Lincoln Books

First things first: I am not in the habit of reading "Christian pamphlets." But I picked up this book based on its well-balanced and irresistible design. What I found inside, after only a quick peek, was the wisdom of an existential philosopher schooled equally on Jean Paul Sartre and the Detroit gospel temple. Swain's tough and ultra-real journey through life in a postmodern world--from the pimped-out Cadillac to the tennis club--speaks not only to readers of "Christian pamphlets," but also to readers of serious philosophy and cultural studies. From page one I was taken with the "powerful Swain self-confidence," and I went along for the ride as he professed a new dogma of "agape": "a secret agent against hate, fear and isolation."

Swain will remind you of the terrible reality that you are indeed free to do as you please. This is the terror of freedom, which can only be relieved (or repressed) once you adhere to this or that belief system. But if you keep your wits about you, you will get the gist of Swain, and choose to live in the terror of freedom, finding relief from your own benevolent actions.

Long live Swain.

I really liked the preface by the author. "Forget Lincoln Swain. Think about Jesus." In this small book, he tried to cover various aspects of Christial life, and the attempt was successful. The author's view on many issues are strikingly balanced and very logical. In this age, such a logically balanced view is quite imiportant and - I feel - quite rare to find in Christian community.
Well, being logical itself is not against Jesus.

He has done all of those efforts to be a true witness of the LORD. To be a 'True' witness, we have to know many things, at least. What are they? Read this book.

Dear Whiskers is the story of a fourth grade girl and her struggle with her second grade pen pal.
The main character, Jenny, is a fourth grader. She is assigned a second grade pen pal, Sameera. Jenny and Sameera have never met and they know nothing about each other. Jenny's struggle begins right away.
Throughout the book, Jenny is confronted with challenges involving Sameera. When Jenny (Whiskers) writes Sameera, Sameera doesn't answer and Jenny is disappointed to look around and see all the other students with letters. Later on in the book Jenny goes to the second grade classroom and finally meets Sameera. Jenny finds out that Sameera is from Saudi Arabia. Sameera can't speak very much English. Jenny struggles with this throughout the book.
In one scene Jenny goes to the second grade classroom again. She is planning on reading two books to Sameera. Sameera is nowhere to be found. When Jenny finds her she leads her back to the classroom. Jenny and Sameera sit down and read two books. Sameera never actually talks to Jenny but they understood each other a little better.
Throughout the story Jenny keeps going to see Sameera. Jenny kept asking her teacher for a new pen pal, but her teacher, Mrs. Steele, just said, "keep trying you can do it". You can tell Jenny makes a huge effort to help Sameera and be her friend.
At the very end of the book Sameera finally writes Jenny a letter. It says, "Dear Whiskers, I have a mouse in my desk. I like him. My friend Jenny made him."

Dear Whiskers is a wonderful children's book. As a fourth grade teacher, reading this book would encourage imaginative writing of my students. Children ranging in grades from second to fourth would enjoy this story of friendship and learning. I loved this book especially because it can be related to language arts and creative writing. There are many enrichment ideas that can be used with this particular book. Fourth grade children could be encouraged to write their own letters as an animal or other creature to a younger child. Second grade children would benefit from learning how to write letters. I think this book was delightful and shows students that getting to know someone through the use of shared reading can benefit not only an individual, but also an entire class.

I wish I would have been handed this book when I was diagnosed with diabetes. A lot of my frustrations were addressed, as well as healthy ideas for foods to eat.

All in all, I loved this book, and plan on passing it on to my friends and family so they can see what it's like on this end of the lancet.

This book has innovative recipies for the diabetic and her friends, that are clever and tasty enough to be, actually, something you would want to prepare and eat. Ms. Meirelles is a Diabetic Educator. She gives witty and very entertaining talks to diabetic support groups in and around Oregon. Her husband is her assistant. She educates the the non-diabetic away from many of the fears and false impressions about being diabetic. She shows us how to let the diabetic decide for herself what and when she can eat, because she is capable of doing so. We diabetics get weary of others getting on our case! Her recipie books are the result taste testing of the recipies by herself and her husband . She claims she publishes only the ones he likes!

I recommend this book for (2-and higher) because it has many hard words that I could not understand. The book is good. I liked it because it is like a science book and I like science.

We forget where things come from in our lives. After reading The Drop in My Drink, neither you nor your children will question where your water comes from, or why it is important to know. With water quality and availability named as the number one problem of the new millenium, this exquisitely illustrated book is a must read for both children and adults. Donate one to your child's classroom!

I first took this book out of the library to share the Easter story with my daughters, ages 3 and 4. They just loved the illustrations. These made the story so alive to them they wanted to kiss away the hurt they thought Jesus was feeling. It was great to see the stained glass-like art work while reading the elegant words from the King James Bible. This book is a must for any parent trying to figure out how to present this story to young kids in a beautiful yet realistic way.

The stain-glass like illustrations and the King James text make this picture book appropriately sacred. Although the story is told briefly, many key details are nonetheless included. For example, the text mentions the last supper, doubting Thomas, and several of Christ Jesus' appearances after the resurrection, including the morning meal at the sea of Tiberias. This book is an excellent choice for parents and grandparents who want to be sure their children are biblically literate.

This was the type of book that kept the kid's interest. Used it in a summer session for 15 K-2 graders. They acted out the story. One was a pumpkin etc... Another great read!

