Religion Books

I am so glad I bought this book. The DVD's and book are so clarifying and powerful. If you wonder about how your life could be better. If you find yourself worrying about past or future events. This book is for you. It's transformative. It's a spa for the mind.

Filled with a lot of great insights, as I've come to expect and enjoy from Eckhart Tolle. But what I really loved about this particular audio set was hearing what an incredibly playful sense of humor Eckhart has and that made listening to this Audio goldmine of self awareness all the more enjoyable. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Good stuff. great thoughts. something we all need to take the time to reflect upon not thinking about.

Excellent, as are all of Eckhart's works. I strongly reccomend this set to anyone looking for a deeper understanding of life and spirituality.

This extraordinary CD set of Eckhart Tolle's Findhorn Retreat in Scotland is one of his best collections. World renowned for his bestselling books "A New Earth" and "Power of Now," Eckhart speaks on the simple and powerful truths of his essential teachings. Every word expresses the deep stillness, profound presence and extraordinary power of waking up to the essence of the present moment with masterful clarity.

He offers clear guidance, quiet humor, deep wisdom and simple tools as he deepens our awareness of the sacredness of life and being.

I highly recommend these talks. You may listen to them time and again and they will remain ever fresh and new.

Katie Davis, Awake Joy: The Essence of Enlightenment

This is one I borrowed from the library but definately will buy to add to my collection. I read this leisurely in 4 days staying up pretty late on the 4th day trying to finish it. It is amazing what someone can get through when God is carrying them. I am astonished and happily excited by a story like this one. Thank You for sharing Mrs. Brookshire.

This book was awesome. I read the book in a day in a half. This book was passed to me from my Aunt. I learned a lot from ready this book. Just to wait and listen closely to what Jesus has to say. Don't jump into relationships without seeking Gods face first. From this day forward my life will never be the same. I will continue to be more observant of that gut feeling that we get, they are not always butterflies but Jesus trying to tell us something. LaJoyce Thank You So much for sharing your life with all of your readers. This is definitely what God ordained you to do. I was always taught that God allows us to go through things so that we can help others that may face similar situations and so that we can have a testimony to share with others.

Be Blessed and Highly Favored

Tjis is a must read for all females young and old to read. AIDS IS A DEVASTING DISEASE!

The writer does an excellent job telling the story, betrayed by a thing called love. It was a difficult book to put down , once starting to read it. La Joyce should be an inspiration of hope and faith to all people especaially women. She really opened up her soul and poured it out in this book. I am amazed that she remembered so much of the hurt, deception and pain that she had gone through. What was so interesting to me was the fact that she continue to love and care for husband right up until the time he died of aids. What she endured was truly faith under fire. It's worth buying and reading.

I'm very glad this book exists; it's proof this kind of thing can happen. I read this quickly, not because it's going to win a Pulitzer, but because the reading level is not difficult and the subject is so timely and juicy.

1. THE DL MAN'S FAMILY WAS COMPLICIT IN THE CHARADE!!!! So many women in the Black community think the DL is just another example of lying, no-good men. The author here suggests that her husband's mother and sisters were complicit in promoting marriage and keeping the secret just that. When people receive counterfeit money or foreign coins, they often try to pass it off on other gullible people, rather than throwing it away. This book proves that many families of DL men are more than happy to make a Black woman's life miserable if her presence will be a cover for the family. I always say, "Notice how parents don't want their straight daughters to marry gay men, but they'll tell their gay sons to 'get married and cut all this foolishness!'" This book shows Black women who knew full well their DL relative was having unprotected sex with another Black woman and they did nothing, absolutely nothing, to stop it. So much for womanist unity!

