldf@hotmail.com

Reviewed by Cherie Fisher for Reader Views (11/08)

"To live in the world of creation - to get into it and stay in it - to frequent it and haunt it....to think intently and fruitfully, to woo combinations and inspirations into being by a depth and continuity of attention and meditation - this is the only thing." Henry James (page 23 - "Fearless: Creating the Courage to Change the Things You Can")

These times are filled with lots of bad news. Every time we turn on the television we hear about more companies collapsing, the mortgage crisis and the high unemployment rate. Working in the not-for-profit world, I have never felt more beat up and defeated than in recent times. When I first picked up this book I thought that it would be just another self-help book that would inspire me while I was reading it and then I would move on. Not so! As I read each chapter I felt a spiritual shift beginning deep inside of me. Each chapter not only inspired me, but also filled me with a new found energy to jump back into my life and face the changes that I need to make during this time. It helped me to realize that there are certain things that I will not be able to change but how to recognize the things that I can and to approach them fearlessly.

It was a quick read, so I plan to go back and read it again slowly, fully absorbing what each chapter has to offer. Chandler instills loads of wisdom in an easy-to-read style. He gets his points across through his own life experiences, other people's stories and through beautiful quotes sprinkled throughout the book.

This is the first Chandler book that I have read but I plan to read his other books in the very near future. I highly recommend this anyone who is looking for the tools to get through tough times, or anyone looking for a better way to live their life.

"Somebody should tell us...right at the start of our lives...that we are dying. Then we might live to the limit, every minute of every day. Do it! I say. Whatever you to do, do it now! There are only so many tomorrows." Michael Landon (page 95 - "Fearless: Creating the Courage to Change the Things You Can" by Steve Chandler)

Don't let Steve's entertaining style fool you--this book goes deep into what fear is about, how it holds us back, and how changing the way we think will help us take action without it. As the author of The High Diving Board: How to Overcome Your Fears and Live Your Dreams, I was moved to applaud Steve's approach. Don't be afraid to buy it and devour it.

Ever been in a tall building that has an express elevator? No need to go through all the stops on all the intervening floors...just, ZAP! and you are at the top. In the penthouse suite. That's what this book does for my mind -- gets me full speed to my best, most creative thinking. Freedom.

As a business and life coach, I have been using Steve Chandler's books for several years now and see them impact clients in major ways -- and quickly. What's great about this book is Chandler writes like he talks: clearly, succinctly, and with great humor. He makes change not only possible but FUN. His books make my professional work a whole lot easier.

This is his best yet. Why? Because it addresses, challenges, and shows us how to eradicate the single greatest problem that underpins all the others--Fear.

It's not about prevailing in the face of fear. Or about learning to live with fear and doing it anyway. It's about living without fear. Nada. Take it off the menu. A fearless life. Imagine that.

If you buy one book this year, make it this one.

I just finished reading Fearless by Steve Chandler. The book is written in a highly accessible style, with chapters that are brief but packed with wisdom. I think it is Steve Chandler's best work to date, a book that helped me in some very personal ways.

If you'll open yourself up to the ideas the book presents, you'll find yourself seriously questioning why you don't do the things that you've always wanted to do, why you walk around judging everything to be "good" or "bad," and why you let fear govern so much of your thinking.

This book gave me a very big boost of intellectual and emotional energy. I read it over the course of a week and each day I found myself more energized, less judgmental of the people I live and work with, and more confident in my ability to move into the next phase of my career.

This is a quick read, but you should read it twice or three times so that you give the ideas a chance to change the way you think about the fears that hold you back in life.

As a coach I am dedicated to helping my clients find resources to move them forward. I am also always reading to fuel my own personal development. Two days ago I came across a book that I just can't put down and want everyone to know about.

"Fearless: Creating the Courage to Change the Things You Can," by Steve Chandler, addresses the one thing, truly the one thing, that is holding you or me back from success...FEAR! This book is remarkable, written in short chapters, and one that you will want to read over and over once you realize that it was written for you.

Buy this book, read it, and you will realize that you have the ability to change the way you think about anything in your life. And then, get up and take action!

Sam does his usual excellent job to inform the reader of vital concerns regarding fellowship. He of course takes a bibical approach and will challenge the thinking of all.

