Georgia Books

Disguised Blessing is a deeply emotional book that really touches your heart. It seemed as if this book was very special to the author and she lavished loving care on every word. A very special read.

This was a typical book for this author, which is a pretty good thing. Her stories aren't especially gripping but she always delivers a nice love story, this time about a male firefighter and a divorcee who previously has only married/dated wealthy men. There is also a very good teenage daughter in this book who also needs the firefighter's help and affection and a great dog.

I am never disappointed when I pick up a book by Georgia Bockoven. Her writing pulls you emotionally into the story and doesn't let go, even after you put the book down. If you're looking for great women's fiction, this is the writer for you. If you're looking for a great read, don't miss Disguised Blessing.

Ever dread finishing a book because you just know the next one you start won't come anywhere near to being as good? This was how I felt when I read the last page of Disguised Blessing. Before this, I'd read and enjoyed The Beach House, but Ms. Bockoven's latest surpasses that.

I read the book in one sitting, not wanting to have to put it aside for the night to find out how it ended. The dialogue is convincing and the characters totally sympathetic and in one spot I was in tears. Ms. Bockoven does an admriable job of showing that us while life may be horribly unfair, with love and hope the score can be evened.

I urge anyone who wants an uplifting book to read to put this one your To Buy list. As for me, I'm off to hunt up the author's backlist.

Do you know that feeling you get when you look into the eyes of the person you love like life itself? That sense that everything is complete? Do you remember what it felt like when you were first falling in love with someone? Those heartwrenching feelings? The gut-twisting panic when you thought that maybe the other person didn't feel that way?

Some of you may remember how you felt when you got a phone call that no person would ever want to get--the one telling you that a friend or a family member had died. That numbing sense that this is not real, followed closely by the beginnings of the deep pain of the loss that can take years to overcome.

If you read this book by Georgia Bockoven, or any of her other books, you will most likely remember these feelings, and so much more. The good and the bad that make up this silly little thing called the human existence. How does Ms. Bockoven capture the essence of life, the emotions of love and loss, and put them to words so well that you relive the best moments of your life--and maybe a little of some of the worst? How does she weave a spell of words that touches your soul itself?

I have no idea--but I'll tell you that she then does the deed one better. Quite frankly, I would normally prefer not to be reminded of the sad events in my life, thank you very much. But Ms. Bockoven, after gently bringing you into the lives of her characters and letting you experience all that they do, gives the reader a priceless gift.

We have the capacity, each and every one of us, to chase away those dark shadows. All it takes is love. A simple little fact, easily forgotten in the midst of life's trials. When you are done reading a Bockoven book, you'll remember.

Eric Calonius has obviously done an immense amount of research and transformed it into a beautiful work of art. It is a very entertaining and INFORMATIVE novel. If history repeats itself, one can and should learn from his mistakes. This should be required reading for all poiticians!
Harold Markovitz

I enjoyed the book and am glad the author took the time to write the story down. It is worth reading.

Perhaps the author would consider writing about the schooner Clotilda which arrived in Mobile in 1860 with 110--116 captured Africans. The story is known locally so Mr. Calonius would not really have known about the Clotilda. The whole sorid affair was undertaken on a drinking bet. After the War, the former captives settled north of Mobile and named the area Africatown (Prichard, Alabama).

In the book The Wanderer: The Last American Slave Ship and the Conspiracy That Set Its Sails, one is first given a fine portrait of the genteel life of some of the South's more prosperous families. But that picture becomes clouded when business man Charles Lamar of Savannah, Georgia decides to import African slaves long after the trade has been made illegal in the fledgling United States. What ensues are lives turned upside down, deals gone awry, travesties of justice and the underpinnings of secession on the eve of the Civil War.

Erik Calonius has done his homework, quoting from articles from papers on both sides of the Mason Dixon line, as well as providing references to source documents regarding the ship building business of that time, agreements between the United States and Great Britain to patrol the high seas for human contraband and myriad other accounts of the politics of the day. This story has so many twists and turns that no writer of historical fiction could have bested it. But the sad truth is that it is not fiction. In fact this episode has probably not been presented in the average high school history class. I would hope that producers for the History or Discovery channels would bring it out as a documentary film in order to allow access to it in the popular media.

One side effect to reading this book is that I was taken to look back in my own genealogy when I found that one of the key players shared my surname. To my surprise, for better or for worse, I found that I indeed share ancestry with that individual.

A pleasant and heartwarming epilogue does await in the end when one finds oneself asking throughout the book, "Whatever happened to the Africans that were brought in illegally?" But don't skip to the end - you'll want to absorb every detail of this rich story, replete with colorful personalities, action and suspense. Truth is stranger than fiction.

Fascinating.

Some reactions from our book club: "How come I've never heard any of this before?" "Hmmm, looking back at this story helps me see just how bullying today can lead us astray on every level", and "...those Fire Eaters and the lives that were lost by so many who didn't understand the economic scheming that really got that war going."

The club is planning a trip to Savannah but the scenes painted by Eric Calonius are vivid enough without the tour.

A most readable, enjoyable and important book. We would recommend it to any book club ... it kept us reading and stimulated rich discussions.