2. THE ACTIONS HERE WERE SPECULATIVE WHEN THEY SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN. Late in the book, the author says, "I still don't have proof that my husband was on the DL." She even suggests that he wouldn't have been honest about it if she had confronted him. HOWEVER, she never did confront him. Some women are very good doing private investigation; "Divorce Court" shows tons of examples of sistuhs doing that. The author herself never sniffed around. She never asked friends if her man was on the DL. She never went to his HIV-positive ex-wife and asked her for questions.
There are several books and articles saying, "How to see if your man is on the down low." I think many of them are unscientific, salacious, and homophobic. But here, the author kinda admits that she turned a blind eye. This book will not help women ask those difficult questions. If you want to not see the pink elephant in the room, sometimes you will. So this book didn't tell me more info about DL men. It's kinda scant in a way. The explosion in which a DL man has to come clean never happens here and maybe DL men purposely play women because they know they don't really want to see the truth.

I liked the consistent inclusion of the Divine Name represented by the letters YHWH and some of the interesting renderings of certain texts.

Our Disciple Bible Study used the first version of this book in our Basic Resource Library. When the original book "went missing" we had to reorder, and discovered to our delight that the new book now included The Five Books of Moses. What a wonderful resource for Bible study, or personal use! It has become one of my favorites and I plan to purchase the next volumes as well.

Never before have I experienced a translation of Old Testament scripture that truly brought me into what the essence of the text was. Fox makes it perfectly clear that these books were written in Hebrew, not English. I would reccommend this translation to anyone who is curious what it is like to peek in on an ancient text and learn from the first five books of Moses in the way it was more likely intended to be learned from.

I used to say that it was pointless to try to study the Bible without Hebrew - that it was impossible to "feel" the text, to get the humor, the irony, the poetry. Not anymore. This is a must for any student of the Bible, as it captures the liveliness and strangeness of the original and expose it as the allusive, alliterative, jabberwocky text that it is.

Hebrew is best, but this is, finally, a good second choice. It would be perfect if it had Hebrew written alongside - a great way to learn for students.

This is not the only edition with English translation of the Pentateuch/Chumash that I own, and I don't think it's the only one anyone should own, but it is an essential part of my collection. Fox has combined precision in translation with interpretation and poetry, and the combination makes me run to it very often to see his version, which often makes a challenging and provocative comparison to more traditional translations. The type is large and well-spaced. My only criticism is that the Hebrew is not included; at times I'd like to be able to compare the original words to Fox's renderings, to see how they compare.

I've got to admit that the writing is so deep that sometimes I have to only read a couple of pages and then take a break. But don't let that deter you. Within 1 or 2 chapters I was feeling happier than I think I ever have. And this from a mildly chronically depressed person.

It does rely heavily on Buddhism but it IS a Buddhist writing it )). For the ultra religious, don't worry. He does not shove his beliefs down your throat. It is just his examples are from his life so that are flavored that way.

I would recommend this book to anyone interested i attaining happiness.

Happiness: A Guide to Developing Life's Most Important Skill

This is the best book I have ever read on the subject of happiness. A real treasure.
Happiness is not a mystery but a possible goal for anyone who seriously wants to become a happier and better person. If you love science, literature and culture, Matthieu Ricard is the right guru for you.
A must read for everyone who loved his book "The Monk and the Philosopher".
A book you won't ever part with for you'll want to read in it again and again.

Inge Hohndorf

This book has been written by the world's happiest person. Neuroscientists have conducted various tests on thousands of people including the author and have come to the conclusion based on scientific proof. It is therefore necessary to keep that piece of information at the back of your mind when you read the book.

Every word in the book comes out loud and clear as having been created by a truly happy and contented person.

Simply by reading the book and following some of the exercises that the author suggests, you can transform yourself from a tense and neurotic being into a joyful, stress free person.

Though the author is a Buddhist monk, this book is not about Buddhism nor does it attempt to convert one to that religion. This is a practical, down to earth method to learn to be happy.