Sarah Garland is a great author of children's books in the UK, and this is a great book for children. It tells the story of a young boy Eddie planting a garden with his mum and little sister Lily. My two year old son loves this book, and has been inspired to push his wheelbarrow around our garden, dig lots of holes in the dirt, plant seeds and water. This book is good for 2 year olds and older children. The illustrations are loving and wonderful.

gorgeous book - made the perfect gift to my sister-in-law who is an avid gardener and loves english garden design

Most of gardens of the world can be put into two major categories: formal gardens and naturalistic gardens. The formal gardens are represented by Egyptian gardens, Persian gardens, Islamic gardens, Italian gardens, French gardens, and some American gardens, etc. The naturalistic gardens are represented by some famous English gardens, Chinese gardens, and Japanese gardens, etc.

If you mention English gardens, most people will think of large areas of lawns, trees, garden architecture, lakes and sky. These are the basic elements of a typical English landscape garden.

"The English Garden" covers not only the typical and well-known English landscape gardens, but also formal garden layout ("formal bones"), country gardens, kitchen gardens and contemporary gardens, influences from abroad, as well as garden ornament, plant materials such as English roses, etc.

Ursula Buchan and Andrew Lawson wrote: "All gardens, if they can be described as such, have ultimately to do with the desire of their maker to control their surroundings." They continued to discuss the various periods of English gardens including the Roman period when the early formal gardens dominated and the Landscape Movement period when geometric forms were intentionally rejected. They also discussed knot gardens and parterres, Medieval courtyard gardens, the Arts and Crafts style, the cottage gardens and the New Naturalism.

"The English Garden" is one of the most comprehensive books on English gardens open to visitors. It has 240 pages and over 300 color interior photographs. It is an indispensable book for English garden lovers.

If you are a teacher or parent, you will find this book a valuable addition to your library. When a child reaches a certain age he/she develops a strong curiosity about the way other children around the world live. Enrique's Day can satisfy her/his inquisitiveness while teaching tolerance and respect for other cultures.

In this book we follow a typical Peruvian boy throughout his day. Since Enrique is a real person and not a fictional character, the reader is offered a rare and intimate glimpse into Enrique's family life, traditions and culture. Sara Fajardo's compelling photography takes us on an exciting adventure into Enrique's colorful world.

This book portrays a day in the life of a little boy Enrique in the Andean city of Ayacucho. The book is beatifully photographed and well written. Sara Fajardo demonstrates that not only is she a great photographer, but a great writer as well.

I thought I understood the American Civil War and its role in ending slavery in America, but "Final Freedom" goes far beyond what most history books have to say on the subject. The issue of slavery was an enormously complex one, and bringing it to an end was a process that took decades, perhaps even centuries. Vorenberg's treatment of attitudes towards the Constitution was a revelation to me. Many of those in political power regarded changing the Constitution the way a fundamentalist would think of changing the Bible. How that attitude was overcome is a fascinating journey which follows many paths.

This extraordinary and wonderfully written work will change the way that historians view slavery's demise. Previous accounts of the Thirteenth Amendment have depicted its coming as a natural consequence of the Civil War -- a way to make final the promise of the Emancipation Proclamation. Vorenberg shows us that the coming of the Thirteenth Amendment was not inevitable, explains how contingency influenced its development, and reveals the different reasons why Republicans, Democrats, and border state Unionists supported the Amendment.

Amending the Constitution to end slavery was only one of several ways that Americans considered. Vorenberg explains that antebellum Americans were extremely reluctant to revise their Constitution, and even many Republicans regarded constitutional revision to end slavery as too radical. The Civil War's persistence and bloodiness caused many to change their minds, and adopt the Democrats' position of unlimited amending power. Although many historians and legal scholars have downplayed the Thirteenth Amendment's significance, Vorenberg informs us that this amendment marked the beginning of Americans' using constitutional amendments as instruments of social reform. Further, in the years following the Thirteenth Amendment's ratification, Radical Republicans understood it to be the foundation of federal legislation on behalf of African Americans.

This book is well researched, extensively documented, and informed on many historiographical issues. It will benefit both general readers and specialists, and force textbook authors to revise their accounts regarding the end of slavery.

You know, as I travel around I am always wondering about the history of an area and, "could this be more than just a field?"

That crumbling old house along a major route, "did something important to history occur inside?"

Ralph Gary must have spent thousands of hours researching and traveling around areas to discover all of the "who, what, when, where and whys" of Abraham Lincoln and his environment.

This book has just the information the traveler needs to understand and "see" history unfold before his eyes.

That old field suddenly comes to life as a thunderous battlefield with rain pouring down and famous phrases echoing loudly in the viewer's ears.

We see the fury of the instant as a theatre turns into a haunted moment in time; and everyone who visits Ford's Theatre feels the morbid moment of Booth's derringer into the President's unassuming head as he gently cups his wife's hand in his - and, in that moment, history changed.

Thank you so much Mr. Gary. Please, please, research other historical figures and bring us that "sight" that can only be had from reading about the moments in time that have become our
history!

Here's an interesting and hefty travel book that lists and annotates sites from all over the country associated with Abraham Lincoln and/or his family in some way. Arranged by city or town within each state, Gary describes places where Lincoln made speeches, stayed over night or for extended periods, went shopping, attended concerts and theatre events, resided, went to school, and a myriad of other events too numerous to list. Gary also lists Civil War sites that played important roles during his presidency. The number of sites detailed is impressive (many hundreds easily), and fortunately there's an excellent index listing them all. With all that, I noticed one site here in NJ that he overlooked: the burial spot near Allentown of Lincoln's great-great grandparents' three-year-old child, Deborah Lincoln. Granted, it's not a major site by any means, but neither are a lot of the other places in Gary's book, and there's a roadside monument marking it to boot. Lincoln aficionados should find this book fascinating, especially as they plot out all the excursions they'd like to take from Vermont to Louisiana checking out the sites. But even if you don't leave the house the book is loaded with interesting tidbits regarding Lincoln, his life and legacy. Recommended.