Let me begin by saying that this is not a book that I would normally have any interest in reading. As a general rule, the topic of slavery is of almost no interest to me, and I tend to avoid the subject due to lack of interest. However, this particular book sounded like it might be interesting, so I decided to read it.

Erik Calonius is a career journalist who has had some plum assignments in his journalistic career. The Wanderer is his first book, and he should be very proud of it. The topic got his interest on a visit to Jekyll Island, outside Savannah, Georgia, when he saw an exhibit to the Wanderer. Intrigued, he started looking into it, and decided to tackle a modern telling of the story.

The slave trade was made illegal in the United States in 1820. However, some of the Southern firebrands who were pushing for secession also strongly favored reinstating the slave trade. Charles Lamar, a relative of L.Q.C. Lamar and of the second president of the Texas Republic, led the conspiracy. Lamar and his co-conspirators purchased the Wanderer, a magnificent yacht, and took her to Africa to bring back a load of slaves in 1858. His crew managed to evade the British and American naval vessels patrolling the coast of Africa and safely made it back to the United States.

Even though their purpose was a very poorly kept secret, Lamar and his co-conspirators managed to evade justice through a combination of corruption and bullying. They made witnesses disappear, tampered with evidence, and made it impossible for the government to convict them of piracy (the crime of importing slaves was designated an act of piracy, and carried the death penalty). In three separate trials in 1859, Lamar and his co-conspirators were all acquitted and escaped justice, in spite of the best efforts of the Buchanan administration to convict and execute them.

There was poetic justice: Lamar was killed in action during the Civil War, and the Wanderer, which was seized and sold by the government, ended up in Union service during the war.

The book is well-researched and very well-written, which I would expect of a senior journalist of Mr. Calonius' credentials. He has brought a topic which would normally not interest me to life with an engaging writing style that almost reads like a novel. The book does have one of my pet peeves: instead of providing specific end note references, they're lumped together at the end by page, which drives me crazy. If one were interested in further research, or reading the primary sources for oneself, this style of footnoting makes it virtually impossible to do so. I absolutely despise that footnoting style. I suspect that was the publisher's call-and not Mr. Calonius'-so I can't necessarily fault him for it.

What I liked best about this book was how it so accurately and amply used the microcosm of this single incident to demonstrate how the agenda of the fire eaters directly caused the Civil War, and how they paid the ultimate price for their calumny. It also demonstrates how the inertia and passivity of the Buchanan administration allowed events to come to a crisis situation. The inactivity of the administration permitted a few fire breathers to flaunt the law for their own purposes, and their actions in doing so directly triggered the Civil War. Ironically, the prosecution of Lamar and his co-conspirators was left in the hands of Buchanan's attorney general, Thomas Howell Cobb of Georgia, who later became a Confederate general.

I was pleasantly surprised by this book, and can highly recommend it to anyone with an interest in the causes of the Civil War.

This book is concise and easy to use. The pictures are good and being able to look up a bird by color is fantastic. It really cuts down on searching time. The colors are even cross referenced. I highly recommend it.

I purchased this guide because of the good reviews I had read on it. I like that you can look up the birds by color as we are bird novice's and even my young children can look up the birds they see on our feeders and identify them. Great guide all the way around!

Well, it is about time a small compact book with full color photos showing male, female, winter and summer plumage was available. Actual bird photos are so much better than a drawing or a black and white shot. So many times, I have seen a strange bird and could not find enough information as to what type it was, now I can.
I gave the book a 4 instead of a 5 because the description did not tell where the nests were located, the nesting materials used, nest designs or egg shapes and colors. I found by accident that the Kildeer lay eggs on open ground, are ready to eat and run within a few hours after birth and that the parents carry the broken eggs away from the hatching. This bird lore is very interesting and this type of description should be included for each bird.
But overall, a great bird information source and perfect for beginners like me!

I made this purchase from the Amazon reviews of the item. It is very easy to use,and the pictures are excellent. Now I know which birds are using my feeders.

I really like this book, especially the way the birds are grouped by size within color-tabbed sections. Also, male & female birds, when notably different, are on different pages. The index has a box next to each named bird so it's easy to record which birds you've spotted. However, I took away 1 star because I think some of the birds need more than 1 view, and I've seen some birds in my yard that are not in the book. Overall, I would recommend this book. The size makes it portable enough to take anywhere, and the organization and indexing make it easy to use.

This book is full of really good recipes. I love that it is divided by season

Not only is this cookbook chocked full of interesting recipes, but it is gorgeous! The photos accompanying each season are breathtaking - if you can appreciate the subtle beauty of food itself.

First off, I must say that I was pleasantly surprised to find out that Chef Ramsay enjoys the flavor of lavender and chocolate as much as I do! I used to make white chocolate and lavender truffles for the spring and I was thrilled to see a recipe for "Mille-Feuille of Chocolate with Lavender": a light dark chocolate ganache with steeped lavender piped over layers of puff pastry. He even serves lavender flavored ice cream on the side! Simply beautiful.