This is just a footnote to the other reviews, especially the one that wants more of the "how" to implement the author's suggestions.
Ricard is one of the finest students of one of the finest teachers of the Tibetan tradition as is, for example, the very popular author Pema Chödrön.
Chödrön's books and "Happiness" by Ricard share the same characteristic: they make great inspirational reading BUT in the absence of a regular meditative discipline they remain only that.
There is a great abundance of excellent books (which by the way are not enough on their own), and there are even quite a lot of excellent teachers, who can guide one with regard to that regular practice.
Of course what "practice" is is something that must be investigated by you yourself. The many exercises found throughout Ricard's book, if assiduously undertaken, are material enough for a thorough familiarization with practice as I understand it.
I wish you the very best in your quest,
Richard Wrigley.

I think a lot of the other reviews clearly explain why this is a wonderful book. It definitely has added a lot of perspective to my outlook on things. I believe as Ricard explains, that tweaks to the way we think and our attitude will definitely foster happier thoughts in our minds. There are some very memorable thoughts from this book - the one I liked most was the fact that happiness can never be based on external circumstances for they are fleeting. A loss of a loved one or a job can plunge a man from happiness to despair and darkness in an instant. If like Ricard, you believe that happiness can be a permanent state of mind, it has to be on the inside and all ephemeral, external circumstances will flutter the mind like lines written on water.

But there are limitations and not-so-great things about the book which could have been improved.

- Too much quoting philosophers and famous people
Almost every chapter is filled with various philosopher's take on things like happiness, emotions etc. I was more interested in Ricard's own experience and his Gurus' opinions (which were also there at places) rather than a big collection of differing thoughts of other philosophers.

- Lack of explanation on 'how to do'
There is a clear lack of explanation of how to deal practically with the issues Ricard brings up. His theory that negative thoughts like hatred need antidotes like patience is great, but there is not much detail on how to cultivate them. Ricard says the solution is meditation, but how and what to exactly meditate on is short in content.
A recurring theme is that when say, you are very angry, look at the anger itself without attaching it to the target of the anger and meditate, and it will melt away. Look at the emotion itself without the object it is related to and it will melt away like 'snow under the sun'.
It sounds good to read but I find it tough to implement. While one is meditating, how is it possible to 'look' at something without giving it an image or a mental picture? How to 'look' at an abstract entity is mentioned nowhere in the book. Maybe it comes naturally to advanced spiritual practitioners, but for a layman like me, I need more explanation on how to do these things than just a vague paragraph and impressive metaphors.

In spite of these limitations, I found it an enlightening book to read.

This is a good book on the topic of psychotropic plants, though I have to admit that I'm a little shocked that the opium poppy wasn't included. Oh well. There are enough books on that subject that I'm sure if you really want to study the "black smoke" you can find another book to read. It presents an interesting subject in an approachable, readable format. My one complaint is that parts of it read a little too New Age-y, which irks me. But that's the way I am. Aside from that one (rather small) problem, I would readily recommend this book to anyone looking for an all-in-one look at this branch of botany.

The authors Richard Schultes, director of the Botanical Museum at Harvard and Albert Hofmann, discoverer of LSD and former director of the Pharmaceutical-Chemical Research Lab in Basel, Switzerland, together have over fourteen years of research in field of botany, chemistry and ethnobotony. In their book the authors offer an ethnobological look at the sacred use of hallucinogenic plants and include: an introduction to hallucinogenic plants, a plant lexicon, overview of plant use chart, detailed section of fourteen major hallucinogenic plants, and concludes with an overview of the chemical structure of hallucinogens.
The plant lexicon includes ninety-one known and most common hallucinogenic plants with: a colored picture for each plant, botanical name, geographic location, hallucinogenic properties and a short description of the individual plant. Following the lexicon is a chart overview of each plant that includes: usage in history, context and purpose, preparation, chemical components and effects. Following the chart is a detailed account fourteen major hallucinogenic plants. "Most of these plants are or have been culturally and materially important...that they can not be overlooked "(81). The authors include: a descriptive history, gathering techniques, rituals, the chemical make-up of the plant, pictures of ceremonies, and artwork of "visions" by people.
Plants of the Gods is more than a research book, it is a guide to understanding the role hallucinogens play in various religious cultures using a scientific and anthropological approach.