This book will change your view of what being a disciple of Christ is all about. Will also be helpful for us who are searching for the anwsers to life. Use it in conjuction with your bible study to learn how to study, properly study both and Old and New Testaments, the teachings of Christ and many other bible subjects. I have read and reread the book and use it extensively in my bible study. I have recommended to many friends and they all agree.

This is the best book on the market aside from the Bible itself on the subject of fellowship. Dawson covers both fellowship with God and with fellow believers.

Dawson's definition and diagrams of the way the NT uses the word "church" are worth the purchase price alone! But there's more! Dawson also goes on to give Scriptural guidelines for when we can work with believers with whom we disagree and when we cannot.

If everyone who called himself/herself a "Christian" would grasp and follow the simple NT teaching of fellowship, we would have more unity, more diversity, and more power.

Buy the book. After you've read it, I'm confident you'll buy a few more copies for others.

This book is a must-read for any truth-seeking Christian who resolves to better understand his or her relationship with God and the expectations he has, as well as how to interact in a way that pleases God with any fellow Christian with whom he or she disagrees. I personally have experienced significant difficulties in my relationship with a particular local church and have found what I learned from reading Dawson's book to be a very helpful guide in determining how best to express my concerns to those involved. This book helped me feel confident as I remembered that I am only responsible to control my own words and actions. Please read it!

After having studied the subject of Fellowship among Christians for most of my adult life, I always felt that there were inconsistencies between what the Bible taught and how many of us were applying it to our lives. Mr. Dawson's book has cleared up many areas of confusion and serves as a wonderful guide in correctly applying what God has taught on this very important topic. As with so many other subjects, man has deviated from the original intent due to his own agenda. Mr. Dawson's book helps us re-focus on where we should have our direction.

After growing weary of all the political ads I've heard lately attacking Republican and Democrat candidates, I needed some comic relief from politics and found it the other day in the local public library.

"A Funny Thing" contains several humorous quotes and stories from Republican, Democrat, and Independent candidates from the 1948 election (Truman vs. Dewey) to the 2004 election (Bush vs. Kerry).

At the beginning of each chapter the candidates, their vice-president, number of electoral votes, and popular votes are listed. While most of the humorous quotes and stories were from and about the various candidates while on the campaign trail, there are some others after the winning candidate assumed office.

Among the candidates quoted are: Truman, Stevenson, Kennedy, Nixon, McGovern, Goldwater, Carter, Ford, Reagan, Bush 41, Clinton, Gore, Bush 43, and Kerry.

Whatever your political persuasion, "A Funny Thing" is a funny read on the more light-hearted side of politics. Read and enjoy. Highly recommended!

I haven't even finished this gem of political quips, one-liners and come backs and I'm already recommending it to everyone I know. In fact, this is the first time I've ever reviewed a book and do so whole heartedly.

I am savoring each chapter as if I were at a great tasting. I find myself trying to remember the juicy, outrageous and unexpected quotes, and struggle not to read too many out loud to others so that they read and appreciate "A Funny Thing Happened..." for themselves.

I also appreciate Charles Osgood's chapter introductions and contextualizing the quotes within the specific campaign races, though this was clearly done with a twinkle in his eye and a bemused smile on his face.

This book is a keeper long after the current campaign season is over.

In reality, several funny things happened on the way to the White House and Charles Osgood has waded through what has to be a very large pile of clippings in order to bring his readers some of the funniest. The basic format that the book follows is to give a chapter to each presidential election starting with the 1948 contest. Each chapter starts out with a short overview of the election in question and then the fun starts. In each chapter there are direct quotes from the candidates along with blurbs from observers, the media and other political figures and there are things in here that you just won't believe.

Some of the quotes come from very quick-witted candidates who were able to snap off nice one-liners in response to almost any question or situation. Among the best practitioners of this art were Harry Truman, Barry Goldwater, Mo Udall and Ronald Reagan. Other jewels from this treasure chest include foul-ups and misstatements from candidates some of which the candidates immediately tried to correct and others that made perfect sense to the candidate but left everyone else scratching their heads. Vice Presidents Agnew and Quayle lead this category by a mile but along the way Quayle at least realized that he was making a lot of misstatements and told reporters that he was going to start being more careful with his words. He said, "Verbosity leads to unclear, matriculate things." Huh?