Obviously, the chapters are divided by the four seasons. At the beginning of each chapter, Chef Ramsay informs us as to why the vegetables, fruits and meats belong in each season. Followed are the recipes which may seem a bit daunting to the average chef. As in his other books, there is a good mixture of easy dishes that make this cookbook worth its weight.

Spring recipes that were fun and easy included "Whiting with Lemon and Parsley Crust", "Ricotta Gnocchi with Peas and Fava Beans" and "White Chocolate and Lemon Mousse".
Summer recipes include "Lobster with Mango and Spinach Salad", "Poached Salmon with Gewürztraminer Sauce" and "Loin of Beef with Watercress Puree".
Fall recipes that were a joy to make are "Lentil and Langoustine Soup (I substituted Cray Fish for the Langoustine)", "Tomato and Parmesan Gratinee Tarts" and "Monkfish with Creamy Curried Mussels" (a bit expensive but makes a great romantic dinner for two!). Winter recipes we enjoyed were "Smoked Haddock and Mustard Chowder", "Seafood in Nage with Carrot Spaghetti" (you do have to make the Nage(a vegetable broth) ahead of time but it is totally worth it!) and "Veal Chops with a cream of Winter Vegetables" (we actually substituted the Veal for Chicken and it worked well. Pork chops might also work, but you are not going to get the same texture.)

Again, at the back of the book is a plethora of cooking techniques, broth recipes and miscellaneous kitchen information.

`A Chef for All Seasons' by the English high tempered chef, Gordon Ramsay looks like and is very much of a `follow the trend' book, just as `healthy eating' and `quick cooking' themes are bandwagons on which cookbook writers jump to squeeze another ounce of interest out of their audience for their latest book. Unlike some other seasonally or calendar oriented books such as Alfred Portale's `The 12 Seasons', Nigel Slater's `The Kitchen Diaries' and Brother Victor-Antoine d'Avila-Latourrette various `Twelve Month' cookbooks, the recipes in this book offer little real guidance to when it is best to make these various recipes. As the author himself says, for him, summer begins in early May and most of the best produce is available closer to autumn than in high summer.

Except for a very few fruits and vegetables such as fava beans and strawberries in spring, tomatoes and corn in late summer, there is little reason aside perhaps from cost from restricting oneself to strictly seasonal produce, except for price. While my favorite local supermarket carries excellent asparagus the year around, it's price jumps from $1.99 to $2.99 in late summer, to drop back a dollar in March, and briefly drop to $1.69 (a pound) in May and June. So, I don't eat asparagus at $3 a pop, but do eat it every other month. Similarly, I don't make dishes with beefsteak tomatoes quite as often in the winter and spring as I do in high summer, but I don't eschew them entirely in winter. So, unless you are willing to literally graph out prices and availability of produce based on supermarket prices in your area, most seasonal considerations seem like a waste of time. Because, if you can't get it at all (like fresh fava beans in October), the question is moot, and if you can get it at a reasonable price and at a reasonable quality, the small difference between seasonal and off seasonal produce shipped in from Chile probably won't make a big difference to you, especially when you are looking at Master Ramsay's recipes, where the prep and cooking time are worth far more than that extra dollar you may pay for off season blueberries.

The other side of the coin is that Gordon Ramsay's recipes are very, very good without using excessively expensive ingredients except as options and they are (relatively) easy for `haute cuisine' dishes. So, this book is more of an argument to select Gordon Ramsay as your primary source for fancy dishes, instead of Eric Rippert or Albert Portale or Tom Colicchio or Joel Robuchon or Michael Romano or Charlie Trotter. Compared to many of these chef / authors, Ramsay is equally as fussy, but manages to follow the dictum of using the best ingredients and being as careful as possible not to muck them up. And, unlike some of his preachier colleagues, he concentrates on the simple procedures rather than on the gratuitous yapping about using fresh ingredients. For us in the peanut gallery, we pick the best that we can get without traveling 20 miles out of our way. Even foodies have a life beyond cooking and marketing.

For those of you unfamiliar with Ramsay's style, it is very, very French in technique with lots of creamy sauces, soups, and confits. It may not be the kind of thing you would pick for a low calorie diet, but it is not quite as fat laden as the provincial cuisine of southwestern France (see Paula Wolfert's excellent new edition on the subject). As usual, the most sprightly and revealing blurb on the back cover comes from the always eloquent Tony Bourdain, who describes this as `...food porn at its most lush...', a far more original approbation than the overworked `decadent'.

I confess I was not immediately as impressed with this book as I have been with some of Ramsay's other books, but this is largely due to what seems like less general information on cooking technique and more space on the recipes themselves. There is, however, still a fair amount of gems on various foods here. For example, he gives an excellent argument for preferring your mangoes firm and not quite ripe to the squishy red ones soft to the touch. But, the very best part of the book for the foodie cook is the last section on `basic recipes and techniques', especially if your library is not already filled with tomes from Jacques Pepin, the CIA, and James Peterson on basic kitchen skills. The most interesting recipe here is the one for `Vegetable nage' that on the surface is very similar to a vegetable stock, but it seems to be a cross between a veggie stock and a court bouillon. It is not cooked as long as stocks and it seems to have a longer refrigerator life than meat or fish stocks. While this is a classic French term and concept, I have not seen recipes for it in many other books. By pure coincidence, I noticed a very similar recipe in the book `Full On Irish' by Irish Michelin starred chef, Kevin Dundon which he describes as a kitchen garden vegetable stock. I don't even recall seeing this in Deborah Madison's great works on vegetable stocks.