This review is based on the 1992 publication:
Schultus, Richard E., and Albert Hofmann. Plants of the Gods: Their Sacred, Healing, and Hallucinogenic Powers. Rochester: Healing Arts Press, 1992.

This is a good starting point for working with Psychoactive Plants. It is however not quite as informative as the author's "The Encyclopedia of Psychoactive Plants: Ethnopharmacology and Its Applications". If you are interested in working with plants but are not sure then this is the book for you to get the real information you need to make a informed decision.

If you're looking for information on how to prepare psychoactive plant medicine and, well quite frankly, how get high, this is not the book for you. However, if you'd like to gain more wisdom and insight into shamanistic practices around the world, this is a wonderful history that draws you into the mind of the shamin. I loved this book. It gave me new respect for the wisdom of those ancient people of whom we know so very little. I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in shamanism and herbalism. It offers insight into not HOW but WHY psychoactive plants are ingested. Plant medicine is afford the tremendous respect it so rightly deserves.

Plants of the Gods: Their Sacred, Healing, and Hallucinogenic Powers
by Richard Evans Schultes, Albert Hofmann, and Christian Rätsch

Publisher:Healing Arts Press/Inner Traditions

Year:2001 (revised and expanded edition)

ISBN:089281979-0

Categories:Book Reviews, Recommended Books

Reviewed by Jon Hanna, 6/26/2007

It may be a rare thing for a second edition of a book to warrant its own review, but such is definitely the case with the new edition of the Schultes' and Hofmann's 1979 classic Plants of the Gods. The updated version was produced as a German translation in 1998 by Christian Rätsch, and Healing Arts Press released the English translation of this in late 2001. It is a thing of beauty.

The primary and most dramatic improvement is the inclusion of numerous new photographs and art images. Although this second edition retains many of the same photos, it introduces a lot of new ones as well. In some cases, the item depicted-such as the statue of Shiva with Datura flowers in his hair (p. 11)-has been revisited with a higher-quality photo. Frequently, black and white images have been replaced with a similar image in stunning full-color. While this works superbly in most cases, there are a few situations-such as the replacement color photo of an aerial view of the Kuluene river (p. 24)-where the original black and white photo was much better. New psychedelic art is featured throughout from the likes of Pablo Amaringo, Walangari Karntawarra Jakamarra, Nana Nauwald, and Donna Torres. There are even some incredible watercolor paintings done by Christian Rätsch himself (think Codex Seraphinianus on acid)-where can we see more of his art!? A beautiful mural of an ayahuasca ceremony that graces a wall at the Cuzco Airport in Peru reminds us that some countries have a more enlightened attitude towards the use of psychoptic plants.

"Fourteen Major Hallucinogenic Plants" of the first edition has been altered to become "The Most Important Hallucinogenic Plants," and expanded to include new sections on Anadenanthera colubrina, ayahuasca analogs, Salvia divinorum, and Duboisia hopwoodii. There have been numerous expansions on the old chapters as well, including many additional species of the genera discussed. Six new plants have been added to the "Plant Lexicon," and this section has been vastly improved through the addition of color photographs. Previously, the majority of the plants described were depicted via illustrations, with only a few photo images; this situation is now reversed, with only a few illustrations. (It is a shame that there are any drawings remaining, although I suspect in some cases it might be hard to obtain photographs of the plants in question. Still, in other cases it should not have been difficult-photos of Banisteriopsis caapi, Lagochilus inebrians, Mandragora officinarum, Mimosa tenuiflora [= M. hostilis], Peucedanum japonicum, Scirpus atrovirens, Tabernanthe iboga, and Virola theiodora are all available via the web). The map of "Native Use of Major Hallucinogens" has been expanded to include Hyoscyamus sp., Duboisia sp., and A. colubrina, and the depicted range of Cannabis use has been increased.