This is a must have book for any political junkie with the only drawback being that the book isn't longer. Both Democrats and Republicans say some pretty stupid things sometime and Mr. Osgood has taken this opportunity to remind us that a party label is no barrier to cleverness or unfortunately the occasional bit of stupidity. Even independent candidates like George Wallace and Ross Perot aren't immune form foot in mouth disease and both of them also show up in these pages. There are also little blurbs included that focus on local contests and in one of those there is a congressman who when asked what he planned to do if he was reelected replied, "I'm more worried about what I'm going to do if I'm not reelected." If honesty is the best policy then that guy should have won reelection in a landslide.

This book may not make you any wiser and it may not be the stuff that Pulitzer Prizes are made of but it sure will remind you that all of the candidates are only human and if we are expecting perfection from our candidates or our presidents we are in big trouble. The only person that could fill that bill was born in Bethlehem and is therefore not eligible to be elected president.

I have only read about 80% of the book and recommend it to any reader that wants another view of American politics.
While I understand that Charles Osgood is repeating quotes of the candidates over 40+ years, he has done thorough research and has portrayed the candidates in a brighter light in my eyes. I have been interested in history all of my life and I find his book informative and enlightening.
Well worth the money for the book!!!! AAAA++++

Forrest Gump's phrase comes to mind when reading this book, "Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get."
Osgood has put together an excellent selection of humorous quotes and anecdotes from Truman to our current incumbent. Many of them are well known but that does not take from the joy of the book. This is a book best enjoyed if you simply deep into it. It is also a book that might be of real interest to anyone in the public light or a humorous keynote speaker as it contains some wonderful nuggets.

The most humorous elements of the book run from Harry Truman through to the Johnson/Goldwater campaign. Maybe candidates just got more wary in the more intrusive media age, but few of our most recent candidates excite humorous interest except of course Ronald Reagan.

Buy this book and place beside your bedside table. Just a few pages a night will have you sleeping happy.

This book has been a blessing to me and others I have shared it with. I have used it many times as an inspiration and research source for devotions I have given at many women's meetings.

This book is 3 books in one. The first part, Disciplines of the Beautiful Woman, gives you advice and tips about every day living: wardrobe, time management, etc. The second part, Disciplines of the Heart, helps you enhance your relationship with God and your faith and trust in Him. This part has helped me a lot to be more confident in God, to not worry so much but
trust Him. The third part, Disciplines of the Home, is addressed especially to women who are also mothers.

This book is a must read for any woman, and a wonderful reference book to keep.

Mrs. Ortlund does a beautiful job in teaching women how to organize their lives and get their priorities in place according to what will please God. She clearly sets the ideal, which may be unattainable for most women, especially those with young children. However, every woman should be able to gain some insight from this book and make her life better.

Very Practical and Very Based in His Word.

Get Organized, Get Published is an excellent book by Cleaning and Time Management Guru Don Aslett and Carol Cartaino. The book contains tons of information on organization for the aspiring writer to the seasoned pro.

One of the greatest benefits from reading this book is the motivation it provides. When reading, you can't help but want to get to working on your writing projects. And once you get organized and get started, all you need to do is follow the advice in chapter 14 and Don't Stop!

Besides the tips, suggestions, and strategies that Aslett and Cartaino present, they have also included many quotes from published authors regarding the organization, time management, and writing strategies they have used to succeed. If just one of these gems helps you succeed, and I'm sure the combination of all the strategies in this book, if followed and acted upon, will, then the book will be worth more than its weight in gold.

I personally spent the last year focusing on dvds rather than writing projects. This year, my goals include doing a lot more writing. I pulled this book off the shelf to read again to assist me in making 2008 great. The motivation from this book will get me back to the keyboard, and the organization and time management strategies will ensure I reach my writing goals.

Thanks Don and Carol for a great book!

Reviewed by Alain Burrese, J.D., author, speaker
Hard-Won Wisdom From The School of Hard Knocks, Hapkido Hoshinsul, Streetfighting Essentials, Hapkido Cane, and The Lock On Joint Locking series.

I don't have enough time. I don't even know where to start. I don't know what to write about.

The list of excuses is endless. The remedy can be found in "Get Organized, Get Published!"

No matter what your writing experience, you've probably encountered organizational problems, time constraints and a whole host of other writing-related issues. Now you can learn how to get the most out of your day, office space and how you can make effective use of your writing sessions.