All of Ramsay's measurements are Yankee friendly, as everything is measured by cup, spoon, or count and not by gram or liter. He also does a better job of displaying ingredients lists so that units and ingredient names are all put on separate lines or columns. Unfortunately, he does not do this in the `basic recipes' section. But, since almost all items are simply counts, the problem is not acute.

This is another reason to make Gordon Ramsay your celebrity chef/writer of choice, especially as his books are reasonably priced and very attractive to look at, with full oversized pages of well-chosen pics (but without captions!).

Recommended.

If only Gordon Ramsay had been writing cookbooks when I was learning to cook some 50 years ago, I never would have bought another series of cookbooks. He's that good.

Gordon Ramsay's A Chef for All Seasons is a cookbook you can use for those super special occasions: when you want to impress those friends, who love to cook themselves, or when you just want to eat really awesome food yourself. A lot of the recipes call for expensive ingredients, like lobster, goose fat, the obligatory truffles and foie gras. But there are also quite a few recipes with more common ingredients, which are real gems. I just want to mention the Veal Chops with a Cream of Winter Vegetables (even Gordon calls this "a nice recipe for a mid-week dinner") and the Pillows of Ricotta Gnocchi with Peas and Fèves.

The recipes is divided into four chapters, one for each season, which is a great plus in a cookbook. Each chapter contains recipes for starters, entrees and desserts. The last chapter is Basic Recipes and Techniques, which contains instructional photographs. Finally, the index has entries for each ingredient used.

It's great fun to read about how things are done in Gordon Ramsay's restaurant, e.g. "Boil the potatoes still in their skin until just tender. Drain and peel them while hot. (We do this wearing rubber gloves to protect our hands.)" in the recipe for Pillows of Ricotta Gnocchi with Peas and Fèves.

His perfectionistic style makes some recipes seem harder than necessary. After following his recipe closely the first time I make it, it is usually easy to see some shortcuts without sacrificing the quality of the end product (I imagine that Gordon will wholeheartedly disagree with this).

To conclude, I would highly recommend this cookbook for the experienced cook, who wants to surprise others (or her/himself) with great food.

From beggining to end this book couldn't have been much more interesting, unless I was riding along too!!! Marvelously written, 100% entertainment from cover to cover. Ir would make for an excellent screenplay, even though you couldn't make it better than this book.
It is supposedly fiction, but you wouldn't really know from his descriptions.

This book grabs you and sucks you in from the first page. By page 10, I couldn't put it down. Well written and entertaining, uniquely insightful about growing up male and Southern. I'd recommend this for anyone - my girlfriends loved it, my brother tried to steal it from me.

I never dreamed that I would grow to care for the redneck crew that inhabit the pages of Drive Like Hell. What captured me was Dallas Hudgens' ability to take me inside the heart and mind of an adolescent boy and to show me the humor and sensitivity that reside there. What had me rereading many of the pages was the sheer beauty of the author's words. He describes scenes with such richness and precision that he has you breathing the same air as the characters in his novel. And, as with all great reads, he has you lusting for a sequel!

All of the music references made this book so enjoyable. I picked up my son's copy, and I'm not sure which one of us liked it more. Anyone who's ever been a teenager living in the South (or anywhere for that matter) will identify with Luke Fulmer. Drive Like Hell is funny, suspenseful, and moving, and I can tell that Hudgens is one heck of a Southerner. He's the real thing--and he even manages to work Jack Nicklaus into the story.

Hudgens has spun a compelling tale about Luke, a 16-year-old Southern boy in the late 1970's who is about to have a series of life-shaping experiences. The reader gets to see Luke deal with scrapes with the law, his first girlfriend, his first experiences driving cars legally (and illegally), the minor and major-league drug deals, and coming to terms with his alcoholic mother and absent father. All of this is told with true Southern charm and a fantastic cast of characters--a likeable but gruff sheriff out for political gain, a zany foreign chef who made salad dressing with Paul Newman, a breezy petty thief who happens to be a charming girl, AA teetotalers, and my favorite off all, an unbalanced former professional football player who lives in the moment and has tons of cash to thrown at his mistakes.

I'm not a Southerner, but I was charmed by these just-to-the-side-of-the-law rednecks and car lovers. Let's hope Hudgens treats us to a second story about Luke's career as a bail bondsman.