Some problems that the original book had are, alas, retained or, in a few cases, exaggerated. The gutter of the book is too tight, causing one to crack the spine to get a full view; this was the case in the earlier edition as well. New layout glitches include shaded backgrounds for text boxes being placed too close to the edge of the text (in some cases touching it), and headlines that sit too close to the images. The problem of citing alkaloid contents as fixed numbers is still present (although in a few cases ranges are presented). Those with little knowledge on the subject might actually believe that all dried Trichocereus pachanoi plants have a 2% mescaline content, while this is actually the peak of the range that can be determined through a survey of the scant few published isolation analyses (which dips down to 0.33%, and even lower in published HPLC analysis), and may not be typical. In new cases when ranges are presented, such as the case with Mimosa tenuiflora root-bark said to contain 0.57 to 1.0% DMT, the information may not be correct. (M. tenuiflora has been reported to contain 0.31 to 0.57% DMT with specific analyses available in the literature of Gonçalves de Lima 1946 and Patcher et al. 1959, and there have been unsubstantiated counter-culture claims of 1% to 11%, see ER Vol. X, No. 3, 2001 and Ott 2001). Both the new and the old editions of this book are riddled with statements about alkaloid contents that are presented as if they were fixed amounts, when in reality alkaloid content can be highly variable.

Some new errors are introduced with this edition. Spelling mistakes are peppered throughout (they've misspelled author Hofmann's name on the back cover!), and awkward phrasings are not uncommon in those sections that were translated from German. In some cases, plants are presented as containing specific alkaloids that they do not have. For example, it is remarked that "The Turkey Red variety of the grass Phalaris arundinacea contains liberal amounts of DMT." This is in error, as this variety contains liberal amounts of 5-MeO-DMT, not DMT. Also, photographs of four cacti-Ariocarpus retusus, A. fissuratus, Astrophyton asterias, and Aztekium riterii-known in México as "peyote" are depicted, with the statement "They primarily contain the substance mescaline and other psychoactive alkaloids." This too is in error, as only A. riterii has been found to contain trace amounts of mescaline, and no mescaline has been found at all in the others. (It was interesting to see that Rätsch considers a heftier amount of mescaline, "0.5-0.8 gram" to be a dose, compared to the Shulgins' more conservative 200-400 mg dose listed in PIHKAL; I tend to agree with Rätsch.)

Any and all criticism of this book should be viewed as minor, as it is truly a marvelous work. Rätsch has taken a great book and made it better. Especially if you own the first edition, you owe it to yourself to pick up this revamp. It is visual delight, a joy to read cover-to-cover, and it will no doubt be revisited repeatedly for years to come.

Jeff laid out what all of us experience when we open up our hearts and minds to spirituality. The word "open" is the key. Through detailing his own journey into spiritual realization, he allows us to view our journey - as they are one. This is not necessarily in the details, but in the expansion of consciousness. Jeff is giving guidance to those begining down the path, but also enlightens those of us who already feel centered in our spirit. Around this framework he provides passages from other writers who have inspired us. This is not just a primer - but a well thumbed through staple of my bookshelf.

If it were possible to place the basic concepts of spirituality in a nutshell, this book does it! Spirituality Simplified gives you all the necessary tools to help you embark on a journey and/or path towards a higher level of self-awareness and self-love. I have been on that journey for almost ten years myself and it was good to go back to the basics because during this journey your are constantly working to stay in the moment, step outside yourself and look at what's happening. This book reminded me of that! It's a great read!

With Spirituality Simplified, Jeff Maziarek has created the ideal guidebook for the spiritual seeker. This book is a comprehensive guide that provides a solid foundation of spiritual teachings supported with excerpts from dozens of the most inspirational and enlightening books of our time. Whether you are new to the spiritual path, or a seasoned traveler, you will appreciate the information in this book -- and the fact that you can pick it up and open to any page for a useful message.