Sample chapters include:

* Finding the Time to Write

* Making Your Master Plan

* The Big Step: Getting Started

* Organizing Your Work Area

* Organizing the Writing Process Itself

* Time Management Tips for Writers

* "Just a Minute": Outwitting Interruptions

If you struggle with any aspect of your writing - whether it be a cluttered desk, personal battle with time or even if you feel creatively empty - this book is designed to give you the extra edge in your writing venture.

"Get Organized, Get Published!" is a powerful motivational tool. Each page will help you capitalize on your writing dreams. This comprehensive guide to organizational strategies contains everything you need to "Get Organized, Get Published!"

OK, I have to admit, I am a published writer for 22 years, as a journalist and commentator. Yet, despite my many promises to myself, I have not moved myself to the stage where I can proudly add AUTHOR to my list of achievements. Why? I have enough material to publish some collected work type books, and enough ideas to put together a bunch more. But, getting organized and THINKING, ACTING (as in taking ACTION) and FOLLOWING UP in an organized manner have been my nemesis. I just read this book today and have to give the author credit for putting together an EXCELLENT resource and collection of USEFUL and USABLE ideas, tips, thoughts, and even action lists. A MUST HAVE book (and quite a bargain at the price I saw here) for anyone who is serious about writing that book he/she always wanted to - finally! Good luck.

This book overflows with helpful and "do-able" advice for eliminating distractions to writing. For someone who publishes quite frequently, I hate writing and will find nearly any excuse to avoid doing so. Perry Mason re-run? Cleaning the diffusion bowls (you know, those things around the lights on the ceiling)? Nearly anything becomes more attractive than writing. Aslett and Cartaino cut away all of life's frippery to help you get down to writing.

This is a must have for anyone wishing to write a book of their own!

I've been doing book reviews for the Society for Technical Communication for about 6 years now and haven't come across a book as interesting as this one! It's very difficult to put down.

Currently, I'm writing a book of my own outside of my 40-hour writing position as a software documentation writer. I've made more headway on my personal book in the last three weeks than I have during the past year by following the tips suggested in this book. Other writers with whom I work are asking me about Don's book, as I have been taking it to meetings to read during those first few minutes that everyone is waiting for the meeting to begin.

All the reviews are right on; this book is wonderful for many reasons. I was compelled to read beyond the end of the story into "Notes on Sources," where, on page 240, I found a paragraph about the Chalmette High School's post-storm video on the St. Bernard Parish school Web site at: www.stbernard.k12.la.us/ Click on "Our Story" in the left panel. It is excellent and will touch you deeply.

A great storyteller with unusual sensitivity to the unique aspects of the a diverse people relates their tales of heroism/survival during the harrowing days of and following Hurricane Katrina.

Seldom do I read a book that I just can't put down, but this book was just that! Except for the bare necessities of living for those 15 hours or so, I just soaked up every page like the proverbial sponge. I live in Louisiana and have experienced several serious hurricanes - in Jena during Audrey in the 50s, then in Baton Rouge for Betsy and Camille in the 60s. Since the 70s, I've lived in the northeast Louisiana Mississippi River Delta and rarely feel much effect from hurricanes except for the increased rains, winds, and tornadoes. We experienced Gustav just this year in a much more catastrophic way than usual. Katrina brought us evacuees that lived with us for 4 months. Therefore, I felt connected to the author's stories about the storm, its devastation and, subsequently, its snails-paced recovery. The personal stories of the peoples' lives in Terrebonne and St. Bernard were gripping, and I could tell the author's commitment and connectedness to the people. Some of his most interesting work was the description of how the lower parishes were settled by the Acadians, Ilenas, and others who remain committed to their homes in that area to this very day. I hear people say, "That place is just uninhabitable....why do they keep going back.....how could they rebuild after what they've gone through." Reading this work of their proud heritage, I can say that I now have a greater understanding of why they go back. It is their home.

Although I knew Ken Wells was a great writer after thoroughly enjoying his novels, this book was a completely different experience. It blew me away--although not literally, as happened to some of the people interviewed for this true account of hurricane Katrina in the parishes where the hurricane hit before New Orleans. The story was gripping, moving, and informative. Wells provides not only the riveting first person accounts of riding out the storm and the slow, subsequent recovery, but much useful background information about the culture of the area, as well as meteorological and political information about contributing causes of the disaster. I truly couldn't stop reading.

Ken Wells can write. Let me repeat this fact. Ken Wells can write. If you like the grittiness of Rick Bragg or the majesty of Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea, you will like this book.