A Gift of Mourning Glories details the process of restoring your life after loss. The book's cover reflects the message inside. On the front are the delicate purple morning glories, covered with drops of dew. They remind me of the passion in Georgia's heart and the tears that brought her healing. Loss can be described in many ways. We often associate loss with death, but what about other losses? Have you experienced the loss of a job, marriage, health or income? The secret to recovery is looking for the gifts that are the treasures within the tragedies. Georgia quickly affirms that, "We think we are weak if we don't quickly bounce back". In this fast pace life we live in, she explains the steps necessary to begin restoration. We must clear out the old in order to begin the new. Georgia emphasizes persistence and not making excuses. She describes how God will take us beyond our fears and stretch us. We can all learn from our mistakes if we aren't afraid to make them. Georgia says, "When we slip up, don't give up. A Gift of Mourning Glories tells us how to search for the riches stored in the secret places. Rest and trust in God's divine plan, that is the key. Fill your empty basket with the promises of God and your empty basket will be filled with new beginnings, hope, joy and a new purpose.

A Gift of Mourning Glories addresses the weighty issues surrounding the pain of loss, without being too "heavy" for those already overwhelmed with grief. Georgia shares with warmth and candor the lessons she has learned through her own experiences. She offers suggestions which are practical and relevant. Readers will feel inspired and encouraged by this uplifting book!

I found this book quite comforting after my brother's suicide in January 2001. Ms. Shaffer's use of Scripture along with gardening analogies made it easy to read. I was so inspired by her style of writing that I went searching for morning glory seeds. I began germinating right away and gave seedlings to my friends, neighbors, church family and even people I did not know. Two months later, my family relocated to Nebraska and by late summer there were beautiful flowers of heavenly blue, baby blue, and pink along the fenceline...a gentle reminder of the fragility of life.

In Texas, an elderly neighbor had once planted morning glories. I would wake each morning, draw the curtains and count the blossoms as they unfolded. On one certain morning, there were over one hundred gorgeous blue flowers...one hundred blessings that I may have taken for granted. Thank you, Georgia, for encouraging me to sow those seeds of hope.

A Gift of Mourning Glories could be called a book of encouragement and inspiration. And you don't have to be recovering from a difficult loss to benefit from it. I bought it to give to a friend with cancer but ended up reading it myself. The short chapters gave me inspiration on how to live my life with more awareness of God's presence and guidance. Although I am not a gardener, I found Georgia's illustrations and analogies from her garden very helpful. I also got information on how to deal with my friends who are undergoing difficult times. I must give them time to grieve. I highly recommend this beautiful and inspirational book.

Cancer has become a household word these days, because every home, family and community has been touched, on some level, by its icy grip. In Georgia's book "A Gift of Mourning Glories", she lets us walk with her on her journey with cancer; from brokenness, to restoration of body, soul and spirit. The deeply personal feelings and experiences that Georgia shares, gives hope to the weary and encouragement to the downhearted. Georgia's struggles were not limited to cancer alone, but divorce and single parenting along with losing her job and health. Just as Jesus used the simple daily things of life to teach deep truths about victorious living, so also has Georgia used her garden to help teach the skills needed to restore life after loss. Just like Georgia's gift of morning glory seeds were not a "wanted" gift, not every gift we are given is "wanted" either. Many times, suffering and struggle are not viewed as "wanted" gifts, but God uses the hard times of our life to root us deep in His truth and love, so we can grow up tall and healthy for the glory of His beautiful garden of grace. This book is a must for everyone struggling to overcome life's darkest hours. In fact, I feel it should be in every Doctor's office waiting room, for it is there that we sit with our fears and worries. It is during those times, when pain opens us up, that we are made able to learn the depths of God's love and provisions for our lives. I have given this book to many dear friends who are hurting and discouraged and they have been comforted by it. "A Gift of Mourning Glories" is a great book for anyone that finds themselves in a support role with a cancer patient or huring loved one.

I loved this book for what it taught me. It's almost like a riches to rags story. One who started the journey to faith with such strength and then fell on the way. This book is sad in the sense that the author who believed herself to be set free now is okay with homosexuality and has even embraced it. I feel sorry for her. She will be held accountable on that final day when she meets God.

This is an excellently written work that addresses the confusion and the struggle of being in a relationship with someone who is at odds with their own sexuality. To further complicate matters, this book tackles the issue of being deeply entrenched in Christian Fundamentalism while dealing with a spouse who is coming to terms with being gay. The author tells her story in a very open and personal way. It is written much like a novel or short story, yet it is powerfully "real". It is a book that you have a hard time putting down because you want to find out what happens next. Recommended reading for anyone who has a gay family member or friend who has come out after being married and having children.

I am living out the same experience as the author's and I was deeply moved by her story. It validated my own feelings and helped me to better understand the feelings of my gay ex-husband. I was touched to read that their friendship was sustained through it all and it gives me hope for the same. Any married couple dealing with this devastating situation should read her memoir.

A moving book, quite heart-rending at times. And yet frustrating as well. Too many pages are given to the crushing and authoritarian leaglism of their early faith which ultimately counts for nothing. As the doors of self- and God-understanding open, I yearned to know more to hear more of their internal transformation and the remarkable people who cross their paths--like Madelaine L'Engle. The climax of confrontation and decision was gripping but I sensed a gauzy filter descending thereafter, masking the grit required in reconsituting lives and relationships.