Readers of The Secret will appreciate Spirituality Simplified for its broader, more complete look at the spiritual principles of The Law of Attraction -- perhaps providing them with just the "key" understanding they need to unlock "The Secret" and make it work for them. With Spirituality Simplified, author Jeff Maziarek has tied together some of the most useful and profound keys to advancing along the path -- in a very easy-to-read and easy-to-understand book. This book is a definite must-read for any spiritual aspirant, or anyone interested in understanding the nature of who they are and how their life unfolds. Spirituality Simplified is one of the most practical introductions to the spiritual path available today.

I read and circulate all of my spirituality books so that they continue living and don't die on my bookshelf. Instead of circulating this one, I bought a copy for me and for each of my dear friends (my sister bought one for each of our family members).

It's a "must have" for those on a spiritual journey. The author does a fabulous job of giving you a "taste" of all areas that you should be "sure to explore" on your journey while giving you plenty to appease your appetite if you choose to stop here.

This would be a PERFECT first book to start your spirituality journey, but it's about my 50th book (at least) and I still had many awakenings in different areas of my life.

Enjoy! :-)

"Spirituality Simplified" is a wonderful book! I am relatively new to the "spiritual path" and was excited to read about these basic spiritual principles in such an organized and easy-to-understand format. Like the author, I was raised Catholic and have since left traditional religion behind. Jeff Maziarek has done a superb job relaying information in a down-to-earth manner. He uses examples of his personal challenges and successes to reiterate important principles. He even references classic rock song lyrics to provoke further thought.

This book is valuable to me because like the cover says, it is "A Handy Reference Guide". Before reading this book, I was already familiar with authors such as Eckhart Tolle and Neale Donald Walsch. Jeff Maziarek introduced me to many other authors and resources that I am now going to explore. I like having "Spirituality Simplified" on my bookshelf because I can turn to it to get a refresher on a specific principle.

I strongly recommend this book to anyone on a spiritual quest. Reading this book will provide you with confidence that you are on the right path!

Stepping Off the Edge: Learning & Living Spiritual Practice
The Harvard Ph.D. who dropped acid, dropped out and went to India in search of enlightenment. Your mother's nightmare. Your mother would be glad to know that Ram Dass hung in there, bringing comfort and light to people for the last 40 years. He has attained something worth attaining. I'm told by a friend that Ram Dass was at his most impressive last year, leading a seminar after a stroke that left him barely able to speak. He credited that stroke with teaching him humility. The hard way. A heavy hitter worth reading. Ram Dass writes from a Hindu/Eastern perspective, though he is a trained Western psychologist.

For a person who has read broadly over the years, this book might raise suspicions that it will contain little that is new. Certainly most of the ideas can easily be found elsewhere. But, this is a personal report by a fascinating man who represents an important take on our times. It's worth the read as well as enjoyable. About the time it seems we've heard it all before, the author makes a statement that causes us to sit up a little straighter and say "I've actually never thought of that before." It seems to me that is why we read.

It's been said that Ram Dass was "there" before everyone else. This statement holds true regardless of how you choose to define "there." He continues to show us the way in this, his first post stroke book. Let me quote from the book. "We struggle against the inevitable and we all suffer because of it. We have been trying to find another way to look at the whole process of being born, growing old, changing, and dying, some kind of perspective that might allow us to deal with what we perceive as big obstacles without having to be dragged through the drama of misery. Understanding that we have something-that we are something-that's unchangeable, beautiful, completely aware, and that continues no matter what, really helps."
Ram Dass practices what he preaches. He not only tells us the way, he lives it. That is why we trust him . He's always been ahead of his time. Now, regarding aging, changing, and dying, he still is. "Still Here" is a must read.

Exceptional book for those with a realistic view on mortality and aging. For those who have aging parents, a must have! To truly understand life and growing.....not only growing older, growing wiser.