I am a reader, presumably readers of these reviews share this avocation. My greatest joy is what I call being "stopped" while reading a book. By this I mean reading a line so beautiful or thoughtful that I am actually stopped. I am forced to put down the book and let the words pour over me. Again and again Mr. Wells' prose stopped me.

Good Pirates is the story of courageous men and women fighting not only Hurricane Katrina, but for a way of life and a piece of America that most of their fellow countrymen do not even know exists. Wells, born and bred very near these bayous, knows these folks and their land in his soul --- and it shows.

The courage of good pirates like Ricky Robin and the drama of their fight against Hurricane Katrina and what is called modern progress is inspiring. The site of the battleground, essentially the same land where the Battle of New Orleans was fought in 1812, is the swampy end of America where Louisiana and the Gulf of Mexico occupy the same space. The land is described by Mr. Wells so beautifully that it is as breathtaking as the book's narrative of the struggle of man versus nature. The following excerpt is an example:

"Uplanders might find the greater landscape monotonous, the way a driver across Kansas might finally declare the endless canvas of golden wheat fields monochromatic. But bayou folk never tire of it., for they divine, in observations steeped in time, how these landscapes shift with the light and the tides and the seasons; how routinely they give up their wonders and their mysteries. Round the right bend in the summer twilight on the road to Delacroix Island and you might catch a bull alligator nosing out to feed, carving a V-shaped ripple on still waters painted by a dying sun. Or you can watch pelicans clowning above schools of cavorting porpoises not a half mile down from Ricky Robin's house, where the MR-GO meets sleepy Bayou La Loutre. Or you might drive the back road to Yscloskey in the fall and be startled by the sudden appearance of a marauding school of redfish in a placid lagoon that looks like it's been there for ten thousand years."

Mr. Wells has been a journalist for over thirty years, including stints at the Miami Herald and the Wall Street Journal. He has lived in Miami, San Francisco and London and now lives and works in the Manhattan area and works for a Conde Naste publication. However, this book proves that you can not take the bayou out of the boy.

Mr. Wells told Terry Gross on NPR's Fresh Air that the recognition that his life growing up on Bayou Black in Louisiana was markedly different than his fellow reporters came while working in his Wall Street Journal office. He realized that because of his bayou roots, he was probably the only person in the room that had ever skinned a possum. This epiphany led him to write his Faulkneresque Catahoula Bayou trilogy of life in south Louisiana

This saga of The Good Pirates of the Forgotten Bayous is compelling; but the real joy is experiencing the writing of Ken Wells.

This is a great book by a great writer, telling a most compelling and inspiring story of real people and a forgotten land.

A beautiful book, recently republished, that my grown children and husband remember fondly from their childhoods. I was delighted to be able to get it for my grandchildren because it deals so well with senior adults and death. We always say at our house, when sunset lights the sky, that Grandpa Bunny Bunny has been hard at work.

I was given this beautiful book by my "Grandpa", when I was a little girl. This book has timeless messages about life and death. Grandpa Bunny was like my Beloved Grandpa and taught me to love nature. My grandfather passed away many years ago, but this poignant book always reminds me of him, and brings back wonderful memories!
I am so happy that this book is available new again, so other children can enjoy this precious tale! : )

I read this book as a child in the 1950's. When my children were born in the 1980s I could not find the book as it was out of print. The book was reprinted in 2007 I bought belated copies for my 20-something daughters, plus ones for my mother and sister. A classic.

The illustrations are enchanting. The story tells of Grandpa Bunny who loves to tell stories to the children in the evening. Grandpa also teaches the bunnies about the value of hard work and is always looking for new ways to make the forest more beautiful...he teaches them to paint the autumn leaves and the spring flowers.

But the thing that really stands out is that the story helps to explain Death to children in a very lovely way. As long as you belong to a Faith that believes in an Afterlife, this book will help you explain to children that we never really die--part of us goes on.

I had this book when I was a child. After Grandpa Bunny dies, the little bunnies are not so sad because they see his work each evening--Grandpa Bunny paints the sunsets. Every time I see a sunset, I think of Grandpa Bunny and of my loved ones that are no longer here. Grandpa Bunny gets a lot of help with those sunsets. ;)

This little book is a classic: poignant, touching and beautiful. A memorable story that teaches respect and love for elders, that will grab little ones' attention and have you re-reading it for yourself. My kids grew up on it and I bought a new copy for the grandkids; I was so glad to find it still in print.