In a work of rare honesty and compassion, Sally Lowe Whitehead shares her heart with the reader. While focusing on the painful reality of discovering that her husband and the father of her children is gay, this work deals with much more. It is an honest and sometimes painful account of the author's coming to terms with a Church that is often unforgiving and unloving. Whitehead's journey toward faith and forgiveness is both moving and challenging to the reader. It is impossible to read her words and not re-evaluate one's own ideas and prejudices. The Truth Shall Set You Free is a work that is not only honest in its presentation, it is one that encourages the reader to equal honesty.

Searching for wisdom today usually brings to mind countless books on how to get ahead, or rich, or thin, or powerful. Schlegel has not written a how-to book for modern success, but the story of his own discernment of the difference between wisdom and knowledge.

Although Schlegel went to the Philipine island of Mendanao for an intellectual purpose, a study to complete his doctoral dissertation on the Teduray tribe, he found himself impressed with a style of life and social interaction that most westerners would call primitive. Schlegel saw not only the value and benefit of the Teduray lifestyle, he found his own life influenced by these people in positive ways.

The tribe is now extiinct, wiped out as the result of political conflict, but the wisdom of its ways has not been lost, it lives on in Schlegel's depiction in this book, providing wisdom to those who search for it in unpredictable places.

The people you will meet in this book are cooperative, peaceful, egalitarian, and truly democratic. They also live in harmony with the earth. There have been many books about tribal people, gathering- hunting societies, like the Bambuti of the Congo rain forest, the Kung Bushmen, the Inuit, Native Americans. Most of these people have values similar to those of the Forest Teduray. Gathering - hunting societies have to be cooperative because its the only way they can survive. There are no hierarchies for the same reason, and women are always at least equal to men because in most such economies they provide 70- 80% of the food Nevertheless the Forest Teduray are a special kind of people for a number of reasons. They are semi agricultural, and they live in villages rather than small bands, and these villages are connected to each other in a very loose, unstructured federation. And yet they have not only maintained the basic core values of traditional gatherer- hunting peoples, but have developed and refined them into a way of life that not only works perfectly for them, but actually seems possible for our own society. It is a bit of a stretch, I admit, and the historical record is hardly encouraging. It does appear that nation states must always develop male dominated hierarchical and violent, aggressive societies. Buit there is no compelling reason to believe that this is necessary. The Teduray think it is "no way to live" . Just imagine living in a Teduray world: a global human society living in harmony with everyone else, and with the planet. As difficult as it will surely be to get there, it's got to be worth trying. I never saw a better manual for how to live this way than Wisdom from a Rain Forest. The Teduray really know how to live, and they know how to talk about it. I think the world needs this book, and I wish everyone would read it. There are always many books on the best seller lists about how to fix your own personal inner life, to provide soup for your soul or something. But maybe we can't do any of that by ourselves. Maybe we need to work together to build a healthy society. A way to live the Teduray would call "just right". Many times you may hear people say "this book changed my life". I have always believed this is not really possible, that no book can ever really do that. This book changed my life.

The people you will meet in this book are cooperative, peaceful, egalitarian, and truly democratic. They also live in harmony with the earth. There have been many books about tribal people, gathering- hunting societies, like the Bambuti of the Congo rain forest, the Kung Bushmen, the Inuit, Native Americans. Most of these people have values similar to those of the Forest Teduray. Gathering - hunting societies have to be cooperative because its the only way they can survive. There are no hierarchies for the same reason, and women are always at least equal to men because in most such economies they provide 70- 80% of the food Nevertheless the Forest Teduray are a special kind of people for a number of reasons. They are semi agricultural, and they live in villages rather than small bands, and these villages are connected to each other in a very loose, unstructured federation. And yet they have not only maintained the basic core values of traditional gatherer- hunting peoples, but have developed and refined them into a way of life that not only works perfectly for them, but actually seems possible for our own society. It is a bit of a stretch, I admit, and the historical record is hardly encouraging. It does appear that nation states must always develop male dominated hierarchical and violent, aggressive societies. But there is no compelling reason to believe that this is necessary. The Teduray think it is "no way to live". Just imagine living in a Teduray world: a global human society living in harmony with everyone else, and with the planet. As difficult as it will surely be to get there, it's got to be worth trying. I never saw a better manual for how to live this way than Wisdom from a Rain Forest. The Teduray really know how to live, and they know how to talk about it. I think the world needs this book, and I wish everyone would read it. There are always many books on the best seller lists about how to fix your own personal inner life, to provide soup for your soul or something. But maybe we can't do any of that by ourselves. Maybe we need to work together to build a healthy society. A way to live the Teduray would call "just right". Many times you may hear people say "this book changed my life". I have always believed this is not really possible, that no book can ever really do that. This book changed my life.

This is a very good, readable book. It depicts a culture in which helping others was the normal--not the charitable--thing to do. The mindset of the Teduray people of the Philippine rainforest, with whom the author Stuart Schlegel lived for years, is a world view that, sadly, seems almost unbelievable for people who are indoctrinated into a capitalistic system. It's like a splash of cold water in the face. Wouldn't it be nice for every Anthropology 101 student in the U.S. to experience this book, if for no other reason at all simply to face the fact that there are human mindsets possible that are not ruled by money, greed, scarcity, and conspicuous consumption?

I believe that it is always beneficial to step outside our own culture for a while, to see how others live and how we can learn from them.