Have you ever read a book and wished that it would never end? That is what this book was like for me. I got so much from it that I am purchasing another to give away to a friend.

This book was an awsome book.I might be a guy but all these stories just fills your heart with good things. This book has fantastic real life stories that mean alot of things. It was so good that i read this book in 4 days. This book is great for any chicken soup lovers or people who likes touching stories.

I read this book in 2 days flat!! I love it. Brought back some memories of times in my life... made me cry mostly. Who doesn't love a good cry? I'm on track to improving my personal development and have since changed my reading material to awe-inspiring stuff. I encourage all women ages 21-100+ to read this book.

I have grown up with Chicken Soup For The Soul Collections. I can remember buying my first book at a book sale while I was in elementary school. I than moved on to Chicken Soup For The Teenage Soul. I recently took a box of books to a book exchange shop and that's where I saw Chicken Soup For The Woman's Soul. I than remembered how much I had loved these heart warming short stories and since I had just turned 20 years old, it was about time I exchange my teenage collection in for the woman's collection. I am 20 years old, married and in college so sometimes I find myself stressed out and emotional so I like to sit down and enjoy a few of these stories. These are great books to own and there is a large variety so that anyone can find one that fits them. My husband and I like to read Chicken Soup For The Couples Soul together and I am looking forward to the day when I can read Chicken Soup For The Mothers Soul.

There are so many Inspiring and touching tales that fills our hearts with emotion. One wonders 'why' things happen as they shouldn't or 'How' do miracles change the course of our lives. There are moments in everybody's life where at a point you encounter obstacles, where your self esteem gets low, attitude differences opine or whatever be, awe-inspiring stories of this book glues you to stir your heart to be more wiser. It rekindles the spirits undoubtedly when we read the emotional narrations of others and wonder - We too come across lot of experiences in life. Should we not pen it down? Easy it may seem, needs inspirations like these stories to share alike tales. This book sure is a great 'light up spirits' book for woman, self inspirations you can say. Topics on Love, Attitude & self esteem, Special moments, Dreams, Truth & wisdom n more are widely covered which makes it a special read. I cherish this book and read n re-read at times. Good pick

I read this book in 2 days flat!! I love it. Brought back some memories of times in my life... made me cry mostly. Who doesn't love a good cry? I'm on track to improving my personal development and have since changed my reading material to awe-inspiring stuff. I encourage all women ages 21-100+ to read this book.

I bought this for my kids but I keep reading it myself. They can read it when I'm done. It is well written and very practical for everybody in today's world. This includes adults as well as kids.

This is a great collection of advice for teenagers, both Buddhist and non-Buddhist. It is relevant in today's world and comes from a place of real humanistic compassion for youth. I'd recommend it to anyone of any age, but especially if you know any teenagers going through tough times or trying to deal with the various issues that come up nowadays. I read a similar book with a Q&A style format by Daisaku Ikeda when I was a teenager and found it very encouraging.

This is the kind of thing adults should read, let alone kids. I'm reading it because I can't stand most organized religions, especially the one I was raised with - Christianity. Too stringent and angry for me and not realistic in everyday life, IMO. This Buddhist philosophy book aimed at kids really tells it like it is. I could relate to much of the advice given to kids and their parents. I also feel that it reflects the wisdom I've gained through the school of hard knocks. For example, the chapter on friends is relevant. You can't change other people's bad behavior or even influence it, all you can do is be the best possible you, have personal integrity and compassion for those who treat you badly. Basically, if someone behaves badly, you don't have to wish them to go to hell, they're already there. Great stuff in this book. All adults in America should read this!

This volume deals in a Q & A format with issues of concern to all young people. Although Daisaku Ikeda is a Buddhist leader, his answers deal with humanity and the wisdom inherent in it rather than with religion -- it is for everyone. As one reads through the book, a common message emerges vividly although never dealt with directly: you are most valuable and precious; find your own voice and use it without fear; find your own self and value it deeply. By the end of the book, the reader finds himself/herself viewing things in a very positive light.