Especially when the culture we are observing is one as beautiful as the Teduray. They, like so many indigenous people, lived their lives with the well-being of the community as their focus. This is in sharp contrast to the lonely and individualistic lives of so many Americans.

The people of the Teduray village in which Dr Schlegel lived were all massacred years ago. We find this out in the beginning of the book. It was heartbreaking for him, as he lets us know. Then, as you go on to read the book, learning about his two years with the Teduray, you get to know the people - their names, personalities, lifestyles - you come to care about them. I found that knowing they had all been killed led me to place greater importance on learning from them. The temporary nature of their lives gave permanence to the wisdom they imparted.

They lived beautifully, communally, with great compassion. I felt humbled, and grateful to have read their story and learned from them.

I highly recommend this book. It is lovely, heart-centered, and written by a clearly beautiful man.

And if you like this book, you probably will also like The Continuum Concept by Jean Liedloff. I learned many of my better parenting skills from this book - another study of living within an indigenous community.

Even if you are not interested in the Bulldogs of Georgia you probably will find "Damn Good Dogs" a delightful book; beautifully illustrated, the book relates the history behind the English bulldogs that have become the University of Georgia's mascot beginning in 1956. Sonny Seiler, who has owned the bulldogs, has put together (with Kent Hannon), a pleasing book filled with many photographs. A chapter is devoted to each of the dogs relating their lives and what occurred while they were mascot and the growing fame of the Ugas. I first saw this book on a visit to Savannah and was charmed by it from the moment I opened the cover.

This is a large format book that was thoughtfully designed and is a great tribute to the remarkable dogs named Uga.

I am a lifelong University of Alabama fan but I have always known and admitted that Uga is - bar none - the coolest dog on the planet. And any dog who bites back at an Auburn player knows his football! My all-time favorite was Uga V and I was thrilled when he was rightfully named the greatest mascot ever by Sports Illustrated and made their cover. I was also excited to see this book.

This book is a great overview of the lives of the Ugas, their owners, and the Georgia football program. If you love dogs and college football, you'll love this book.

This is a good book. I highly recommend it to Ga. fans. UGA is a staple of the entire Georgia program and his lovable story is one that all college football fans can enjoy. I recommend "A Tailgater's Guide To SEC Football" as well for any serious SEC Fans.

Despite the fact that I am from Georgia Tech, the long time feud of UGA, sarcastically, I am also an English bulldog lover, having owned 2 English bullies in my life thus far. I highly recommend this book to all bulldog lovers, even if they are not associated with UGA.

Guaranteed to please all Georgia fans and English Bulldog lovers, this entertaining book contains the individual stories of six beloved Ugas who have served as mascots for the University of Georgia since 1956. Filled with delightful photos, illustrations and memorabilia spanning nearly five decades, it is loaded with fun facts, heartwarming stories--even poems written in their honor. Uga flies free on Delta, has an air-conditioned doghouse and an official Student ID Card, eats steak, attends social affairs, occasionally wears a tux, has appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated, in Coca Cola ads, in Playboy magazine, in Animals Who's Who, on credit cards, in movies, TV shows--and more! Following lavish funeral tributes, Ugas I through V were interred in a mausoleum at Sanford Stadium with inspiring epitaphs outlining their achievements engraved on bronze tablets. Uga VI has already made a name for himself "woofing" his encouragement to a well-deserved SEC title in 2002. GO DAWGS and long live Uga VI.

(Official Apex Reviews Rating: 4.5 Stars)

The Front Porch Prophet opens on Eugene Perdue contacting his best friend, A.J. Longstreet, after several years of non-communication. He needs A.J. to be with him in the final phases of his life after he is diagnosed with cancer, and A.J. readily obliges. The reunion leads to entertaining stories about the men's past, beginning with their childhood and moving through the years until they became young men. Through the tales shared from A.J.'s perspective, the reader is introduced to both men's families and individual pasts, and the large cast of unique and charming characters makes the overall story truly special.

The Front Porch Prophet is a humorous and emotional look into life in Sequoyah, Georgia. While embracing southern culture and showing the quirkiness that small mountain town residents possess, Raymond L. Atkins does a brilliant job of taking what could have been a depressing story about cancer and turning it into a colorful, compelling story that will draw readers in and makes them fall in love with the characters. Highly recommended to all readers, because no one should miss out on this touching tale of friendship, family, and southern culture.


Brooke Carleton
Apex Reviews

I grew up listening to Garrison Keillor every Sunday morning on the radio, and I love his gentle, easygoing narratives of small-town life. Sequoyah, Georgia, Raymond L. Atkin's quirky town, is the Lake Wobegone of the South. The rural community is populated with a never-ending stream of strange characters. There's Hoghead, a cook who proudly makes the world's worst coffee and proudly posts the Daily Special in the front window every morning, as well as a cheerful Christian message. Unfortunately, he isn't too good at separating his thoughts, so you might see advertised "THE ROAD TO HELL IS PAVED WITH COUNTRY-FRIED STEAK" or "CHRIST DIED FOR THE BEST FRIED CHICKEN IN THE COUNTY." A.J.'s wife Maggie is pretty normal, except that all of her family members are named after famous authors, so her full name is Margaret Mitchell Callahan Longstreet, and her children are named Emily Charlotte (named for BOTH the Bronte sisters in a break with tradition), Harper Lee and James Joyce. Police officer Slim could be the twin brother of Hazzard County's Sheriff Roscoe. But everyone in the town basks in the glow of small-town friendliness, and the community happily takes its turn irritating and taking care of each other.


Part of the way Eugene amuses himself is by writing letters to all the people he knows to be sent after he dies. There's an excerpt from each one at the beginning of every chapter. Some of them are sweet, most of them are sarcastic (Being dead is not that bad. There are a lot of people here I know. In fact, most of them were your patients.) All of them hare hilarious.

The joy of this book comes from the variety of characters and their tangled relationships. It's really a fun read; page after page made me laugh like a hyena (I even snorted within hearing distance of some clients; that was embarrassing) but at the end I may have been sniffling a little bit. It's very authentic and comfortable; if The Front Porch Prophet were an article of clothing it would definitely be a soft, worn, slightly dirty brown leather jacket that's been heated in the sun so that it's snug and warm and has that perfect old-leathery smell to it.

Raymond Atrins
Medallion Press, 2008
ISBN: 9781933836386
5 Stars
Reviewed by Debra Gaynor for ReviewYourBook.com
You do not have to be a Southerner to enjoy a quirky Southern story. The setting for The Front Porch Prophet is Sequoyah, Georgia . Unique characters, southern charm, and a gripping story make this book an excellent read. Eugene is battling a fatal disease and must face his mortality. He seeks help from his estranged best friend, A.J. Together they look back on the past.
The Front Porch Prophet will make you laugh and will make you cry. Raymond Atrins is an extremely talented author. He developed a plot that peeks at southern life, approaching death, and friendships. The secondary characters make this book. Their quirkiness makes them appealing. The writing style is pleasant, fast-paced, and rewarding. I suspect this book will be a best seller.

A.J. Longstreet and Eugene Purdue share a colorful past. They grew up together in the mountains of Sequoyah, Georgia, and got into their share of trouble. The best friends had an alcohol-induced falling out three years ago and haven't spoken since. In the opening scenes of The Front Porch Prophet by Raymond L. Atkins, Eugene initiates contact with A.J. with some bad news. Eugene has terminal cancer and a matter of months to live. He needs A.J. to be present in the final phase of his life and good-hearted A.J. readily obliges.

Thus begins the reunion between what must surely be two of the most charming and entertaining characters in rural Georgia. As A.J. steps back into Eugene's life, the past comes flooding back. As events and characters unfold, Atkins presents A.J. and Eugene as boys, teenagers, and young men. He introduces their parents, grandparents, wives, children, neighbors and colleagues. It is a large and eclectic cast of characters, and they are what makes this story special.

If a terminally ill man suffering through his last days sounds like a depressing premise for a story, don't worry. This compelling tale is anything but. Atkins is a master story teller and his anecdotes, all told from A.J. Longstreet's point of view, draw the reader in while the tongue-in-cheek way he presents them will make you smile. The narrative tone is dry and humorous, but at the same time warm and tender. It lovingly embraces the quirkiness of the residents of Sequoyah and pokes gentle but loving fun at the culture of the Deep South.

Atkins' writing is impeccable and he is clearly in his element with this wonderful piece of Southern fiction.
One of the strong points of this novel is the way in which he builds a very strong sense of place, not only with descriptions of the physical setting but with his characters, through descriptions of their personalities, daily lives and interactions. Even the rough and tumble ones who drank entirely too much whiskey and carried on love affairs with their firearms, were so likeable. And in the end, they show us that no matter where you're from, family and friendship are ties that bind and endure despite our mistakes and inadequacies.

If you lived in a small town when you were growing up, or are just redneck enough, you'll know exactly what's going on in this story.

That's what makes The Front Porch Prophet so hilarious and relatable. Author Raymond L. Atkins' subtle implementations of dry humor and unlikely-but-possible situations are what drive this otherwise melancholy perspective on a man's slow battle with cancer while residing in the small town of Sequoyah, Georgia. The story's bulk are the family branches of the slowly succumbing Eugene Purdue, bringing in characters with rich personalities and wonderful side stories. Each character is described throughout the entirety of the book; this includes the local eatery's religious owner, Hoghead (who unintentionally renames the drive-in with a combination of Bible tidbits and dining specials); Estelle Chastain (whose mean little dog meets an unexpected demise by an aerial porch); real estate buyer Truth Hannassey (who finds a love match in Eugene's ex-wife); and deputy Slim (who would freak out if he ever found out about that stolen school bus).

The story is rich and lively, easing the emotional break of Eugene's gradual degradation (even with grenades to ease the boredom). But his familial friend A.J.'s reluctant role as caretaker and possible Grim Reaper shows a tenderness and emotion familiar to many who have lost a loved one. Between Estelle's reckless driving and A.J.'s battle of words with Eugene's dog Rufus lies a story of heartbreak, loss, and emotion. A fantastic read.