This book is an excellent collection of Buddhist responses to the questions of today's young people. "The Way of Youth" includes topics like building confidence, respecting yourself and others, developing happiness from within, dealing with peer pressure and contributing to a peaceful world. The book is written for a general audience and I believe it appeals to both teens and parents regardless of their religious beliefs. I also highly recommend a book called "Open Your Mind, Open Your Life: A Little Book of Eastern Wisdom" by a young Buddhist author named Taro Gold. Excellent!

This was a great book and filled in a few of the questions I had always had about Anne Frank. For it to be written by Miep added so much on a personal level that I loved. This book along with the Diary of Anne Frank should be required reading for the human race.

This is a well written and thoroughly moving memoir. Read in conjunction with the diary of Anne Frank you get such a feel for people from two different backgrounds on the same side of an abominable war. I loved her humbleness and it gives great insight into the pressure on those who were protecting others.

My son had to do a report on a historical character for his 8th grade English class so we picked up this book and several others at the library. I had read the Diary of Anne Frank several times in the past - mainly for school when I was younger. I started to look through this book and couldn't put it down. It is a very simply written and a straightforward account of the story of the Frank family, how she got to know them and their years in hiding. The last section when Otto Frank returns home (he was the only survivor of the original eight) is heartbreaking. Miep was there through it all and her strength and courage are incredible.

We visited the Holocaust Museum in D.C. last summer and all those haunting pictures and displays came back to me. If you visit D.C. you should go there. We must never forget what happened to these people.

Miep Gies does not consider herself to be a hero, although anyone familiar with her story would probably consider her one. In "Anne Frank Remembered" Gies (along with Alison Leslie Gold) tells of the role she played in hiding the Frank family in Amsterdam during WWII. She sets the stage with her own personal background and how she came to work for Mr. Frank, and the special connection that she almost instantaneously shared with Anne.

Thousands are familiar with the events that happened while the Franks were in hiding, thanks to the legacy of Anne's diary that Gies rescued when the families were finally captured and taken to concentration camps. Gies recalls what life was like in those days, when her husband played a role in the Dutch Resistance movement and they took a Jew in to hide in their own home while hiding the eight people at 263 Prinsengracht. Her story is one of almost unbelievable courage and audacity - to so boldly defy the German captors who invaded their land and to stand up against the evils that were being perpetrated against the Jews. Miep Gies believes that others would have done, and did do, the exact same thing that she did.

The story Gies has to tell expands upon the events put forth in Anne's diary. Although those in hiding knew the danger that awaited not only them but also their helpers, reading events from Miep's perspective adds another layer to the saga of the Frank family. One might wish that she expounded more upon the period after the war ended, but her focus is on Anne Frank first and foremost. So much hope was held out that Margot and Anne might make it. When news came that they didn't, it seems as if a part of Miep died, and it took her several years before she could bring herself to read Anne's diary. Even if these events are hard to speak about and hard to read, her story is a necessary addition to Anne Frank's legacy.

Millions of people around the world have been inspired and touched by the story of Anne Frank, the young Jewish girl, who spent two long years in hiding, with family and a few friends, in Amsterdam, from their Nazi persecutors, during the second World War, before they were discovered and shipped off tho their deaths in Auschwitz.

Twenty years ago Miep Gies (98 years old at the time of writing of this review) revealed her own courageous and generous role in hiding the Frank family and others, and providing them with food, companionship, and most of all hope.

She gives revealing insight into Anne's life and of her own.

Miep had been a hungry child refugee from Austria, just after the First World War, and passed her own experiences of generosity and compassion on.

We read of the Nazi ocupation of the Netherlands, the decrees and attacks against the Jews, and of the deportations and hidings.

Ultimately every man and women must ask what they would do, when a world goes mad.